(Image from Deseret Book)
Living in an ancient English castle sounds a lot more exciting than it's actually turning out to be. Margaret "Meg" Burton, a fiery redhead from the American South, had hoped it would be full of moaning ghosts or long-forgotten treasure or, at the very least, some juicy family secrets. No such luck. Thornshire, her cousin's boring old fortress, holds only one mystery: the Spanish prince who resides somewhere on the property. Although Rodrigo de Talavera is the brother of Thornshire's mistress, he doesn't deign to dine or mingle with Meg's host family or their guests. If he's that high and mighty, Meg doesn't want to meet him anyway. Never mind that the only reason she's in
England is to find a husband who's wealthy enough to save her parents from financial ruin.
Meg's forthrightness as well as her adventurous spirit and unladylike interest in world politics are not earning her many points with the aristocratic Englishmen she's supposed to be impressing. There's only one man who seems to appreciate her for who she is—Carlo, a handsome stablehand. As the friendship between them blossoms into something stronger, Meg worries about the dangers inherent in such a forbidden relationship.
Of course, Carlo is keeping his own secrets, number one being that he is not the lowly servant Meg assumes him to be, but the prince whose lofty behavior Meg so heartily despises ...
I don't read a lot of Regency romances because while they're fun, I also find them cliché and predictable. You pretty much know what's going to happen just from reading the back cover copy. Miss Burton Unmasks a Prince, the newest from Jennifer Moore, is no exception. Its basic plot points (mistaken identity, marrying to save the family name, an outsider fumbling through a London Season, etc.) have been done—again and again and again. Originality, thus, is not the novel's strong point. And yet, it's a well-written romance with a fun (if not particularly well-developed) cast, amusing banter, and a light, upbeat tone. Its strong (but not overbearing) message is an important one—to thine own self be true (which, as Lord Featherstone would no doubt [mis]inform you, is a famous line from Shakespeare's Macbeth :]). Also significant is the fact that Miss Burton Unmasks a Prince is a clean romance, one you could hand to your 13-year-old daughter or your 103-year-old grandmother with equal confidence. So, while the novel contains few surprises (I wanted some family secrets, too, dang it!), it still provides a sweet, swoon-worthy read that's both clean and enjoyable. If you're a fan of this genre, you can't go wrong with Miss Burton Unmasks a Prince as well as the other books in Covenant's line of proper romances.
(Readalikes: Similar to other books by Jennifer Moore as well as those of Sarah M. Eden and Julianne Donaldson)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for mild violence and mild sexual innuendo
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of Miss Burton Unmasks a Prince from the generous folks at Covenant Communications as part of my involvement in the book's blog tour. Thank you!
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If you'd like more opinions on Miss Burton Unmasks a Prince, please visit the
other stops on the book's tour:
*April 6th: http://literarytimeout.
*April 7th: http://heidi-reads.
*April 8th: http://www.
*April 9th: http://
*April 10th: http://
*April 11th: http://lisaisabookworm.
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Last, but not least, be sure to enter to win a $25 Amazon gift card, plus your own copy of Miss Burton Unmasks a Prince:
I used to read billions of Recency romances and boy oh boy were they predictable. But they're fun! This one sounds cute and I have a friend in mind to refer it to.
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