I wish I knew that Worth Fighting For was the second in a series, but it didn’t hurt the book at all for me. I believe the first book is Worth Waiting For. I found Worth Fighting For to be engaging, if formulaic, and I give it four out of five stars.
Catherine, the widowed Baroness de Greaves, has brought the de Greaves estate out of poverty over the past five years and turned it into a successful enterprise. Now, however, she must plan to make her exit as Alex, the new Baron, has finally arrived from America. She plans to stay on for a month to help him transition into his new role, which turns into three months to be a governess to his nieces – and to conduct a passionate affair before the start of the London season. Both have pasts they’re hiding from, and neither claim they’re looking for anything serious, but will love get the better of them?
It’s a romance, so clearly the answer is yes, and I’m here for the happy ending. I do not want to read a sad romance, ever. I know that attitude does not accurately reflect life, but my escapism is people having wild sex and falling in love! Or, solving mysteries. Preferably all three. Anyways, I digress. I liked the happy ending and wish all the best things for Alex and Catherine.
Another review of this book (and I’m annoyed that I read it because I wanted to write my review untainted, and here I am) said that they liked how Catherine and Alex could talk to each other as normal people, and their problems and attitudes towards them weren’t overblown or unrealistic. In that, I have to agree. Catherine has some reservations about her previous marriage, and Alex is watching out for his nieces, which are both realistic, I think. And, I’d agree that I like how Catherine and Alex don’t scream at each other, cry, revenge, or move halfway across the county when they disagree. I found both characters and their dialogue realistic, which was very pleasing.
If you’re looking for a clean romance, this isn’t it – there is a fair amount of dirt and I was totally satisfied with that. It didn’t override the plot and I feel it was beneficial to the story.
The only thing I thought could be improved with this novel was that it was very formulaic; given that the characters and problems were fairly realistic I think there could have been an element or two added to spice up the story a little bit from the Resist Attraction -> Give In to Attraction -> Separate -> Resist Attraction -> Give Into Attraction Permanently plotline.
Nothing about this book made it stand out from any other romance, particularly. But, I also wasn’t bored and I was satisfied with the ending. If you’re looking for a dirty romance that won’t keep you in great suspense with a happy ending, this is the book for you!
Thanks, NetGalley, for the copy in exchange for an honest review. If you want to check out more of Matilda Madison’s work, her website is https://www.matildamadison.com/.