The Belle of Belgrave Square (Belles of London, #2)

by Mimi Matthews

Such is the effect of the excitement of novel reading upon the nervous system, that the only way to obtain momentary ease, is to plunge into another as soon as one is finished. —Confessions and Experience of a Novel Reader, 1855

“Books you’ve already read are like old friends. It’s comforting to revisit them.”

“Stories like the ones we read in novels help us understand the human condition,” he said. “They teach us empathy. In that way, they’re more than an escape from the world. They’re an aid for living in the world. For being better, more compassionate people.”

Real life was more complicated than that. And real love was more complex still. It wasn’t faint or feeble. It was rich and nuanced and strong. So relentlessly strong. It had to be. Human beings were fallible. They stumbled and fell. They made mistakes. Love didn’t crumble in the face of those errors. It held fast and true.