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To have and to hold
283 pages
A deliciously angsty vintage romance where a pragmatic marriage shatters, forcing an emotionally oblivious hero to chase the woman he didn't know he loved.
What it feels like
This classic nineties romance delivers a brisk, emotionally turbulent ride built on the beloved marriage of convenience and runaway wife tropes. The atmosphere is soaked in yearning and delicious angst, capturing the sharp sting of loving someone who views you as a mere practical asset. The prose is straightforward and deeply focused on the heroine's internal heartbreak and subsequent journey to reclaim her self-worth. When the narrative shifts from London to the rugged isolation of Alaska, the mood transforms from stifling societal expectations to raw, undeniable emotional reckoning. It is a deeply satisfying read for fans of vintage category romance who live for the moment an emotionally stunted hero realizes his mistake and is forced to thoroughly grovel for the love he nearly threw away.
- Mood
- yearning
- tense
- turbulent
- Tone
- earnest
- angsty
- dramatic
- romantic
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- marriage of convenience · emotional awakening · the grovel · reclaiming self-worth · unrequited love
- The writing
- Straightforward and heavily focused on internal emotional turmoil, characteristic of classic nineties category romance.
- The arc
- Moves from the crushing heartbreak of a pragmatic marriage to the empowering thrill of walking away, culminating in a deeply satisfying romantic reconciliation.
- Who it's for
- Readers who devour vintage romance tropes, especially the runaway wife and the emotionally stunted hero who must grovel to win her back.
Content notes
- emotional neglect
- outdated gender dynamics
About the book
Mix North had fallen in love with Rhys Stirling the first time she had met him. Now Mix's dream was about to come true--Rhys had asked her to marry him.
Rhys Stirling was an ambitious man, and the only thing that stood between him and a directorship was his single status. Of course, that was easily remedied. He'd known Mix all his life--she was the perfect choice.
Alix isn't going to accept anything less than his love. It's only after Alix leaves him that Rhys finds that he's fallen in love--with his own wife!
Description from Open Library.
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