Unladylike Rules of Attraction is book two in the Regency romance series Marleigh Sisters by Amita Murray. Anya Marleigh is a court singer and sitar player who inherits a great fortune that comes as a shock to not only herself but also the family everyone assumed it would go to. The only catch is that to inherit, she must marry by the time she is twenty-five, or the money reverts to Damian Ashton, her trustee and a man whom very few trust. With only four months to find a suitor and marry, the ticking clock isn’t Anya’s only problem; Damian is both vexing and cold and oddly won’t stop plaguing her mind, and of course, the superior Budleigh’s are asking for the money that they believe should be rightly theirs, and everyone knows that desperate people will do desperate things. Will Anya come out of this unscathed? Will she crack Damian’s cold exterior? And will she lose the money that gave her hope for a different life?
Anya and Damian are both very similar, not only because of how stubborn they are but also because they have both had rocky childhoods that have meant they have worked very hard to make something of themselves that is entirely their own and, in doing so, have isolated themselves, with Anya hiding somewhere deep inside as to not be hurt and Damian closing off his feelings, even to himself, without realising it. This hard life has altered them both differently, though. Anya has become somewhat selfish as she has only ever had to think of herself; this meant she at times displayed some childish and naive behaviour, in my opinion, but as the book progressed, she noticed this behaviour and changed it, which I enjoyed. Anya also displayed protectiveness, something that is new for her of late because she hasn’t had anyone to protect other than herself. This trait made her brave and quick to act, and at times I couldn’t tell if it was idiocy or bravery, but she got the job done either way. I did feel the hollowness and the weight she carried because of her childhood, but I liked seeing her lighter moments when she could relax enough with her sister Lila and with Trixie, Jeremy, and Damian, too. I enjoyed how Amita Murray showed that Anya only felt truly herself when she played her music, as though it transcended her being, and when she wasn’t playing, she was back to feeling alone. I found it very beautiful. I also really enjoyed one of the lines in the book that showed how much of a ride-or-die Anya is; it made me laugh, but her trait of not wanting to try too much because she believes she’ll end up hurt dampened my love for her, as I was almost begging her not to shut down or give up, and she almost didn’t. She got the truth out but still didn’t want to try enough to fight for more, which was frustrating.
Damian, however, was altered differently; he unconscionably closed off his emotions, which made him aloof and often cold, but unlike Anya, he wasn’t alone, so he had someone to protect, care for, and keep going for, and that was his brother Jeremy. But this made him almost envious of the way his brother was able to be so connected to his emotions and so open with how he truly felt. Damian was very aware of the fact that he only cared for Jeremy, so much so that he didn’t think he could care for anyone else, and this made him slightly selfish as well, but he had a cocky confidence that made me smile, and the little back-and-forth banter he had with Anya, because she could be quick-witted, was very amusing. It was also enjoyable watching him realise what he desired, and as much as it scared him, he desired the way he felt when he was with Anya. But he could have easily lost it all if it wasn’t for Jeremy’s tough words and Anya’s brave acts.
I loved the side characters, Trixie, Lila, and Jeremy, that Amita Murray thankfully included in this book. I felt they livened it up and made the book much more enjoyable for me because they were both funny and honest, and they added to the emotion running between Anya and Damian. This book was like a growing period for both main characters, who could only be described as wounded and searching unconscionably for someone to make them feel whole. It was interesting watching them both analyse each other throughout the book and notice what the other desired and wanted, because at first, they were incredibly prejudiced, which immediately reminded me of Pride and Prejudice.
But unlike the classic, the miscommunication felt more vexing than saddening. I’m not a lover of miscommunication in general, but for romances, it seems to work; however, this time it did not work for me. Both main characters were going back and forth with their fretting minds, and it would have all simply been resolved if either had just asked a question and found out where they stood. This mulish behaviour of both main characters made me start to dislike them. Sadly, the miscommunication wasn’t the only aspect I disliked. The pace of the book left me feeling disjointed. There is so much going on with the plot that I loved when it was all action, but then the pace would slow for some unnecessary filler that I feel could have been easily summed up with a look or movement to express the emotion that character may be feeling, and there was also a fair amount of repetition. I also found this book somewhat predictable when it came to the revelations that occurred throughout the book, such as the murder mystery aspect, who was behind it all, and the reasons for it. Another was the spice; the tension was so built up that I expected so much more than I was given when it came to the scene, so I felt let down. And, finally, the ending. While I’m so happy there was a happy ending, I felt disappointed by how Budleigh’s issue was resolved and with what happened with the money, so I had to put the book down and take a deep breath before I could get that sweet HEA, and it was sweet. I’ll give Amita Murray that. I loved the symmetry from their first talk alone to the beginning of many more, and I loved how equally humorous and lovely their declarations of love turned out to be.
As much as I enjoyed the banter between Anya and Damian, the interactions between Anya and Trixie, and the sibling interactions for both main characters, all of these moments were too few and far between. And, unfortunately, there were a few things that slowed my reading speed and enjoyment of this book, enough to reduce my star rating. As stated above in more detail, I felt let down in certain areas of the book; these areas included but were not limited to the spice that was barely bell pepper worthy and the wrap-up of the plot outside of the romance. Therefore, I will be rating Unladylike Rules of Attraction Three out of Five stars. Nevertheless, I did enjoy the side characters, and because of that, I will be reading the previous book in this series because I loved what little I got of Lila, Anya’s sister, in this one.
I would recommend this to Regency romance readers but also to anyone who loves the tension that comes from wondering when the main characters will finally give in to their emotions and admit what they truly want, mixed with some humour, all the ups and downs of family, and of course, a HEA. If you love a murder mystery, you might want to give Unladylike Rules of Attraction a try as well, especially if you like a bit of an intriguing mystery in a romance. Despite this being book two in the Marleigh Sisters series, in my opinion, it works very well if you want to read it as a standalone, but I look forward to reading book one in the Marleigh Sisters series, Unladylike Lessons in Love.
I want to thank HarperCollins UK for allowing me the opportunity to ARC for Unladylike Rules of Attraction via Netgalley. As this is an ARC, the final released copy (releasing 23rd May 2024) may have been edited, and therefore the quotes I have used may no longer be in it. And because Amazon believes three stars is a bad rating, I will bump the rating of this book to four stars when I leave my review on that platform only.
Favourite Quotes
“He was looking at her, those soft brown eyes of his, as if everything she said and did, everything was important and must be seen. As if he was hungry for it. Aching just as she was.”
Loc 1199
“‘You know you get the money if I die,’ she said. Lord Ashton looked steadily at her. ‘Thanks for letting me know. I’ll keep that in mind next time I find my hands- inadvertently- around your throat.’”
Loc 1959
“He kissed her as if his life depended on it. Maybe he always kissed her like that. Or maybe it was her life that depended on it. Maybe it always felt like that to her. An agony of a kiss.”
Loc 1981
“All of his pain become on monstrous thing and its threads couldn’t be separated, nor could they be cut out from him like an abscess. It was a physical, tortured pain that he felt had been hiding inside him all his life. Just waiting to come out and consume him. To annihilate him.”
Loc 3596
“And she was wondering why it felt as if she would rather had died than not kiss him again.”
Loc 4218
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Finer Details:
Title: Unladylike Rules of Attraction
Author: Amita Murray
Pages: 352
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd
Publication: 2024
Language: English
Rating: 3/5