Review: Taming Miss Tisdale by Jessica Jefferson
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 15, 2014
Last year, I read and enjoyed Compromising Miss Tisdale, the first in the Regency Blooms series, by newcomer Jessica Jefferson. That lovely novel of manners was a charming, funny, and elegant historical romance. And there was one very memorable character who stood out in that debut: Miss Tamsin Tisdale, the heroine’s sister. Feisty, strong, and tomboyish, this is her happy ending.Marcus Winston, the Duke of Grayson is a true beta hero, very reminiscent of Edward Ailsbury in The Secret Mistress by Mary Balogh. Plagued as a child with “the falling disease” (epilepsy), he grew up pampered and overprotected by both his parents, but especially his mother. Consequently, he was educated at home instead of attending boarding school, developed a love of books and learning, and learned to dislike the manly pursuits, such as hunting. He’s a quiet man who prefers to blend in rather than stand out, despite his illustrious title. He is a dutiful son and, even though he knows it will not make him happy, he agrees to entertain the idea of courting the waspish Lady Katherine, whom his mother has her heart set on for his future duchess. In fact, his mother’s overprotectiveness has begun to feel stifling and, after a youthful rebellion ended in tragedy, he finds it easier to accommodate her. As a result, he has not really enjoyed life all, never traveled, or even had a pet.Until Tamsin Tisdale bursts into his sedate (read: boring) life. After meeting her, for the first time in his sheltered life, Marcus wants to throw caution to the wind. After listening to her (rumored) impressions of the reclusive and mysterious Duke that show him in an unattractive light, he introduces himself merely as Mr. Winston, cousin to the duke, to get to know her better. This little ruse allows him to be someone else besides a proper and stuffy duke.Tamsin Tisdale is the spirited daughter of a viscount and is anything but proper. She accidentally stumbles onto the duke’s estate, Beardsley, during an invigorating morning ride and captivates Marcus (who is out for a walk) with her freshness, vivacity, and directness. He is completely entranced and besotted. She speaks her mind—as she did most boldly in Compromising Miss Tisdale—and is in the country visiting her cousin Elizabeth’s family after being banished to the north for a petty ton scandal. In his animated descriptions to Jason St. Regis, his best friend, Marcus likens her appearance to a fairy or a sprite with her glorious red hair, freckles, and impish manner. It’s completely unaffected, unlike most of the posturing ladies he meets. He has never met anyone like her.“Miss Tisdale clearly had no idea her power over men. Her unique blend of naivety and lack of inhibition made her an irresistible combination. There was no way she’d make it through another Season unbetrothed—no man was foolish enough to let someone like her slip through their fingers, or their bed.” (p119)Tamsin has no patience for propriety, fashionable dress, or the insincerity of Polite Society. She doesn’t think, she reacts, and this gets her into all kinds of humorous scrapes and incidences. But each proves to only make her even more tempting and attractive to Marcus and make the quiet life he has led thus far seem very mundane indeed. I love her unaffectedness; in fact, in one scene, we find her languorously lounging on a chaise, daydreaming, her fingers skimming the floor. In another, Jason mistakes her for a servant!“She found the opposite sex to be friendly enough, but couldn’t really envision any man meaning more to her than that…She chose to live her life solely for herself, depending on no one. Marriage meant the complete opposite of the ideals she held so strongly.” (p37)When Tamsin discovers she has fallen hard for Marcus, it upsets and unnerves her. Her revelation recalls Emma Woodhouse’s own startling realization of her singular love for Mr. Knightley in Emma by Jane Austen.“She’d always prided herself on her self-reliance, yet whenever he was around it was as if she was always in need of his assistance in one way or another. While in his presence, even the basic task of walking had become a challenge necessitating his heroic intervention. And she didn’t care for that one bit.” (p105)“It was unfathomable how something like this could have happened—and to her of all people. After all the safeguards she’d put into place, she’d believed herself invincible. Her ugly gowns comparable to that of chainmail, her cunning words her shield. And yet he’d penetrated through all of that. It was disheartening, but she’d but  fool to argue with the truth. Shea was in love with Mr. Winston.” (p135)Marcus and Tamsin’s love story has a joyous quality to it, of young love, of two unlikely hearts finding each other, and of the humor and fun to be had spending time together. Whenever Marcus encounters Tamsin, it is spiced with almost slapstick adventure as well as vivid sexual tension. The best part of their love story is how it takes both of them by complete surprise.“A small element of danger, a dash of daring, and certainly a feeling of freedom he’d seldom felt before. This was what life with Tamsin Tisdale would be about.” (p208)His best friend Jason is the complete opposite of Marcus; he’s a suave playboy and a hopeless seducer. In fact, he sports a mild flirtation with Tamsin, but she thinks of him only as a friend, much to Marcus’ angry and frustrated relief.There are some wonderfully humorous moments in this romance, such as Marcus’ midnight visit, the bantering between Marcus and Regis, and the way Elizabeth (Tamsin’s ladylike cousin) despairs of her cousin’s behavior. The writing style is elegant and sparkling and the minor characters Jason St. Regis—whose own happy ending is hinted at—Marcus’ overbearing mother, and Elizabeth are all well-drawn and characterized. We also discover Tamsin’s unique and different floral name, hence the name of the series.If I have one quibble, it’s a minor one. I do not like the cover. The hero looks too old for the heroine and it’s nothing at all like I picture Marcus.A most pleasing and amusing love story in a series that I look forward to reading more of.Note: a modified version of this review first appeared on the Romantic Historical Reviews blog.