Review: Author needs homework
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 12 30, 2011
This annoys me.  A book with an interesting plot that has so many technical errors that they kept throwing me out of the story because of the gritting of my teeth.  Ms. Marvelle (or her editor and publisher, if she won't) needs to study how English titles work.  The heroine, the daughter of an earl, should be addressed by everyone, from the duke down to the potboy, as Lady Firstname rather than as Lady Surname.  The Lady Surname form was for a married woman (wife of a knight, baronet, baron, etc.).Now, as for her disappearing brother.  He should not be Lord Nathaniel Surname.  The usage between sons and daughters of an earl was not parallel.  For what it may be worth, Lord Nathaniel Surname was for younger sons of a duke (cf. Lord Peter Wimsey as written for us by Dorothy Sayers).  The eldest son and heir of an earl would have gone by a courtesy title, being one of the earl's subordinate titles.  Father is Firstname the Earl of Something.  His surname is ordinarily omitted; he's addressed as My Lord and referred to as Something.  His eldest son and heir, even as a child, will be Nathaniel baron of SomethingElse.Please, Ms. Marvelle.  Please.