book of the week

the art of defiance

S Y N O P S I S

❝Sometimes, even the most proper of ladies wish to defy.❞

Lady Eleanor Mary Cantwell, daughter of Lord Albert Michael Cantwell, Marquess of Salford, is the most proper of ladies. With her golden complexion, raven-black hair and manners befitting a princess, Lady Eleanor has always been deemed the belle of the ball. But there is just one problem.

Lady Eleanor Cantwell is Indian.

Having been adopted from India when Lady Salford found herself unable to bear child, Lady Eleanor is shunned by society, including her mother, owing to her true heritage. The ladies look down upon her and the gentlemen only want her virtue which she clings onto dearly. They certainly have no wish to wed an Indian girl, no matter how pretty she be!

Which is why it comes as no less of a surprise when a young man -- a duke, no less! --  offers his hand in marriage to the young daughter of the Marquess of Salford. Lady Eleanor finds it quite hard to believe that any gentleman in their 'right' mind would wish to marry her but instead of feeling grateful, all she feels is remorse. A husband would only bring with him a mountain of restrictions which she does not care much for.

So, when her parents sell her to the duke, she realises that she no longer cares for society or her father or her reputation. But to call off the wedding, she would have to do something she has never before done and that which would ruin her.

She would have to defy.

R E C O M M E N D E D

The Art of Defiance was hands down one of the best historical fiction books I have ever read on Wattpad. It was a refreshing break from the "guy saves the damsel in distress then they get married" English historical fiction trope. If you couldn't already tell, I absolutely despise cliches. It just takes the fun out of reading a book.

Despite the blurb, I still had my doubts when I first started reading The Art of Defiance. What if the lady tried to 'defy' but immediately stopped becuase she was too busy swooning over the male lead? What if I had somehow misunderstood the blurb and was in for an adventure that I didn't want to have? But all of my doubts were erased by the time I finished the first chapter.

One of my favourite parts about the book? Eleanore, our heroine, is Indian. Yep, Lady Eleanore Mary Cantwell is, in fact, Indian. I don't want to give too much away, but she has a complex and intriguing story, which ultimately shapes the decisions that she makes as a young adult.

But this story isn't all about Eleanore. Nathan equally important to the story -- if not more. He's the one that drags her into the all these adventures and starts this whole mess. There's an odd balance to this story -- neither are perfect (in fact, they're far from it), but together, they're both able to slowly start changing for the better and move on from the past.

Cliche? I think not. Ok, so maybe the whole "they start changing for the better" part is a little cliche, but how this underlying theme comes about definitely isn't.

And that, dear readers, is why you should check out The Art of Defiance by random_reader_writer 

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written by acciomii
edited by xohrats