April 1, 2002
Beverley's newest (following The Devil's Heiress) is an engaging, if thinly plotted, Regency-era love story featuring Lady Anne Peckworth. Demure, reserved and polite to a fault, even after being jilted twice, Anne is the perfect heiress. Although her substantial fortune guarantees a certain amount of attention from the beaux of London, her crippled foot means that she is always seen as slightly damaged goods. Racecombe de Vere is a charismatic ex-soldier with no prospects and a mysterious family background. Although he's completely unsuitable as a match for Anne, she finds herself irresistibly drawn to him. Determined to find herself a husband and shake off her self-imposed isolation in the country, Anne heads to town on a mission to make her way in society, but she can't rid herself of her feelings for Race. Will she settle down with a proper husband, or will she take a chance on exactly the wrong man? Race remains a bit of a cipher throughout the novel—Anne's initial resistance to his charms is exaggerated, and her reactions sometimes overpower their interplay. Nevertheless, Anne's rare combination of intelligence and spunk enlivens this standard plot, and fans will appreciate the spicy chemistry between her and Race.