The Finest Print by Erin Langston
Historical Romance
ARC
September 24, 2024
Self-Published

Review by Melanie

I am nothing if not consistent so it should really come as no surprise to anyone that I absolutely adored The Finest Print, the latest from Erin Langston. I wanted to devour it the second the ARC landed in my ereader but, and this might surprise those who know me well, instead, I savored it, parsing it out in small bite sized nibbles over the course of five days, luxuriating in the beauty and magic that unfolded in the pages within. Who knew I was capable of such self-restraint? Each page, really each word, seemed like a gift to the reader, a surprise revelation unfurling itself much like the feelings growing between Belle and Ethan, and I wanted to give them time and space to take root, to surround me with their care and warmth. Erin Langston’s prose is, to borrow a word often used by the author herself, expansive and yet also efficient. The care with which she crafts her stories demands to be savored with slow, deliberate thoroughness.

The Finest Print tells the story of Belle Sinclair and yes, if that name is familiar to those of you who are fans of this author, it’s because Belle is the eldest daughter of Gavin and Emilia Sinclair, the couple featured in Some Winter’s Evening. It’s also the story of American journalist Ethan Fletcher who gives Belle’s Uncle Nate (yes, THAT Nate, the hero of Forever Your Rogue) a run for his money in terms of being one of Langston’s most beloved heroes. And since Erin Langston does nothing by half measures, it also gives the readers a second glimpse into Gavin Sinclair, now a judge and father of two daughters, and let me tell you, if you adored Gavin in his own story, then you are in for a real treat with this book. Somehow, even though these are fictional characters who live in the pages of a book, these characters keep growing and evolving, even when they show up to play supporting roles. 

Belle and Ethan meet and then join forces because they each possess something the other needs. Belle, an aspiring novelist, just needs one person to publish her gruesome horror stories, inspired by the legal cases she observes in her father’s courtroom. Ethan, in turn, needs to pay off a debt not of his own making in order to take complete ownership of the inheritance left to him by his uncle, a print shop he crossed an entire ocean to claim. So, these two make a deal: Belle will supply Ethan with original works of fiction and he will publish them as weekly serialized stories, more commonly known as penny bloods or penny dreadfuls, short stories sold to the masses for just one penny a piece. 

And so, these two, along with a barebones staff, begin their publishing enterprise, working together to realize their individual dreams. Belle, whose position in London society has been damaged due to her breaking off an engagement years ago, resulting in her former fiancé spreading malicious gossip about her, desperately wants to see her stories in print. And Ethan, abandoned first by his father and then by his mother at a young age, wants to build something of his own, something no one can take from him. When they first begin their journey, they butt heads, but as their attraction grows, so do their dreams. While in her previous works, the couples wait until almost the end of the story to declare their love for each other, in The Finest Print, it happens around 60% into the story because their love is inevitable and undeniable and Belle and Ethan, both of whom are in the business of words, cannot help but share them when it comes to their feelings for each other. 

I don’t want to keep comparing this book to Erin Langston’s previous work, it absolutely stands on its own. But there is certainly a through line connecting her books, where the main protagonists find themselves up against both time and legal constraints. This time, the laws being discussed aren’t about a woman’s right to her own children but rather about taxes. More specifically about the idea of publishers having to pay a tax on the news they print on top of paying duty on paper. (Listen, I get it, taxes are a weird subplot for a romance novel to tackle but trust Erin Langston to make this work in the way that only she can).  

When I was reading this book, at a certain point, I kept thinking of O. Henry’s The Gift of the Magi, in which a married couple famously sacrifice their most prized possessions to buy the other a surprise Christmas gift: the wife sells her beautiful long hair to buy her husband a chain for his treasured heirloom pocket watch and he in turn sells that very same watch to buy her a set of ornamental combs for her hair. In this story, Ethan’s most treasured possession is the print shop or rather the dream of owning and building something of his own. Belle, in turn, values her reputation, as tarnished as it might be. The lengths to which these two go in order to save each other, to protect each other, to care for each other at the cost of their own personal dreams is really the foundation of this gorgeously crafted romance. When the big climax happens in the third act of the book, no one could possibly question the true nature of their feelings for each other. 

As the clock winds down on their publishing experiment, both Belle and Ethan are faced with choices, choices about what matters, about their identity, their dreams, and what they hold most dear. As it is a romance novel, it should surprise no one that they obviously pick each other but the way in which they traverse their road to a HEA is a masterclass in romance, devotion, and the smallest of moments that lead to the grandest of gestures. 

If you’re already fans of Langston, you’ll love this book on its own and also adore the cast of new characters that make their debut as well as beloved ones like Belle’s parents and Nate and Cora and their brood (now including grandkids!) who pop up in supporting roles (though, I would venture to guess Nate Travers would never ever label himself a supporting character, he is the very definition of main character energy). One of my favorite things this book includes is a family tree at the beginning and let me be honest, I spent not a small amount of time poring over all those names and dates, imagining these beloved characters in a brand new phase of their lives. Erin Langston has built the most beautiful multigenerational romance series and I really hope we get to revisit this family in her future books. 

Grade: A+

Content Notes: Ethan is abandoned by both his parents at an early age; Belle ends a previous engagement resulting in her former fiancé spreading gossip about her, causing her to become a social outcast