Deborah Simmons: A Man of Many Talents

A Man of Many Talents by Deborah Simmons
Series: The Regency Collection #1
Published by Bennett Street Books on May 1, 2017
Genres: Fiction / Romance / General, Fiction / Romance / Historical / General, Fiction / Romance / Historical / Regency
Pages: 262
Format: eBook
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An age-old mystery. An inconvenient spirit. An unlikely romance.

Abigail Parkinson is anxious to rid her inherited home of its troublesome specter. But she can't convince a scientist or scholar to investigate. Desperate, she turns to the one man she doesn't want to ask for help: Lord Moreland.

Viscount Moreland, isn't a scientist or a scholar. The blood of pirates runs in his veins. But he's known for debunking a haunted house, and when summoned to Sibel Hall he vows to solve its secrets-including how to woo the intriguing Miss Parkinson.

The Regency Collection: Witty Regencies with a Touch of Mystery

"Deborah Simmons presents a charming Regency "Ghostbusters" with a little mystery twist and a sweet confection of a love story." - Romantic Times

"Readers looking for a light, funny, and smart story can find it here." - All About Romance

Two-time RITA Finalist Deborah Simmons is a USA Today bestselling author of historical romances originally published by Avon, Harlequin, and Berkley, as well as a romantic comedy.

This was part of a list I found late from a Tiktok mutal, author Anastasia Hayward, on Autumnal/paranormal/gothic historical romance reads.

I started this one because it reminds me a little of the premise of a WIP that I am really excited about.  I have not read Deborah Simmons before, but I found the book easy to read.

It’s Autumn, and a house that is up for sale is being haunted.  Reluctantly, the heiress calls on a gentleman known to have squashed another haunting, Lord Christian Moreland.

What follows is adventure, a lot of hideholes and secret passageways, some bonkers “cousins”, and a sweet, and a little spicy, romance.  There is a lot of will they/won’t they, and the hero goes through a delicious character arc of first being kind of jerk to becoming an amazing, lovable MMC.

This is more funny than scary, and the mysteries were pretty easy to guess, so the real draw is the romance.  However, the adventure, hauntings, and a little villainy made this an easy book to burn through in a couple of sittings.

There is a little bit of violence, some mature themes, and some on page intimacy.  Its not super spicy or detailed, but it does happen on page and out of wedlock.  The chemistry was not quite sparkling, and there are elements that are silly, but I can’t resist high marks because it hits many high notes for me – Autumn, ghost hunting, a little mystery, a gothic mansion.

I would recommend it to other Regency Readers looking for something similar – too silly to be spooky, a MMC that is a bit piratical and a FMC who is stern but surprisingly funny, and a romance that is more fated mates (with a lot of lust) than deep and heart wrenching.