The English Wife by Lauren Willig

Another BOTM book for me! I knew going in The English Wife would be hit or miss. It is outside my usual genre realm, but I have never turned down a challenge for that reason. How else will I know just how much I really love Horror/Thriller and Fantasy books? 

(Source: Kelsey Darling)

Georgie is an actress in London on the run when an American solicitor saves her. Now, living in New York, she is Annabelle Van Duyvil, married to Bayard and has twins, Viola and Sebastian. But all is not right. Rumors abound about Annabelle having an affair with the architect who built their house. At the Twelfth Night Ball to christen their new house, Bay is found stabbed and Annabelle is missing. Bay’s sister, Janie, is determined to find out what happened, if only to clear her brothers name. But the secrets she uncovers are darker than she could have ever imagined.

I hate admitting this, but I did not catch on that chapters alternated between 1895 and 1899. It probably took about five or six chapters. The sad thing here is the chapters start out with the date and location. Because of this, I didn’t like the book in the beginning because the only character in both timelines was Bayard. 

(Source: Giphy)

However, once I figured it out, I still did not initially click with the book. I found the characters annoying. Georgie’s mistrust felt overplayed. While you learn early on that she had been raped by a man she loved, which is extremely justifiable for not trusting men, she has a lot of other “dark secrets” that she is keeping. In the end, you learn that none of them are all that bad; one is even honorable. On the other hand, you have Janie, who is so naïve, she makes Barney look like a rebel. She just couldn’t believe that Bayard and Annabelle had nothing but love for each other. She probably also had little birds help her get dressed in the morning. About three-quarters through, she stops being so naïve and I grew to like her. The same for Georgie when she becomes Annabelle. Annabelle took no shit from anyone. I found the characters of the cousin and the mother mind-numbingly annoying. Their privilege was blatantly apparent and their distaste for each other quickly played out.

Bayard and Burke were the only characters I thought were worth their salt. While I had my suspicions about Bayard’s sexuality early on, it was not obvious until Annabelle caught him with another man. I found this extremely interesting. While I have read about trials women went through during this time for things against the Church, this was my first time reading about something regarding a man’s sexuality during the 19th century. What I loved most about it was Annabelle’s acceptance of her husband and protecting him. 

(Source: Giphy)

Janie’s relationship with Burke was also a fun plot. There is a thin line between love and hate, and while Janie believes she hates him in the beginning, the attraction is obvious to the reader. I found his demeanor endearing, although for the time, he would have been crossing a few lines. One of my annoyances was when Janie learned that he planned to elope with her cousin ELEVEN years ago. He was only sixteen at the time, and nothing happened. It was a brief relationship between stupid children barely older than Romeo and Juliette (and we all know how well that ended). 

(Source: me.me)

While I did not find the plot predictable, I also did not find it enthralling. Many times I considered giving it up. It was not until the last few chapters, I would say from the trial until the end, that the book became interesting. That being said, this book is a fringe-genre for me. Its primary genres are Romance and Historical Fiction. The “who dun it” mystery aspect is very tiny in the grand scheme of the book. If I was a Romance reader, I would have loved it. 

Rating: 4/10

Author: Lauren Willig 

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Mystery

Dates Read: October 15-22, 2018