#HFVBT Blog Tour: Fair as a Star by Mimi Matthews

Fair as a Star by Mimi Matthews

Publication Date: July 14, 2020

Perfectly Proper Press

Series: Victorian Romantics, Book One

Genre: Historical Romance

A Secret Burden… After a mysterious sojourn in Paris, Beryl Burnham has returned home to the village of Shepton Worthy ready to resume the life she left behind. Betrothed to the wealthy Sir Henry Rivenhall, she has no reason to be unhappy—or so people keep reminding her. But Beryl’s life isn’t as perfect as everyone believes. A Longstanding Love… As village curate, Mark Rivenhall is known for his compassionate understanding. When his older brother’s intended needs a shoulder to lean on, Mark’s more than willing to provide one. There’s no danger of losing his heart. He already lost that to Beryl a long time ago. During an idyllic Victorian summer, friends and family gather in anticipation of Beryl and Sir Henry’s wedding. But in her darkest moment, it’s Mark who comes to Beryl’s aid. Can he help her without revealing his feelings—or betraying his brother?

Available on Amazon

This is one of my first forays into historical romance, though I’ve watched enough Jane Austen movies (and remakes) along with BBC dramas and PBS productions to understand the genre from a visual perspective.  I was pleasantly surprised to find this book to be charming, vivid, steeped in history, and overall lovely! 

Beryl Burnham, our main character, struggles with mental health, which becomes a refrain throughout the book.  While this sounds a little bit outlandish for the time period in which this book is set, I think it’s an important conversation that people need to have in the present.  This novel can be a launching point for book clubs or other groups to be able to have a frank conversation about mental health and I think this is a fantastic venue for it!  Beryl is loveable, flawed in the most human ways, and absolutely believable as a character.  She feels deeply, loves immeasurably, and her dialogue is wonderful!  Other characters, in particular Mark, are incredibly well written as well! 

This is a shorter book, clocking in at 202 pages, but the pacing is great and Mimi Matthews packs so much into so few pages!  There is no time for dawdling in this book!  The imagery is lush!  The romance is there, but not overpowering.  There is a masterful balance to this book between heavy themes, romance, lighthearted fun, and frank conversations about what matters most.  Balance is something that can be very hard to achieve.  I commend Mimi Matthews for striking just the right balance with this novel!

I would recommend this to any fan of historical romance, or even just historical fiction.  It works for both categories!  A lovely book from an author that I hadn’t read before, but I will absolutely be picking up titles in the future!  Thank you to the team at Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and Mimi Matthews for the chance to read this on tour!  All opinions are my own. 

About the Author

USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews writes both historical nonfiction and award-winning proper Victorian romances. Her novels have received starred reviews in Library Journal and Publishers Weekly, and her articles have been featured on the Victorian Web, the Journal of Victorian Culture, and in syndication at BUST Magazine. In her other life, Mimi is an attorney. She resides in California with her family, which includes a retired Andalusian dressage horse, a Sheltie, and two Siamese cats. For more information, please visit Mimi Matthews’ website and blog. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, BookBub, Pinterest, Google+, and Goodreads.

Blog Tour Schedule

Tuesday, July 14 Review at Passages to the Past Wednesday, July 15 Interview at Austenprose Review at Gwendalyn’s Books Feature at I’m All About Books Review at Probably at the Library Thursday, July 16 Review at Library of Clean Reads Friday, July 17 Review at View from the Birdhouse Saturday, July 18 Review at The Green Mockingbird Sunday, July 19 Review at Robin Loves Reading Monday, July 20 Review at Historical Fiction with Spirit Tuesday, July 21 Review at Book Bustle Wednesday, July 22 Review at Bookish Rantings Thursday, July 23 Review at Heidi Reads Friday, July 24 Review at The Lit Bitch Saturday, July 25 Feature at What Is That Book About Monday, July 27 Review at Chicks, Rogues and Scandals Tuesday, July 28 Review at Donna’s Book Blog

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour, we are giving away a copy of Fair as a Star by Mimi Matthews! To enter, please use the Gleam form below. Giveaway Rules – Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST on July 28th. You must be 18 or older to enter. – Paperback giveaway is open to the US only. – Only one entry per household. – All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspicion of fraud will be decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion. – The winner has 48 hours to claim prize or a new winner is chosen. Fair as a Star https://widget.gleamjs.io/e.js