ARC Review: A Woman Entangled by Celia Grant

Sometimes it is difficult to explain what separates a good book from an exceptional book, but there is one aspect with which we can all agree – good writing. In A Woman Entangled, Cecilia Grant's third book about the Blackshear family, she starts with a rather simple story and develops it into an emotionally powerful book through the strength of outstanding writing. There is no heavy drama, no murdering villains, no crazy relatives, no mysterious treasure. It is a story of two people, locked in their misguided belief systems, coming to realize that solutions can be simpler than we think. Grant reminds us that the most significant dramas lie in good old­-fashioned character development.

Nick Blackshear is a talented, but poor barrister with political ambitions. Struggling to separate himself from the shame brought on by his brother's scandalous marriage to a courtesan (A Gentleman Undone), his goal is to buy enough required land so that he can run for Parliament. Nick spends a great deal of time with his mentor, Charles Westbrook, and his family. Charles' incredibly beautiful daughter Kate is dealing with their family scandal – when Charles married their mother (an actress) he was cut off from his aristocratic relatives. Kate's ambition is to connect with her father's family and marry a titled gentleman. Nick stifles his unrequited love for Kate while watching her attempts to find a husband. Kate feels an annoying and
increasing attraction to Nick.

I loved this book. Kate and Nick are each hopelessly locked into a chosen course of action to deal with the scandals in their families. The beauty of the story is that neither one can see the pitfalls in their own approach, but they can see the pitfalls in the other person's. They are both better seeing solutions to the other one's issues. Very clever, very ironic. It is also a tribute to Grant's writing that she can create an unlikable character (Kate), but make us love her by the end of the book. A number of delightful secondary characters add dimension the story. I have read the previous two Blackshear books and enjoyed them, but this one was clearly the best for me. I cared about Kate and Nick, I loved their relationship, I enjoyed their families. Grant has a somewhat nontraditional approach to storytelling, but it still lies in the context of Regency England. An excellent book.


**ARC provided by NetGalley**

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