If love is a malady, the Spinster House ladies have caught it, one by one.
Miss Jane Wilkinson couldn’t be more delighted when her two best friends marry, creating a much-desired vacancy at the Spinster House. For the first time in her twenty-eight years, Jane can be free of her annoying older brother and enjoy complete solitude—with the exception of the Spinster House cat, Poppy. If only Jane’s unruly thoughts didn’t keep drifting to handsome Alex, Earl of Evans, in the most un-spinster like ways…
Though jilted once, Alex has always intended to marry and raise a family. Now that his two closest friends have tied the knot, he is more determined than ever to find a wife. If only it wasn’t the intriguing Miss Jane Wilkinson that his heart—as well as the rest of him—desired. Not only does she appear uninterested in marriage, it’s clear she’s the managing sort. And yet, despite Alex’s fiercely independent spirit, the idea of being managed by her is quite appealing. Now if he can only convince her to give up her beloved Spinster House in favor of a far more pleasurable home—in his arms…
When to Engage an Earl (Spinster House #3) by Sally MacKenzie
Sally MacKenzie writes fluffier Regency-era romances with engaging characters and a nod to (rather than adherence to) the manners of the era.
I think I was a little lost on the backstories of the characters in this third instalment in a series, and didn’t make the greatest effort to figure it out. This is definitely a series to follow in order to get the most out of.
I liked both hero and heroine, as anachronistic as they sometimes seemed to be. I really appreciate authors who make their characters likeable, and I always give major bonus points to a hero who WANTS to get married (especially in an era where it was an obligation to his title).
However, the discrepancy in the social status of hero and heroine made this one a hard-sell. This was not an aristocratic hero who behaved like a man of his social standing – I mean… the puppet show!
The heroine inexplicably lives totally on her own – except for a cat. This is not believable to me, especially for a woman apparently able to marry into the aristocracy. The world was different then; even people on pretty meagre incomes didn’t do everything on their own.
Hero and heroine also do a lot of touching. What makes behaviour two hundred years ago different to today is that men and women touching each other was a big deal, not something you did as a matter of course.
If you like your historical romances light, fluffy and modern, this might be more the book for you than for me.
Review copy provided by NetGalley.
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