Alison Larkin thought it would be romantic to be loved by a lord, and her wealthy aunt granted her a Season in London to meet the ton. Unfortunately, the first eligible gentleman who came in her way was Philip Trevelyan–a man without a title but with all the right qualifications to win Miss Larkin’s heart!
Alison, our young and very sweet heroine lives with her shabby genteel Aunts off Great Ormond Street. The Aunts are a lovable, eccentric bunch that supplement their incomes through light sales and the assistance of some young street boys. When the fourth Aunt, who married a nabob and has been in India for years, returns to England a widow and with more money than sense (she reminds me of the uncle nabob in Country Flirt) Alison finds herself launched on the head of Lady Emma, a widow who supports herself by chaperoning young debs about the Season.
Alison is a devotee of Minerva Press and has a lot of fantasies about what she wants in a marriage, so this is a bit of a fish out of water, bit voyage and return, and a bit rags to riches (there is a very brief transformation, including a good haircut, that transforms the “elfin” Alison into a beauty). Because Alison is young and naive, but with a thirst for adventure, it reminded me a bit of Cotillion.
Alison has a host of suitors clamoring for her attention. There is the stiff Lord Fane, the raffish Lord Kilmore, Mr. Gilchrist…every dance brings a new beau. Meanwhile she makes friends, including a previously unmet relative, and is squired not only by Lady Emma but also by her childhood friend and frequent vistor, Philip Trevelyan.
There are scrapes, a few follies, and generally a very simple. sweet romance. It wasn’t a perfect book, but it was likable and in tune with the period to make it a fast read. The H/h are pretty classic/formulaic for the genre, and don’t offer much in the way of surprise or ingenuity…but sometimes that fits the bill perfectly.
This is a great book for younger readers or those who love a clean, traditional historical romance…even the kissing occurs mostly off page.
4 out of 6 A quick and classic traditional Reg Rom with only mild melodrama
| Content Rating/Heat Index | |
|---|---|
| Mature Content |   |
| Limited adult themes | |
| Intimacy | |
| Two very tame kissing scenes | |
| Violence | |
| A mill occurs off stage | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Clean with limited mature content great for most ages. | |
