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Regency romances have had a resurgence with the Netflix series Bridgerton, based on Julia Quinn’s novels. Grahame enters the game with a fresh, skillful take on the Regency character tropes, societal tones, and endless balls, dances, and gossip. Amanda, the heroine, is a widow but one who wears dresses with pockets (pockets were for men), is the sole guardian of two teens, manages large sums of someone else’s money, and has a paying profession that involves riding a donkey.
Meanwhile, Amanda's debutante ward, Rosalie, is a serious musician, immune to flattery, reads people like a seasoned diplomat, and says, “Fiddlesticks!” with charming vivacity. Her brother, Piers, plays foil for the requisite titled lord—Sir Justin, the Marquis of Coverdale. Intriguingly, Sir Justin does not fit the obligatory rake and dandy mold but instead is a thoughtful, kindly man, both shrewd and progressive: “…probably in my lifetime… trade and industry will be the lifeblood of this country.” Sir Justin’s brother, a shadowy figure, provides the politico-economic backdrop and is a delightful contrast to sunny Rosalie. Other characters sprinkle the narrative and enliven the snappy dialogue, not the least of which is the yellow diamond itself. Among the many mysteries, plots, twists, turns, intimations of scandal, whiffs of danger, and comedies of manners, the diamond is the sinister star.
Grahame spreads suspense and romance to the very end, leaving the reader in a delicious state of wonder. Her characterizations and plot augment the mandatory Regency era conventions with an emphasis on problem-solving and frank expression: “The only opportunity to recoup was to put his daughter up for sale to the highest bidder.” Jane Austen meets Anthony Trollope in this intelligent, well-written, and delightful Regency romance thriller with a bite.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review