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A review by jackiehorne
Mrs. Sommersby's Second Chance by Laurie Benson
3.0
2.5 . I've not read any previous historical romances by Benson, but was drawn to this when I saw it on Netgalley because of its 40+ year-old protagonist, widow Clara Sommersby, who apparently spent her time matchmaking for her nieces in earlier installments in the series. Clara's a bit lonely in Bath, now that those nieces have wed and left her, despite keeping company with a lively new puppy and an older witty dowager duchess. She meets William Lane at the pump room, not knowing that the newcomer has come to town not for his health but to pursue a business project—turning a coffeehouse he's just purchased into a spa. But he needs to also buy the hotel next store to the coffeehouse in order to have enough room for his plans. And guess who just happens to own said hotel?
Clara invested in the hotel after the death of her husband; she relies upon it for the financial security her husband was not able to provide, and is not at all likely to sell, even though she must keep her ownership a secret in order to keep her standing in society. Lane, in contrast, was raised in the London Foundling Hospital, and is proud to be in trade. The two are initially drawn to one another despite their differences, and each starts to anticipate seeing the other whenever they go out in public, even though Clara initially tells herself that she's matchmaking for a younger neighbor, not herself.
A few of the plot turns were rather contrived/improbable for my tastes (Wouldn't an intelligent businessman investigate who owns a property before he seeks investors to help him buy it? Wouldn't a man raised in the Foundling Hospital speak in a way that sounds different from his aristocratic business partners? Why did Clara make such a self-sacrificing gesture toward book's end, when the story up until that point made no reference to Lane's desire for such a sacrifice?). Lane and Clara's relationship seemed based mostly on physical attraction; the two didn't seem to have much in common besides it. Their conversations are fairly dull, not at all lively or witty.
Twenty-first century readers are likely to appreciate Lane's respect for Clara's right to make her own decisions, especially those related to the "male" world of business, though.
Clara invested in the hotel after the death of her husband; she relies upon it for the financial security her husband was not able to provide, and is not at all likely to sell, even though she must keep her ownership a secret in order to keep her standing in society. Lane, in contrast, was raised in the London Foundling Hospital, and is proud to be in trade. The two are initially drawn to one another despite their differences, and each starts to anticipate seeing the other whenever they go out in public, even though Clara initially tells herself that she's matchmaking for a younger neighbor, not herself.
A few of the plot turns were rather contrived/improbable for my tastes (Wouldn't an intelligent businessman investigate who owns a property before he seeks investors to help him buy it? Wouldn't a man raised in the Foundling Hospital speak in a way that sounds different from his aristocratic business partners? Why did Clara make such a self-sacrificing gesture toward book's end, when the story up until that point made no reference to Lane's desire for such a sacrifice?). Lane and Clara's relationship seemed based mostly on physical attraction; the two didn't seem to have much in common besides it. Their conversations are fairly dull, not at all lively or witty.
Twenty-first century readers are likely to appreciate Lane's respect for Clara's right to make her own decisions, especially those related to the "male" world of business, though.