A well written second chance at love Regency Romance novel with a hint of mystery, a sensible heroine and a nice guy hero.
Mystery
A Lady of Letters by Jacqueline Diamond
I really struggled with this book and how to write this review. On the one hand I wanted to like the unconventional nature of the heroine and how she approached the issue of revenging herself on Lord Whitestone. But on the other hand, it was really too unconventional to be believable.
Marianne is 18 years old and has been brought up very conventionally in the country. Her biggest rebellion is publishing poems under a false name and receiving secret correspondence from Lord Whitestone about those poems.
A Conformable Wife by Alice Chetwynd Ley
This book starts off very promisingly – a gentle hero and a sensible, older heroine are matched by his sister and a proposal ensues almost immediately. She however turns him down and for a very good reason in my opinion:
“For so many years I’ve tried to be what others expected and needed me to be… I should like to have my freedom for the time being, at least to try another way, to discover myself.“
The Ramshackle Suitor by Nancy Butler
Ok, this book gets right into it – the hero and heroine meet on the very first page and we’re off and flying from there with witty conversation and action (has a Regency Romance hero ever been run down by a sheep before??). And it doesn’t let up from there – looking back I realised all the action takes place in one week which is just crazy!
Lady Cecily’s Scheme by Gayle Buck
Hmm, what to say about this book? First up, I should mention that it is quite long – 260 pages – and yet most of the action, including the romance (!) doesn’t happen until the 70% mark.
So if you’re someone who prefers fast paced books, with lots of action, particularly the romantic type of action, then best to put this book back. But if you like slow-burn romance and a plot that’s driven by conversation (think Georgette Heyer or Joan Smith then I think you’ll like Lady Cecily’s Scheme.