The Ramshackle Suitor

Author: Nancy Butler
Published: March 2000 (Signet)
Category: Regency Romance
Quote of Choice: "Stop squirming. More ill has come of women squirming than from any two countries spatting over boundaries."
Rating: 9/10

I'm so glad I gave Nancy Butler a try! She was a completely random pick (most likely because I liked the cover), and I'm going to look for her other titles.

Lucy Parnell, governess by trade, has come to the Isle of Man on a personal quest. She believes her dead sister's bastard child is calling for her to find him in her dreams. While walking in the countryside, she finds a man in a ditch, dressed in attire from the time of King Charles II. And it appears he's made an enemy of an angry ram, forcing him and Lucy up a tree for safety, and she shares the story of her quest to him. So begins the acquaintance of Lucy Parnell and Roderick Kempthrone, gentleman of leisure. Lucy's odious stepbrother tracks her down and tries to force her to quit her quest. When she refuses, he steals her trunk, which contains her money and clothes. Roddy is kind enough to offer her a place to stay with his friend, the Earl of Steyne and also wishes to help her find the long-lost nephew, resulting in lots of time spent with her in the process.

This has to be one of the most passionate Signet Regency Romances I've ever read. Not in that smutty historical romance way, but in the stolen kisses way. Lucy winds up torn between the ramshackle Roddy, with no job or money, and the man who's been courting her back in Manchester, Sir Humphrey Dumbarton. Roddy calls him Sir Humpty Dumpty, and does his best to make her see that her life would be happier if she chose the ramshackle fellow instead. Oh, and Roddy is conveniently rich, even as the youngest child of the most wealthy family in all of Cornwall.

The background story is very compelling as well, with the mystery child and the horrible stepbrother who definitely gets his comeuppance in the end. The book felt like it was a lot longer than its 214 pages, as I've slogged through 400 page books that didn't accomplish half as much as this one in terms of reader satisfaction. It's also one of those romances where the hero and heroine are not the only match made, as two other couples find each other, and new families are brought together.

An excellent cozy read. Now please excuse me, as I hunt for more Nancy Butler books.