Author: Maggie Robinson
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher/ pub date: Kensington Books Brava, July 30, 2013
ISBN: 0758289146 (ISBN13: 9780758289148)
It's 1820. Earl's daughter Lady Imaculata Anne Egremont has a mad father who makes sexual demands on her. She responds with outrageous behavior. She's shunned by the ton when she constantly appears in "The List", a London tabloid of the day. Anne, as she prefers to be known, is 19 years old. She needs to hide from her father for two years, until she receives her inheritance. She disguises herself as housekeeper Mrs. Anne Mont, and takes herself off to Wales, where she's hired by Major Gareth Ripton-Jones.
Gareth drinks to excess, and is months away from losing his run-down Welsh estate. He can barely afford to pay Anne. Anne comes up with a solution. She receives her inheritance upon her marriage, so she decides that she and Gareth will enter into a marriage of convenience. Hot-blooded Gareth has other ideas. He seduces Anne.
An excellent book, but...
It's several days since I read this novel, and I can't get the characters out of my mind. This should be the sign of a good book. It is, however the book has serious problems, the biggest one being the way the author handles the hero's alcoholism.
Gareth makes promises, and then fails to keep them. He accuses Anne of being forgetful and clumsy, when in reality, someone is trying to kill her. He harps on about Bronwen, his lost love for too much of the book. Anne's right when she calls Bronwen a "beautiful back-of-beyond femme fatale". He's almost 40, double the age of the heroine. Yes, he has reasons for drinking. He's lost an arm, and the woman he thought he loved.
Although Anne makes excuses for him, Gareth is weak. Anne deserved better.
Despite this, Lady Anne's Lover is a well-written Regency. I read it in one sitting, and enjoyed it. Gareth's character annoyed me so much that I was tempted to mark the book low. However, if you can forget his shortcomings, the book has much for you to enjoy.
Rating: 4 (out of 5 stars)
(A review copy was provided.)
