Review: Not one of Mrs. Jeffries's best
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 05 6, 2013
I was quite looking forward to this novella, as I really enjoyed the School for Heiresses series, but unfortunately this one was not a good read. It feels like the author simply pasted a forced marriage plot with two flat characters and threw in an abundance of sexual tension and decided her work was done. For an erotica, this might have worked, but not for a historical romance.In order to escape her drunken guardian's dictate to marry, Eliza Crenshawe runs to a neighboring estate to steal a horse. However, she happens to get caught by Collin Hunt, the new Earl of Monteith, whose horse she was trying to steal. Collin, a half-Indian who mourned the death of his wife for four years, found his body boiling for Eliza, despite not believing her story at all. Eliza, thinking of more ways to escape from Monteith, offers to pleasure him, something that is totally scandalous for a girl of her age and schooling. The next day, Monteith finally finds out who her guardian is, and feels bad for not believing in Eliza. Of course, he comes back to Eliza, and they share a passionate night before Eliza decides that she's not good enough for Monteith, and returns to reason with her uncle, whom, just some time ago, she resolved to not do. And of course, our hero saves the day, and they live happily-ever-after.The plot here is rather interesting and could go many directions, but this one unfortunately involved more sex scenes than character interactions. I understand that a novella does not have the space to explore much character depth, but this level of shallowness is not necessary, and more to the point, it gives me a headache to see characters behaving like children. Monteith comes off initially as an emotionally troubled hero with a cynical view on life, yet we only see him talk about his sad past, without really showing his capacity for love. Eliza is a quirky heroine, but one who can't seem to make up her mind. One moment she's trying to escape from Monteith (which she tries several times to no avail), the next she's trying to tempt him to a bargain. She behaves like a seductress one moment and a virginal miss the next, all the while thinking that all of her problems will somehow be solved when she goes to Honiton.I have rarely given a book such a low rating, and would not have if this story had more depth or even remotely intelligent leads; certainly not one of Mrs. Jeffries's finest works.