Lieutenant Heywood Elliott had an appointment with the father of Sophie Bayles. When he appeared, his uniform was tattered and torn, but he was clean. It didn’t last, however. He ended up with egg on his shoe and an irate Sophie who refused to allow her father to see him. She had no idea how much he needed this position or that his mother and two sisters, Caro and Jane, were cold and hungry. She had no concept of how much he needed to provide for the women in his life.

Once Sophie realized her houseguest, Helen, had really dropped an egg on him, she was horrified that she had told her father not to hire him. It was too late to change the fact, because he had already offered the steward’s job to another man. That man, Lieutenant Silas Ringeour, was a thorn in Heywood’s side during his entire career in the Navy. Now it seemed he had again been bested by the unscrupulous man.

The characters in this book were many; the main cast members were clustered around the couple who would fall in love with each other. The part of the housemate, Helen, was so ludicrous it was priceless. It bordered on unbelievable but anyone who is familiar with Murphy’s Law could visualize it perfectly. Ms. Dolan showed a vast command of her writing skills because it seemed as if I was truly in each priceless, disastrous event which endeared both Heywood and Sophie to this reader.

The book was somehow different, but very appealing. I recommend it highly. This regency historical is appropriate for any age level reader.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Sweet

Reviewer: Brenda Talley
August 7, 2008