The handsome Earl of Wenham has no intention of marrying any time soon. His sister Almeria points out to Hugo that he owes it to the title and the estates to marry and produce an heir. Failure to do so means the entire lot devolves upon his second cousin, the Honourable Felix Barstowe. She also reminds him that their father had promised an old friend, Lord Lavenham, that his son should marry Lord … Lord Lavenham’s daughter, Miranda. Out of respect for his father’s dying promise (which he had never taken seriously), the earl sets off for Lavenham House. He is stranded by snow a few miles away from his destination and takes refuge in a local inn. He meets up with a heavily veiled, mysterious young woman, who, by her confidences to him, he realises is the elusive Miranda. To his shocking surprise, the feisty Miranda declares she will not have anything to do with someone whom she declares, “is possibly so fat and gouty, that he needs to have a wife found for him.” In fact, she would rather run away with a childhood friend. Intrigued, the earl makes it his business to get to know Miranda better by inviting her to stay in London with his sister. Unfortunately, this strategy annoys his dandyish cousin Felix Barstowe who is determined that the young and healthy earl should not marry and cheat him out of his birthright. Will Felix succeed in a dastardly plan to murder his cousin?
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Not So Reluctant After All
The Reluctant Bridegroom is an engaging and original Regency romance. The whole story is entertaining, but the latter part of the story is action-packed and especially satisfying.
The Opening
The main conflict, that of a Regency man with a fortune and in wont of a wife, is clear in the opening paragraph. The main character and his potential love-interests are rapidly introduced in an interesting way. The first chapter ends on a nice hook.
The Characters
Miranda is an exceptionally sympathetic character. Through her continuous close relationship with Fred, a man far beneath her status but a good childhood friend, she proves herself a kind and thoughtful woman. Unlike the original type of Regency females such as Elizabeth Bennet and Jane Eyre, Miranda is physically strong due to her care of and time spent riding horses, which is refreshing.
I found Hugo a little unlikable at first due to his disregard for his mistress’ feelings and disrespect for his sister’s and late father’s wishes. I also don’t like it when male protagonists are complete playboys. I mean, when they don’t do anything productive and just live like parasites on the income derived from their inherited fortunes.
However, Hugo’s relationship with Mowbray soon set my mind at rest, and I came to like him much more after he fed Mowbray gruel in the inn. I also liked that Hugo was a sportsman, giving him a more three-dimensional personality.
I’m less happy with the Viscount Kildare. In the beginning, he is shown in an entirely negative light. But later, he his shown in a more positive light. The transition seemed abrupt and without justification. I feel that better foreshadowing of other elements of his personality earlier in the novel would have been better. I mean that instead of painting him black, the novel should have made him more darker shades of grey.
The Plot
This story has all the usual tropes of a Regency Romance, such as the concern over marrying well, the amount of money a person had, and the issue of propriety. It also follows a variation of the enemies to lovers trope where a misunderstanding leads to the characters disliking each other before they meet only to discover that they are each not the ogre the other thought.
As the story developed, the conflict was continuously adjusted and always engaging. The action scene is chapter 12 is fabulous, but the grittier action scene in chapter 14 is even better. They both gripped me and made my heart race.
I really enjoyed the final pinch in this entertaining tale and the resolution. However, I think one of the naughty people in the story was let off too easily in the end. It seemed as if all was forgiven despite the many immoral, illegal, and potentially fatal acts they had committed.
The Setting
Generally speaking, the setting was well constructed. I only had issues with one chapter.
Miranda has lived in Lavenham her whole life and only ever traveled to Brighton (though how she got there without going through London baffles me). Yet when she visits Cambridge, a city awash with grand college buildings and ornate chapels and churches, she isn’t astonished by their beauty. They aren’t even mentioned.
Yes, Miranda lived in Cambridgeshire. However, she clearly didn’t live right next door to Cambridge. A visit there would, for her, have been a big day out. Can you imagine anyone making such a journey without then spending some time in the famous city itself? I easily recall my first visit to Cambridge in my teens over 30 years ago, and it was a life-changing experience.
Also, Miranda needs to be measured for the boots and shoes at a Cambridge cobbler. They’re not something you can “pick up on the day” when she returns for her final fitting. Shoes for fine ladies were bespoke…custom made.
Cobblers would take measurements and then carve two preshaped blocks of wood to conform exactly with the shape of her feet to manufacture the boots and shoes around. They would check measurements between the dummy feet and her own feet before commencing.
The Prose
This is a well-crafted story with an authentic Regency feel to the language. The viewpoints were clear and the story successfully shown rather than told. There was only one part of the narration I didn’t like.
I felt as abandoned as a particular character by Miranda after she first arrived in London. The wait until chapter 12 before we were treated to her viewpoint felt too long. I feel as though it would have been more entertaining if we’d seen events at least in part from her viewpoint prior to chapter 12 rather than the later brief recap we get.
My Opinion
The Reluctant Bridegroom is an engaging and satisfying Regency romance. It kept me entertained throughout. I especially liked the action scenes from chapter 12 onward, which were exceptionally well written, and the well-developed resolution. I have no hesitation in rating this fine story 5 out of 5.
Notice:
I received an advance review copy (ARC) for free, but this review is my honest opinion of the book.