Name: The Secret Wife of King George IV
ISBN: 9780312244200

Diane Haeger

A fictional portrait of Maria Fitzherbert chronicles the passionate love affair and secret wedding of King George IV with a beautiful Catholic woman whose marriage was recognized by the Roman Catholic Church but not by English law. By the author of The Courtesan. 17,500 first printing.

The Secret Wife of King George IV

Lacy W

First Thoughts
This was...not a good book. It really wasn’t. And that is so disappointing to me because I liked this book a lot when I was younger. I thought it was a beautiful tale of two lovers torn apart by circumstances outside their control. But young Lacy can make mistakes. And boy, this was a mistake.

The Characters
Oh boy. The characters. We follow George, future king and Maria, a Catholic widow. I disliked both of them a lot. Maria was strong willed and a feminist but she could be so incredibly rude. It just drove me nuts. I appreciated that she wanted to take control of her own future and marry someone because she wanted to and loved them not because it would further her family status. She stood her ground with that and I respected the hell out of that. Don’t get me wrong. I love strong females but you don't have to be so rude to everyone. Maria snapped at a lot of people who were just trying to help her and I was surprised she actually had friends. 

George was also irritating and probably will go down as one of the worst males I’ve ever read about (and I strongly disliked the Darkling). He wouldn’t take no for an answer and essentially harassed Maria until she said yes. Maria moved across the country to escape him and yet, he found her and harassed the hell out of her. That certainly is not okay. FYI: it’s not actually a yes if you repeatedly ask until she says yes. There was a lot more about both of them that I disliked but I can't be bothered to write it all down. 

The Plot
The entire plot was one giant “tragic” love story between Maria and George. But let me tell you, friends, this was not tragic. This relationship was toxic! George was always lying to Maria and he would justify those lies by saying it was all for his love for Maria. They were constantly on and off. And the ending just didn’t justify the struggle of this book. I just couldn’t support such a toxic relationship. Not one bit. 

Trigger Warnings
AS usual with historical fiction books there is: slut shaming, fat shaming, child abuse and cheating. There is somewhat graphic scene of a child abuse incident that takes a few pages. 

Final Thoughts
I wouldn’t recommend this book to anybody. The relationship between Maria and George was far too toxic. Maria and George were unlikable in every way possible. The plot was slow. Everything was just not good. Skip this book at all cost.

The Secret Wife of King George IV

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