A Lady's Guide to Rakes by Kathryn Caskie
Jun. 9th, 2009 09:51 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meganbmooreTwo years ago, Meredith Merryweather was left at the altar by a rake and fortune hunter who learned that, unlike her aunts, she wasn’t rich. Since then, she’s been compiling notes for a book designed to warn women for what to watch for in men, especially rakes, and has even employed a courtesan and a widow known for being widowed many times, and for having her husbands die smiling. Her latest project is Alexander Lansing, a rake ordered by his father to start behaving or get cut off without a penny.
When a mishap causes rumors to spread about them, Alexander’s father orders him to marry Meredith, thinking her to have a perfect reputation and breeding. Meredith, however, intends to marry Mr. Chillton, an overly thrifty tradesman. Mixed in are Meredith’s childhood rival, a family of servants known by numbers, and Meredith’s aunts, who are quite amusing canon shippers.
The book is lightweight even for the crop of 19th century historicals to crop up in the wake of Julia Quinn and Stephanie Laurens (I wasn’t entirely certain if it was Regency or Victorian at times) but an enjoyable romp, despite a rather grating beginning, and it manages to avoid the dreaded Big Misunderstanding. Actually, I was relieved with how the fallout of Meredith’s book was handled. I wish there had been more of Meredith’s partnerships with Unsuitable Women, though, and the book seems to have a bit too much padding at times in the second half.
When a mishap causes rumors to spread about them, Alexander’s father orders him to marry Meredith, thinking her to have a perfect reputation and breeding. Meredith, however, intends to marry Mr. Chillton, an overly thrifty tradesman. Mixed in are Meredith’s childhood rival, a family of servants known by numbers, and Meredith’s aunts, who are quite amusing canon shippers.
The book is lightweight even for the crop of 19th century historicals to crop up in the wake of Julia Quinn and Stephanie Laurens (I wasn’t entirely certain if it was Regency or Victorian at times) but an enjoyable romp, despite a rather grating beginning, and it manages to avoid the dreaded Big Misunderstanding. Actually, I was relieved with how the fallout of Meredith’s book was handled. I wish there had been more of Meredith’s partnerships with Unsuitable Women, though, and the book seems to have a bit too much padding at times in the second half.