Somewhat disturbingly, I rather enjoyed No Place for a Lady by Louise Allen. I've grown so used to not enjoying Mills & Boon that at first I wondered if my critical faculties were on the fritz.
Bree Mallory runs a stagecoach company. She has aristocratic relations but has to make her own living which she does quite well. One night a driver lets her down and rather than cancel the coach, Bree drives it herself. On the way she is caught up in a race between members of a gentlemen's club. One of the racers is Max Dysart, a handsome, rich and eligible aristocrat.
Rather nicely, the conflict in their relationship is not driven by internal insecurities, but by the differences in their social status and by Max's uncertainty over whether his first wife is dead. Unfortunately, the plot twist at the end where someone pretends to be his dead wife is rushed and never really becomes a threat to the inevitable wedding.
Well, I sort of enjoyed most of it, because Louise Allen gets right something that really bugs me about Mills & Boon. She provides her romantic leads with context. There are lots of other characters, several of whom are well drawn and rounded, and the Regency set in London is brought to life quite effectively. Bree is genuinely an independent woman and that's quite refreshing.
Obviously, I'm not really recommending this as it's still a romance and not really my thing, but it was ok.
Rather nicely, the conflict in their relationship is not driven by internal insecurities, but by the differences in their social status and by Max's uncertainty over whether his first wife is dead. Unfortunately, the plot twist at the end where someone pretends to be his dead wife is rushed and never really becomes a threat to the inevitable wedding.
Well, I sort of enjoyed most of it, because Louise Allen gets right something that really bugs me about Mills & Boon. She provides her romantic leads with context. There are lots of other characters, several of whom are well drawn and rounded, and the Regency set in London is brought to life quite effectively. Bree is genuinely an independent woman and that's quite refreshing.
Obviously, I'm not really recommending this as it's still a romance and not really my thing, but it was ok.
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