The Work of Art

The Work of Art 

By Mimi Matthews

Hidden away in rural Devonshire, Phyllida Satterthwaite has always been considered more odd than beautiful. But in London, her oddity has made her a sensation. Far worse, it's caught the eye of the sinister Duke of Moreland—a notorious art collector obsessed with acquiring one-of-a-kind treasures. To escape the duke's clutches, she's going to need a little help.

Captain Arthur Heywood's days of heroism are long past. Grievously injured in the Peninsular War, he can no longer walk unaided, let alone shoot a pistol. What use can he possibly be to a damsel in distress? He has nothing left to offer except his good name.

Can a marriage of convenience save Philly from the vengeful duke? Or will life with Arthur put her—and her heart—in more danger than ever?

Mimi Matthews has done a bunch of early Victorian romance-mysteries (like REAL GENTLE on the mystery) and I am not ashamed to say I've read and enjoyed them all.  Some are better than others, definitely, but  - and especially after that LAST book - they're nice palate cleansers about decent people, no bombast, with a bit pining, some marriage of convenience tropes, a little gothic undertone, and a happy ending. I know that sounds like damning with faint praise, but honestly it's not.  For some reason her other books were mostly available but I had to wait like four months for this one, so I'm happy to say it was worth the wait! 

This is a pretty laid back romance; it's whatever it is when all the sex happens off the page - I can never remember if that's "closed door" or "open door" although thinking on it now, it would have to be closed door, right? Open door is like, peering into the room.  Unless they mean "closed door" like, this is what happens behind closed doors, and open doors is like, "Make sure you teenagers keep your doors open when your boyfriend is over!"  I think I just talked myself back into doubt.  Of course, no amount of logic can get me past "on the wagon" and "off the wagon" - I know what they mean, but no idea why.  

Anyway, I'm trying to think of nice ways to describe this that don't sound dismissive - basically a young woman with several large dogs gets pushed into an unwelcome marriage proposal and ends up with a lamed ex-soldier who is also a bit of a country mouse.  They basically elope and then spend the rest of the book waiting for the other shoe to drop.  And yes, there is a villain or two, but the story is mostly about two very lonely people who have found someone else who just gets them. And sometimes that's all you need.  I've found it a hallmark of Matthews' books that there isn't all this Sturm und Drang that you see in so many romances, Big Misunderstandings! Love Triangles! Jealousy! Despite the Victorian setting and the supposedly dastardly villains, these are really soothing stories.