Barbara Metzger: Snowdrops and Scandalbroth

Stranded in London at the mercy of strangers, Miss Kathlyn Parkland was mistrustful of Lord Chase’s sympathy, surprised by his hospitality . . . and positively shocked by his outrageous offer: He wished to pay her to appear with him in public!

It seemed His Lordship wanted to counter the virtuous reputation that had branded him an oddity in the ladies’ eyes. But Chase assured Miss Parkland that it would just be a ruse, for he strongly believed that if a bride was expected to enter marriage with her honor intact, so should the groom.

Miss Parkland needed the money; he needed a mistress. Several strolls on his arm would be enough to establish his character as a roguish connoisseur and complete rake. But, of course, love had a scheme of its own. . .

Escaping a misfortune alliance, Lord Chase has made an enemy. So he packs up and distinguishes himself in battle, only to return to rumors of his lack of reputation.

Meanwhile, impoverished and orphaned Kathlyn Parkland is en route to London to make her way as a governess. Bad weather and a series of misadventures make her coach late and her a dime short and out of a job.

Pitched as a screwball comedy and sex farce, along with trad. Regency romance roots, Snowdrops and Scandalbroth is only hindered by its incessant vignettes which head hop enough to pull the reader out of the story and the relate-ability of H/h. Its traditional Reg Rom in the sense that there is little intimate contact, but there is enough innuendo and mature content to place it firmly in the era it was written (1996).

There are some capers ala 30s Screwball, but nothing as captivating. Those films strengths were the tension between H/h during madcap scrapes…something Snowdrops and Scandalbroth doesn’t do well. With so much action and periphery characters, its frankly a little hard to keep straight who’s who. The heroine is likeable, but a bit missish.

I resorted to skimming the passages (vignettes) of head hopping that I found distracting, and overall enjoyed this unlikely pairing. If the book is not without its hiccups, it is nonetheless entertaining and a better attempt at authenticity to the genre than others.

Some will find funny, others a chore, so my intrepid readers proceed with caution.

A little bit of Heyer in Chases’ friends, who kidnap Kitty in an attempt to channel her “gypsy” powers of guessing who will win at the tracks, but ultimately not as likeable as they could have been.

5 Stars 4 out of 6 Distracting periphery scenes reduce character development, but its good for a light, escapist read.