Rebecca's Choice

‘Rebecca’s Choice’ begins with the young Rebecca recently married to Geoffrey de Roussier, a businessman and meteorologist, during the time of Queen Victoria. Their marriage begins with possibility, but soon Rebecca feels that her husband’s distance, and upon his death, she finds herself penniless. Her only hope is to marry to secure her young family’s future yet all she wishes to do is throw caution to the wind and follow her heart. 
An enjoyable read made more so with the character of Rebecca, giving a detailed perspective of the Welsh countryside and the Victorian culture. The relationship between Rebecca and Geoffrey at first appears quite caring, yet the fragility of the relationship is tested with time. Rebecca’s initial vulnerability and her developing maturity were part of what made this book enjoyable. The male characters were all quite diverse, and Rebecca’s dealing with them and her relationship with her mother, were well detailed.
An interesting and well written story.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

An exquisite book detailing life in Cardiff in the late nineteenth century.  The life that Rebecca lives is a changing one, with new inventions, attitudes, and general happenings that occur all around her.  There are echoes of how we live our lives today - do we trust the latest changes?  What would we do in that situation?

The book is well written and describes the surroundings beautifully.  Heidi Gallacher has researched the history of the area thoroughly and it shows throughout the book.  It really is a gem and I would love to read more from this author.  4.5 out of 5

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

this was a great romance novel, the characters were great and I really enjoyed watching the romance blossom. The story itself worked well and I really enjoyed reading this.

If I had to sum up this book in one sound, it would be "ahhh". There's a tremendous feeling of satisfaction with this book, and while it is a gentle read there are some moments of pure tension blended in. I loved the story and felt a genuine affection for a couple of the characters. "Rebecca's Choice" is beautifully written, and I'd recommend keeping some tissues handy.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

Rebecca's Choice by Heidi Gallacher is a look into Victorian life.  Rebecca is a young, somewhat naive woman that marries an older man.  It's a successful man she has known for sometime and they are companionable, so not an unwanted match.  However, there is no passion between them.  Geoffrey, her husband dies suddenly and she finds that his investments have failed and she has nothing to live on.  

The book is simply written and it reads quickly.  That isn't meant as a deterrent, there are often times when we want something that can pull us in and let us just escape.  The plot is the strength of the book and it is well done and enjoyable.  Thank you #NetGalley for allowing me to give my honest review on #Rebecca'sChoice.

Let me begin by thanking the good Lord baby Jesus that I am a woman of the 21st century and not the 19th, because He knew what He was found with that decision. 

This is a quaint, simple telling of what it was like to be a woman in the Victorian era. My actual rating is 3.5 stars but rounded up because it's a beautiful crisp day and those are my favorite. 

What I liked:
- It wasn't completely depressing. Don't get me wrong - it wasn't all a warm peach pie and melty vanilla ice cream, but we do get some happiness for our main girl Rebecca. 
- You feel for this woman ... I cringed with dread as she naively, hopefully, planned a romantic evening, and heart sunk as it played out exactly as I'd anticipated. She has a lot of love to give and instead of meeting rejection of the worst kind make her cold toward love altogether, she gives it wherever she can to whomever she can (without being a ho). 
- even though Rebecca was excluded from literally all aspects of life that affected her apart from motherhood, she didn't let that stop her from getting information. A lot of authors will write their characters to be wilfully blind, completely fine with being in the dark about everything. Not Rebecca - and I admire that. 
- we get some really romantic lines - my favorite was "I want to touch the delicate creases of his smile with my lips; I feel as if I have lived there before."

What I didn't like:
- it was exactly 80% into the Kindle version of the book before you find out what her choice is. EIGHTY. PERCENT.
- I was bored out of my mind during the first 40% of the book. I pushed through because it is a short read and because I hate not finishing a book. It was just ... Boring. Her boring life in a dull marriage, which I suppose was the point - boredom WAS her existence. 
- I felt robbed that we were cheated of the developing romance between her and Reece. We went from her avoiding him to her professing her ardent desire for him - like ... Give us some tension! Give us some scenes at the fireplace with him looking deep into her eyes, all the unsaid things brewing in his eyes, etc. If it happened in this book it was so brief that I've already forgotten it. It was just a weird speed, like we went from point A to point J in 0.125 seconds. 
- did I mention we had to read 80% of the book to even find out what her choice was?

Despite the fact that my dislikes outweighed my likes, overall I don't regret reading this. It was a wonderful (albeit depressing) insight into what Victorian life was like for a woman. Thank you to NetGalley and Heidi Gallacher for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

At first, I didn't think I wanted to continue reading this story, then suddenly I had to know what happened to Rebecca!  I can't tell you, but I promise you will be glad you took this journey with Rebecca.

Rebecca's choice is a nice period piece that is a really great read. It is slow to get into at the beginning,  but after part two the romance starts kicking in and you its hard to put the book down! Overall this book is pretty good!

It is 1887 and Queen Victoria is on the throne. Businessman and meteorologist Geoffrey de Roussier is passionate about his weather station and railways, yet little of his passion seems to filter through to his shy, naïve young wife, Rebecca.  Following his tragic demise, Rebecca discovers that Geoffrey’s railroad investments have failed, leaving her penniless. As the past threatens to engulf her, Rebecca realises she has to make a choice. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. I enjoyed reading it.

When you open this book you step into the Victorian era and a lovely, romantic book.  As a debut novel, I couldn't ask for anything better., especially a historical romance.  This is one book I would highly recommend.  My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Heidi Gallacher's debut novel, Rebecca's Choice is very well written. The language and the depictions of Cardiff and the surrounding area made it come alive and the characters were realistic.

My heart ached for Rebecca as more details came out about her lonely marriage. While Gregory was smart and kind, he was aloof and selfish. And then, when she was faced with being a widow with failed investments and a choice between caring for her family or finally experiencing love - I was torn along with her!

Many historical tidbits were integrated into the story in a very natural manner. It was interesting to learn about the Mumbles Railway & Pier Company. And about the competition between the steam engines and those pulled by horses. Who would have thought!!

Some everyday life were mentioned as well, ones of a more personal nature. If you have ever wondered about childbirth in the Victorian age, you can read little bits about it here.

Another fascinating albeit tragic episode was the Morgan, the doctor who treated cholera around the world. The impact the death and dying had on him was profound.

The prevailing mood of Rebecca's Choice is melancholy - Rebecca was so resigned to each new challenge in her life.  The narrative dragged in the first part while the scene was set for the events that followed. This did pick up in the second half. 

I do prefer my stories to be a bit more upbeat with a little faster pace and with more glimmers of hope and yet readers who enjoy stories with a more pensive bent will love this one!

The story follows Rebecca throughout her marriage to Geoffrey. Not many people married for love in past times. A woman was seen as a means to continuing the family line, and if there was some affection towards one another, they were quite fortunate. 
Rebecca and Geoffreys marriage could be called affectionate but certainly not one of love. Rebecca does her duty of giving him a son and daughter, which he sees as giving her a purpose in her life. I wasn’t a huge fan of Geoffrey. He wasn’t exactly a bad husband, but you could tell he didn’t love Rebecca, he could be condescending at times and I just wanted better for her. Which I believe was the point. 
The first part of the book shows is her life with Geoffrey. It spans ten years. The timeline jumps around a bit, and I had to go back a bit every time a new chapter started to see how much time had passed. But I did like how years of their life were covered, it gave a very clear sense of how their marriage changed over the years. Then tragedy strikes and Geoffrey dies. Which was a bit sudden, although expected because of the book synopsis.
Part 2 is where Rebecca’s choice comes into play. Hence the book title. I was very curious who the two men were that she would need to choose between. There are quite a few friends and colleagues of Geoffreys we meet in Part 1, and all of them seemed like possible suitors to me. And I was pleasantly surprised by who they turn out to be! Their romance is everything I wanted for a Rebecca, and while in the end she needs to choose between the man she loves and the man who can give her and her children a large home, I am happy with her decisions for herself and her children. 
Rebeccas Choice is a real story, not as in it actually happened, but real as in it could have happened. It is true of the times, and it was an extremely enjoyable read. It may be short, but the story itself covers 11 years, and I am amazed at how the author fit it all in there! I am so glad I picked this book up, it was so unique! 

Thank you Heidi Gallacher and NetGalley for the complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to thank the author,the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book, it is not one I would usually choose but the synopsis persuaded me to give it a try.  I am so glad that I did because I really enjoyed it, I also learnt a lot about life in the 1890’s. I would definitely recommend this book.

Rebecca marries an older gentleman, a man who’s fascinated with meteorology. Their relationship seems to be strictly for convenience and has nothing to do with love. Her husband, Geoffrey, does his thing while she does hers. They come together at night just to do their intimate moments more for him to do his thing rather than for the actual love for one another. As much as she tries, it seems he does not care to speak with her about anything.

They manage to have a little boy and a baby girl whom Rebecca seems to adore. But, I feel like Rebecca is out of place in this large home. She is a loving woman, who cares for people who are important to her husband. Yet, I feel she doesn’t feel like she quite belongs with these people. At least until one day her husband has a luncheon with three college students that he’s mentoring. One of the students seems to catch her attention.

I feel for Rebecca. Her sense of belonging seems to be amongst their servants, particularly their maid, Millie. Rebecca is a wonderful mother and she trie to get Geoffrey to discuss their finances and things with her, but he refuses. It puts her in a tough position, should something happen to him. Many wives, even today, are forced to experience the consequences of their husband’s choices later in life. It is unfortunate, but it does happen.

A digital copy of Rebecca’s Choice by Heidi Gallacher was provided complimentary by BooksGoSocial via NetGalley. I give this book 5 out of 5 tiaras. It brought me to so many emotions I hadn’t expected and the choices Rebecca made seem to be for the best for her children, which is something many seem to be faced with these days as well.