A Romp Into Regency Romance

 

Image copied from NetGalley

Ne'er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti is a fun and lighthearted Regency Romance. It chronicles the adventures of Peter Kent the Duke of Stanhope and his friend Lady Selina Ravenscroft. The pair find themselves in a bit of a dilemma when Peter requests Selina's aid in helping him gain custody of his two younger half-siblings. It seems that since inheriting his title he has developed quite the scandalous reputation. As his father did not recognize Peter's two siblings before his death, their guardianship is very much up in the air. To make matters worse, the man who will have to decide whether or not to bequeath them to Peter's custody does not care for the disreputable duke after he cheated the man out of his already stolen brandy--unwittingly, of course. Selina devises what she thinks is the perfect plan to make Peter respectable again. He must marry a noblewoman who is above reproach. The only problem is Selina secretly longs for Peter for herself and the more she tries to wed him off to another the harder it becomes for either of them to find Peter the perfect match among the worthiest candidates.

There were several refreshing aspects of this novel. One was the fact that Peter was not raised to become a duke. As such, he does not see himself as entitled to the privilege his nobility automatically bestows upon him. Peter was raised in impoverished circumstances in Louisiana. However, he is radically opposed to slavery, and Peter is determined to use his place in the House of Lords to abolish it. He is also determined to protect his younger siblings as their guardian at all costs, even though he has no idea how to raise two children. I found his character to be charming in his cluelessness at navigating the political and social waters of the ton. I also loved the fact that he is not a haughty and entitled nobleman as so many characters in these types of romances are portrayed as being. His unusual circumstances make this very plausible in the story. The other refreshing aspect of this novel is its heroine, Lady Selina Ravenscroft. After her debut in society, Selina is shocked and brokenhearted to learn how dire a lack of education can be for her counterparts if they are led astray by the wrong man. To prevent this from ever happening again, Selina takes it upon herself to help educate young women of the ton by supplying them with literature that explains the birds and the bees to them, sometimes in quite erotic detail. She does this by managing a lending library that she convinces her twin brother to procure for her. However, her feminine empowerment of her peers also leaves her with a scandalous secret that makes her a poor match for Peter as a wife. Therein lies the conflict of the story. 

Peter and Selina are unable to resist one another and they do ultimately wind up together. Along the way though, we meet some very charming secondary characters such as Selina's aunt and her long-term companion Thomasin, Peter's two young siblings, of course, Lu and Freddie, and some of Selina's close friends, Lydia and Iris, who she attempts to match with Peter. We also meet another young woman who becomes a friend to Peter and Selina, Georgiana. The elements of found family for Peter and Selina are lovely. Other things that Vasti handles well are the vulnerabilities and scars that both the primary characters and some of the secondary characters have and how these become an integral part of the story. Both Peter and Selina fear admitting to the other their true feelings. In the end though, they learn to lean on each other and realize they are stronger for it, which is a nice change of pace from most romances where the hero and heroine usually end up split apart after a misunderstanding before they can win their happily-ever-after. 

I would very much like to see Vasti make this a series where she develops romances for some of the other characters in the book such as Lydia, Iris, Georgiana, and possibly even Selina's brother, who is mentioned but never seen, Will. It might also be fun to read a romance for Lu and Freddie somewhere down the line as well once they're grown. If you love a good rom-com set in the regency period I highly recommend this novel. I was privileged to read an ARC of it through NetGalley. Thanks to both NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me a free copy to read in exchange for this honest review.

Celtic Fantasy in the Isle of Eire

 

Image copied from Goodreads

For the first review of this month, I'm going to take us back a bit to a book I read the end of last year. But as it is one that takes place in a reimagined ancient Ireland a generation of so after the Celts invade and take dominion over the island, I thought it fitting to discuss right before St. Patty's Day. Lesley Livingston's Queen Among the Dead is a wonderfully written fantasy about a rogue and a princess that incorporates elements of Celtic mythology and fairy tale retellings to weave together a tale of adventure, magic and some light romance. 

Neve is a princess of the Kingdom of Eire who some believe was cursed at birth and rumored to have been abandoned by her mother as a result. As the youngest daughter of the Dagda, she is the child overlooked by everyone. This works to her advantage though, because instead of being raised to embrace the traditional feminine role of a princess, she is allowed to train to be a fighter instead. Ronan, an orphan who was taken in to be a Druid apprentice was kicked out of the order for having too much curiosity, of all things, and has turned to a life of crime to survive. A rogue in every sense of the word, he accidentally saves Neve from an evil spirit in a graveyard and the two are inextricably linked from that moment on. 

One of the things I loved about this book was the way this Celtic society is depicted. So often in books about the Irish Celts they are depicted as the ones fighting for dominion of their lands as other invading elements slowly take over and stamp out their way of life, or they are depicted as being a civilization in tune with the natural world and its inherent magic. But in this world the Celts are the invaders. A war-like people who came to this green island from the steppes and plains of the distant east, taking over the magical peoples indigenous to the island and trying to stamp most of them out. I found this to be a clever take on Irish myths about the Foomori, the Fir Bolgs, who are the main denizens who lived in Eire before the Celts swept in, in this interpretation at least, as well as many other magical beings of Irish or Celtic legend. Often the very creatures who are depicted as the foes of all that is good and civilized, in this case are the ones who have been cast out, persecuted or colonized by these strange invaders. Not only that, but their Druids have slowly been syphoning away all the magic in the land and hoarding it for themselves. For what nefarious purpose you may wonder? Well, I can't really say without it being a spoiler. You'll have to read the book to figure it out.

Other elements I enjoyed about the story were magical qualities that both Neve and Ronan discover they've been cursed with. Notice I didn't say blessed here. Neither of the heroes in the story feel their magical abilities that they don't understand or feel they can control are good things. People with any modicum of magic are ruthlessly hunted down by the king's hounds. What happens after they are caught, usually isn't good. For Ronan, if he's discovered it is sure to be a death sentence. For Neve it could be proof that she's cursed as she was rumored to be at birth. This personal conflict for both characters sets them up as enemies at first who then have to learn to rely on each other just to stay alive. 

Staying alive means running away in Neve's case. Something is rotten in her kingdom and in order to get to the bottom of it she must flee to avoid getting married off to someone who definitely has an agenda of his own. One that would decidedly not be good for either Neve or her kingdom. The intricate mysteries, the air of something being really not right about this world and this kingdom mixed with the magic and danger make this a very entertaining read. However, it could be a bit slow for those not as knowledgeable about the ancient Celts or Irish folklore. The romantic elements are also lighter in tone than what you may be used to with most young adult based fantasies, at least, lately. I wouldn't say those are reasons not to give this book a try though. If you enjoy high fantasy then you will likely enjoy this novel, and for those who prefer stand alone titles, this book is one. Also, if you click on the title for the book you will be taken to the site of a wonderful independent bookstore in Kentucky, Joseph-Beth Booksellers. If you like supporting independent bookstores then I definitely recommend ordering a copy of your own from them to read. 

Tune in a couple of weeks from now for my next review of a regency romance by Alexandra Vasti called the Ne'er Duke Well. Also, feel free to share any recommendations of fantasies you've enjoyed inspired by Celtic myths or fairy tales in the comments below.