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The Very Definition of Love: A Bancroft Sisters Novel

by Sophia Benoit

A marriage arranged around words and desire

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Awards & Recognition

  • Bestseller

    Instant USA TODAY Bestseller

AlbakiReads Editorial

A marriage arranged around words and desire

Set in 1816, Harriet Bancroft is a wallflower whose chief pursuit is compiling a dictionary of modern slang, including the indecent terms men have kept from women. After a compromising encounter with Lord Alexander Stirling, she presses the notorious rake into an in-name-only marriage, with each intending to keep their own pursuits. The arrangement brings Harriet’s linguistic curiosity into close contact with Alexander’s experience, while the novel’s central tension grows from the gap between their stated terms and their changing feelings. Its Regency romance framework combines a marriage of convenience with Harriet’s work as a writer, making language and desire part of the same courtship.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in Regency-era romance and marriage-of-convenience plots.
  • Readers who enjoy romances pairing a wallflower with a rake.
  • Readers drawn to stories where a character’s work and curiosity shape the courtship.

Themes

Marriage of convenienceWomen’s access to language and knowledgeDesire and changing expectationsRegency social conventions

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Book overview

Instant USA TODAY Bestseller

Bridgerton meets Emily Henry in this fresh take on regency romance about a wallflower writing a dictionary of bawdy slang who arranges her own marriage to the ultimate instructor: the town rake.

"Sexy and witty . . . a clever regency romance that kept me giggling." --Joss Richard, international bestselling author of It's Different This Time


1816--Harriet Bancroft doesn't mind that she's on her fifth season with no marriage prospects, it gives her more time to write her dictionary of modern slang. Words are her passion, especially the exciting, filthy ones men have kept hidden from women for far too long.

Enter the ultimate teacher . . .

When Harriet accidentally finds herself in a compromising situation with the notorious rake Lord Alexander, she has no choice but to sort of kidnap him and strong-arm him into an elopement. This arranged marriage has a very particular condition--it will be in-name-only, leaving each of them to follow their own interests. For Harriet that's her work; for Alexander, that's women.

But love has a different lesson in mind . . .

But soon Alexander's rakish lifestyle is not nearly as fun as spending time with Harriet, and Harriet's beginning to worry that she might actually like her husband. Behind the closed doors of their respectable home, things become a little . . . complicated. After all, who better teach her the very thorough meaning of these indecent words than the renowned lover, Lord Alexander Stirling? 

Perhaps this marriage will teach them both a little more about that word they've been avoiding--love.

Tropes: Enemies-to-lovers / Marriage of convenience / There's only one bed / Yearning / A misunderstanding / He teaches her / Regency era / Rake x wallflower
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