Book Review: Dangerous Alliance

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue meets Jane Austen in this witty, winking historical romance with a dash of mystery!

Lady Victoria Aston has everything she could want: an older sister happily wed, the future of her family estate secure, and ample opportunity to while her time away in the fields around her home.

But now Vicky must marry—or find herself and her family destitute. Armed only with the wisdom she has gained from her beloved novels by Jane Austen, she enters society’s treacherous season.

Sadly, Miss Austen has little to say about Vicky’s exact circumstances: whether the roguish Mr. Carmichael is indeed a scoundrel, if her former best friend, Tom Sherborne, is out for her dowry or for her heart, or even how to fend off the attentions of the foppish Mr. Silby, he of the unfortunate fashion sensibility.

Most unfortunately of all, Vicky’s books are silent on the topic of the mysterious accidents cropping up around her…ones that could prevent her from surviving until her wedding day. 

This was overall a good book. I really liked it. However, I have some issues. It starts off with a bang, clearly setting up for romance and then that plot thread is almost immediately dropped until later in the books. I would have rather read about just Vicky and Tom than Mr. Silby, and Mr. Carmichael and all those others. Those characters support the plot in the end, but they also annoyed me and distacted precious book time from what was a solid romance.

I think, while I enjoyed the references to Austen and it was really cool to read about someone loving her books while they’re being published and she’s still alive, I feel like we got hit over the head with the references sometimes. Also the romance was a little too Austen-esque. I feel like there could’ve been a little more attraction in the romance?? like Vicki literally spends the scene leading up to a marriage proposal calling said gentleman her “acting brother”. I just wanted a little more from this! We waited and waited and waited for the romance and then it’s not quite what I hoped for. It’s good, don’t get me wrong–but it doesn’t really achieve that resolution I’d like.

I loved Vicky as a character. She is witty and adorable and also woke af. She’s constantly challenging the sexism in her everyday life and I live for that!!! She’s won’t be intimidated out of what she wants and I think that is so refreshing!

This book deals with some darker topics(rape, child abuse, domestic abuse) and I think it is so very well done. The author has clearly done her research on the historical setting and I learned so much about what divorce was like in 1817. (suprise, suprise, it’s sexist!) I think Althea’s trauma was handled very well and it showed how double-sided abusers can be–charming and lovely to strangers, but when you get to know them… I also think that Tom’s trauma handled well, and it really delved into who he is and why he is who he is.

I think this book was really enjoyable to read. It was slightly frustrating at times, and I think that could just be because I’m not the biggest Austen fan(I love the setting and time and the movies but I never had the patience for the books–the style just isn’t my cup of tea). Coming out of this review, you may think I didn’t like the book. That would be wrong. I very much enjoyed it but I’m really good at complaining so the negative sections of the review are longer. This book wasn’t something that blew my mind. But it was solidly written, well researched, and had well built characters.

What’s your favorite Austen adaption?(movies or books!) Have you read this book? What did you think?

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