Review: Upbeat, sweet Regency courtship tale!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 7, 2013
At a time when vigilant mothers tried to keep novels away from their daughters and gentlemen scorned them as reading material for silly females, both Justin Fellowes and Clara Haley were fiercely devoted to Miss Austen's "Pride and Prejudice."Justin wished for a woman as intelligent, sensible, and pretty as Elizabeth Bennet. Clara wished for a man as steadfast, devoted, and handsome as Fitzwilliam Darcy. From their first encounter at Hookham's Lending Library where they discovered their mutual obsession with Miss Austen's novel, each began to hope they had found their perfect match.Clara is the daughter of a viscount of apparently modest means and Justin is a bank clerk. Clara has an unusual and unfashionable business acumen that her family wishes to hide, and Justin has to keep his own obsession with "Pride and Prejudice" secret from his frivolous friends.This is a charming courtship tale of two people who discover that they have much more in common than their taste in reading material. Such as: strolling in Hyde Park, feeding the ducks, and fencing, besides their mutual interest in finance. But will Justin's overbearing employer—and a greedy ingrate of a duck—manage to keep them apart?Ms. Banche has a deft hand with description, including not only vivid images, but also sounds and smells to entice the reader back in time to 1818 London. Clara and Justin are likable, memorable characters who manage to prevail in spite of the difficulties that come their way.Anyone looking for an upbeat, sweet Regency courtship tale will find this story just the thing. The "Pride and Prejudice" quotes are icing on the cake!