Title: The impostor
Description: Review by Sheri South on Goodreads

“I read this book years ago after picking up a remaindered hardback, and liked it enough to keep it, but I hadn't re-read it until now. Interestingly, I remembered nothing about the romance, but recalled two scenes between the hero (Lord Hector, aka "Mr. Finch") and Jason, the 11-year-old boy he's tutoring. 

The first of these was the way he got Jason interested in reading THE ILIAD in Greek: after reviewing the list of contestants in a race, "Mr. Finch" asks, "As a betting man, Jason, where would you put your money?" Suddenly Jason has a stake in the outcome, and is eager to read in order to learn if his choice "won."

The other was when Jason tries to force his pony to make a jump--and takes a tumble when the pony balks at the last minute: "He's a slug!" shouted Jason. "He's a lazy fat coward, and I hate him!" "Peppercorn isn't a coward; [says Mr. Finch] He's a small pony with the sense to know what's beyond his powers--which is more than can be said for you." There's more, but you get the idea.

Those snippets were enough to make me love Lord Hector (and it's to the author's credit that she can make a man named "Hector" a convincing romantic lead!), even though I didn't remember much else about the book.

It's important, I think, to go into this book thinking of it as a romantic adventure, because the romance takes a back seat to the adventure; if you're okay with that, you'll probably enjoy it. I was, and I did. 

Oh, and about that "missing" scene? Here's the set-up: Jason can barely remember his mother; when he was only five years old, she died in France of an illness that almost took his life, too. But lately a no-good character has been bringing Jason things--letters, mementos, etc.--supposedly from his mother. Needless to say, Jason firmly believes his mother is alive and is being kept from him, and he's willing to give this unscrupulous person every farthing he owns for these "messages" from her. When Lord Hector, aka Mr. Finch, finds out, he's furious (not with Jason, but with the villain who's been stringing him along) and very quickly puts a stop to it. Then he confronts Jason's father and tells him what's been going on, forcing him to realize what's been in Jason's mind all this time and that he must be told the truth about his mother, even though part of it may--and probably will--be painful for both father and son. So, how does Jason react to the indisputable proof of his his mother's death? We don't know, because we don't get to see, and we're never told. I suspect the reason for its absence is a matter of point of view: since this, presumably, would be a private scene between Jason and his father, and the author is limiting her points of view to hero and heroine, I suspect she couldn't figure out how to include either Lord Hector or Jason's cousin, Serena, without their presence being intrusive. It's a dilemma every author faces at some point. But given that Jason has by this time grown quite attached to "Mr. Finch," it seems to me that upon learning the truth about his mother, it would have been reasonable for him to run from the room and end up confiding in Mr. F. It would also have given the two of them another poignant scene together.

If Ms. Drummond decides to do like so many authors and make her backlist available as ebooks, I hope she will consider adding this scene.”
Subjects: Fiction, Fiction, romance, historical, general, Fiction, romance, general, Fiction, general
Places: South Africa