#hr blogging

[tess-mercer]

THEIR barbarous coffee shop au love at first sight fanfic vs OUR righteous fuckbuddies to lovers slow burn d/s multi chap fanfic

[realpersonfacts]

watching heated rivalry is like yeahhh yeah yeah i’ve read a version of this fanfiction five hundred times before. i kept having to pause it to laugh during the first sex scene like of course one of you has been with a man before and the other one hasn’t etc etc etc they really hit all the tropes. but here’s the thing. there’s a reason i’ve read that fanfiction 500 times before

[viscountessevie]

An Unladylike Secret by Amita Murray [ARC Review]

Release Date: 10th April 2025

Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

It has been such a privilege to have reviewed all three books in this series from the very start! As I've mentioned in my very first ARC review here, Unladylike Lessons in Love (Book 1 of the Marleigh Sisters) was the very first book I was approved for on Netgalley. As such, this series holds a special place in my heart. I'm proud to say that Amita Murray has steadily built her Historical Romance (HR) voice over the last two books.

This novel, An Unladylike Secret, centres on the third Marleigh sister, Mira. She is a society gossip writer who prides herself on her work until one of her circulars pins Finnegan Underwood as a murder suspect. When Mira is sought out to help the Underwoods in the countryside, she must face the consequences of her accidental actions.

On the coast of Devonshire, our dashing hero Finnegan is on the run after being accused of murdering his brother. The accusation is fuelled by Mira's unfortunate reporting and his racial background. What happens when these two unknowingly cross paths and sparks fly?

I have also said in my previous review of Book 2 (Unladylike Rules of Attraction), The Marleigh Sisters series are an antidote to the marketing ploy Bridgerton has created within HR publishing spaces. Amita Murray is dedicated to creating true diverse stories grounded in the reality of the era she writes in. Putting the history in historical romance, if you will!

It still very much rings true especially with the parallels of Mira being a gossip writer in this novel. I really appreciated the way Mira handled her mistake with the circular that led to Finnegan's plight. On top of that conflict, I truly admire Amita's commitment to giving these main characters in-depth backgrounds. They also have such rich life stories. With Mira, we were already familiar with her general life backstory having seen it with her sisters. They are all Indian daughters of an English Earl and his Indian mistress. All of them lived as a happy family in India until their parents tragically drowned. The girls were then sent to live with their stepmother and stepbrother in England. The girls were then abused by the two in various manners. It was intriguing to see the trauma from Mira's eyes and how it manifested within her.

Whereas with Finnegan, he shares a similar background to Damian, the hero from Book 2. They are both freed mixed Black men. However, the way they came by their respective freedoms was surprising to me and it sets the course of their lives. It's particularly poignant with Finn in this story. This theme lends itself to how everyone immediately assumes he killed his white half-brother.

Speaking of the murder, as always Amita kills it with the murder mystery of it all. As this is an ARC review, I will keep the details to myself for now. However, what I can say is that the book does not go the way I had anticipated to go - in the best way of course. The conflicts were very interesting as they were more external. I thought there would be a bit more interpersonal between the two of them. That being said, I did enjoy reading Mira's secret hanging over their relationship and how it played out in the book.

Now let's dig into the romance. Having followed this series from the start until now being three books in, I am so happy that Amita found her groove with the romance in this novel! She really ramped the sex scenes in this installment. I love Lila and Anya's stories but their couples' sexual tension pale slightly in comparison against Mira and Finn. It does make them feel very intense but with the way their connection is built, it works very well. It is very much a relationship that is rooted in truly seeing the other person when they have been overlooked their whole lives. Having that sort of connection is rare and can be intense. Though I will say that early on in the book, it did feel a bit like insta-love but it works for the direction of their relationship. Especially since there are pressing matters with the plot. It did help raise the stakes of the book even more.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. I cannot wait to read more of Amita's works! I recommend this title for anyone interested in historical romance novels centred on Indian heroines. This is also a series that is grounded in the real historical aspect of HR novels. If you’re into that, murder mysteries and compelling characters and themes, this book is for you. Happy Reading everyone and I can’t wait for this book to be in everyone’s hands!

Thank you to Amita Murray, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and HarperCollins for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[pixie-likethecut]

@triviareads has provided key relief when things got batshit insane.

[apinchofm]

Okay Reading A Rouge By Any Other Name thanks to @mermaidsirennikita, so here we go!

[ladygwyndolin]

each

individual

fucking

dish

has a qte

[realpersonfacts]

pour one out for the women in heated rivalry though all they get to do is tell men they're gay. that's an online activity that's for the sports rpf fangirls to be doing on tumblr dot com that should not be the job of these men's friends

[tess-mercer]

also re: hr mania, it is NOT MY FAULT the ideal erotica contains the holy trinity: repression, internalized homophobia, & non/under negotiated bdsm