Emily Hendrickson: Miss Cheney’s Charade

Proper Emma Cheney finds an invitation sent to her brother too fascinating to resist—a chance to see a mummy from exotic Egypt unwrapped. It is simply too enticing. She’s longed for adventure, and surely this is the closest she’ll get. Dressed in her absent brother’s clothes, she boldly enters Sir Peter Dancy’s home to attend the viewing, sure she can escape detection. Sir Peter immediately suspects the deception, but teases Emma into believing he doesn’t see through her disguise. Emma plunges into a web of subterfuge while coping with the challenge of her charade. The danger of scandal threatens as her love for Sir Peter grows. Can Sir Peter succeed in convincing Emma she’s the woman he loves?

There are mummies, masquerading and mauling marauders in this lengthier traditional Regency Romance. Emma has a twin who is a bit reclusive and mad about country archeology. Therefore, when she sees his invitation to attend the unwrapping of a mummy, she decides she can easily fool people into thinking she is her brother.

So, yeah, this isn’t a story rife with realism.

But, if you love a good, clean (meaning kisses only) tale of masquerading and mummies, this may be the book for you!

Sir Peter is a fairly traditional Reg Rom hero: handsome, wealthy, witty…and Emma is a fairly typical Reg Rom heroine: cute, sassy, hoydenish, etc. So there are no real surprises with that aspect of the romance, except that the hero is playing some kind of long and deep game allowing the charade to continue. He seems to be entertained at first, and then in too deep with the lie later on to confront Miss Cheney’s charade (as well as reaping the benefits of her excellent sketches) so continue to employ masquerading Emma while courting normal debutante Emma.

I found that if you completely suspend your disbelief, it clicks along at a fast and entertaining pace.

This is the third Hendrickson (at least that I have catalogued) and I find her to be a solid traditional Reg Rom writer, although she veers often into mass market territory with some anachronistic tendencies and unbelievable plots/motivations/actions. A lot of reviewers, especially reader reviewers on GoodReads and other sites, have the tendency to describe most historical romance as “fluff” reading. Normally, I take umbrage at that. Georgette Heyer’s enduring popularity and painstakingly detailed historical research, wonderful characters, and truly funny scenes/dialogue is the mark of a master. Joan Smith, too, has a way at crafting a formulaic genre story with life enough to grapple with real themes/issues.

There are also some incredible mass market writers who have the verve to essentially rewrite history with a more feminist, empowering slant.

To me, that is not fluff.

Hendrickson, on the other hand, does probably deserve that caveat…at least from what of her Regencies I have read so far. They are pure escapism, fun and sometimes funny, but without some of the poignancy or politicizing of other Regency writers.

Overall, this is not destined for the reread pile, but I will definitely be reading other Hendricksons…especially when I need a break from depth and am longing for purely fun.

5 Stars 4 out of 6 A rompish leaning traditional Reg Rom with masquerade as central premise