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A review by lassarina
Heiress Without a Cause by Sara Ramsey
5.0
This was a thoroughly delightful novel. Madeleine is a woman with a passion for the stage, which naturally is forbidden for a young unmarried woman of quality. So she makes a false identity and sneaks out of the house to perform when she ought to be attending social events. Meanwhile, she has been engaged by Ferguson, a newly minted duke, to chaperone his sisters—brutal proof of her spinster status.
Ferguson happens to see her on stage and, though he does not recognize her, he does follow her carriage home, and deduces who she is. To protect her virtue, she pretends, as her actress persona, to be his mistress, so she won't need to take another protector. Shenanigans ensue, naturally.
I really loved that there was no nasty judgment on Ferguson's part for the fact that she was on the stage; he didn't assume she had to be sleeping around.
Another thing I loved was the relationships. Although it's clearly the launching-point for a series, with lots and lots of sequel-bait characters littering the stage, every one of them contributed meaningfully to this story, which isn't always the case in first-of-a-series books. Madeleine's friends and family were delightful, as were Ferguson's, and didn't feel like flat cut-outs as so many romances' supporting characters can be.
I loved how this book tackled both the privileges Madeleine enjoys (in so many ways) as well as the way she feels locked in a gilded cage - her friends have other outlets for their creative passions, able to hide behind pen names, but she does not, and it frustrates her immensely. I also loved the ways her family reacted to finding out her secret (as of course they had to do), and how organically that came together.
I will definitely pursue further books in this series.
Ferguson happens to see her on stage and, though he does not recognize her, he does follow her carriage home, and deduces who she is. To protect her virtue, she pretends, as her actress persona, to be his mistress, so she won't need to take another protector. Shenanigans ensue, naturally.
I really loved that there was no nasty judgment on Ferguson's part for the fact that she was on the stage; he didn't assume she had to be sleeping around.
Another thing I loved was the relationships. Although it's clearly the launching-point for a series, with lots and lots of sequel-bait characters littering the stage, every one of them contributed meaningfully to this story, which isn't always the case in first-of-a-series books. Madeleine's friends and family were delightful, as were Ferguson's, and didn't feel like flat cut-outs as so many romances' supporting characters can be.
I loved how this book tackled both the privileges Madeleine enjoys (in so many ways) as well as the way she feels locked in a gilded cage - her friends have other outlets for their creative passions, able to hide behind pen names, but she does not, and it frustrates her immensely. I also loved the ways her family reacted to finding out her secret (as of course they had to do), and how organically that came together.
I will definitely pursue further books in this series.