A Lady Awakened is unlike any other historical romance I've read. Where we usually get heady banter and snappy tension in an opposites-attract set-up, this is an exercise in awkward discomfort, saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, and the worst sexual chemistry imaginable. Theo, a dissolute rake sent to the country for personal betterment, and Martha, widowed and facing expulsion from her home for lack of bearing an heir, find themselves neighbors and, soon, co-conspirators. Martha is determined to prevent her late husband's estate falling to an evil family member, and commits herself to getting pregnant within four weeks of her husband's death so that she can pass off the child as her husband's heir. She strikes an absurd sex bargain with a virtual stranger, committing Theo to sleep with her at least once daily in exchange for a hefty sum at the end of the month. 

Again, this is not your typical story of a widow wooed by a tender rake, as much as Theo assumed it would be. Martha is determined to hold herself apart from pleasure at every turn, is entirely unmoved by his charms, and is desperate for a person to respect her mind before seducing her body. Both of these characters need a lot of personal work, and the story is committed to each of their development, together and apart. 

Turn back here if you do not enjoy reading horrifically awkward sex. I have never read worse (and I thoroughly enjoyed it). This is an exploration in sexual attraction, desire, consent, and pleasure and how our emotional desires interplay with these. I can see Martha being demi-coded, though it's honestly hard to parse out how much of her sexual desire and understanding of her own attraction has been shaped by trauma, ignorance of her own body, and sexual shame.

I will note with spoiler warnings in content warnings how consent is impacted by this bizarre sex bargain. This will not feel like enthusiastic consent - because Martha desires nor experiences sexual pleasure for the first 75% of their interactions - but it is by her choice and agency that this sex bargain exists (within the social context that forces her into this position? God it's complicated). 

For historical romance readers eager to read something original, who enjoy character-driven stories that prioritize personal development and authentic interactions, this is a compelling read, and one I will be thinking about for a long time.