A curious little book with so little substance that it feels as light as thistledown. If I don’t write a review on the spot, I shall have forgotten the whole thing by tomorrow.
Here’s the premise: Annabel Ridley, the daughter of a baron, is betrothed to Richard Balfour, who seems a pleasant sort of fellow, right up until the point where Annabel finds him rolling in the hay with one of the maids. She wants to call it off, but neither he nor her father will hear of it. Of course, legally she can’t be forced to marry against her will, but let that pass. In desperation, she seeks the help of Richard’s cousin, the Duke of Halmesbury, riding to his estate at night (astride, wearing breeches, natch), where he offers her a way out of her dilemma – he’ll marry her himself, a marriage of convenience. She’s surprised, having only hoped he’d use his influence, but he’s extremely good looking and seems nice enough, so why not?
Of course, he has reasons for his seemingly altruistic offer, which gradually seep out over the course of the book, although not without a whole heap of soul-searching and not a few temper tantrums from the principals. Frankly, it all got a bit tiring after a while, and I confess to skipping over the angsty parts of later chapters to get to the places where something actually happens. To be honest, everybody seemed a bit emotional for the Regency era, which is generally defined by its restraint. Still, for those who enjoy that sort of thing, there’s plenty of it here.
There are numerous Americanisms, such as gotten and passed (instead of died), and Annabel at one point rides into ‘Wiltshire County’ (a shire is a county, so it would just be Wiltshire). And there’s this evil concoction of a title: Lord Josiah Ridley, Baron of Filminster. Let’s deconstruct that a bit, shall we? Lord Josiah Ridley would be the younger son of a marquess or duke, and no, Lord Ridley won’t do, either. Barons are never ‘of’ anything. They will be either Baron Name or Baron Name of Somewhere, except that the ‘baron’ part is never used except in the most formal of legal documents. He’d just be Lord Filminster in all social situations. Although, amusingly, his daughter just calls him ‘the baron’, which is perfectly acceptable (if a bit rude of her own father!).
There’s nothing much wrong with this book, it just wasn’t my cup of tea, that’s all. It’s a clean read, although with references to sex, but if you prefer your Regency with a bit of heat, the steamy version is published under the author name Nina Jarrett and title ‘The Duke Wins A Bride’. Three stars.
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