Review: Traditional-style Regency with charming characters and a fun story.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 23, 2014
It's almost impossible to find a recently-written Regency that has the charm and innocence of those written in the 80s and 90s. How fortunate, then, that Harmon has managed to produce one written in 2014 that's equal to many of those by Barbara Metzger or Joan Smith.  Not only that, but Harmon's funny moments don't become annoyingly madcap or hectic the way Metzger's often tend to.This took some chapters in for me to really appreciate it.  At first, the hero, Arthur Ramsay, Duke of Winton, seemed too beta, too innocent, too much of a scientific bent and too ignorant of the ways of society in the Upper Ten Thousand that I was afraid I wouldn't enjoy the story.  But I persevered and was rewarded with a very good read that only became even better as the story progressed.There's a mystery in this, two sweet romances, many endearing characters, excellent dialogue, understated humor and wit.  It's well worth the read and I'm grateful to the fellow romance reader who recommended it to me.  (Thanks, Rappleyea!)Maybe it's a 4.5 star work but I couldn't bring myself to give it a full 5 stars.  I guess my hesitation to do so is based on the slow start I had on the road to enjoying it.  BTW, don't be expecting a completely realistic look at 19th century people of the peerage.  This duke and his mother, for example, are way too nice to have ever existed in the rarefied ranks of dukes and duchesses, but, hey, it's just a story and a fun one at that.