This is a whole heap of fun, with a mystery that kept me engrossed. It’s an old-fashioned Regency, which means the romance is rather perfunctory with the mystery taking centre stage, but it works pretty well. It helps that the hero is an absolute charmer.
Here’s the premise: the baron, Lord Raiker, has died, leaving his eldest son to inherit. Now he too has died without an heir, leaving two brothers to inherit. But Kenelm, the elder, vanished years ago, and the old baron’s young second wife sets about having her son Charles declared the new baron. But then a man appears claiming to be Kenelm. The race is on to prove or disprove his claim. Aurora, the unmarried sister of the widow of the eldest son, would very much like him to be Kenelm, because if he is an imposter, he might very well be a murderer, too. And it would never do to fall in love with such a man. But he is so very charming…
Now, it has to be said that the answer to the is-he-or-isn’t-he question is obvious almost from the start, but the twists and turns of the plot are very twisty and turny indeed, so there is constantly doubt being thrown up, not to mention a body exhumed and all sorts of plausible obstacles arising. Even though I was almost certain how it would go, there was always a little niggle of doubt in there. Meanwhile, the man claiming to be Kenelm appears to be enjoying himself hugely, as he gradually draws strait-laced Aurora into his schemes. And did I mention how charming he is? When he persuades her to creep around the manor house attics in the middle of the night, it’s not at all clear whether he really cares about finding whatever piece of evidence is the excuse, or whether he just wants the fun of it. It’s no wonder she falls hard for him.
What did puzzle me somewhat is what he saw in her. He makes his interest obvious almost from the start, but he is also flirting with pretty much anything in a skirt, so she’s not at all sure whether he really likes her, or is just reflexively flirting with her, or whether he’s just using her to help him gain the barony. Aurora never really shows much personality, so what was the great attraction? That was more of a mystery to me than whether the hero was really Lord Raiker or not.
Nevertheless, this is a light-hearted read, very entertaining if you’re not looking for a passionate romance. The flamboyant and rakish hero (did I mention how charming he is? I may have mentioned it once or twice) and his swashbuckling style more than compensate for the rather colourless heroine. Four stars.