A DISSEMBLER

Author: Fenella-Jane Miller ISBN: 0709081316 9/2006 HISTORICAL Publisher: ROBERT HALE LTD
Time Period: Regency

Marianne Devenish arrives in Great Bentley expecting to find her great-uncle in residence. Instead she meets the Earl of Wister, Theodolphus Rickham, pretending to be Sir Theodore Devenish. Unable to stay in a bachelor establishment, Marianne moves in with the permanently impecunious Lord and Lady Grierson at Frating Hall. But what is their mysterious connection to the local smugglers? As Theo's dissembling leads to misunderstandings and heartbreak, Marianne finds her reputation in tatters and is forced to flee. Ostracised by society, she seeks refuge at a small estate in Hertfordshire where her life turns into a nightmare. Can Theo rescue the woman he loves before she is lost to him forever?

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Of all the books I've received to review from Robert Hale publishers in the UK, A DISSEMBLER is by far the best, and one that follows most closely, plot wise and in character, to historical romances written by most U.S. authors. A DISSEMBLER has it all: good solid characters, excellent dialogue, and a storyline involving spies and people pretending to be people they aren't, that continues nonstop and reads easily and quickly. This is one hard cover that I read in a single afternoon.

Everything about A DISSEMBLER clicked for me. I was pleasantly surprised as to the depth of its characters, especially the two leads, Marianne and Theo, which in the past has seemed to be a problem with many of the UK books I've read. The storyline was well thought out, well executed and entirely believable, and the dialogue was easy to follow and yet kept in line with the more Austen-ish type of verbal prose these types of books usually feature, one that I have come to enjoy so much.

Simply said, A DISSEMBLER is entertaining, enjoyable, and a book that I heartily recommend.

Nancy Davis