Feature book: Saved by the Belle

Saved by the Belle by Shana Galen
Subgenre: historical romance
Release date: 7 Mar 2023
Publisher: self-published
Format: ebook and print
Length: 317 pages
RRP: $7.99 (ebook); $24.35 (print on demand)
Another fabulous story in the Royal Saboteurs series.
Isabelle (Belle) Howard is a shop owner, well, with her father. She sells tea to customers and has such a good reputation as she can select the correct tea for the customer. She goes to the wharves to get the best teas and even has one that was supposedly drunk by the emperor of China. She is a very organised woman and doesn’t believe that any man would want to marry her. So has created a niche for herself in the shop and looking after her father.
Then one night, Belle and her father are called to assist a man who has been stabbed. A man who almost loses his life. At least the doctor thinks the man is a lost cause and won’t last the night. Belle and her father take him back to their small flat above the shop. It is here we find out how ‘un-housewifely’ Belle really is, and she doesn’t like blood.
Then Hew Arundel does the unexpected and makes demands in his semi-conscious state. He slowly heals and finds himself attracted to Belle. When the men who tried to kill him return a second time to try and kill Hew, he knows who it is and has to be on the move. He goes to the Baron’s (his boss) home and fortunately finds the Baron’s wife who immediately sends a message to the Baron (who is at the Saboteurs HQ).
Belle’s father is then kidnapped, and it becomes their mission to get him back. And naturally Belle says they can’t do it without her. The meeting happens and Belle and her father are reunited.
As Hew and Belle get closer, there is much discussion about why either of them will not marry. Hew because he was married before, and Belle because she believes she will never marry due to her disfigurement. Then the manoeuvring begins between them as they head towards marriage.
This story is a little different to the previous two as they had the couple in the field. In this story, Belle and Hew are confined to different spaces—the Howards’ flat, the Baron’s mansion, a hotel. It is here the two of them build the bond that leads to the marriage standoff. It really seems that the confined space and atmosphere really speeds the relationship.
I’m really looking forward to more books in this series.
reviewed by Heather
A review copy of this book was provided by the author.