THE MÉSALLIANCE

Author: Fenella-Jane Miller ISBN: 070908224X 2/2007 HISTORICAL Publisher: ROBERT HALE LTD
Time Period: Regency

Lady Allegra Humphry knows her place is at the top of the aristocratic tree and she has no time for cits. But if she and her twin brother, Richard, the Earl of Witherton, wish to retain their position in society they will have to make compromises. Self-made millionaire Silas Tremayne now owns St Osyth Priory, Allegra's ancestral home, and is determined to own her as well. Rejected by the haut ton, Silas believes he has the perfect plan to ensure both he and his daughter, Demelza, will soon be welcome in the best drawing rooms. Marriage is the answer! But there are people who do not wish to see the union proceed and are prepared to commit murder to stop it...

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Unfortunately, THE MÉSALLIANCE is not one of the better books I've read from Fenella-Jane Miller. It pains me to say that, because I really do enjoy these softer, more subtle Regency era romances that come across the pond from the U.K. and land upon my lap. Here, the characters don't move me, the plot doesn't interest me, and from the beginning I managed to form a hardy dislike for the heroine, Lady Allegra. That's not a very good way to begin reading a review book.

A lot of THE MÉSALLIANCE seems sort of "scattered". There were love scenes where it seemed there shouldn't be, a lot of the misunderstandings that occur between Allegra and Silas just don't make sense—and certainly don't give their intelligence any credit—and there were a few spots in the action sequences that just seemed too overly dramatic and a bit over the top. If you don't care for the characters and you don't care what's happening between them or feel the connection (I didn't), then it becomes nearly impossible to focus upon the rest of the plot or care about any of the secondary characters, good or bad though they be.

I have read and reviewed several of Ms. Miller's works in the past, one of which merited a Four Rose Read rating from me. To say that I was a bit disappointed in THE MÉSALLIANCE goes without saying, especially when I know that this author is capable of so much more.

Nancy Davis