Regency Romance
1800s
England
I have had the pleasure of reading Ms Kullman’s previous novels, so it was
with quite some anticipation I settled myself in a chair to read her latest
novel. Ms Kullman writes intelligent regency romance—the plot devices are
realistic and grounded in the historical realities of the time, with little
tendency to overly dramatic gestures. To do this, the author must not only know
their period inside out—I am no expert in the 19th century, but I
would say that judging by how effortlessly Ms Kullman transports me back in
time she most definitely is—but must also be capable of breathing life into
their characters. This Ms Kullman does with aplomb.
Rosa Fancourt is a well-born lady who, through a sequence of misfortunes,
has found herself obliged to make her living as a governess. When the story
opens, she has been with the Loring family for years and is clearly very fond
of her young charge, Chloe. But Chloe is growing up and Rosa has to face the
rather unpalatable reality that it is time to move on, start all over in a new
household. However, things are about to become substantially more complicated
for Rosa, and suddenly her main concern is not having to adapt herself to life
in a new household but rather if any new household will even consider taking
her in.
Fortunately, Rosa has a champion of sorts in Chloe’s older half-brother,
Sir Julian Loring. Unfortunately, there are skeletons in Ms Fancourt’s
past—well, that of her family, at least—and then, of course, there’s the
deliciously nasty Mrs Overton, who has her eye firmly set on the handsome and
rich Sir Julian.
Other than the growing attraction between Rosa and Julian, Ms Kullman’s
novel also offers an insight into the constricted role of the 19th
century woman and her dependency on her male betters. This is a society where a
husband had total control over his wife, where even a whisper of immoral
behaviour can ruin whatever hopes a young woman might have had. It is a society
where the women pay the price—always, held to far higher standards of behaviour
than their male counterparts.
A Suggestion of
Scandal is a most enjoyable read. Other than
two sympathetic and well-developed main characters, it offers a peep-hole into
the world of the early 1800s, complete with an engaging story which had me
quite unable to put the book down. Not because it had me chewing my nails to
the quick, but because it immerses me in the whispers of the past while making
me genuinely care for Rosa and her Julian.
Well done, Ms Kullman—again!
© Anna Belfrage
click here to
return to home page 'Bookshelf' then scroll down for more items of interest
No comments:
Post a Comment
We do not accept comments. If you need to contact Discovering Diamonds go to the CONTACT facility
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.