A NIGHT OWL REVIEWS BOOK REVIEW | Reviewed by: Terri
Henrietta Watson and the Earl of Kesseley grew up together in rural England. There lives couldn’t be more different, Henrietta came from a loving family while Kesseley’s father was abusive, Henrietta’s parents were intellectuals which Kesseley’s were peers. Yet the two formed a firm friendship back when Kesseley was just Tommie. Up until recently, that friendship held firm but now there is a strange strain to it.
Henrietta believes herself in love with a poet cousin. This cousin hasn’t formally declared himself but he has told Henrietta that he will write for her while he is in London. For six long weeks Henrietta has waited to hear from him. Finally, she spies his name in an article about society and in it she learns that he attempted to elope with a duke’s daughter!
Kesseley has spent the last few years trying to revive his family’s farms and fortune. He’s finally able to say he has succeeded and plans on asking Henrietta to be his bride. Those dreams are crushed when she shares her feelings about her cousin. Still, Kesseley wants nothing more than Henrietta’s happiness. His feelings run deep.
As Henrietta comes up with a scheme to get her cousin back, she drags Kesseley unwillingly into it. They are off to London with Kesseley’s mother. If everything goes according to Henrietta’s plan, both she and Kesseley will be married by the end of the season. Of course, things don’t go according to plan.
This historical romance is full of conflict and subplots. At face value, I expected Henrietta and Kesseley to go to London where Henrietta will discover she’s madly in love with Kesseley, they return to the countryside and live happily ever after. Boy was I wrong. A whole lot more happened between that makes this story unique and special.
Romance is in the air. One of the primary purposes of the season is to make advantageous matches. Parents aren’t above forcing their children into matches that will raise their standing in society. A duke doesn’t want his daughter marrying a poor poet so and earl looks like a perfect fit! Widows have the opportunity to have discrete affairs but how does a young man deal with his mother’s! Lots of matches happening besides the ones Henrietta has her heart set on.
Not so much in the air but in the sky, is the discovery of another planet. Henrietta’s father is sure he has the mathematical figures that will show the existence of another planet and with the help of his assistant, he comes to London to prove it. His assistant, besides knowing that they are on the cusp of a great discovery, plans on getting Henrietta to agree to marry him. He’s sure that they are the perfect match, even if Henrietta is sure they aren’t. Will either men’s dream come true?
The characters are done well. I will admit that I particularly liked Kesseley. He fought with Henrietta’s idea of remaking him into something he wasn’t but once he started the change, he went after it whole hearted. Henrietta seems a bit spoiled and wants her way. She doesn’t like it when things don’t go the way she planned. Her slow awakening to her selfish ways was fantastic. The secondary characters were just as interesting from a manipulative duke to a supportive friend to a mysterious man by the river.
I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed this story. When I was positive I knew how it was going to proceed, it changed. As society began to force its will on the character, they would begin to change in ways that not only was in character but in ways that would make the story more interesting. Even though I was sure how this story would end, I loved the journey to that end. Without that journey, Henrietta would not have become the woman she needed to be.
Based on some very accurate, well researched history, this historical will not only entertain but might actually teach you something. What a great way to learn!
Oct 25, 2010 | 9781426890567
5 = Rare - Top Pick | 4.5 = I Loved It - Top Pick | 4 = Good Solid Read
3.5 = Enjoyable | 3 Stars = OK - Needs a few changes | 2 Stars = It just didn't click / DNF
Book Blurb for Rakes and Radishes
When Henrietta Watson learns that the man she loves plans to marry London’s most beautiful and fashionable debutante, she plots to win him back. She’ll give him some competition by transforming her boring bumpkin neighbor, the Earl of Kesseley, into a rakish gothic hero worthy of this Season’s Diamond.
After years of unrequited love for Henrietta, Kesseley is resigned to go along with her plan and woo himself a willing bride. But once in London, everything changes. Kesseley, long more concerned with his land than his title, discovers that he’s interested in sowing wild oats as well as radishes. And Henrietta realizes that gothic heroes don’t make ideal husbands. Despite an explosive kiss that opens her eyes to the love that’s been in front of her all along, Henrietta must face the possibility that Kesseley is no longer looking to marry at all...
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