Review: A reflection of her own amusement
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 21, 2012
In many ways, this was a charming book. Well-researched and intelligent, the book concerns itself with characters who are outside the Regency romance norm. The hero and heroine, John and Jessica, share an interest in antique and rare books. Jessica's parents were collectors and she stands to inherit an important collection, and John is in the business of acquiring rare manuscripts. Jessica and John are both intelligent and educated, they reflect the attitudes of their time (rather than seeming like modern characters plunked down in a costume drama), and their characters are well-drawn and believable. I especially appreciated that here is a Regency romance with barely a duke or earl in sight. A very refreshing change from most Regency romances today that are knee-deep in nobility. My only quibble with the book is that despite its intelligence and charm, it is rather anemic in the romance department. I thought it needed something more--not sex, necessarily, just passion--to make me care about Jessica and John's romance more. Maybe it was that Jessica and John seemed to reserve their passion for the books they were trying to protect, but for whatever reason, I felt the romance was lacking, which made the last quarter of the book a bit of a letdown. Overall, though, I enjoyed the story, and it is a pleasure to read prose as beautifully written as this.