"An Unusual Regency"

When Brady James, Earl of Singleton, survives a vicious, almost lethal attack and barely escapes a watery grave in the Thames, he emerges a changed man. No longer supremely secure and self-confident, he asks his friends to help him by pretending he has died and by holding a phony funeral. He is afraid that the men who tried to kill him will come back to finish the job if they know he is alive. He believes that his curiosity about Regina Bliss, a waif his friend Kipp rescued from life in the streets of London must have had something to do with the reason these men want him dead. He is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Regina Bliss has led a hard life ever since her parents died. If it wasn't for the kindness of Kipp and his wife Abby, she doesn't know where she would be. They know that she spins tall tales and fibs about herself and her parents and she is grateful that they don't press her to tell the truth. When Brady asks her to help him in his search for the truth she agrees only because she has her own agenda and mysteries to solve. Together they journey to London, Brady disguised as the 'deceased' Earl's heir and Regina in the role of his ward,ready to make her debut.

THEN COMES MARRIGE was different from the usual regency era romance. The heroine was definitely different as a young woman who could lie and fit herself into different roles whenever necessary. It was interesting to watch her in action. Although I did have difficulty accepting the premise that Brady could masquerade as his own heir, and nobody would recognize him, once I decided to just accept that it was so, the story became entertaining again. I particularly enjoyed Brady's journey of self-discovery. While he was deceiving everyone else he was discovering the truth about himself, his relationships, and how shallow his life had been. I found his personal growth to be very well portrayed.

Reviewed by Janice Bennett
Posted January 16, 2002