Sunday, August 28, 2016

The Reluctant Widow

The Reluctant Widow
by Georgette Heyer


Blurb:
A fateful mistake... 
When Elinor Rochdale boards the wrong coach, she ends up not at her prospective employer's home but at the estate of Eustace Cheviot, a dissipated and ruined young man on the verge of death.
A momentous decision...
His cousin, Lord Carlyon, persuades Elinor to marry Eustace as a simple business arrangement. By morning, Elinor is a rich widow, but finds herself embroiled with an international spy ring, housebreakers, uninvited guests, and murder. And Carlyon won't let her leave...

My Reaction:
If you're a fan of Regency romances (even those which are very light on the romance) and mild mysteries, this could be just for you.  I found it a pleasant read for the most part, but nothing out of the ordinary.  The romance is very light, and parts of the story quite implausible, but it was still entertaining.

I was surprised that the story wasn't more centered on the title character's point of view.  Multiple times, the story leaves her behind, and she's not even in the room where the action is set.

...I don't have much to say about the book, and that's a reflection of its "lightness".  It didn't leave a strong impression, one way or the other.  Sometimes that's just the right kind of literature, though.