📖 Blog Tour ~ An Unsuitable Heiress by Jane Dunn

 

Boldwood Books
22 May 2023

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book and to
Rachel's Random Resources for the invitation to the blog tour

Following the death of her mother, Corinna Ormesby has lived a quiet life in the countryside with her cantankerous Cousin Agnes. Her father's identity has been a tantalising mystery, but now at nineteen Corinna knows that finding him may be her only way to avoid marriage to the odious Mr Beech.

Deciding to head to London, Corinna dons a male disguise. Travelling alone as a young woman risks scandal and danger, but when, masquerading as a youth, she is befriended by three dashing blades, handsome and capable Alick Wolfe, dandy Ferdinand Shilton and the incorrigible Lord Purfoy, Corinna now has access to the male-only world of Regency England. And when she meets Alick's turbulent brother Darius, a betrayal of trust leads to deadly combat which only one of the brothers may survive.

From gambling in gentleman’s clubs to meeting the courtesans of Covent Garden, Corinna’s country naivety soon falls away. But when she finds her father at last, learns the truth about her parentage and discovers her fortunes transformed, she must quickly decide how to reveal her true identity, while hoping that one young man in particular can see her for the beauty and Lady she really is.

📖 My Review..

Since her mother died, Corinna Ormesby has lived a quiet life in the country with her cousin however, in order to escape a tedious marriage Corinna sets off for London cleverly disguised as a boy. On her adventurous and rather scandalous journey for a young woman in Regency England, Corinna meets three dashingly handsome young men who come to her rescue on more than one occasion. Quickly immersed in London's high society Corinna must keep up the pretence of being a young man about town but this proves harder than expected especially when she learns something important about her past.

This is a really lovely Regency story. I especially enjoyed getting to know Corinna, she's a feisty heroine, and the young beaus who surround her with so much eloquence, grace and good humour bring a real sense of fun to the story. There are twists and turns aplenty which bring to life all the subtle nuances of Regency life. The freedom afforded to young men is well detailed especially as men seem to have all the fun whilst young women are seen either as a scandalous diversion or as suitable marriage material. There's a more serious side to the story which develops well and I enjoyed understanding a little more about Corinna's past and the revealing of her relationship with a father she thought she had lost is done with a nice gentle touch.

An Unsuitable Heiress is a fun-filled romp through Regency England, with a smattering of romance, a sense of adventure and a wonderful heroin at its core. What's not to like 😉

About the Author

Jane Dunn is an historian and biographer and the author of seven acclaimed biographies, including Daphne du Maurier and her Sisters and the Sunday Times and NYT bestseller, Elizabeth & Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens. She comes to Boldwood with her first fiction outing – a trilogy of novels set in the Regency period, the first of which is to be published in January 2023. She lives in Berkshire with her husband, the linguist Nicholas Ostler.

Twitter @JaneDunnAuthor #AnUnsuitableHeiress

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