Thank you to NetGalley for this copy. This is a really good book, kept me entertained throughout and I would thoroughly recommend to all.

I absolutely love Tracy Rees’ books and this one certainly did not disappoint. This is an historical novel set in Victorian times which captures the era brilliantly. Rowena’s parents want to marry her off to a wealthy gentleman but Rowena falls for a man who is penniless and one her parents would not approve of. What is she to do? I loved the pace of the book and the storyline kept me hooked from start to finish.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Tracy Rees is one of my favourite authors, and so when the ARC came up on Netgalley, I jumped at the chance to read it early. The Elopement is a companion novel to The Rose Garden, set just after the ending of the latter. I hugely enjoyed The Rose Garden and so I was delighted to note that my favourite characters also featured in this novel.
** Slight spoiler alert below **
The Elopement tells the tale of Rowena Blythe, a spoiled, wealthy socialite from a well-to-do family in London during the late 1800s, who elopes with a roguish artist's apprentice. However, this is only the first third of the novel and the story also encapsulates perspectives from other women - Pansy, the lady's serving maid, and Olive, whom Rees's readers have met previously in the Rose Garden.

I really enjoyed how the novel explored an awakening of women's opportunities outside of marriage, and began to look at 'other' perspectives than white upper class during this time. However, it did take me quite awhile to connect with the main character Rowena and I found Olive's questioning of her status rather unlike her certainty of the last book.

Overall, I'd give this a 4/5 and would happily read any other of Tracy Rees's novels in the future. Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an advanced release copy in exchange for an honest review.

Tracy Rees's latest novel The Elopement is an elaborately imagined historical novel full of delight and temptation, spanning the luxury and poverty of late Victorian England. Any fan of historical fiction, or of a ripping good read will be beguiled by this book. Exquisite writing. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

The author is a great writer and I enjoyed reading the Elopement. I loved all three of the characters in the story and each had their own storyline.

Fantastic historical drama which followed three women and their place in society in the nineteenth century and how they all retaliated against the shackles enforced upon them to achieve meaningful and fulfilling lives.
A great read which grabs you from the very first page and reminds you of how far society has moved on and the freedom that we as women take for granted today
Can’t recommend it enough

I thought this was a really interesting book, I love that it focused on the history of womens rights or lack thereof. It’s really eye opening looking at that era from a modern perspective and I thought that the author did a great job of writing strong female characters whose stories wove together so well.

I can’t believe I have never come across Tracy Rees work before but I certainly will be reading them now! This period drama was well written and the female characters strong. Often in this genre the women are not only restricted by their status and gender but also by the author giving them no inclination to change their circumstances. In this book Rees follows how the characters lives change, not only because of their situations but because of their active choices. It illustrates how women of the Victorian age could be, rather than the insipid portrayals you often find in these novels! I enjoyed it immensely and almost found myself looking for a sequel before remembering it was a NetGalley preview!

"The Elopement" is a fantastic novel centred around 3 strong Victorian women, with the action taking place in the year of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. Olive and Rowena are both from wealthy families whilst Pansy is a servant in the household of Rowena's parents. For all of them their prospects are limited by the rules of society at that time, a time when men could do what they wanted and, mostly, behaved as if they owned women. Olive has already defied convention, with the support of her family, and adopted a child rather than getting married.

As the 3 women struggle to decide what they want from life, we learn more about the restrictions on the fairer sex at that time. This is a wonderful eye-opener of a book which should make modern women grateful for the fights faced by their predecessors. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

I can’t understand the 5 star reviews for this. I found it trite and uninspiring. I have enjoyed other of Tracey’s books but this one was not for me.

well written with a compelling storyline and well developed characters. I loved the 3 women and watching how thrie lives unfolded. A great read,

I thought this was a wonderful period drama- it certainly made me exclaim out loud a few times so it lives up to the drama element of the genre. I loved the strength of the female characters in this novel- for Rowena to find herself miles from anywhere and have the strength and resolve to get herself home again was amazing. Though not as incredible as reading about the work done by the foundation and to see Pansy search for, and find, her purpose. I really enjoyed this whole novel and will be looking for other books by Tracy Rees immediately!

Whilst I thought this novel could have been shortened a little, it covered a number of important issues in its length.
I especially liked the way each chapter was a different character, sometimes in first person voice, and sometimes not. It gave variety to the storyline.
Much of what it covered was factual history. Ormes' legal degree for instance and the dreadful conditions in hat manufacturing, missing only the use of mercury which gave rise to the phrase 'mad as a hatter' because of the dreadful effect of mercury on the body, including emotional instability.
It was amazing to think how green Hampstead was at this period, the underground not being built until 1907. The Heath was protected by the oldest commons preservation socirty in 1865, and as the novel says, in the 1890s, London Council decided to 'parkify' that is tidy up, the heath. Trim hedges, mow grass etc. Various notable artists, politicians and so on, fought this to enable the heath to remain wild.
Again, we hear about the issues with position of women In society and their estates on marriage and the general belief that they were incapable of rational thought and management and should not be educated - just in case!
So a nice story, well executed.

We know that we can always rely on Tracy for a thrilling historical read that will sweep us away into that world. This is no different. Great strong female leads, each with their own problematic lives and I felt very invested from the off.
Great escapism.

This is an excellent read. It picks out the illogicality and distressing implications of a class system and highlights the restrictions on the life of women in late Victorian society. I was surprised to see no reference to the suffragette movement. However, this is a well structured story that turned into a great page turner

I devour every Tracy Rees book; they are wonderful historical tales full of detail and beautifully written. This one covers stories of the mega rich down to working class conditions below stairs and even a hat factory in the late nineteenth century. A high class beauty falls in love with a penniless artist and has a mighty fall from grace.. Nevertheless there is a feeling of hope because there is change in the air. The principal character taken from different strata of society each have their story to tell and kept me totally absorbed. Highly recommended.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review. Definitely my own opinions.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read/review this book. Full review to follow both here and on my blog. I love Victorian times and am so excited to read this even though it is not my usual read. So excited to read Rowena’s story and her love story. I love how she is attached to Bartek and follows her heart instead.
It seems to be a beautiful read.


wealthy heiress . . .
1897. Rowena Blythe is wealthy, entitled and beautiful. As her twenty-fourth birthday approaches, she’s expected to marry – and to marry well.

An unsuitable match . . .
Her parents commission a portrait of Rowena to help cement her reputation as a great society beauty. However, Bartek, the artist’s young assistant, is unlike any man Rowena has met before – wild, romantic and Bohemian. While society at large awaits the announcement of Rowena’s engagement, it is Bartek who captures Rowena’s heart along with her likeness.

A scandal in society . . .
Rowena knows her parents would never approve of Bartek, who in their eyes is nothing but a penniless foreigner. As her feelings grow, she has no-one to turn to. Dare she risk everything for love?

An absolutely delightful read. I adore the 3 women who’s stories are woven together so beautifully- their trials and triumphs made for a wonderful journey. It was really awesome to read about women making their own way in a man’s world. This would make a fantastic Book Club read

Set in late Victorian times, this is an interesting study of the experience of women's lives at this period. The beautiful heiress who is expected to marry well and the maid who endures the indifference of the family she serves. The affluent women, who refuse to bow societies expectations. When the heiress falls in love with an unsuitable match and elopes, their lives become intermingled.