Book 1 of the Allied at the Altar. Divorced from her abusive husband Sofia Northcott, Marchesa Di Cremona is in hiding as her husband wants her back. Conall Everard has recently become Viscount Taunton only to find that his family are on the brink of poverty, to regain his fortune he is looking for financial backers for his venture into Alpaca farming. Having been turned away by everyone else, Sofia is his last hope.
I liked the ideas behind the story such as societies views of divorce, the dark side of arranged marriages and alpaca farming. But I found I didn’t care about the characters so much. Although Sofia’s back story does make you understand and pity her, Conall is pretty much a fortune hunter, no matter the story behind it. There is no real romance to it and it seems purely sexual attraction between them, even from their first meeting.

This is a sweet but slightly uninspiring Victorian romance with a cinnamon roll hero, a heroine fleeing her past, and an unexpected herd of alpacas!

This book has what is essentially a marriage of convenience plot, but with a little bit of a twist, since the heroine is (gasp) divorced. Viscount Taunton needs money to shore up a sinking estate by creating an alpaca farm; Sofia, the Marchesa di Cremona, needs protection from her ex-husband, though whether their divorce has actually been recognised is a bit of a grey area. Her (ex-)husband, who is Italian, is pretty much an evil caricature, and Taunton is set up in direct opposition to him, so not only is he strong and handsome, he’s also kind and loving. He didn’t really have any flaws, so I found him a bit meh as a lead. Sofia I thought I would like, as usually it’s great to see strong women, escaping from their abusive pasts, get a chance to feel safe and supported in a relationship. But I found her a little bit dull, too – she really only has two thoughts, and those are ‘I hate Giancarlo’ and ‘I quite fancy Conall’.

There’s nothing wrong with this book, per se, but for me it fell a little short of the standard I’ve come to expect. I didn’t think there was much chemistry between the main characters, and the obstacles in their way were very easily overcome – there was very little nuance in the story. It felt a little bit going-through-the-motions-y.

Also, I was hoping that the alpacas would play a much larger role in the plot! You know, getting into trouble by breaking out of their pen, nibbling on the heroine’s dress and causing embarrassment, knocking characters into other characters… Sadly, they very much stay on the sidelines as a business investment until right at the end of the book – no alpaca jollity to be had. Conall really could have been investing in anything. Like bricks. Or jelly. This could have been a deeper facet of the plot, since I assume the arrival of alpacas to England had some influence over the time period of the novel – I wouldn’t have been able to tell it was Victorian rather than Regency if the date wasn’t explicitly mentioned (so as to line up with the real-life introduction of alpacas to England).

(Also, why alpacas and not vicunas? The Viscount’s Vicunas would have been a great title.)

Anyway, alpacas aside, this is a solid and readable romance, but it never quite felt like it took off with my imagination. A middling three out of five stars.

This book is filled with romance, secret and danger. What more can a girl want in a novel. Running always from a sadistic ex who doesn't consider himself a ex. Meeting a new man (Taunton)who is very protective and respectful. Sofia is a strong woman who made her money by disguising to be a man. She is a young feminist who doesn't rely on a man in the era where everything you owe belong to a man. I love reading this book and look forward to other books by this author

Set in Victorian England, this is an 'allied at the altar', historical romance trope, with emotional depth, passion and a heroine and hero who epitomise the enterprise of this era.

Conall, the new Viscount Taunton, has to repair the family estate, which is almost bankrupt after his father's death. He devises an entrepreneurial scheme to rejuvenate the family coffers and keep the estate workers employed but an outside investor is vital to its success.

Sofia is divorced and ostracised by society, except for her acquaintance with a Duke's daughter. She meets Conall through this mutual connection and the chance of a business alliance brings the couple together. Sofia's past threatens to destabilise her new life and only Conall can help her, but can she trust him?

A well layered, suspenseful plot, and complex easy to empathise characters make this very readable. The historical details add authenticity and the story's passion and romance are emotionally grounded and believable.

A lovely alternative to the glamour of Regency romance.

I received a copy of this book via Mills and Boon via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

A Marriage Deal with the Viscount has a great mix of both lighter and some deeper issues with Sofia having had such a horrible past. I thought this added an extra depth to the story along with a few surprises and danger along the way to keep things very interesting. All in all I think that it balances out really well with such a wonderful romance.

Both Sofia and Conall need each other to get out of the certain situations they have found themselves in. Each character is strong in their own right but together they make such a brilliant pairing and come across very engaging. I loved reading their journey, there is a gorgeous sizzling chemistry that was so much fun seeing play out wondering if anything would happen between this pair. I really didn’t want to put this book down as I was hoping for that happy ever after.

All I can say is that if this book is anything to go by then this series will be wonderful to read and I can’t wait for book two!

Romance, tension and danger made this book a fabulous read!

A Marriage Deal With The Viscount is written by Bronwyn Scott and is the first in her Mills & Boon Historical mini series - Allied at the Altar. Set in the 1850s Sofia Northcott, Marchesa Di Cremona is only recently divorced which is seen as scandalous in itself and is living in London. Little does anyone know that she divorced her husband, II Marchese Giancarlo Di Cremona in order to escape a busy marriage and now she is on the run, as he wants her back as the King of Piedmont (where he lives, does not approve of divorce) and wants Giancarlo to reclaim his wife and thus regain the favour of the Royal court. Sofia knows that if Giancarlo finds her he will drag her back to Italy by force and then inflict acts of extreme cruelty upon her. He has already branded his initial on her a punishment for trying to run away. Conall Everard has just been as invested as the Ciscount of Taunton. He is looking for financial backers for his alpaca farm. Sofia is desperate to escape London before she can be found and is intrigued about the alpaca venture which Conall has already established must not use child labour or exploit their workers. Sofia feels that escaping down to Somerset will be a great hiding place for a few weeks and the farm is a great investment opportunity for her.

She is determined not to marry ever again but is enjoying a relationship with Conall when she realises Gianfranco is actively looking for her. Conall and Sofia enter into a marriage of convenience- he needs financial backing for his farm whilst if she is remarried Giancarlo cannot reclaim her and force her back to Piedmont. Unfortunately Giancarlo finds them, holds both Sofia, Conall and his family at gun point and drags her back to Bristol where they will catch a boat back to Italy. Will Conall find her in tome?

I enjoyed this book immensely. There seemed to be something almost humorous and incongruous - the heroine is escaping an abusive marriage whist the hero is establishing an alpaca farm. The author touches on issues that would have been seen as scandalous during the Victorian period - divorce meant you were shunned in bhigh society whilst abuse within marriage would never be mentioned. I read this book in one sitting and look forward to reading the rest in the series.


I received this book via Netgalley and Mills and Boon in exchange for a honest review. I am a #MillsAndBoonInsider #netgalley

Sofia and Conall were such a likeable couple. Sofia had suffered an abusive marriage and now she was scandalised by Society for having a divorce. Conall was looking for a partner in his alpaca business. They both had secrets, Sofia was afraid of her ex husband and wanted her freedom. Conall was afraid of falling in love, but he was determined to help Sofia. Their growing relationship made an enthralling read. There is plenty of tension and underlying threats, as well as real menace to provide a tense ending. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Marriage Deal With The Viscount (Mills & Boon Historical) is the first book in the Allied at the Altar series by Bronwyn Scott.

Sofia had an arranged marriage with what turned out to be a sadist of a husband. She managed to escape the marriage and for 3 years she has been divorced from him and vows never to marry again. She is mostly shunned by polite society purely because she is divorced, but she does have some friends who stick up for her and let her stay with them.

Sofia's husband finds out that it his in his best interest to find her and force her to come back to him. Terrified of him finding her she takes the opportunity to get out of London, plus look into a way of investing money in a way that can help others.

Connall, Viscount Taunton is struggling to keep his family estate afloat. He has invested in alpacas and needs funding in order to buy a mill and set up a business of shearing the animals and selling their fleece. He is given Sophia's name and approaches her for her help. His business is in the country and a place where she can feel safer for a while. She insists on visiting the mill he wants to buy. She will kill two birds with one stone, she will get out of London plus perhaps find a good way to invest her money. It doesn't hurt that Connell is a very charming man.

The more time she and Connal spend together, the more they find they are very much attracted to each other. There are many reasons they shouldn't give in to their attraction because there is no way they can have a future together or is there? One person is determined to make sure they don't have one, Sophia's ex-husband. He is determined to get her back even if he has to murder to achieve that goal.

This book was fabulous with so much going on in it. There was subterfuge, danger, passion and love. There were sad moments such as when Sophia admitted what her marriage to her ex-husband was like, but there were also wonderful happy moments which gave the book a good balance of light and shade. Sophia had been through so much, I wanted so desperately for her to have her happy ending. Did she have one, well you will have to read the book to find out?

Sofia Northcott, Marchesa Di Cremona is struggling to find acceptance in Society. So when dashing Conall Everard, Viscount Taunton needs her investment for his alpaca business, she’s surprised by his strong, supportive nature totally different from her former husband.
This is a new series opener & if the rest of the series is as good as this then the author is onto another winner. It is set in the 1850’s so a different era for the author. A different slant on a marriage of convenience as Sofia is a divorcee, it’s not often there’s trope & so it was a very refreshing read. The pace is good & I was engrossed from start to finish. The characters are well fleshed, I really liked both Conall & Sofia he is an honourable, caring man who is struggling to cope with the mess his beloved father left the viscountacy. Sofia has survived an abusive cruel marriage but still fears Giancarlo will find her & drag her back to Piedmont. Both of them have secrets that could derail their budding romance but they both need to learn to trust. I look forward to reading more in the series
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

“Secrets only have power because they’re secrets; things that have to be hidden.”

Sofia Northcott, Marchesa Di Cremona, escaped her abusive husband and has settled into a quiet life in London. Conall Everard, the newly inherited Viscount Taunton is hiding his financial worries and needs investment in his alpaca farm. Persuading Sofia to invest is one thing, but protecting her from a vengeful Giancarlo, Il Marchese Di Cremona is a task that puts everything Conall holds dear at risk.
What I really enjoy about Bronwyn Scott’s books is that she is not afraid to create characters who are unusual; in this case, Sofia who is divorced and trying to re-build her life. As an English woman with an Italian title, Sofia is different from the average Regency heroine right from the start of this book, and the fact that Conall is not exactly the typical Viscount in need of a wife sets them on an unusual course towards marriage.
Both Sofia and Conall are well created characters who have faced difficult times in the past. Once we meet Giancarlo, the reader can immediately see how Sofia would have suffered as his wife, and the courage it has taken her to break away from the marriage. Interestingly, although there is an attraction between Conall and Sofia from the outset, there is no hint of a marriage (convenient or otherwise), until Giancarlo poses a genuine threat, and it is this plot device that leads nicely into a story full of romance, heartache and tension, all building towards the inevitable showdown between Sofia and Giancarlo.
Giancarlo himself is an excellent villain who you cannot help but dislike once Sofia beings to explain the horrors of her life with him, and Conall is faced with quite a battle to break down Sofia’s mistrust of men and marriage as a result. As a reader, you really do root for Conall to change Sofia’s mind about the future, and hope for a happy ending which largely seems impossible due to the threats posed by Giancarlo.
An enjoyable read with good characters and an interesting plot line (the alpaca farm is definitely a new business venture for a historical novel), there is plenty of tension as the book progresses, and a satisfying conclusion to the tale.
As this is the first of the author’s new ‘Allied at the Altar’ series, it could be that we are likely to meet Conall and Sofia again in future books, and I look forward to reading the next instalment of this series.
Thanks to M&B for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An emotionally charged, seductive, romantic escapade with a very good base story of hiding and reinvention, plans and dreams, good over coming evil and true love, with a happy ever after ending.
Ahhh!