I wasn’t supposed to be looking for new backlist titles, but after reading two Joan Wolf Regency historicals, I think I’m going to be searching out her other first person historicals. It’s odd that the two best-reviewed books in this series aren’t available in ebook form, but happily some of the others are so I don’t have to break my “no more paper books” resolution.
The Pretenders by Joan Wolf
(1999, Regency Historical) 8/27/12
Grade: 4.5
Deborah has known Reeve, the Earl of Cambridge, since they were children, although they’ve always just been friends. But when Reeve’s uncle demands that he gets married before he can gain his inheritance, Reeve suggests a false engagement. At first this seems like an easy solution, but as they spend more time together, both Deborah and Reeve find themselves wanting the marriage to be real.
The description of this book is highly misleading – the back cover talks about horse racing and gambling, which is only a tiny part of the book. This is one of Joan Wolf’s first person Regency historicals, and it was just as absorbing as The Arrangement. The first person narration works well, and Reeve turns out to have a lot more depth than it first appears. The back story was quite touching. There’s a bit of a suspense plotline which was exciting but didn’t take over the story. Overall, an excellent read that kept me up past my bedtime.
Unfortunately, I think her later first person historicals lean more toward suspense.
Karen Wheless
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