The Belle of Belgrave Square

Belles of London, Book 2

By: Mimi Matthews

Narrated by: Ell Potter, Sebastian Brown

“Shiveringly Gothic.”—New York Times Book Review

A PopSugar and BookBub Best Romance of 2022!

A London heiress rides out to the wilds of the English countryside to honor a marriage of convenience with a mysterious and reclusive stranger.

Tall, dark, and dour, the notorious Captain Jasper Blunt was once hailed a military hero, but tales abound of his bastard children and his haunted estate in Yorkshire. What he requires now is a rich wife to ornament his isolated ruin, and he has his sights set on the enchanting Julia Wychwood.

For Julia, an incurable romantic cursed with a crippling social anxiety, navigating a London ballroom is absolute torture. The only time Julia feels any degree of confidence is when she’s on her horse. Unfortunately, a young lady can’t spend the whole of her life in the saddle, so Julia makes an impetuous decision to take her future by the reins—she proposes to Captain Blunt.

In exchange for her dowry and her hand, Jasper must promise to grant her freedom to do as she pleases. To ride—and to read—as much as she likes without masculine interference. He readily agrees to her conditions, with one provision of his own: Julia is forbidden from going into the tower rooms of his estate and snooping around his affairs. But the more she learns of the beastly former hero, the more intrigued she becomes…

©2022 Mimi Matthews (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Mimi Matthews never disappoints, with richly drawn characters and couples whose individual shortcomings become strengths, when paired together. In this Beauty and the Beast retelling, we get to root for two underdogs who get to rewrite their own stories.”—Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wish You Were Here

“Shiveringly Gothic…Watching Julia blossom away from prying eyes is almost as satisfying as seeing Jasper Blunt pine for her from nearly the first page…For best effect, save this one for a windy night when trees scrape against the windowpanes.”—New York Times Book Review

"The Belle of Belgrave Square is such tremendous good fun: a heroine with a big horse, an even bigger novel-reading habit, and a hidden anxiety; a hero with a crumbling estate, a trio of wary children, and a literary secret—what's not to love? Mimi Matthews paints Victorian England with vivid humor, and her Belles of London is set to go on for at least a few more much-anticipated installments. Julian Fellowes fans will rejoice!"—Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Diamond Eye

Very enjoyable romance

I love Mimi Mathews, and this another good one in her typical style. Loved the female narrator, but did NOT care for the male narrator. I hate it when there are multiple narrators, which is often the case when the story is written from alternating perspectives, which is the case in this one. Every other chapter is from the female's perspective. I do not care for this method, as it throws me off when each character is performed by a different narrator. The male narrator made the heroin seem like she had a completely different personality than did the female narrator. I didn't even like the male narrator for the male hero's voice. The story was a little predictable but enjoyable.

My Favorite of the Four Horsewoman

Everyone loves a man who is more than he may seem. I read the book and bought the audiobook so that I could heard this story over and again because I loved it so much...BUT the performance was awful, the words are beautiful but it NEEDS Alex Wyndham to make it perfect.

Great story

...a little disappointed with the narration. I thought with both male and female narrators, there would be none of the male narrator speaking for the heroine and vice versa. I don't have as much of a problem listening to a female narrative of male voices however, males trying to sound like females come across to me as sounding like a homosexual male. Thus, my disappointment in the performance.

My new favorite read!!

I absolutely loved this latest novel from Mimi Mathews. So deliciously warm and romantic. A book that will be on my re-read list, and one I highly recommend. 💕

Excellent!

This was so well done! Bravo! Clean romance with passion, what I’ve been looking for for awhile now.

This is one I will read over and over again!

I will read and listen to this over and over again. Eagerly looking forward to the next one in series.

Great Story

Really enjoyed this story. First time with this author. Not my last time. Will be checking out her books from Kindle, library, or Audible. It’s always wonderful if you find an author you really, really like.

Excellent Story!

I loved this second book in the series, and devoured it. The narrators did a wonderful job, and added so much to the story.

A new favorite

I just finished my second listen to the audio book. What an amazing story—I was not expecting the twists, in spite of the list of “source material” noted as being used for inspiration. This may be my new favorite book. Thank you, Mimi. 💕

Mimi Matthews has done it again!

Loved this one so much, possibly even more than the first in the Belles of London Series (which I also loved!)
Jasper and his love for Julia, had me swooning :-)
Can't wait for the next installment of the series! It's promising to rank up there with the Parish Orphans of Devon series for me!
I also love when an author seamlessly ties the world they create together, which Mimi Matthews does with these books. So fun to see favorite characters from her other novels appearing in these.