"It was exhilarating, liberating... as though she stood on the precipice of a new, infinitely more abundant and exciting life. It was as thrilling as it was frightening, but she would not turn away".
"He couldn't remember ever meeting a stronger, more confident female, yet as he looked into her eyes he sensed a deep underlying vulnerability in her that was wholly disconcerting".
A Very Modern Marriage by Rachel Brimble is a fascinating historical romance, set in the Victorian Bath and Manchester.
This is the third book in The Ladies of Carson Street series, which reads perfectly as a standalone.
I've been following the author on many social media channels for a while, but haven't had a chance to read her books until now.
This novel was my introduction to the series.
Bath, 1852.
William Rose is an industrialist from Manchester. He is very ambitious, and driven. His origins are humble, and his childhood and young years in poverty made him determined to do everything in his power to keep his parents and siblings away from destitution.
As he says himself, "I am a working man... A man from humble beginnings and even humbler parents... I have always wanted more, and I still do". In another conversation he mentions, "Work is what defines and sustains me. I feel little need for anything more". He is considered among his acquiantances as a stand-up and trustworthy man. "An astute and seasoned businessman who rarely takes no for an answer granted, but he is also a man with ideas that benefit his employees".
William has his business and big plans to expand it, but he needs investors who would believe in his projects. Alas. it's not so easy. The hypocrictical Victorian society has its own set of rules, and respectability is often equalized with the married status. Yet William has no wife, and no plans to be wed any time soon either. When he hears that the possible partners won't consider his project because they are investing with family men only, he is enraged.
"Because he wasn't married? That was what had just lost him a huge boost to his company? Good God in heaven. Had the world gone mad?"
While looking for the possible investors in Bath, William meets the notorious ladies of Carson Street, an exclusive brothel for high-class clients (his friends bring him there one evening, against his objections).
There he encounters Octavia Marshall, a sophisticated beauty of great wit. "Octavia, while indisputably alluring, did not strike William as a typical whore. Whatever a typical whore might be. This was a woman comfortable in her own skin, confident in both speech and manner. Sophisticated, interesting, and more than capable of keeping abreast of conversation".
Octavia was born into the life of privilege. Tragic circumstances brought her to Carson Street, where she found refuge and friendship. "The house meant everything to Octavia. Since her harsh separation from her father several years before, she had gone from being a privileged young girl living in a beautiful home, to homeless and hawking herself on the streets. Then Louisa Hill, the owner of the Carson Street house, had found her - saved her - and their home and workplace became Octavia's haven, her sanctuary - the people living with her there, her saving grace".
There is a special bond between the women of Carson Street house, they love and care for each other. There are no lies, deceit or subterfuge between them. But the situation is changing. One of them is a married woman now, another is getting married soon. Where does it leave Olivia? Her future standing in the house might be wobbly.
Like William, Octavia has a plan for her future. She knows that the sex trade is fickle, based on youth and looks. The Carson Street house might not be always a profitable business. Octavia is determined to change her life, and invest her hard-earned fortune into Mr Rose's mills. "She would be a woman of business. Who knew where that would lead? A deep sense of rightness - of destiny - filled her heart".
Octavia and William strike a deal, which will benefit them both. They believe their pact would give them what they desire the most, but they are both naive to think it will go smoothly. Octavia can never be a conventional married woman and be William's pupet, and the tragic past is not so easily avoided.
"She needed to flee north and become the woman she genuinely wanted to be. She might not be entirely certain who that woman was yet, but the adventure to discovery was waiting for her regardless."
Will Octavia be able to forge a new life as a proper businesswoman? Could she "hide her past and forge her future withour presumption or judgment" and stand tall and proud in the face of critics?
There is a great motivation for a very modern marriage but is there a solid base to build the future together?
The plotline of a prostitute who wants to start a business of her own in Victorian times is not a made-up story. Prostitution was possibly the only job where a woman could earn high wages, and in rare cases, achive a financial independence and fortune. Of course, the majority were not so lucky. There is historical data that up to 80,000 prostitutes were working in Victorian London, and that's London alone.
In the highest echelon of prostitutes women were well-educated and beautiful, and could choose to work with only high-class clients including members of aristocracy and parliament. Many courtesans ended up as wives of their ex-clients.
A Very Modern Marriage is an absorbing historical romance filled with dark secrets and redemption. It's a story about the meaning of love, about losing and finding oneself, overcoming past trauma and having second chances. It is lavishly descriptive, and utterly compelling, with an acute sense of the period authenticity.
Potential triggers: prostitution, domestic violence/abuse. Sex scenes are very moderate and not graphic, certianly not of The Crimson Petal and White - level of graphic (only mentioning it as another novel about an educated prostitute of the Victorian times).
This post is part of the blog tour for a very modern marriage.
Many thanks to Rachel Brimble and Rachel's Random Resources for my e-copy of the book!
Purchase Links - http://mybook.to/modernmarriage
Author Bio –
Rachel lives in a small town near Bath, England. She is the author of over 25 published novels including the Ladies of Carson Street series, the Shop Girl series (Aria Fiction) and the Templeton Cove Stories (Harlequin).
Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association as well as the Historical Novel Society and has thousands of social media followers all over the world.
To sign up for her newsletter (a guaranteed giveaway every month!), click here: https://bit.ly/3zyH7dt
Social Media Links –
Website: https://rachelbrimble.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RachelBrimble
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachelbrimbleauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelbrimbleauthor/?hl=en
If you like the sound of the book, here is your chance to win an Amazon gift certificate for £15/$15 so that you can purchase any of Rachel's books.
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Thank you so much for this fabulous review!! 😊😊
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