Books › A Civil Contract
A Civil Contract
624 pages
A beautifully grounded Regency romance that trades fiery passion for the quiet, profound satisfaction of a marriage built on mutual respect.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like stepping into a quiet, sunlit drawing room where the drama of fiery passion is traded for the profound comfort of mutual respect. It unfolds at a steady, deliberate pace, immersing the reader in a grounded, realistic portrayal of a marriage of convenience. The mood is initially bittersweet, tinged with the melancholy of lost infatuation, but it slowly warms into something deeply comforting and secure. The prose is elegant and historically precise, laced with a wry, observant wit that perfectly captures the nuances of class and domestic life. It is a deeply satisfying experience for readers who love mature, slow-burn romances where quiet devotion and practical partnership ultimately triumph over dramatic, star-crossed love.
- Mood
- quiet
- bittersweet
- comforting
- grounded
- domestic
- Tone
- pragmatic
- wry
- compassionate
- understated
- realistic
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- marriage of convenience · quiet devotion · duty and responsibility · love versus infatuation · class dynamics
- The writing
- Elegant and historically precise, marked by sparkling Regency dialogue and a sharp, observant wit.
- The arc
- Moves from reluctant resignation and lingering heartbreak to a deep, abiding, and comfortable mutual affection.
- Who it's for
- Readers who appreciate mature, slow-burn historical romances built on respect, practical partnership, and quiet devotion rather than fiery passion.
Content notes
- financial distress
- classism
About the book
Adam Deveril, is one of the Duke of Wellington's captains, and a hero at Salamanca. When his father, a crony of the Prince Regent, is killed in the hunting field, Adam became the 6th Viscount Lynton of Fontley Priory, Lincolnshire. But he returns from the Peninsula War to find his magnificent home in disrepair and his family on the brink of ruin and the broad acres of his ancestral home mortgaged to the hilt. He is madly in love with the beautiful Julia Oversley, but he soon realises that the drastic measure of a marriage of convenience is the only answer. It is Lord Oversley, father of Adam's first love, who tactfully introduces him to Mr Jonathan Chaleigh, a City man of apparently unlimited wealth with no social ambitions for himself, but with his eyes firmly fixed on a suitable match for his one and only daughter, the quiet and decidedly plain Jenny Chawleigh.
Although Jenny Chawleigh was bright, well-mannered, and an heiress, she was no match for beautiful Julia Oversley, the love of handsome Adam Deveril's life. But Adam desperately needed money to keep his fatherless family together, and a marriage to Jenny would solve all his problems. And Jenny's father, a man of great wealth and ambition for his daughter, was only too happy to arrange a suitable match with a title for her. Adam chafes under Mr. Chawleigh's generosity, and Julia's jealous behavior upon hearing of the betrothal nearly brings them all into a scandal. But Adam didn't reckon with the Jenny nobody knew, or the unknown quality that lay hidden behind her demure and plain facade, who bring him comfort and eventually more....
Description from Open Library.
Books like A Civil Contract
See why they match
VenetiaGeorgette HeyerA sparkling, banter-filled delight about a sensible country spinster who unexpectedly finds her intellectual match in the neighborhood rake.
CotillionGeorgette HeyerA sparkling, laugh-out-loud Regency romp that gleefully subverts the bad-boy trope in favor of radical kindness.
A Lord for OliviaJune CalvinA charming Regency romance where a war-weary veteran and a fiercely independent bluestocking must gamble their guarded hearts on true love.
Ravishing The HeiressSherry ThomasA masterclass in quiet, devastating angst and the exquisite pain of loving someone who sees you only as a friend.
Private ArrangementsSherry ThomasA masterclass in marital angst where icy estrangement slowly melts into scorching, hard-won passion.
Bride by contractMargaret RomeA simmering, old-school battle of wills where aristocratic pride clashes with ruthless pragmatism in a marriage of convenience.