The Work of Art: A Regency Romance Kindle Edition

It's becoming harder and harder to find really good freshly-written HRs. A shame, because HRs are my chosen escape-from-reality read, something I'm needing more and more lately whenever I crawl out from under that rock where I've been hiding to escape the never-ending depressing news cycles. So hallelujah, and thanks, Ms Matthews. For a brief moment I was lost in the world of a delightful Regency romance, with really charming main characters and a heartwarming romance.The plot is not anything new. Lovely innocent young woman from Devonshire, alone in the world after the death of her grandparents, is brought to London by distant and unaffectionate relatives who are hoping to get her married off ASAP. She is uncomfortable with their choice, an older, cold, and uncharismatic duke known as The Collector because of his obsession with acquiring unique treasures. And our heroine Phyllida is just such a unique treasure. She's lovely. But more than that she's heterochromatic, with one blue eye and one amber. She has been given the nickname The Work of Art because of this and the duke is set on her for his new wife. And her relatives are looking forward to the money they will receive for this marriage transaction.Then we have our hero, Captain Arthur Heywood. He's a Peninsular War hero, wounded so badly that he can no longer walk without a cane, is never free of pain and suffers from PTSD. He's almost a recluse but has been forced to London by his father to check out a possible business investment with Phyllida's uncle. So he and Phylly meet and become friends. I'll not say more about this because it pretty much goes along as you would expect with perhaps only a few surprises.The plot's not really the thing, anyway. It's the romance. It's the truly appealing hero and heroine. It's the way their friendship develops into love. These two characters were perhaps too good to be true, but I needed to meet some really good people at the moment, even if they were fictional. And they are perfect for each other. Phylly is a kindhearted country girl at heart. She's not fond of the social life in London. Arthur, especially since his injuries, is not interested in the city and its social life either.Phylly has a compassionate heart. She can't stand by if she sees a way to give help or support in any way, as is evidenced by her motley crew of dogs who came to London with her, most formerly abused, one with only three legs. Captain Heywood is an honorable man, albeit a reticent, reclusive one. So I sat back, Kindle in hand, to see how these two would deal with each other. Both need a rescue. Phylly from her unkind family and that unwanted marriage, and Arthur needs healing to feel like a whole man, in spite of the limitations of his injuries. To take a line from the movie Jerry Maguire, these two complete each other. And they communicate. Yes, there is actual communication. There are misunderstandings but author Matthews doesn't allow these to fester. They are almost immediately addressed in conversations. Nicely done!I can't quite say that this is a 5-star book. I did not appreciate the heroine's TSTL moment near the end. It was necessary, I suppose, so that the hero could do what he did to remedy the situation. But still...I'm not fond of TSTL actions. Nonetheless, this is a great little romance and hit the spot for me.

I am a voracious reader of historical romance. I believe Mary Balogh, Grace Burrowes and Lisa Kleypas are the queens of this genre. And now Mimi Matthews has joined that exalted group. Her beautiful novels draw me right in and I can't get anything done until I'm finished reading. This book is particularly engaging and so, so romantic!Phyllida Satterthwaite and her four beloved dogs now live in London with her stern uncle, hateful aunt and irritating cousins after the death of her grandfather. She has different colored eyes, which draw much attention. When her uncle has potential business partners at the home, she meets Captain Arthur Heyward, a former cavalry officer who was grievously injured in the war; he cannot walk without a cane and suffers severe pain. Philly really clicked with the gruff, unsmiling Arthur and they become friends. She didn't look at him with pity, and when she thought he needed help or was in pain, she helped him without being obvious and drawing attention to him. Her uncle wishes her to meet a Duke, who is interested in Philly because he believes she is a work of art with her unusual eyes. She didn't like this Duke at all. However, she finds her uncle has essentially sold her to him and demands she marry him. Frightened of the rumors about the Duke, she leaves her home with Arthur; he decides the only way he can protect her is to give her his name.The relationship between Philly and Arthur was just beautiful! They started as friends, with the intention that their marriage would be in name only. That was not to be; a quiet romance built quickly between them. Philly was a sweet, caring woman with a big heart, evidenced by the care she gave her wayward pets...and Arthur. Arthur still suffered from his pain and injuries, feeling frustrated that he couldn't do the things he used to do. When it appeared that someone was trying to hurt Philly, he would do everything he could to protect her. Though intimacies were behind closed doors, the story was still very sensual and the love palpable. I can't express just how much this book touched me. Ms. Matthews can't write fast enough for me.I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

I was disappointed by this book. The set-up was magnificent. A creepy Duke known as the Collector wants the girl with mismatched eyes. A horrible “Uncle” who intends to essentially sell her for quite the profit. Miserable cousins who knew of their father’s plot but did not warn her. Servants who willingly trap Philly in the house. And the handsome, wounded Captain Heyworth... seriously this story should have been amazing.And yet, once Heyworth and Philly escape London, the entire story fizzles. First, this is not a bodice ripper. And frankly that was fine with me. I usually skip the sex scenes as boring, but if you aren’t going to write a good sex scene, you need to give the reader a good sense of the tension and passion. This book was as tame as one of my mom’s old Barbara Cartland novels. Second, there was no reckoning for her faithless cousins. Those girls needed a drubbing . Finally, the mystery falls flat until the very end. The wounded hero trope, the man who refuses to sleep by his wife side at night because he might hurt her during flashbacks, has been done 1 million times.Great ideas to start but a tedious 2nd half. Doubt I’ll read this author again.

This is the first book by Mimi Matthews that I've read. I'd heard good things about this author and this book did not disappoint. I absolutely loved it and read it in two days.Firstly, the two main characters, Phyllida (Philly) Satterthwaite and Captain Arthur Heywood, were such wonderful creations. I thought the way they come together was so beautifully written and subtle. I loved how Philly is so sensitive to Arthur at the beginning and helps him when he's walking, because of his injury, without embarrassing him at all. The way that the two characters develop and how their feelings for each other grow was beautifully depicted. It is one of the most beautiful romance stories I've read.The subsidiary characters were well drawn too. There were some definite villains and some of time it was an edge of the seat read. I liked the way the author kept me guessing about what was happening and about who the true villains were - there were plenty of twists and turns in the story. It was a real page turner and hard to put down. I hadn't read much contemporary Regency fiction apart from Jane Austen fan fiction before and this story was really refreshing. I was sorry to finish it and I look forward to reading more of Matthews' work soon.

I always look forward to reading one of Mimi Matthews’s books because I’m assured of an engaging and tender romance that is elegantly written with characters that capture your heart. THE WORK OF ART has a Regency setting rather than her usual Victorian one, but Ms. Matthews’s research is equally impeccable.Since returning from the Peninsula War three years ago, Arthur Heywood has been in constant pain from a serious leg wound, forcing him to walk with a stick, and his right hand also sustained severe injury. Riding and shooting were an important part of who he had once been and he’s finding it hard to come to terms with the limitations imposed by his injuries. In recurring nightmarish dreams, Arthur constantly relives the harrowing events that followed his last battle. He has given up all hope of ever enjoying any sort of normal life again, and lives a reclusive existence at his country estate in Somerset. When his father sends him to London to contract some business on his behalf with financier Edgar Townsend, Arthur has every intention of returning to Somerset as soon as the business is concluded - that is until he meets Townsend’s niece, Phyllida (Philly) Satterthwaite, a young lady desperately in need of someone to rescue her from an untenable situation.Phyllida Satterthwaite had once enjoyed a contented life living with her grandfather in rural Devon. She loved nothing more than going on rambles with her motley assortment of rescued dogs. Her circumstances change after her grandfather dies and she goes to live in London with her Uncle Edgar, the only living heir to her grandfather’s estate. Although unhappy, she is determined to make the best of her situation. Her uncle has promised to finance a season for her so that she might find herself a suitable husband but, when she discovers that he has already literally sold her to the menacing Duke of Moreland, she turns to the only person she feels she can confide in, Arthur Heywood.I have a soft spot for damaged heroes like Arthur. He has been scarred both physically and mentally by his wartime experiences and has lost all sense of self-worth, believing that his loss of physical prowess now defines who he is. At heart, he is honourable, kind, thoughtful and steadfast, qualities that come to the fore in his determination to help Philly and keep her safe. Philly is such a lovely heroine. Her kindness, gentleness and compassion are balm to Arthur’s troubled spirit and, when they first meet, I love how she is so attuned to his difficulties and helps him in an unobtrusive way.The ‘marriage of convenience’ is a favourite of mine and Arthur and Philly are such an engaging couple. I love how their initial bond of friendship, based on mutual liking, respect and trust, develops into a tentative attraction, which gradually blossoms into love. How refreshing to see them actually discuss any problems and misunderstandings before they became insurmountable.It was so heart-warming to see the changes Philly brings to Arthur’s life. With her gentle encouragement, he takes daily walks, slowly regaining some of his physical strength and his sense of hope. Heywood House had been a place of gloom, but Philly had made it feel like a real home. I loved Arthur’s determination to protect Philly and, in doing so, he becomes a true hero.‘It was undeniably Arthur. But it wasn’t her Arthur. It wasn’t the husband who kissed her and called her his sweetheart. No. This was a different man. A dangerous man. This was Captain Arthur Heywood. This was the soldier who had crushed a man’s throat with one bare hand.’Among the secondary characters there’s Philly’s devious and avaricious Uncle Edgar; her cold-hearted aunt, Mrs Vale; her horrid cousins, Elizabeth and Abigail; the cold and menacing Duke of Moreland; the conniving Mrs Eliot, and not forgetting Philly’s sundry canines.The mystery of who is threatening Philly added an intriguing layer to story, and the culprit’s identity was certainly a surprise I didn’t see coming.MY VERDICT: A lovely, heart-warming and beautifully written romance with just a touch of mystery. Highly recommended..

I don’t normally write good reviews if a book already has 5 stars (I usually save my reviewing for giving bad reviews for books that have inexplicably good reviews!) but this one was so good I had to add my contribution to the rest. What was so wonderfully refreshing was that the hero and heroine not only felt like real people rather than cardboard cutouts, but that they had open and honest conversations with each other and cleared up misunderstandings swiftly. This is so rare in fiction, but Mimi Matthews proves that you don’t need a ridiculously contrived and unreasonably prolonged misunderstanding in order to add dramatic tension to your plot. The period detail was spot on and the emotional lives of the characters were very real and touching. I shall definitely be reading more of this author.

Mimi Matthews tells a good story, well researched from a historical point of view, and she writes extremely well. She is mostly very good at writing in a believable 'historical' way, particularly bearing in mind that she's American and, I think, pretty young judging by her photo - but every so often some really modern expressions creep in and make a big rip in the lace curtains. You would think that it would be easy to get a proof reader who is sufficiently steeped in Victorian literature to weed out the anachronisms, but Ms Matthews' publishers don't have one.

The synopsis if this book put me off & it’s sat on my Kindle gathering web-dust.If only I had actually started to read it….A thoroughly enjoyable, entertaining, and straightforward romance. The twist of the Collector is clever. All the great elements are there: wicked uncle, nasty aunt, cruel ex, wounded hero, evil villain, as well as the arranged marriage, mysterious death, rescue & marriage, PTSD, confused emotions, etc etc.What makes this different is how the author weaves everything together; she does it in such a seamlessly casual way.I like Mimi Matthews books, but I never thought I’d like this one, but it’s Brilliant!!