What I've Read Recently

What I've Read Recently . . . 

Georgina by Clare Darcy -- Regency Romance

Georgina has been raised by her grandfather in a most unladylike fashion. She was the grandson he never had. Life was more fun back then. Now Georgie is ready to come out but her grandfather's death has the women in retreat in Bath where Georgie's grandmother is trying to marry her off to someone or another. Georgie isn't the least bit interested in marrying. To punish her for failing to do her duty, Grandmama sends Georgie off to distant relatives in Ireland. In Ireland she finds everything all helter-skelter with her silly aunt in hysterics because the household must move posthaste ere the heir moves on. The heir, Mr. Shannon, inherited The Place of the Oaks from Georgie's late cousin Nuala. Shannon is the illegitimate son of a Scottish Earl and said to have married Nuala for her money. When her aunt is injured in a fall, it's up to Georgie and her cousin Brandon to keep the household running smoothly, which they are unable to do until the appearance of the autocratic Mr. Shannon. Georgie decides to hate Shannon from the beginning because he is rude and unsympathetic to the family's plight. The traitor Brandon adores having adult male company for a change. When the family finally removes to their new home, Georgina's aunt hopes a romance between Georgie and Brandon will bloom, but soon Georgie is the belle of the neighborhood and has more suitable suitors than her impoverished and lame cousin. Georgie doesn't seem to care much about her suitors though, but she does begin to revise her opinion of Mr. Shannon when Georgina's aunt and most of the neighbors snub him. The only one who will receive Mr. Shannon is Lady Eliza, a wicked flirt. Georgie decides to take it upon herself to help Shannon, with very unexpected consequences. I seemed to like this book a lot the first time I read it but I have a revised opinion. I admire Georgie for standing up to her grandmother and she's an appealing heroine for her spirit but she's very young and very naive. Her innocence is both charming and annoying at the same time. Her behavior towards Shannon is pretty dreadful even when she means well. She behaves a lot less stupidly than most other teenage heroines in Regency novels. Shannon is not a very appealing hero. Shannon was shaped by life experiences which have made him proud. He's also stubborn with just enough sense of humor to find Georgina mildly interesting and mildly irritating at the same time. He's a bit too authoritative for my tastes but maybe he would come around and loosen up a bit. The story has it's funny moments and there's chemistry between the hero and heroine that becomes apparent in a realistic and romantic way. It's almost a rewrite of Georgette Heyer's Venetia with a younger heroine. If you're a fan of Clare Darcy's other books or want Georgette Heyer light, then read this book.