#QueerLitLoft

I seldom read historical romances, but I find myself beginning to make an exception for the stories that Marianne Ratcliffe writes.

A Lady to Treasure is an old-school romance set in the 1800s; the author does an excellent job of both keeping the story within its period and creating an engaging, enjoyable and in some respects modern read.

I liked that in the main characters, Louisa Silverton and Sarah Davenport we find two strong but different women both ahead of their time. Louisa is skilled in financial matters and apt at turning a profit, but every which way she turns her gender proves a stumbling block in her attempts to be heard. Sarah on the other hand, despite valiantly struggling to keep the family estate of Kenilborough afloat is drowning in debt, due in no small part to her spineless male familial counterparts. But she’d rather sell her soul than do wrong to those who depend upon her just to achieve financial prosperity.

Louis journeys to England in search of a suitable investor aka a husband to help solve her father’s growing troubles. Little does she realise what awaits her in the form of the stubborn yet spirited to tomboy-esque Sarah Davenport. Nor can she possibly envisage the difficult decisions that both must make between duty and love.

I found the writing style of the author lends itself to keeping the tone of this story in the 1800s, it’s slightly more formal but it works. There’s an argument to say that the story falls more towards the historical, than romance in overall content. Readers are treated to more of the build-up of Louisa and Sarah’s relationship than of their being together. But it is worth bearing in mind that this in part could be perceived as reflective of the period i.e. how uncommon a same-sex relationship would be, the tradition of ‘courting’ someone rather than jumping into bed for example.

Whilst A Lady to Treasure might be a little light on the romance for some, I found myself enjoying the story overall. It’s an excellent example of the inequality that strong, intelligent women such as Louisa and Sarah would have come across, and I found the glimpse into aristocracy to be fascinating on so many levels. The story really gives you a feel for how out on a limb the likes of Louisa and Sarah would have felt by trying to stay true to themselves and bucking the trends of expected societal behaviour. Especially at at time when they would have both been expected to marry for money and family obligations rather than ‘true love’.

This is an extremely slow-burn read on the romance side, but one which is well written and does justice to its respective period. Ultimately a story that I imagine most readers will find interesting and engaging for a variety of reasons.

I received and arc of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.