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.