Suzanne Allain: The Wrong Lady Meets Lord Right

When a young woman trades places with her noble cousin, their innocent ruse leads to true love in this sparkling new Regency-era romantic comedy of manners from the author of Mr. Malcolm’s List.

When Arabella Grant’s wicked aunt dies suddenly, both Arabella and her cousin Lady Isabelle cannot help but feel relieved. She’d made their lives miserable, and now Lady Issie is free to read to her heart’s content, and Bella is free from taunts about her ignoble birth. 

Their newfound freedom is threatened, however, when Issie’s great-aunt commands her to travel to London for a come-out Issie has never wanted. Issie, who is in poor health, is convinced she’ll drop dead like her mother did if she drops into a curtsy before the queen. So when her great-aunt turns out to be nearsighted and can’t tell the noble Lady Isabelle from her commoner cousin Arabella, Issie convinces Bella to take her place. Bella can attend all the exclusive entertainments that her lower birth would typically exclude her from, and Issie can stay in bed, her nose in a book.

Bella agrees to the scheme for her cousin’s sake, but matters turn complicated when she meets the irresistible Lord Brooke. He begins courting her while under the impression she’s the rich and aristocratic Lady Isabelle, who, unlike Bella, is a suitable bride for an eligible young earl. And Bella, who is convinced that she has met “Lord Right,” worries what will happen when she reveals that he’s actually fallen for…the wrong lady.

Similar to Incognito, the central story focuses on masquerading – in this case two cousins of very similar looks.  There are also tropes like arranged marriage woven in.

This felt tighter than past Allain’s I have read. The cadence aligned with traditional Reg Roms, and there are hints of sexual activity its off page. There is no violence, but some mentions of adultery, abuse, and abandonment or neglect so I gave this a little higher than a zero rating for readers.  That being said, I think its fairly readable by most, including readers who prefer kisses only.

Allain has a good understanding of the era, and I think tries to imbue her writing with those sensibilities.  In sections of the book I found it charming and engaging, and in others a little slow and sloggy. And unlike the other two Allain books I read, I found the MMC, Lord Brooke, to be likable if not lovable – he certainly says all the right things although there was a small voice in the back of my mind that thought he was maybe just lustful of Bella, because some of what he says teeters on that edge.  The FMC, Arabella, like other Allain’s heroines teeters on the edge of being a Mary Sue – so that is a lot of teetering for the main characters for me to be completely invested. In contrast, their foils are charming, even though they both show some signs of being unlikable – I liked the flaws and how it helped them to better understand themselves and their attachment.

The end is neatly wrapped up via a lightly teased Deus ex machina, which will likely annoy some readers but I thought was in keeping with the suspension of disbelief I engaged early on to believe this length and depth of the masquerade.

Some readers will find elements humorous, if not funny, and readers who love the masquerading trope tempered with kisses only content will likely enjoy.  While Allain is not an auto-buy for me, I think readers on the hunt for a kisses only author who has good attention to detail will enjoy her books.