I enjoyed the historical setting of TRAPPED AT THE ALTAR,
set in the time of England's Charles II . The treatment of
the historical facts was somewhat light, but in keeping
with what I have come to expect of a Jane Feather story.
The anachronisms were not egregious enough to jar me out of
my enjoyment of the story as a whole.
This is a friends to lovers tale. Ivor and Ari were
betrothed as young children to end the long feud between
their families, and at age six, Ivor was sent to Ari's
family to be raised. They were raised with the familial
expectations that they would go to court to represent their
families' interests. A merger of the Catholic Daunt and
Protestant Chalfont families also allowed them some
flexibility no matter what the religion of the monarch in
power.
Ari feels herself in love with a poet, Gabriel, and is
planning on sneaking away to Gabriel's family so the two
lovers could remain together. But then Ari's father dies,
and this precipitates the very rapid marriage of Ari to
Ivor. Duplicitous Ari tries to scheme how she can outwit
her family elders to end up with Gabriel instead. She then
informs Gabriel that she can see no way of escaping
marriage to Ivor, but she wants to carry on an affair with
Gabriel once she's married. This headstrong and sly
behavior made me actively dislike Ai.
Ivor is generally a more likeable character. I felt sorry
for him throughout most of the book, given how manipulated
and constrained he was by the two families. He is
reasonably honorable, and trying to do his best in a
difficult situation. He also tries to shield Ari from the
consequences of her thoughtless behavior. However, he
behaves like a jerk in parts of the story as well. I did
not dislike him for the most part, as I did Ari, but I did
not fall in love with him. I felt it hard to root for a
happily ever after for these two characters.
Toward the end of the tale, there is The Great
Misunderstanding, which could have been avoided if Ari and
Ivor had simply talked things out. I find this to be a
much misused construct for creating tension in romance, and
it made me more annoyed with the characters. The buildup
to the supposed misunderstanding was also very heavy
handed. Despite these flaws, Feather's voice does a
wonderful job at evoking the historical feel of the
seventeenth
century setting. Hardcore fans of Feather will want to
read TRAPPED AT THE ALTAR, as may those who like the friends
to lovers
trope.
New York Times bestselling author and "consummate
storyteller" (Romantic Times) Jane Feather introduces a
sizzling new series that moves from the remote wilds of
southwest England to the turbulent royal court, when a
lovely young woman is forced into marriage in order to unite
two families—and discovers a most unexpected passion. . .
Ariadne Carfax has vowed to be with the man she loves,
Gabriel Fawcett. There’s just one obstacle. On his deathbed,
Ari’s grandfather decrees that she marry her childhood
friend Ivor Chalfont, thus forging a powerful alliance
between the two warring families. Giving Ari no time to
protest, the elders plan her wedding the next day, forcing
her to follow through on the nuptials. Though she is fond of
Ivor, Ari has no intention of consummating their
marriage—until he kindles an intoxicating desire that she
can’t ignore. Ivor has loved Ari for years, but he doesn’t
want an unwilling wife. He wants Ari to ache with the same
irresistible longing he feels. And if that’s the way to woo
her into his bed and into their new life, he won’t rest
until his new bride surrenders to true love.
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