The Book Nook Chronicles

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I have a confession: sometimes…I pick books based off their covers. And when I saw The Marriage Contract and its intricate blue and gold binding pop up on my NetGalley recommendations, I knew I had to request it. I mean look at it! Doesn’t that scream English romance/Jane Austen/regency era drama? How am I supposed to pass that up?

Thankfully my cover judgements aligned fairly closely with the content of this debut novel by Sasha Butler, while still keeping me on my toes.

The Marriage Contract Review

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3.5 on StoryGraph

Genre: Historical Fiction

Author: Sasha Butler

Page Count: 336

Publication Date: October 6, 2025

Set in Elizabethan England, The Marriage Contract takes you on the journey of Eliza, a young woman with dreams of becoming an artist while living in her father’s repressive and abusive home. Her dearest friend turned lover, Francis is her only true confidant. The two make a pact to run away together before Eliza’s father marries her off for riches neither of them can imagine. The plan seems to be going off without a hitch until the lovebirds have a fight, part ways, and Francis goes missing. Eliza’s father completes his plan and marries her off to a gentleman in both name and domeanor, Edmund. Eliza is left to decide if she can open her heart to Edmund as she continues to battle with the loss of Francis and if he’s actually dead or alive.

This book is filled with a LOT of darkness that it’s giving trauma porn for sure. There’s a ton of death, both necessary and unnecessary. There’s emotional and domestic abuse, homophobia, violence, children out of wedlock, and so much heartbreak I had to put the book down a few times before finishing it. A saving grace that helped me keep going is how poetic the prose are. Sasha Butler is the queen of flowery Elizabethan writing and it kept me coming back even when I thought I couldn’t.

There’s a true juxtaposition between the male and female characters in this novel that I also loved. Most of the men are easy to dislike or dismiss. They are a means to an end, even when we learn to care about them, and the women are the true substance, which was a refreshing take in a period piece like this one.

Eliza’s story is extremely compelling. She’s a subtly strong woman who is consistently put into really shit circumstances. Her story alone was enough to keep me reading. Then there’s Francis. I have to be honest, Francis’s role in Eliza’s life, and in this book, is lackluster and unneeded. Very much like Jacob in the Twilight series, Francis is a really great friend, but not the man Eliza was meant to love and a bit of a nuisance that keeps coming back. He’s pretty much gone before we can get attached to him as a reader, and feels like the ghost of a third wheel in a love triangle that only exists, briefly, in Eliza’s head.

Edmund, on the other hand, is a man who got the short end of the stick. He’s Eliza’s ticket out of an abusive home, but is also extremely progressive and here for his wife to pursue her dreama. I don’t want to spoil the novel for you, but their love story is one that deserved more than Butler gave them and I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive her for it.

With all of that said this novel is a beautiful take on female empowerment during the Elizabethan era. Eliza has four strong female relationships that are worth keeping an eye out for throughout this book, but that is all I will say in fear of giving away major plot points. Overall, this was a decent read, with a heavy dose of drama and intrigue. If you’re here to spill some 16th century fictional tea, Butler’s debut novel is one your should add to your TBR.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.