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Mimi Matthews’ The Viscount and the Vicar’s Daughter begins with Tristan Sinclair, Viscount St. Ashton, hoping to blot out the bleakness of his life at a house party. Then he hears a woman crying in the garden, and he finds Miss Valentine March, a downtrodden companion. She’s in tears because her employer’s daughter ruined some illustrations which Valentine’s late mother started, and which Valentine is trying to complete.
Tristan is fascinated to realize that the verses accompanying the illustrations are from the Song of Solomon, and he and Valentine talk freely until she realizes he’s one of the worst libertines in England. She flees into the house. But Tristan is drawn to her, and he longs for her to see him as something more than a reprobate.
So these two are stock characters. He’s devastatingly handsome, accustomed to women falling at his feet, etc. and she’s an orphaned gentlewoman down on her luck, beautiful and innocent. Nothing new here, but I was curious about what the author would do with these archetypes.
Tristan’s father also arrives at the house-party to inform Tristan that thanks to his wenching and carousing, his allowance will be cut off. This is interesting, but unfortunately it goes downhill from there. Valentine and Tristan secretly meet so he can return a sketch of hers, but when he kisses her and they’re caught in the act, he offers to marry her. Valentine tells him that her mother, a marquess’s daughter, was cast out from her family because she became pregnant. Legally, Valentine is a vicar’s daughter, but biologically, it’s anyone’s guess.
Tristan doesn’t care (he considers the possibility that they’re related, but this is written by Mimi Matthews, not V. C. Andrews). However, his father insists that the two of them spend time apart. Valentine can go to London to build bridges with her mother’s family, and Tristan can go to Northumberland, to restore their run-down country estate and make something of himself.
And at this point, the story’s lack of focus becomes obvious. Here are all the people who threaten Tristan’s and Valentine’s happiness :
- A young man from the village in which Valentine used to live, who believes the two of them have an “understanding”.
- Valentine’s uncle, who doesn’t want to acknowledge his sister’s bastard child.
- Valentine’s employer’s daughter, who’s livid that Tristan won’t be offering for her.
- Valentine’s father, since although he’s now dead, it’s clear he was a harsh, judgmental man who believed the worst of her mother.
And yet none of these people have any real effect. Each spurned suitor threatens once, then isn’t mentioned again. The uncle is a non sequitur. And no matter how emotionally abusive her father is, Valentine is unaffected. She’s also one of those heroines who receives an offer of marriage from a man who protects her, buys her everything she needs, and kisses her till she’s dizzy… and she refuses because he has not said the L word. But what’s her alternative to marriage, you ask?
“To preach to heathens in some foreign clime? To convert them into good Christians?”
She glared at him. “To help people, my lord. To show them a better way through the teachings in the Bible.”
I took her as seriously as I did the missionaries in The Book of Mormon, and they were far more entertaining.
As for Tristan, he is to rakehood what Winnie the Pooh is to intellect. Every questionable thing he did happened in the past, and it isn’t even clear why he became a rake in the first place. His father finds him a colossal disappointment, and this hurts Tristan, but since he’s wasting a life of wealth and privilege, I’m not sure what he expected. Part of the problem is that Ms. Matthews’ romances tend to be gentle and sweet, which is fine when the characters are, in general, meant to be gentle and sweet too. But if I read a blurb which mentions a rake and debauchery, only to find a story which shies away from anything of the sort, I won’t be happy.
In summary, The Viscount and the Vicar’s Daughter starts out with potential, but the plot soon loses direction and meanders to a bland finish. The historical background is as well-drawn as I’ve come to expect from Ms. Matthews, and there are a few amusing moments, but the story presents a supposedly jaded and debauched libertine in so much soft-focus that he often seems more like a Disney prince wooing a passive Snow White. And that just didn’t work for me.
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Grade: D+
Book Type: Historical Romance
Sensuality: Kisses
Review Date: 19/12/20
Publication Date: 01/2018
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.
I'm Marian, originally from Sri Lanka but grew up in the United Arab Emirates, studied in Georgia and Texas, ended up in Toronto. When I'm not at my job as a medical laboratory technologist, I read, write, do calligraphy, and grow vegetables in the back yard.
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I liked the “Rake”. For me it seemed, MM wanted to show us that he already was at a crossroads in his life and so he hadn’t to be a true rake any longer during this story. His father was at his wit’s end but I think he had made mistakes himself with his elder son too. He seemingly still had been to young to give some of his responsibilities to his heir and in addition gave him the feeling that he prefered his “hero” son. It’s some time I’ve read the book but that’s what I remember.
The childhood of Valentine was horrible because of her “father’s” self-rightous believes. So her whole self-esteem was grounded in her future as a missionary. Any thought of marriage, a normal life had been killed in her. That’s why it is, for me, understandable why she first refused the hero.
It’s not MM’s strongest book, but I would give it a B, B-
This was my second Mimi Matthew’s novel. I really enjoyed it. My only complaint is that it’s too short length prohibited her from fully developing her lead characters.
Different strokes for different folks!
I’m reviewing this one too!
Marian, you are systematically taking down the backlist of one of my recent favorite historical authors! However, this book is actually my least favorite of hers. Fun fact – I read somewhere (maybe Ms. Matthews’ blog) that this story was actually supposed to be the storyline of Arthur’s older brother from The Work of Art. Names are different – Arthur and George in The Work of Art and Tristan and John in The Viscount and the Vicar’s Daughter but if you go back and look at Vicar’s Daughter, there is mention of Tristan’s younger brother John being in the wars then settling down in the country with his wife – that’s Arthur! Comparing this book to The Work of Art really shows how far Ms. Matthews has developed as a writer. The Work of Art is really great.
If it helps at all, I wrote a review for The Work of Art and gave it a much better grade. That review just hasn’t been posted yet. I do find her books very historically accurate and readable, which is how I went through every available copy so quickly.
I’m a little confused by Mimi Matthews. Does she write “inspirational” historical romance? Her Goodreads profile tags suggests she does and this book has a heroine who wants to do missionary work so I’m assuming that’s a yes, but I’ve never seen it mentioned here, I don’t think…
I have read several of her novella and books, and while faith is mentioned at times, it never seems anything other than period appropriate. And considering that the Vicar of this novella (now dead) was more villainous than anything else, I wouldn’t say her writing is in any way inspirational.
Oh okay, that makes sense! Thank you for the clarification. Someone on Goodreads must’ve confused the “clean” romance with inspirational.
I’d say the heroine’s wish to do missionary work, and the Bible verses mentioned at the start, are the extent of the religious content in this book. I don’t recall her praying, going to church, or converting the hero (or anyone else).
I already have this, and it’s only a novella so I’ll surely read it (not much time investment) though this does take my expectations down a notch. Generally I like Matthews a lot for historical soundness but that wavers when a person in that milieu behaves anachronistically (seems that might be the case here).
This was only her second book.
You should see the scathing review someone left on Goodreads for my first book.
My point was, I think she’s developed a lot as an author.
Oh, definitely. As I said below, I read her book The Work of Art, enjoyed it and gave it a higher grade. But this story didn’t work for me.
I enjoyed this more than you did and gave it a B/B-. I thought the novella was a nice love story, with lots of period detail and interesting main characters. Valentine was too shaky and timid for me to really identify with, but it is probably a realistic portrayal of a very sheltered young woman in her situation. Tristan is more understandable, and I did enjoy his character growth. I’m not a big fan of manipulation by family or others as a plot device, and this story is full of that, but it is still enjoyable. With a fairly simple plot, the story is filled out with details about houses, furnishings, dresses styles, and everyday life in Victorian England.
Enjoyed your review, Marian. Seems this one has had mixed reaction elsewhere as well. It’s sad because the author has produced some of my recent favourites. Maybe just a temporary glitch, hopefully!
I think it was both a temporary glitch and the author not writing to her strengths. Mimi Matthews depicting a rake is like Anne Stuart creating a cinnamon roll. Both authors are very talented, but…