This regency romance by K.L. O’Keefe was a bit of a difficult read for me, I must admit. The female main characters are a mother (recently widowed but married to a much older man in a loveless marriage) and her daughter (an absolutely spoiled beauty). Add in the new Lord (inherited the manor and title) and his valet (an impoverished one handed ex army, not quite noble). 

Enter the complexities of being a widow, of being a spoiled daughter who simply wants to be married and cossetted and wishes to keep the estate and its riches in her own pocket. This is where I had a harder time with the story… I found Evangeline just that step too far over the selfish spoiled child in the beginning, her mother making next to no effort to reign her in while bemoaning that somehow this beloved daughter is such a shallow character suddenly? I love the valet with his missing hand and his wit covering his own embarrassment and frustration. The Lord himself is interesting with his frank understanding of his own lust and interest in the women, BUT I find him almost too much. 

There is a definite sexual element and the side characters (all men) are of varying temperaments. There is the question of worth in a rather (at least perceived) shallow society where money and birth are rated so high. The conundrum of being a widow and dependent on the new Lord… love as something of worth or something you let go of to make the level of society you wish to reach… 

So in retrospect there are some added elements to what starts off as simply a regency romance. BUT for me this was a difficult read. There is great aspects but I had a hard time warming to all the characters. Definitely worth a read though! 

Senseless Sensibilities

Ok for the first time since I have started reviewing my books I have come across one I am more lukewarm about… A Regency era story called Maid to Be Mine: A Regency Cinderella Story. This novel is by K.L. O’Keefe and while it is TITLED a REGENCY story I found that some of the language and mannerisms, the way people moved so quickly to first names was NOT traditional Regency style. 

The main character is Cynthia, the only daughter of an Earl, step sister to Georgina (the traditional spoiled brat) and Edith (the spinster sweet heart of a step sister). Of course the evil stepmother Jemima is suitably evil and plotting to ensure Georgina gets the best match. Add to the story one Roland or Rolly as his friends call him, Cynthia’s cousin who takes over the title of Earl on the death of her father and you have the family. 

Of course there has to be the servants Cynthia is cast down to work beside… Tess the head maid, Solomon the near silent butler and the wild card Robert the snarky general man about servant. The final piece to the puzzle – the prince charming… aptly name Lord Charmington. 

With the manipulative stepmother you have the driving force behind the new Earl forcing Cynthia below stairs when she once again refuses his offer of marriage… with Edith refusing to abandon her and the servant Robert along for the ride there are allies and foes alike. My biggest beef with this story is how out of era portions of it felt… I also felt that the new Earl’s laugh represented by the words “yuk yuk” was annoying more than witty or even entertaining. The ending has an unexpected twist but for myself was not enough to make it a re-read. If you want a quick read to fill some time and are not too committed to traditional Regency this could be the book for you. Myself, not so much. 

Another Review