Rachel Carter: Lucretia

Kidnappings, elopements, duels, dastardly plots. Making your debut has never been so hazardous.

Hidden away from polite society, Lucretia Lanyon spent her time daydreaming of dandies, extravagant pantaloons and intricate neckties. Now an heiress and suddenly the toast of Society, she finds her ideal man in Viscount Prendergast, the one bachelor in London who doesn’t seem interested in marrying her. Lucretia must navigate around nefarious impostors, jealous mistresses, dastardly fortune hunters, and the match-making schemes of her aunt, while she tries to attract the notice of her beau.

Christopher Prendergast, an aspiring dandy, was busy perfecting the art of tying his cravat, learning how to use his quizzing glass as a social weapon, and secretly excelling at Jackson’s boxing saloon. To everyone’s surprise, Christopher finds himself in love for the first time in his life. He must now learn how to secure a lady’s affections. He stumbles through a wooing campaign that includes bizarre gifts, terrible poetry, daring rescues and, finally, honesty.

Perfect for fans of authors such as Georgette Heyer and Jane Aiken Hodge, Lucretia is a traditional regency romance brimming with period detail, unlikely heroes, delicious villains, and the flourishing of an unlikely love.

Rachel Carter is another new author for me, and I was again pleasantly surprised at her offering. Lucretia is a traditional Reg Rom(eg clean or kisses only) with a lot of the tropes of the genre, but written at a different pace so that the material feels fresh. We don’t meet the hero until several chapters in, for instance, which was different but also served to keep me guessing.

Lucretia is a young lady who has been sequestered in the country due to an eccentric father, and as a result dreams of Town and more importantly, fashion. Her hearts desire romantically is meet a real dandy (so of course, she is disappointed when face to face with Brummel, the understated arbiter).

That she is an heiress (albeit with a couple of caveats on her inheritance) and beautiful means she quickly overcomes her country manners and finds herself much admired.

The hero is a dandy, and loves fashion more than anything. He reminds me a lot of Freddy from Cotillion, and his friends are equally lovable and entertaining. He is handsome, well to grass, and a little immature (and also features a wise papa watching over him like Freddy). Although he can land a punch and shoot a gun, he is much less of a Corinthian Rake playboy type, and more boy next door which was refreshing (particularly in a clean romance).

The book is long, so there is a lot of material but Carter adds lots of layers of action to keep the pace clipping along. There are also a bevy of supporting characters, which I have found when done well add to the richness and humor. Carter uses these to great effect. In particular, Topher’s aforementioned besties and Lucretia’s formidable Aunt are delightful.

Some of the plot elements skirt the world of realism, so in a sense are rompish and pretty funny. I actually laughed out loud at a couple points, which is a great indicator to me of the comedic value. I also found it a bit whimsical and lovable that both H/h are unapologetic devotees to fashion, and this too is used to great comedic effect.

Overall, I highly recommend this for lovers of the traditional Regency needing something a bit different but with all the familiarity of the genre. I think Rachel Carter is an upcoming talent, and worthy of taking note.

This is also a great book for teens or even older tweens who love historical romances. I can see this easily being a favorite of young ladies who want an escape from contemporary fiction.

5 Stars 5 out of 6 A classic Reg Rom with fun moments that are often funny, this is a great read for most ages