Winner of the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Certificate of Excellence for Regency Comedy.
The last thing Princess Mimi wanted was to kiss a bailiff, but Simon was no ordinary bailiff. Bitter from his experiences in the London marriage mart, Simon left his title behind and sought rural calm in learning the art of managing a large estate from his aunt’s overseer. Instead, his peace was shattered when he bargained kisses for the rescue of a beautiful princess’s bracelet.
Hero Simon has been forced to sell out from the Navy and going to Town to get a little bronze, he falls in love with the Incomparable. But overhearing her boasting about her impending engagement to the “frog”, Simon decides he can’t trust his heart and flees to the country to throw himself into estate management training. He decides a ruse, to masquerade as a bailiff, is the perfect way to protect himself from toadeaters and mushrooms.
Enter Lakshimi, or Mimi. Daughter of a Colonel recently returned from a long stint in India, and an Indian princess, Mimi is loving the added freedom away from her grandfather’s palace in India. Although having a companion for many years who trained her in the English arts and etiquette, Mimi is a bit of a minx who decides to get into scrapes to steer suitors back to her bestie, the vicar’s daughter.
Enter a lot of East meets West comedic moments. Its tasteful, though, and readers are invited to tweak other’s sense of propriety along with Mimi, rather than laugh at the Other.
Simon is not a fully fleshed out character, but in these shorter rompish Regencies, that’s not much of a surprise. He is an admirable man, though, who seems to immediately understand and enjoy teasing Mimi.
Mimi is the standard young, virginal minx heroine, who really is a kind hearted girl. I love that Dunn doesn’t go for the easy fish out of water, and instead plays other provincial perceptions to mine for comedy gold (or at least silver).
At the end of the day, this is one of Dunn’s lighter comedies with sweet, almost innocent romance, a secondary romance, and a cast of characters and funny situations that play to comedic effect. Its not one of my favorite Dunn’s but those who are looking for something just a little bit different, or who can’t get enough of the virginal minx…this might be the book for you!
3.75 out of 6 Masquerading hero meets minx of heroine in this provincial rom com
| Content Rating/Heat Index | |
|---|---|
| Mature Content |   |
| Mild mentions of adult subject matter | |
| Intimacy | |
| Limited kissing. | |
| Violence | |
| A couple of scrapes and falls | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Appropriate for most ages. | |
