A Husband for Hartwell

Format read: ebook (Kindle Unlimited)
Reading time: 4-ish hours
Tags: historical fiction, romance, lgbtq+, enemies-to-lovers
Own a copy: no
Reread likelihood: 0/10

This book's only saving grace is its writing. Honestly, the Regency-esque language and setting is on point, but that's about all the credit I can give to this book. The thing that really ruined it is, strangely enough, the main character.

William Hartwell is an insufferable, unlikeable, grade-A jerk. You cannot for a second convince me that his affection for Warry is genuine. No, I refuse. The amount of gaslighting this man does is just off the charts. First, we're told that Hartwell, Becca, and Warry (Becca's younger brother) grew up together and have spent most of their lives in each other's company. Then, we're told that Hartwell and Becca were incredibly cruel to Warry during this time: they threw him in the pond on numerous occasions, gave him the run around, mocked him, etc. In brief, they were both horrible bullies, but Hartwell took the cake. We're told that now that they're grown, Hartwell is somehow even worse than when he was a brat. Instead of being a mature adult, he decides to shame Warry publicly for his friendship/mild infatuation with Lord Balfour. Why does he do this you ask? Well, because clearly Hartwell is the tragic embodiment of the most detested trope of “he's mean to you because he likes you.” Hartwell continuously mistreats Warry through an epic display of gaslighting. Here are a few fantastic examples for your reading pleasure:

With a sickening jolt, Warry recalled Hartwell's laughter as he'd mocked Warry at the Gilmore rout. If Warry were a better friend, then perhaps he would have forgiven Hartwell—but if Hartwell were a better friend, then he should have apologised.

Hartwell's

“I...I have been cruel, I know. You are right to despise me. I teased you all these years for two reasons. First, because I feared to examine my own flaws, and so it was easier to pick apart yours. And second, because I knew I would never change you. No taunt of mine could have stood up to a spirit such as yours. It is not an excuse for the way I treated you. But I would like you to know right now, I cannot imagine ever having meant a single unkind word I spoke about you.”

another

People were broken in all sorts of ways. They sometimes use disagreeable methods to achieve their ends, but didn't they all want essentially the same thing? To be loved? Could that brief flash of pity he'd felt for Balfour grow into forgiveness, and might they have a marriage that was at least civil?

forced