Cheryl Bolen: Lady Sophia’s Rescue

As Lady Sophia passes through the gates of her new bridegroom’s country estate and he begins to whisper in her ear the delights that await her in his bed, Lady Sophia realizes she has made a most dreadful mistake. There’s only one thing to do. She must bolt.

The bride-on-the-run is rescued by the exceedingly handsome William Birmingham who thinks she’s a woman named Isadore, and though he’s the richest man in England, she mistakes him for a common (but well-to-do) criminal. Since she’d rather be dead than wed to her wretched bridegroom, Sophia pretends to be Isadore and take her chances with the provocative Mr. Birmingham. But how could she have known that her ruse would bring the gallant Mr. Birmingham into such peril from the wicked man she married? And how could she have known her enigmatic rescuer would ignite passions she never knew she possessed?

Although this novella is pitched as a trad. Reg Rom, it starts after a wedding–to the wrong man. The heroine’s escape lands her in a fine kettle of mistaken identity, and although it promises to be a farcical romp, its a little too short on delivery.

The heroine is definitely immature and a naïve, and probably a bit spoiled. Although a novella is really no great place for character development, unfortunately her actions are distracting without the back story.

The hero is hot and really a fairly generic cardboard cut out of Reg. rake/hero. Picture your typical bad boy hottie on a mission of danger and intrigue, and you have Mr. Birmingham.

The novella is clean, and altogether well written, but really is material for a full length and not meant to be truncated into a short.

That being said, its free and a quick read, so when you are looking for a quick Reg. Rom to while away a half hour (or hour, depending on how fast/slow you read)…you could do a lot worse (and I do speak from recent experience.)

5 Stars 4 out of 6