I thought I was done with 2012 books, but since this book appeared on so many Top 10 lists among my friends, I thought I had to give it a try.
Lady Maggie’s Secret Scandal by Grace Burrowes
(2012, Regency Historical) 1/27/13
Grade: 3.5
Lady Maggie is the daughter of a courtesan, but she was adopted by her father, the Duke of Moreland, and his wife. Now 30, she lives a reclusive life until she needs help to find a reticule hiding secret letters. She turns to Benjamin Hazlit, an Earl who also works as a private investigator. He pretends to court her in order to investigate, but soon they both want more – except Maggie still has secrets that she must hide from her family.
I had mixed feelings about this book. I’m not a stickler for historical accuracy, but there were a lot of points in this book where I was taken out of the story by something that just didn’t feel “right” for the period. This was mostly a problem in the first half of the book. I also found aspects of the story clichéd and the heroine frustratingly passive when it came to her “big secret”. But despite these problems, I couldn’t stop reading. The characters were interesting and the plot moved at a fast clip, which kept me from thinking too much about any problems with the story. I enjoyed reading about the heroine’s close family and her difficulties in being the illegitimate daughter of the Duke. I’m left wondering how to rate this book and ended up giving it 3 1/2 stars, because it was so readable despite its flaws.
I’m not sure I will pick up other books by Grace Burrowes unless they’re recommended by other readers, though. I’ve read some reviews and the plots in those books seem to be even more over-the-top than this one.
Karen Wheless
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