Review: Witty and wonderful
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 21, 2014
From the get-go, Lucinda Elliot’s latest novel, Ravensdale, is a clever and lively page-turner perfect for both the readers of formulaic, period-piece romance and its literary decriers. It is a spoof which takes the chestnuts of the popular genre and stands them on their head, amusing us with  great names like Georgiana Toothill and Mistress Titmarsh; the use of caps, “he Flattered her with his Attentions”; and frequent asides “ Introducing….the  (Must Have) Conniving Cousin. ” These deft strokes keep the style winsomely archaic. Her tongue planted firmly in cheek, Ms. Elliot builds the predictable story around the heroine and two aristocratic cousins, one of whom is the New Librarian/Temporarily Retired Highwayman/Disgraced Earl and the other, the sinister insider whom the feisty Heroine (Isabella) seems socially obliged to marry. We get to laugh at the stereotypes, but then we fall in love with the characters and worry about the love triangle. The author gives us food for thought with some interesting twists. The Heroine has a firearms tutor and even more than she likes the Disgraced Earl, she envies him for his outlaw pursuits. She observes that “women are made boring by their upbringing.” Or, perhaps, by overindulging in bodice rippers?  I didn’t want it to end.  Ravensdale is a thoroughly enjoyable read.