Review: This is worth reading
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 18, 2012
This book moves beyond the ugly-duckling-turn-swan type of novels. Alex, our heroine, means to go to London and give her errant husband his comeuppance and since he does not know what she looks like, her alter ego, Lady Hermitage, will seduce him and bring him to his knees.Alex develops a sense of self throughout the novel. I like that she has doubts about whether her plans to bring her absentee husband of four years to heel will work. She questions her ability to move away from the shy girl who lives in the shadow of her mother to self possessed woman. Can she seduce her husband, who does not know what she looks like, and gain an equal footing in their marriage? The thing is, she does. Of course, along the way he falls in love with her and that is his punishment.Seddon means to face his responsibilities, just not right now, some time in July. He means to do it because it is time that he does. Alex means to wait no more. His meeting and slow seduction by his wife's alter ego forces him to be less selfish and to be more responsible and we see that when he makes the ultimate sacrifice.Kate Harper has written a novel where the secondary characters are also of interest to the reader. She finely draws out the suspense of the unmasking of Alex. As I was reading the novel, it did not occur to me that I had been reading for hours and Alex was still in London and her identity still unknown. The unmasking isn't rushed and that helps to sustain reader interest. Also, the scene at Seddon's town house is anticipation filled. Will both women meet and how? How will he handle it?The dialogue is meaningful with fun sparks along the way and the plot is focused. The characters develop in the London setting in a way that they would not have in the country and through their development they learn about themselves and each other. However, the ending is a let down. It is as if Harper couldn't figure out what to do now that husband and wife knew each other. It is too neatly wrapped up and the ending with the parents is perplexing and pointless. Alex and Sally should have gained triumph in that moment, but I don't think that it is truly achieved. Besides that, this is a very good book and an engaging read.