Review: Cute historical romance, super light on the historical part
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 9, 2013
The PremiseTruce: The Historical Neighbor from Hell, is an “origins” story of the Bradford men, who are the leading men in the earlier books in this series.  This book is a departure from the previous entries, and is a “mildly” historical romance instead of contemporary.  The difference is negligible and if you don’t like historicals this shouldn’t put you off this book.  The protagonists, Elizabeth and Robert, could easily be dropped into a contemporary with very little tweaking.Elizabeth is the daughter of an Earl and her childhood nemesis, Robert, is a seconds son.  Their families were long time friends, but since Robert and Elizabeth despised each other, they avoided each other like the plague for over fourteen years.  They run into each other during a party, and in an orangery, become intimately re-acquainted with each other.  Madness ensues.The GoodOk, I am a fan of R.L. Mathewson’s Bradford series (my fave has to be Perfection) and I’m into her type of humor.  The heroes are usually decent guys with just enough a-hole in them to make them interesting, and Robert is no exception.  Elizabeth is feisty and willing to give as good as she gets.  There’s a formula here, but it’s one I like.The Not so GoodIf you’re looking for a real historical, look elsewhere.  The conflict is pretty paper thin, and other than Robert and Elizabeth, there isn’t anything really memorable about any of the other characters.The Bottom LineA light, frothy tale, using Ms. Mathewson’s tried and true formula - while still working, is showing some wear.  There is no new territory being explored here, and no real emotional weight to this tale.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but I’d like to see some growth from Ms. Mathewson because I really like her “voice.”