Mary Balogh's Westcott series has been on my wish list for a while now. Well, I finally picked up the first book in the series. I actually brought this to the beach with me and managed to read it in one day.
Anna Snow grew up as an orphan. She never knew her family so when she is told she has inherited her father's wealth and estate - and her father is the late Earl of Riverdale - she is shocked. Avery Archer, the Duke of Netherby, keeps everyone at a distance except his family. When he is sent to pay Anna a small but modest sum of money and informer her that she will no longer be taken care of by the estate, he finds himself attracted to her and ends up helping her transition into high society.
What I loved about this book was that it felt more realistic to the time period. The story takes place during the Regency era in Britain. It really felt like Mary Balogh knew the time period.
Many historical romance feel somewhat modern. They feature more independent heroines which I love but I was also happy to read a book that was more true to the time period and not over the top. The romance is subtle and slow building. In fact, I was a bit surprised when the marriage proposal happened because it did not feel like they were deeply in love at that point. In fact, they were still getting to know each other into their marriage. This speaks to the time period when marriage had more to do with status and one's place in society than with true love. Even the aunts mention this fact to Anna when she is being called upon by suitors. I enjoyed the realistic element.
That's not to say I don't love my true-love and passionate historical romances. I love them! But it was nice to have something more grounded and focused on society's manners and customs for the era.
There is a problem with this book though. A plot point that actually got a lot of people riled up and for good reason. Avery was bullied as a young boy and learned to defend himself by learning Chinese martial arts from an unnamed Chinese gentleman. You would think he would remember his teacher's name or a nickname he gave his teacher when he was a boy. The controversy is that this Chinese gentleman is never named, and only appears in the book as a poorly thought-out flashback.
This is supposed to be an emotional moment for Avery too. He shares this story with Anna and this scene represents Avery opening himself up to his wife. Yet, the scene was not deep or meaningful at all. I think some of the controversy could have been avoided if the Chinese gentleman was given a name or if Avery learned to fight some other way.
The point was that he was bullied as a child, learned to fight then became standoffish towards everyone because of his childhood. The mystical Chinese martial arts did not add any extra significance. It did bother me because it seemed out of place.
Overall I really liked this book. I even finished it in one day at the beach! I'm looking forward to continuing with this series and maybe having a new favorite author by the end of it.
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