Can a marriage of convenience turn into something more?

Synopsis

Wed to a stranger

Awakened by his touch

As the new wife of stoic knight Benedictus Monceaux, innocent Adela finds herself in a whole new world… Their union is one of convenience and power, but her feelings for the warrior unsettle and excite her. Hiding an inner strength, Adela knows she can be a strong ally to her husband but first she must walk a fine line between duty and desire, both in court and in the bedchamber.

My review

Adela has not seen much of the real worlds, as her parents always made sure that she was being kept pure and innocent, for her arranged marriage with Knight Benedict Monceaux. Her own family paid more attention to the prestige of being linked to a well – known name than looking and loving Adela like normal families would.
Benedict Monceaux was never looking forwards to getting married and kept postponing any further preparations. That is until his cause and his duty towards the King require more funds.
Adela could not be happier to marry Benedict, not because she loves him, but she sees it as an escape from her own personal prison. And Benedict cannot wait to use the dowry to help his King, and is ready to leave his fresh bride with her family.
But Adela won’t let her freedom slip through her fingers and stands her ground to go with Benedict to Windsor.
And Benedict may perhaps realize that Adela can be a strong ally, not only what concerns his duty as a Knight, but also the duty of a married couple… 

Having read all the previous parts of this series, it’s easy to say that Benedict was the most enigmatic, closed and even coldest of all the Knights. And that made me very curious to see what kind of woman would make us show a human, warmer side of this Knight.
But be reassured, even if you haven’t read the previous parts, you can easily catch up while reading this amazing book, that somehow even turned out to be one of the funniest of the series! 

Of all the kinds of women Benedict could be ‘ending up’ with, Adela would be the last of my thoughts, especially when we first meet her.
At the start, she seemed like a really meek, otherworldly young woman. Yes, it isn’t her fault she never left her own room, and this fact made me pity her a lot.
I felt even more sorry realizing that her own family used her for their own benefits, but also Benedict somehow used her, marrying only for her dowry. And add to the equation that Benedict was ready to leave her with her terrible family after the wedding, well I can say with a clear conscience that he wasn’t scoring any points in his favour! 

So did I love it when Adela started to stand her ground? Absolutely! Did I love it when Benedict didn’t know what to do? Absolutely! 

The best part of this book was reading how Benedict is this strong, even terrifying knight, and yet he is at total loss whenever Adela is around. And on the other hand we have this vulnerable Adela, growing stronger on each page.
Somehow the roles were reversed and that added on the charm of this story! 

Of course, if Benedict would change his character suddenly, that wouldn’t seem realistic at all. So I liked how Ella Matthews managed to keep Benedict stoic, non – expressive, yet also showing us his tender side, without changing overnight.
And seeing this side of Benedict, the gentle manners in a Benedict – way towards Adela, and seeing this unlikely couple getting closer, well, it made my reading sessions! 

But also reading about his real feelings, his fears and sense of having lost everything and everyone he cares about, well, it made me understand his character even better. And even if I didn’t always agree with his behaviour or reasoning, I could understand where he was coming from.

Seeing Adela blossoming, adjusting to a new place, learning to get to know new people, learning to see through hypocrisy and see when someone is really sincere, like a character we already can count in our circle of friends, but also finding herself, was truly sweet to read.
Even at moments where everything seemed to be lost, I admired Adela for keeping her found strength. 

If there is one thing that will stay with me after reading this wonderful story, is that we should never judge a book by its cover, literally and figuratively speaking. It’s not being someone looks like a brute, that he is. It’s not because someone doesn’t express himself very well, that he doesn’t feel deeply. And it’s not because someone hasn’t seen much of the real world, that she cannot of inestimable value and be an asset. Or if you haven’t been in love before, you will never feel that deep connection with someone.
Oh, and seeing Benedict being teased around by Theo for sure added an extra value! 😊