Unfortunately, I didn’t get as much reading done on my vacation as I wanted – I read a lot the first couple of days and then my rental house caught on fire, which took away some of my motivation! But I did get a few books in before I lost my hot tub access. 🙁
The Rake and the Wallflower by Allison Lane
(2001, Regency)
Grade: 3
Mary Seabrook is in town for her first Season, but she feels awkward and shy next to her vivacious sister Laura. But when she meets fellow bird watcher Lord Grayson, she feels that she has met a kindred spirit. Unfortunately, between Grayson’s mysterious accidents and Laura’s vindictive schemes, there is little time for Mary and Grayson to find romance.
I was hoping for an enjoyable Regency, but unfortunately, this one went off track, with more focus on the external plot than on the hero and heroine. The story started off well, even if the characters were somewhat familiar – the shy heroine, the hero with a mysterious past. But unfortunately, the author spent far too much time on outside influences, particularly Mary’s scheming sister, and not enough time on the relationship. The things that made the characters different and interesting – Mary’s caricatures, Grayson’s collection of wounded birds – were dropped so we could read one scene after another of Laura acting badly. I kept hoping the book would improve, because Allison Lane is a talented author, but in the end I was disappointed.
Allison Lane has a dark view of Regency society, which she sometimes uses to great effect, but here it just gave the book an oppressive feeling that didn’t help the story.
Karen Wheless
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