A Radical Affair by Louise Mayberry is the third book in The Darnalay Castle series. I admit, I read book one and somehow missed the second book but I don't think I lost anything having not read book two yet. There are references to the characters but to be honest, it's probably more important to have read the first book only so you know who some of the secondary characters are in this one as they are referenced a few times.

Cybil Bythesea our fmc and she is stuck in a marriage to Lord Falstone with no hope of ever getting out. When she fled his home ten years ago due to his cruelty (you'll learn more about it in the book), her father (and now her brother) made a deal to pay him off so she could live her life the way she wants as long as she doesn't bring shame to his family name. Everything is going fine until she meets Will Chisolm, a man who works for her brother. But she has a connection to him she can't deny.

Will Chisolm is haunted by the past, the tragedy of his family’s eviction from their ancestral Highland farm, then his own foolish descent into political radicalism. Even now that he’s gained wealth and respectability as the manager of a set of spinning mills in Glasgow, he’s burdened with more responsibility and guilt than anyone knows. As he gets to know Cybil, and ultimately they start an affair, things become much more complicated than he planned and four years into their relationship, Cybil and Will have to figure out what they are going to do now that a child is on the way.

While this book does have Cybil cheating on her husband, it's actually not the focal point of the story. Cybil is a woman determined to do what is right for her and what she wants vs. what her husband and society allow her to do. Of course, she isn't as brazen as to flaunt it but in a time where women don't get to make their own choices, she is determined she will, especially when she finds out she is pregnant. All of that to say, I didn't love the way she reacted to Will when he was only trying to find the best solution for all knowing the constraints they both have in their lives.

As the story progresses, we learn more about Cybil and Will and the pasts that make them not only who they are today but also create the concerns around how to bring their child into the world. I appreciated Mayberry including the backstory of how these two characters met as most of the story takes place 4 years later and it helped set the stage for their relationship.

If you're looking for a new historical romance to pick up, consider this one. I do recommend picking up the first book in the series if you can before reading this one though...it will help in setting up all the characters for this book.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.