Young Miss Tavistock is promised in marriage to Captain Rempeare by the wish of her dearly departed papa. But the captain’s been at sea for a decade. When she finally meets him, tempestuous sparks fly, and she impulsively adopts a daring false identity. Going by “Lady X,” she vows never to marry such an infuriating man.
Captain Gabriel Rempeare is prepared to fulfill his duty and marry Miss Tavistock—if only he can clap eyes on her. One circumstance or another keeps them apart, though he cannot seem to avoid the beautiful, maddening, Lady X. When fate throws them together in London, Miss Tavistock discovers the real nature of the captain, and regrets her subterfuge. But can such a noble man forgive deceit? Or has her mistake already cost her everything?
First in a new series, this worked fine as a standalone. I hadn’t read Burkard before, but when she wrote me an email and pitched a traditional, comedic Regency I was in.
Although I found the novel light on comedy (or maybe its humor didn’t strike my funny bone), it was sweet and reminiscent of traditional Regency authors I enjoy. With a masquerade/mistaken identity theme, this centers around a sheltered orphan who has been the ward of a recluse Duke and the cousin who rescued her when she first came to England. The Captain has been at sea for ten years, and the two have not met since their initial meeting. The Captain still pictures her the awkward nine year old, so believes the young woman he meets on the Duke’s estate when she tells him she isn’t Miss Tavistock but, in fact, the Duke’s mystery woman.
In the spirit of fake engagement/masquerade, Miss Tavistock descends upon London to learn the truth about her cousin, all the while lying to him. I want to mention that a lot of the plot revolves around the masquerade which I know some readers will feel squicky about because it essentially is a MC lying to another MC. I definitely enjoy the masquerade trope in historical romance (here’s a list of books by plot type that include this trope) but know other readers are sensitive to this trope and how its employed.
In the end, the companion stresses to the Captain about Miss Tavistock’s youth and how that has lead her astray in her thinking. Miss Tavistock is nineteen, has lived a lonely and sheltered existence, and is naïve. But what is interesting is, rather than learn a lesson, she dissolves into tears whereby the hero forgives her almost immediately. Young ingenues are hard to write gently when they inevitably make mistakes or go through growing pains, which is why Heyer and others so often use foils in secondary characters to contrast behavior and actions. I found I missed that contrast, and perhaps it would have helped underline Miss Tavistock’s youth and inexperience to more comedic effect. I will say, however, there are doubtless readers who will relate to her struggles to find her own independence among society’s strictures and will, like the hero, easily forgive her youthful transgressions.
The main romance is also between first cousins, which is something we have discussed a lot on this blog (see this post). Several of Heyer’s Regencies feature first cousin romances (Cotillion, the Grand Sophy) as does Austen’s Mansfield Park, so its certainly in the tradition of Regency Romance to pair up first cousins. I am not itching to dig up the debate about first cousin romances again, but I do want to be transparent because it wasn’t clear from the synopsis and I know some readers are sensitive.
Burkard has a deft way of helping the reader immerse themselves in the genre’s conventions, and there are a lot of the common elements of a good traditional (kisses only) Regency for a Reg Reader to enjoy. This includes Almacks, balls, and curricle rides. The scenes are also fairly fast paced and entertaining, and there is some intrigue and villainy to keep the plot moving forward.
Readers looking for a sweet, kisses only Regency in the tradition of Cotillion or Friday’s Child will likely enjoy Miss Tavistock’s Mistake for its historical details, gentle romance and follies of youthful manners. It also reminded me a bit of Jacqueline Diamond’s Lady in Disguise for readers who love to read about a good masquerade/disguise trope. I think younger Regency Readers will also find a connection to the heroine and enjoy her foray into Town.
This book is available June 8th.
4 out of 6 A masquerade in a pique leads to foibles and follies
| Content Rating/Heat Index | |
|---|---|
| Mature Content |   |
| Gambling and mentioned of vice and grave robbing | |
| Intimacy | |
| Some kisses | |
| Violence | |
| Not really | |
| Overall |  |
|---|---|
| Traditional Regency good for most readers | |
