Review: First-rate story with a Pinterist board to illustrate
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 14, 2013
I've read two books recently with a blind hero/heroine, so I thought it would be interesting to contrast this book with Mary Balogh's The Arrangement and Gayle Callen's Surrender to the Earl. Both of those were 3.5 stars for me, but I'm giving this one a full four stars.All three books did very creditable jobs portraying the difficulties faced by a blind person in early the 19th century, particularly the nagging, yet sometimes unrealistic, desire for more independence. But Joanna Waugh's depiction of Lady Fortuna Morley's life was especially evocative. Lady Fortuna's cousin Letty is her constant companion, but at a house party Lord Granville pairs Fortuna with his Irish wolfhound, and the dog becomes her guide. One morning she takes the hound out into the garden and sits down while he attends to business."She couldn't remember the last time she'd been so utterly alone. It felt like heaven not to have Letty or one of the servants hovering nearby. If only Papa could be convinced to release some of her income, she could purchase a cottage with a garden like this one. A place in which to enjoy precious solitude like an ordinary person."But that aloneness isn't always so wonderful, such as when Fortuna is in her bedroom at an inn and hears noises in the parlor. She panics, thinking that someone has broken in, only to realize shortly that it's Lord Granville. Nevertheless, "She'd never felt so alone, or so vulnerable."As described in the blurb, the plot is a battle of wills between Fortuna and Lord Granville, who is courting Fortuna's silly young cousin Felicity. Fortuna knows Granville to be arrogant, cold, and heartless, and tries without success to dissuade her cousin from entering into the marriage. Felicity, however, sees only a handsome, rich marquess who can elevate her status and fulfill her every desire. Fortuna is her opposite -- a devotee of Mary Wollstonecraft, she does not aspire to marriage, even though her handsome dowry likely could have attracted some gentleman willing to take on a blind wife.Granville is indeed arrogant, cold, and heartless, at least on the surface, and he keeps his finer qualities well hidden. Very well hidden. He is not one of those dark heroes who suddenly becomes wonderful. He is unwillingly intrigued by Fortuna, but that doesn't mean that he's nice to her. And at times, even when he's trying to be nice, he inadvertently insults her.In addition to the strong, resourceful heroine, and the intriguing hero, there is a fully developed cast of secondary characters who contribute to the overall richness of the plot. Toward the end, however, there were two things that kept this from being a five-star read for me. I won't describe them, as it would be too spoilerish.This is Joanna Waugh's only book, and it was published five years ago. I hope she's planning to write more, however, for she is an excellent writer with a thorough grasp of the manners and customs of the Regency period. (Although -- she does flub her titles occasionally when she refers to Lady Fortuna, an earl's daughter, as Lady Morley. Grrr.) The pacing, plot, and characterization of this book were all first-rate. In addition, she has "illustrated" her book with a beautiful Pinterest board ([...] showing people, houses, furniture, artwork, gardens, and other scenes from her book. What a wonderful idea to help the reader visualize as she's reading.Highly recommended.