Never Have We Ever: A Betrothed Novella

Cynthia Dane

Dec 2017 · Barachou Press

About this eBook

 (Includes a preview of the second BETROTHED novella, SEVEN MINUTES IN HEAVEN)

BETROTHED is a trilogy of standalone stories that explore the world of arranged marriages and how they affect every couple differently. 

On a beautiful day in the French countryside, Austrian heiress Valeska Reiter marries a man she has only seen a handful of times over the past two years. The wedding day is only the beginning.

Andre Dubois comes from a line of French nobility so long that they somehow escaped the guillotine. His debonair mannerisms and handsome looks lead Valeska to say yes to a proposed match after only one meeting in Monaco. 

It seems like a fairy tale ending after a wedding night that leaves Valeska panting and awaiting a lifetime of more. But a decade and two children later, Valeska can’t help but wonder… what are the limits of an arranged marriage when a woman’s dignity is on the line?

She loves him. She’s pretty sure he loves her. But ten years of a language barrier proves the end of Valeska’s sanity as she finally pushes Andre to say what’s really been on his mind for ten years – in a language his wife can understand! 

Ratings and reviews

When I started reading this book I went and looked to make sure I was really remembering that this was the author Cynthia Dane, as it was so different in style from any of her other books I have read. Don't get me wrong not in a bad way at all but different in a good way. It took me a wee bit to get use to the dual points of view I guess you would call it but once I did it flowed for me. We have a couple one French and German neither speech's the other's language and they are in an arranged marriage. Can you imagine. WOW does this make for wonderful reading. It does I promise you it does. If yo have ever read one of Cynthia Dane's books you know that this author writes books that can melt ice caps and let me tell you this book turns a polar bear brown. OH MY I certainly hope there is more to this series like the next ten years or maybe we will get her sister and the Irishman's story.

I was drawn to this book because I have never read a story about arranged marriage. It was so interesting to see how Andre and Valeska's relationship changed over the almost 10 years together. They had language barriers that kept them from truly knowing how they felt about each other but the way they communicate with each other is beautiful and completely endearing. I'm really looking forward to the next novella in this series! *This is my voluntary review of an advanced reader copy*

Never Have We Ever was not what I expected... it was even better. This arranged marriage romance story by Cynthia Dane has heartbreak, twists and turns, a language barrier, misunderstandings, love, great characters, and a HEA. I volunteered to review an advance reader copy of this book.