Review: Historical Romance American Style
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 15, 2013
My rating: 4 of 5 starsThe Officer and the Bostoner by Rose Gordon is a June 2013 release by Night Shift publishing. I received a DRC of this book by the author via Netgalley for an honest review. Allison is traveling by coach to meet her fiancé, Nicholas. The driver gets lost and they wind up in a community made up of Army personnel. Making a brief stop, Allison gets off the coach and winds up being left behind by accident. Due to the fact that all the women in town were married and the rest of the population were single men, it wasn't too safe for someone in Allison's position to be on her own. Meeting up with Army officer, Wes, she is stunned by his explanation and his offer to marry her for her own protection. He promises she can have the marriage annulled when her intended comes to get her. So, Allison and Wes are married. They go about pretending the marriage is legitimate. But, Wes recognizes Allison's breeding. She is obviously from money and culture and he presumes balls and frivolous social gatherings and high society position is the only important things in the world to Allison. But, while they are waiting for Nicolas to arrive, Wes begins to gain a certain respect for Allison. Allison also realizes she is falling in love with Wes. So, why don't they just explain to Nicholas when he arrives that they wish to stay married? Allison doesn't know the first thing about cooking, sewing, and doing things the other wives do for their husbands. She feels like she would not make a good wife for someone like Wes. There are also a few complications regarding her marriage contract with Nicholas. So, despite her feelings for Wes, Allison insist on going through with her marriage to Nicholas. Wes naturally misunderstands why she won't stay with him. He presumes she has chosen money and position over him, making him feel as though she thinks of him as second class. What Allison doesn't know is that Wes could provide Allison with the class position and the wealth he believes is her priority. But, he believes she can not accept him without those things. When Nicholas arrives though, things really get sticky. I discovered Rose Gordon through an Amazon promotion a little while back and was really impressed with her writing style. I was really glad to see a Historical Romance set in the United States. Those seem to be few and far between these days. Allison is completely out of her element here, but gives it the old college try. Her attempts to sew her own clothes were hilarious. Sounds like my sewing. Wes, had a wonderful sense of humor and I loved his determination to be his own man despite his family's wealth. Both Wes and Allison have to adjust their attitudes a little to make the relationship work. Allison's innocence in regards to business affairs that left her at the mercy of men was an accurate portrayal of how things were done in the past, in many instances. Infuriating, but true. Life with Wes would most certainly be a learning experience for Allison, and a much richer life than she ever would have had with Nicholas. A very enjoyable read. This one gets an A.