After fleeing her home to escape a cruel stepbrother, Lucy Parnell, now a governess and in her 30s, has traveled to the Isle of Man seeking the “child who cries in her dreams”—the lost daughter of her deceased sister. Aided in her quest by an impetuous young man named Roddy and his wealthy friends, Lucy wonders if Ramshackle Roddy, can outmaneuver her stepbrother and help her find a loving family at last. Can this unlikely couple solve the mysteries that keep emerging or will Lucy’s stepbrother ruin their chance for happiness?
Written by: Nancy Butler
First published: 2000
My thoughts
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!
“It is clear that any words spoken in a theater would go right over your head.”
“Not true,” he said. “Always sit up in the boxes. If anything, the words go under my head.”
Roddy reminds me of Freddy from Georgette Heyer’s ‘Cotillion’ – he’s kind, generous, charming, self-deprecating and dedicated to winning the heart of the woman he loves. After their first kiss, he says he’d like to kiss Lucy again and when she asks why he responds “Because it makes you happy”
Seriously, how gorgeous is that response? Be still my beating heart!
One of the things I liked most about this book was the age of Roddy and Lucy – he’s in his mid-twenties and she’s…not. In fact she’s older than him…which again he deals with in typical Roddy fashion. So yay for having an older heroine in both senses of the world (not 19 and older than the hero).
The secondary characters, including a couple of romantic sub-plots, were nicely done and didn’t take over the storyline (and guess what, no sisterly hate in this book so there’s another tick in my book).
The misunderstanding/complication/thing that keeps them apart comes late in the book but it’s a good one and believable. It’s also resolved through…duh,duh,duh…conversation! Who knew that two adults talking together could resolve stuff?
I did not like the supernatural aspect of the child crying in her dreams but I managed to live with it. If you’re looking for a paranormal style of Regency Romance then this book will not deliver that and if you hate all things supernatural then definitely don’t pick this book up!
Ultimately though I guess you want to know – did I feel the HEA was right? Was I left with a warm and fuzzy feeling or wishing I could get my money back?
Yes, I did feel the HEA was right – I liked the vision for their future (this is one time I’d love to see the epilogue!) and I could totally see Roddy and Lucy forging a path together. So yes, to the warm and fuzzy feeling and no, to wanting my money back.
Ultimately this is a Highly Recommend from me and if you’re interested in trying it out yourself, you can buy The Ramshackle Suitor on Amazon or Google Play