When the goal is to end a courtship but then…

Synopsis

‘Angelica had always known her lack of high birth, fortune or influence debarred her from being presented as an eligible young woman worthy of marriage. To cap it all, being an actress assured she was utterly beyond the pale of respectability.’

Nightly at the Covent Garden Theatre in London, an enchanting actress is wowing the crowds with her affecting portrayal of Ophelia. Preyed on by rakes and opportunistic young bucks, feted by dukes and earls, even the Prince Regent himself, Angelica Leigh is a sensation.

But in Regency England, beauty and talent are not enough to be considered marriage material, so when the eminently eligible Lord Charles Latimer sets his heart on Angelica, his uncle is sent to intervene.

As a highly respected, hard-working and wealthy lawmaker, The Honourable Ivor Asprey, is himself seen as desirable husband material, but widowed with an eleven-year-old daughter Elinor, he has forsaken all thoughts of romance. Lord Latimer’s mother, the Duchess of Arlington, despairs of her son, despite being reassured by Ivor that his infatuation with the actress will pass. But there is something about Angelica Leigh that demands attention, and even the austere and upstanding Mr Asprey isn’t immune to her charms.

Sunday Times bestselling author Jane Dunn brings the Regency period irresistibly to life. Perfect for fans of Jane Austen. Janice Hadlow, Gill Hornby, and anyone with a Bridgerton-shaped hole in their lives.

My review

Angelica Leigh is an actress that manages to captivate her audience while performing at the Covent Garden Theatre in London.
She even captures the attention of Lord Charles Latimer, who has fallen for the beautiful actress and is determined to marry her.
But Regency England, and especially Lord Latimer’s mother isn’t ready to accept a ‘mere’ actress in the higher society. And thus  Charles’ mother, the Duchess of Arlington, asks her brother, The Honourable Ivor Asprey, to avoid a scandal. And while Ivor is sure that Charles’ infatuation will quickly pass, the widowed with a young daughter finds himself more and more captivated by Angelica… 

Regency stories are always a sort of guilty pleasure for me. Add the fact that there is clear distinction in class between the main characters, and you know that I will gladly read it!
But after finishing this book, I also found this a book showing different kinds of love. 

Because it’s clear that what Lord Charles Latimer feels for Angelica isn’t the real kind of love, but just a crush, an infatuation, even if he doesn’t realize it himself yet.
However, I admired his determination to pursue his wish to marry Angelica. And his feelings for Angelica also make sure that in every circumstance, Angelica has someone fighting in her corner. 

But we also see a nasty kind of love, even we can even call it love. Because Angelica has a suitor, who just wants to have Angelica as a mistress, to have his wicked, lecherous way with her. This is a kind of desire we all despise and need to stay away from. 

And then there is the kind of love that slowly develops, based on respect, understanding and knowing the person for real. And that is the kind of love that rises above every possible obstacle. 

At first, I didn’t know what to think of Angelica as her nature somehow clashes with her work as an actress. Not that I have something against actresses, but her latest play for sure attract the male attention as she doesn’t leave a lot to the imagination.
But it’s clear that acting is a passion of Angelica, and can you blame someone who is chasing their dreams? 

And in fact, Angelica is a kind, sweet, loveable character. There are moments she could chose the easy way out, but that is not the kind of person she is. She could have easily accepted Lord Charles’ proposal, but she isn’t sure about her feelings and she doesn’t want to bring scandal over Lord Charles, no matter how good his intentions are, and she for sure doesn’t want to disrupt a family… 

When because of circumstances she is staying at Ivor Asprey’s residence, we also see that there is so much more to her than we would think.
It was also lovely to see how well along she gets with Ivor’s little sweetheart, who is a real sweetheart.
But what I liked the most was to the developing relationship between Angelica and Ivor, as we see how spending time together can bring people to a better understanding and how it can make even the most reluctant person fall in love. 

And that is obviously Ivor, as he is determined to never fall in love again, as he believes that it will only end in heartbreak. Yet that doesn’t take away that he is ready to fight (even literally) for the woman who has won his heart. 

It doesn’t matter where you stand in society, because for the right person, you would be ready to make the scandalous match. Even when wrong choices are being made for protection, or to avoid a real scandal, in the most difficult moments the real emotions surface and it’s impossible to ignore them any longer. But in the end, every fight, every doubt, everything in general was worth it when love is in fact the endgame.