The man had never done anything to truly offend me, except sharing his views of the woman’s role in society…
This was an enjoyable historical romance, by a talented and delightful author. I do not normally review romance. I do, however, routinely review (and enjoy) historical fiction, and when Ms. Wigginton approached me about a review by emphasizing the latter over the former, I agreed to take a look. I am quite glad I did – she has an engaging, easy-going writing style that I quite enjoyed. And she spins a clever tale, to boot!
The eponymous Angelina is a marvelous heroine, full of spit and vinegar in all the best possible ways. She finds herself enmeshed in a rather startling amount of drama and (mis)adventure for a proper young lady – which is a quality I rather admire in proper young ladies. Her battle to control her own life and destiny is managed with aplomb and more than a little cheek, and makes for an entertaining tale. My one criticism is that she occasionally seemed a little too willing to drop all of her strongly-held perspectives on women’s rights when confronted by a pair of strong arms… Still, the heart wants what the heart wants I suppose – particularly in a book that is, admittedly, a romance.
Speaking of which – there is, of course, a fair amount of bodice ripping (albeit tasteful) and staring into one another’s [insert adjective here] eyes. But Diane did not steer me wrong – this is at least equally a piece of historical fiction and a mysterious adventure one at that. While I admit I did read a little more quickly when the romance element took over, I was always returned to the *main* story without undue distraction or delay. And the second half of the book is really much more adventure/quest than anything else. All in all this was an enjoyable tale and Angelina and her compatriots are worthy of a look!
My review copy was provided by the author. My review was, as always, entirely my own.
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