Professional Review from a magazine editor - Regency Series

[Susysomerville]

I confess I am a historical romance novel junkie and the cover image of Infamous Rival caught my eye because it instantly declared these ladies (depicted) are of the Regency era. I was sold on the cover and as soon as I read the first few pages I purchased the novel. It is a short novel but a bit more than a novella.

Here are my thoughts on the novel.

Infamous Rival is an intelligent Regency murder mystery. It has witty repartee, danger, oodles of fear and simmering sensuality. The characters are strong, vibrant and Lady Georgette Beaumont is adorable. Although she is a titled grandee she is soon living in dread of the man who ruined her reputation with scandalous lies. Adam Brockenbury is a dangerous anti hero. He's a notorious gambler, and he and his cousin Eliza are engaged in a dark and damaging relationship, which errs gothic and creepy.

The hero on the other hand is Edwin Brockenbury (lawyer) and borne of impeccable manners he's a charmer, and a chance meeting with a woman of high status masquerading as a nobody of any consequence intrigues him, as he in turn intrigues her. Forced to share a hired coach they cannot ignore one another, and until such time as his name is revealed the journey from London to Bath passes in amicable contentment. However, it is a frosty night, the roads are treacherous and an incident arises, an incident that is the catalyst to untold events that will draw Edwin and Georgette into the realms of murder and mystery. Love inevitably develops between the hero and heroine, and touching moments arise along with intense passion, which draws them ever closer. Edwin, although a lawyer by profession, he sets out to unravel a mysterious death that occurred in the past, while murders in the present threaten Georgette’s very existence and that of an old enemy of hers, the Marquess of Rantchester. There is a sensual love scene, although explicit, it is so beautifully word crafted it leaves one gasping in awe of the author's skill for writing what is essentially an erotic episode that has none of the crudeness associated with erotic novels,

This is a murder mystery and it would be unfair to reveal more than I already have, and I do highly recommend this book to lovers of Regency romances and murder mysteries. What I liked best about this novel was the author's use of archaic language [old English grammar] depicting Regency England, very much in the vein of Georgette Heyer , but the author never for one minute forgets this is the 21st century and those of us who are not of the Regency era. It is available through all Amazon's online sources as a ebook. Enjoy!