The Muse of Maiden Lane
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4.3 • 41 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
A 2024 BookBub Best Historical Romance!
One of Parade's Best New Books of November 2024!
One of Amazon's and Apple's Best Romance Books of November 2024!
A silver-haired equestrienne and a charismatic artist turn a scandalous bargain into a vibrant portrait of love.
Stella Hobhouse is a brilliant rider, stalwart friend, skilled sketch artist—and completely overlooked. Her outmodish gray hair makes her invisible to London society. Combined with her brother’s pious restrictions and her dwindling inheritance, Stella is on the verge of a lifetime marooned in Derbyshire as a spinster. Unless she does something drastic…like posing for a daring new style of portrait by the only man who’s ever really seen her.
Aspiring painter Edward “Teddy” Hayes knows true beauty when he sees it. He would never ask Stella to risk her reputation as an artist’s model but in the five years since a virulent bout of scarlet fever left him partially paralyzed, Teddy has learned to heed good fortune when he finds it. He’ll do anything to persuade his muse to pose for him, even if he must offer her a marriage of convenience.
After all, though Teddy has yearned to trace Stella’s luminous beauty on canvas since their chance meeting, her heart is what he truly aches to capture….
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Author Mimi Matthews conjures a captivating tale of two unconventional souls finding each other amid the rigid confines of Victorian society. At just 22, independent and artistic equestrienne Stella Hobhouse’s premature gray hair and unorthodox passions make her invisible to London’s high society and at risk of an unfulfilling life of spinsterhood. But when she becomes the muse of artist Teddy Hayes, everything changes. A talented painter partially paralyzed after a bout of scarlet fever, Teddy sees Stella’s beauty and spirit like no one else. As their friendship grows, Teddy proposes a marriage of convenience, though it’s Stella’s heart he truly seeks to capture. Matthews weaves a slow-burn romance with gentle humor, a keen understanding of societal pressures, and characters who embrace their differences. A tender story of love, art, and self-acceptance, The Muse of Maiden Lane is as elegant as a masterful portrait.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Two high-society underdogs find an unlikely connection in Matthews's effervescent fourth Belles of London Victorian romance (after The Lily of Ludgate Hill). Only 22 and already sporting a full head of gray hair, Stella Hobhouse is getting ready to conclude her second season. Though marriage would free her from living with her disrespectful brother and the judgment of his equally disdainful fiancée, Stella would much rather continue life as a spinster, indulging in her passions for riding her horse and dabbling in art. Following a bout with scarlet fever, Teddy Hayes, an artist and part owner of his family's perfume company, uses a wheelchair and lives with his sister and her husband. When he sees Stella, and her striking silver hair, he becomes determined to paint her portrait, sparking first friendship, then unexpected love. Stella's outspoken nature and Teddy's tender honesty, together with their mutual disregard for societal norms, result in powerful chemistry. Full of both wit and heart, this is another winner from Matthews.
Customer Reviews
Great Victorian love story.
This book is the last of the Four Horse Women series. I am excited how she pulled from t two separated series to unite this couple. The male Teddy character is well thought out and how loss affects the very soul of a person. The Female character Stella is needing to overcome her physical appearance. Both of these hurt souls find their way to true love in this story. The characters are rich with feelings and emotions. You are drawn into the story to see them both grow into their strengths. Enjoy reading this realistic Victorian romance.