Lord Pomeroy has been rejected by his long-time fiancé and must find a woman to marry for his ill father’s sake. His sister suggests Claire Sutton, who has been on the shelf for years. And Bertram is willing to consider her, except that she’s shy and her sister is such an outspoken, outrageous chit. Then there’s Lord Winterborne, heir to the Marquis of Bellingham, who pretends to court Lizzie Sutton—at her instigation—but is intrigued by her older sister Claire. Add to this bumblebroth the fact that it was Winterborne’s brother who stole Pomeroy’s fiancé, and no two couples could be more at cross purposes. A delightful Regency romp by Carola Dunn; originally published by Walker.
There is definite power in telling a Regency tale with sisters cast as dual heroines. Although this book favors Claire more than Lizzie, we still can enjoy them equally as not quite foils of each other than at least complementing shades of a Regency lady. Lizzie is outspoken, sometimes hoydenishly so, while Claire’s reserve belies a gentle soul who only longs to protect her little sister.
The heroes of the store are painted with the familiar strokes of the traditional Reg Rom; debonair, handsome and wealthy who also have unusual penchants for women with Character. They have some backstory which makes for an interesting, albeit minor conflict and they are distinguished enough in age and taste to make them both enjoyable.
There is much to like about Dunn’s comedy of errors. While not quite as rompish as I had hoped, at least until the third act, there are still moments that will make a reader smile if not laugh out loud. Her characters don’t have huge arcs or learn great “P and P” or “S and S” lessons, but we still can enjoy watching a little bit of growth coupled with a maternalistic voyeurism at getting to guess who will match up with whom before the characters know it themselves.
We have the almost obligatory villainous mother character who is part Mrs. Bennett, part Fanny Dashwood. Her vitriol towards her eldest daughter helps unwittingly throw Claire and both suitors together, and its a slight teasing to see which one will succeed with his pursuit.
4.5 out of 6 Some great funny moments packed into a sweet, traditional romance that clean Reg Rom readers will enjoy
| Content Rating/Heat Index | |
|---|---|
| Mature Content |  |
| Nope, not really | |
| Intimacy | |
| Minimal | |
| Violence | |
| Not much. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Clean traditional Reg Rom with lighthearted plot. | |
