Review: Another sweet regency novella
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 10, 2012
Cassandra and Chastity have inherited a large shipping company from their father. Chastity, the heroine of the previous novella in the series (An Illicit Engagement (The Gentlemen Next Door #2 - Historical Regency Romance Novellas)) is engaged to be married and the wedding arrangements are driving her sister Cassandra crazy. While Chastity is the businesswoman of the pair, Cassandra is the engineer (in the last installment she blew up the house with one of her experiments). Cassandra also has the unfortunate habit of saying exactly what she's thinking, and because doing so has caused her innumerable problems over the years, she has learned that keeping her mouth shut 24/7 is the best solution. So now everyone thinks she's a timid mouse, which is far from the truth, and she suffers from frustration and discomfort because she has to pretend to be someone other than she is in order to avoid offending people.The hustle and bustle of the wedding arrangements is driving Cassandra crazy, so she decides to take refuge in the country at a home belonging to her soon-to-be brother-in-law, Lord Willoughby. Unfortunately, she arrives earlier than expected, and the home is already occupied by a handsome young man who turns out to be a younger son of a duke. A neighbor finds them in a compromising position (completely innocent, but nonetheless damning) and before Cassandra can turn around she has become Lady Gray Abernathy and her stay in the country has become her honeymoon!Gray Abernathy is sort of a lost soul. He has no home or income due to his father's cruelty, and Gray depends on the kindness of his friends and their spare bedrooms to live. . . which is how he ended up staying at Lord Willoughby's country home. Most men in his position would have sought wealthy wives, but Gray had always promised himself never to become a fortune hunter. Of course, all that has changed now that he has a wealthy wife. It wasn't what he would have chosen, but. . . he discovers that having a wife is not so bad after all. He finally feels grounded, even though he still has no home of his own. And it doesn't hurt that the wife seems to be his perfect match.However, Gray has never wanted to be a hanger-on. Marriage to a rich wife has resolved his financial problems, but how will it affect his male pride?Like the others in the series, this is a delightful story, well-written, historically accurate, and intriguing. The shorter length, however, makes it difficult to get a firm grip on the primary characters, even if you have read the previous installment (which is highly recommended). If you are looking for a charming, sweet regency (no explicit sex) for a quick afternoon read, this is a good choice for you.What about a full-length novel next time, Ms. Gray? I'll be the first in line to read it, you can be sure of that!NOTE: Reviewer received a free copy of this work from the author.