One of the common criticisms of historical romance is
that they all take place in ballrooms and at house
parties. While this is certainly true of a lot of Regency
romances, it is false on several other accounts. Firstly,
not even all Regency-era ones focus on ballrooms, and
there is FAR more to historical romance than the
historically small Regency era. Case in point? Eva
Devon's LESS THAN A LADY, which takes place during the
reign of Charles II, just after he regains power from
Cromwell.
For those who can't quite place what that means in
English history, know that this is an era where suspicion
was the air people breathed. Cromwell was totalitarian in
his view of England and vicious to those who opposed him,
and his overthrow was dramatic. The reinstatement of the
monarchy under Charles II was met with lots of tension,
meaning it's a perfect era in which to place a book about
treason, secret identities, and romance!
Our story involves Amelia and Darcy; one a celebrated
actress who may or not be committing treason against the
Crown, and the other a fella whose inability to keep his
pants buttoned has led Charles to run completely out of
patience. Sent undercover to the theater to see if, in
fact, Amelia is a traitorous wench, Darcy finds himself
deeper into intrigue, suspense, and hijinks than he
anticipated.
Fans of history will love this book, lots of world
building and facts which only serve to make the period
more real. The romance is great, but the action/adventure
aspect is even better, to be frank. I'd recommend this to
anyone who likes unique heroines and heroes who get their
comeuppance in charming ways.
To win a lord, you can’t be a lady…
Darcy Blake, Earl of Chase, is a solider, rogue, and a loyal
King's man. Commanded to spy on the luscious actress Amelia
Fox, Darcy must pretend to be her student for a court
theatrical. He is certain he can school her in the art of
seduction while discovering if she is a traitor. But to his
shock, he finds Mrs. Fox teaching him an entirely different
kind of lesson.
As London's most popular actress, Amelia is famous at court,
and she doesn't have a husband to tell her what do.
Unfortunately, the king has ordered her to train the
rakehell, Lord Chase to act for the court. Before long, the
Earl is driving her wild with desire and awakening her heart
to love. As an actress, society dictates she can never be
more than Lord Chase's mistress, and Amelia has vowed never
to be less than a lady.
When Darcy learns the witty actress is indeed linked to a
traitor, he'll have to decide if love or loyalty will rule
the day.
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