Lady Ruth Penderric lives with her miserly brother and selfish sister in a moldering castle. But when she is kidnapped for ransom, Oliver Pardoe, a banker’s son, rescues her. His offer of assistance leads her to London, where she is courted by a lord. Her heart has been won by the gallant Oliver–but his scruples keep him from declaring himself.
Set in the Autumn with the dreary moors and a moldering castle as the backdrop for the first part of the story, I was lured in by the promise of a gothic melodrama replete with plots, smugglers, and a sucky fiancé who would hopefully get coshed in the bone box.
But suddenly, after the kidnapping and escape, the books takes a hard left (which is hard in a coach and four) and tries to be more of a fish out of water story. And a lady and Cit story. And a bit of a star crossed lovers story.
On a happy note, it was a quick read and I was finished in a couple of hours (and I didn’t DNF), so it wasn’t the worst Reg Rom I have ever read.
Dunn can be a little hit or miss, which is to be expected with such a very large catalog of Regencies. I would chalk this one up to a miss, and recommend folks skip it.
3 out of 6 A gothic leaning story that unsuccessfully mashes up tropes
| Content Rating/Heat Index | |
|---|---|
| Mature Content |   |
| Mild mentions of adult subject matter | |
| Intimacy | |
| Limited kissing. | |
| Violence | |
| Kidnapping, fights, mentions of assault | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Appropriate for most ages. | |
