MASQUERADING THE MARQUESS

Author: Anne Mallory ISBN: 0060587873 10/2004 HISTORICAL Publisher: AVON

Calliope Minton is never far from scandal. And her greatest pleasure is capturing the nobility at their worst. Donning a daring disguise, she poses as a society courtesan to get closer to London's leading bachelor. However, her ruse might have brought Calliope too close to her favorite target: James Trenton, Marquess of Angelford, a man who appears less foolish and more dashing with every meeting ... James is certain the enchantress is hiding something -- and she is driving him mad ... with desire and curiosity. Already occupied with trying to expose the "artist" who has been humiliating him in the papers, James does not need another mystery! But all the lady's secrets will be revealed when they are forced to join together to find a vanished mutual acquaintance -- and perilous circumstance tosses the marquess's bewitching, irresistible adversary into his arms.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Toss a terrific romantic couple together with a mystery ripe with intrigue, spies, subterfuge and murder and you have a nifty Anne Mallory debut.

While the mystery elements in MASQUERADING THE MARQUESS are, for the most part, well-done, Ms. Mallory's romantic pair elevate this story to much better than average.

Caricaturist Calliope Minton and James Trenton, the Marquess of Angelford, are a dynamic couple. These two characters are equal on several levels—including intelligence, stubbornness and wit. Calliope is a particularly complex character. Taken in by a theatrical family following the tragic death of her mother, a bitter Calliope becomes proficient in disguising herself. A tool that proves useful as she later moves on the fringes of society as a dowdy lady's companion to gather material for her cartoons. Her favorite target for her cartoons is the Marquess of Angelford whom she views as the haughtiest of the haughty ton.

For his part, Angelford is fascinated by the sharp tongued lady's companion. He's even more intrigued when Calliope turns up later in a different guise. She has totally reinvented herself as the gorgeous courtesan of his best friend, Stephen. Even in her latest disguise, Angelford recognizes Calliope as his dowdy nemisis.

Ms. Mallory's plot allows this pair to slowly get to know each other as they work together to investigate a mutual friend's sudden disappearance. As Calliope learns more of Angelford, she finds her misconceptions and prejudices against this particular member of the ton crumbling. Angelford, tormented by his own tragic past, finds his prejudice against love crumbling as well.

Who is Calliope? Why does she seek revenge against the ton through her art? What happened to Stephen, who mysteriously disappears soon after Calliope begins her masquerade as his courtesan? How does a past murder tie into a recent one?

Angelford, already up to his neck in mysteries, is also trying to uncover the identity of the artist who is poking fun of him in cartoons.

The answers to these questions and more mysteries are exposed as the story unfolds. Ms. Mallory expertly weaves these little intrigues into a larger mystery that is also connected to Calliope's past.

While MASQUERADING THE MARQUESS is extremely enjoyable, its not without problems. The most notable one is historical accuracy. I'm not a regency history expert nor am I a regency history accuracy fanatic. But I have researched the regency period and read many historical regencies. I know a courtesan did not move freely through polite society. A courtesan would not have been invited to balls and would not have attended respectable weekend house parties with her paramour. A gentleman would not have exposed his paid mistress to proper ladies. Proper ladies would not have received a gentleman's mistress. Calliope's masquerade as a courtesan to gain entrance into polite society would have been fruitless.

So I ignored this bit of fantasy and enjoyed MASQUERADING THE MARQUESS for what it was. A well-told, imaginative and thoroughly enjoyable piece of fiction.

Debbie Jett