With Pensive Admiration by A.E. Walnofer: Book Review (ARC)

Details

• Genre: Historical fiction
• Series: No
• Length: 237 pages (EPUB)
• Publication Date: March 7, 2026

Tropes

• Slow burn
• Secret identity
• Friends to lovers
• Forced proximity

My Rating

Book Description

“Dashing, devoted, and deftly disguised, he needs to tell her his secret. Just not quite yet… 

Though William Alwyn, a doctor’s apprentice, longs to propose to Belinda Everson, he knows he may be accused of trickery when Society discovers his true identity. So, he decides to hold his tongue on all matters of importance until he can irrefutably prove his honour and merit.

Secretly smitten, Belinda has watched Mr Alwyn tend to her ailing mother for months. While bidding her farewell, he kindles her hopes with an unexpected kiss, then disappears entirely in the weeks that follow. Determined she will not languish for a man who has forgotten her, Belinda goes to London with her aunt. But when a sudden malady brings Mr Alwyn to their doorstep, she fears her heart may break again.

Seeing Miss Everson in town, Alwyn feels pressed to lay bare the truth of his love and lineage. Just as the confession is on his lips, a grudging gossip appears, set on revealing him to all the world. When finally, Alwyn declares himself to Belinda, he cannot know if she will spurn the offer of his heart, or entrust her own to him forever.”

— from Goodreads

My Review

Will obligations and secrecy cost Belinda and Alwyn their chance at love?

I haven’t read about a nobleman doctor before. I didn’t even know it was possible for them to take up a profession besides managing their own estates (although Alwyn mentions he has a capable and trusted steward).

Speaking of Alwyn, his anonymous generosity and selflessness were truly admirable. His motivation for becoming a doctor, while sad, added even more depth to his character.

Belinda (Lindy) wants to be useful, but feels torn between two worlds: her life as a coachman’s daughter and the opportunities her wealthy aunt is able to give her. 

This upbringing actually made Lindy a perfect match for Alwyn, since she would be well-suited for her role as a proper viscountess and as a doctor’s wife.

Despite the sometimes frustrating miscommunications, Alwyn and Lindy’s thinking remained fairly reasonable given the information they had.

They also weren’t suddenly rude to each other because of the misunderstandings, just uncertain and a bit confused.

If you don’t read a lot of Regency/Victorian romance, several words in the story would probably be unfamiliar. However, the context of the sentence usually made the meaning clear enough.

I honestly hadn’t considered a potential romance between Sliger and Dora. But they would be a fun couple! At the very least, he would let Dora wear her spectacles in peace 😂

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

See Content Notes

noticing and awareness, one use of “virile,” kissing, mention of a “rake” and “rakehell,” some extremely mild innuendo, one use of “arousal” (nothing explicit), mention of “bosomless women,” mention of surgeries (amputation, caesarean section, etc.), blood, use of “blast” and “dash it,” mention of a corset and chemise, a man suffers an “apoplectic fit,” mention of a woman’s bosom, description of a dislocated shoulder, use of devil and she-devil, death of a parent mentioned, mention of a buttock (nothing explicit), mention of a “soothsayer,” mention of a curse, touching

Favorite Moments

🪻caught by a thread
🪻proposal

Favorite Quotes

“‘Oh Belinda, mark my words — London is full of men who, meeting you, will be instantly besotted!

‘Well, if they are as rash and irrational as that, then stop the carriage here, I beg you,’ Lindy said archly.“

A.E. Walnofer

“What does a ball rolling across a felted mat matter, when it’s cut wood that will bake our bread and keep us warm throughout the winter?“

A.E. Walnofer

“Couldn’t Dr. Felix have chosen an ugly apprentice.“

A.E. Walnofer

“If I’m to be wounded again — and that seems certain — I must be true self as it happens.“

A.E. Walnofer

“If I must be myself while my heart is broke, then he must be himself while breaking it.“

A.E. Walnofer

“Studying her with pensive admiration, he felt affirmation of his very being in her tear-flecked gaze.“

A.E. Walnofer

“Mumbling the most chagrined thank you of her life, she turned away. Then, glaring briefly at her embroidered work, she flung it out of the open window.“

A.E. Walnofer

“When one has laboured alongside another through delicate and despairing tasks, one learns exactly who their companions are, to the very quick of their beings.“

A.E. Walnofer

“‘I do believe you,’ she whispered. ‘But not all honest words are prudent words. You must remember, Lord Farrmore, that I am only Lindy of Trippingham, a coachman’s daughter.’

‘She is who I first fell in love with.’“

A.E. Walnofer

Tags: