Author: Julia Bennet
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: 9 April 2024 (2019)
Pages: 277
Format: eBook - EPUB
Genre: Historical Romance
Source: ARC via NetGalley
Everyone thinks Helen Grey is mad but, despite ten years imprisoned in a crumbling Yorkshire asylum, she’s managed to cling to sanity. When a new doctor arrives, she sees an opportunity. William Carter may seem like an honorable man but she's sure he'll prove easy to seduce…and trick into helping her escape.
Will would never bed a patient, no matter how tempting she might be. But once he realises Helen's been imprisoned for no good reason, he's determined to save her. They need to work together but freeing her won’t be easy, not when her mysterious benefactor is determined to keep her locked up and hidden from society forever.
When Helen is entangled in her own trap and begins to fall for Will too, she must fight not only for her liberty but for her right to love.
The Madness of Miss Grey was a generally enjoyable read. I liked the premise and the light it shone on the abuses perpetrated in mental asylums in the past, such as locking up relatives declared 'mad' just to get them out the way. What didn't work quite so well for me was the romance element, which seemed more like lust on William's side and planned manipulation on Helen's. I found it hard to buy into the feelings between them as they seemed too sudden. There were sex scenes in this book too, but while some did help to advance the plot, others felt a little unnecessary. I enjoyed the appearance of Helen's half-brother and wished he had been more involved earlier in the story. Therefore, my overall opinion is that I liked the story idea but feel it would have benefited from being told over a long time-frame in order to gradually develop the romance and allow greater backstory for both the main and side characters. I am giving it 3.5 stars. It was still a quick, fun read; I just feel it had the potential to be more. Recommended if you like standalone historical romance reads with more sexual content and a feisty heroine.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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