Blurb
Stepping into the wrong carriage at a Sussex village, Elinor Rochdale is swept up in a thrilling and dangerous adventure. Overnight the would-be governess becomes mistress of a ruined estate and partner in a secret conspiracy to save a family’s name. By midnight she is a bride, by dawn a widow . . .
My Perspective
This is the second book i chose to read from my post Third Lot – And It’s A Lot
The Reluctant Widow is about Elinor Rochdale, a governess who gets in the wrong carriage and ends up marrying a man on his deathbed to prevent the man’s estate from being passed on. However soon her and the rest of the family realise that he may have been involved in a lot more than was thought. And Elinor is becoming more and more worried about her choice in marrying him.
The story was set in the Regency era and so had the feel of a Jane Austen novel. It was quite lengthy and wordy however I really enjoyed it and didn’t find my interest waned at all.
Elinor was easy to like, albeit being a bit tiresome occasionally, however for the era, she was quite witty and sensible. I really liked Lord Carlyon and his brothers – Nicky was a very loveable character. Really, the whole cast was excellently written and you got a feel for exactly what kind of person each of them were.
The book isn’t fast paced however there are a lot of incidents that happen throughout. I was surprised to realise after I had finished the book that only a week had passed in the timeline of the story! The book feels like it was a much bigger chunk of the character’s lives.
The story isn’t realistic or believable however I don’t really think it’s meant to be. It’s a light, enjoyable story that keeps you happily engaged.
Overall I really enjoyed it and I would definitely recommend it those who are looking for a light period fiction.
Reading For The Masses 