These Violet Delights by Madeleine Roux ~ a Review

by MK French

Violet Arden is a burgeoning painter whose debut in London ended in scandal when an illicit affair with her art instructor is exposed. She flees to her cousin Emilia Graddock's country estate, but once there, she meets Alasdair Kerr, who had belittled her work in front of family and friends. Alasdair is back in the country to rebuild the family estate that had burned and taken his father's life. His younger brother Freddie keeps visiting the Graddock home, and his mother brought an overbearing clergyman into their home who appears determined to stay. While Violet is determined to ignore Alasdair, the two bond in their attempts to end Emilia and Freddie's secret relationship. New fires threaten their safety, so Violet and Alasdair also join forces to find the arsonist. Can they ignore the feelings kindling between them?

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

November 2025; Dell; 978-0593499412
audio, ebook, print (320 pages); Regency romance 

Violet is emotional and often scattered, but devoted to her sisters and cousins, who are like sisters to her as well. She doesn't have a fortune, and the embarrassment of having an affair with her art teacher and the insult she got from Alasdair weighs against her socially in the London ton. He has been generally quiet, which allowed his mother to move a vicar into their home. The man dictated a lot of his mother's interests and hoped to do the same for Alasdair and Freddie. While the brothers know about the enmity between their family and the extended Arden family, Freddie and Emilia still interact and love each other. The fires and interactions to separate the lovers bring Violet and Alasdair together; while they say there are no positive ties to each other, the two have some kind of friendship developing. There's an attraction as well, and feelings further develop. 

The Shakespeare epigraphs in front of each chapter, as well as the discussion of putting on a play at the theater, add to the Romeo and Juliet feel to the family discord. There's considerably less violence, just the perception of insults and rumors of bad behavior. The bad feelings persisted due to family loyalty. We find out at the end what the secret is, and Violet is far stronger than she initially thought she was. The machinations of others doesn't stop the happily ever after for her and Alasdair, and there is hope that their families will learn to live in peace in the future.

Buy These Violet Delights at Amazon

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and a golden retriever

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