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American Leander Mayfield isn’t sure
what to think when he comes to London to take up his new
position—as the Earl of Dearborne. Having grown up a sickly
youth on a farm, he knows nothing of life as a nobleman.
Confused and unsure in his new life, he returns to his main
joy, reading ancient books about King Arthur. He also
decides to learn about his new duties.
Julien Sutcliffe, Earl of Blackstone,
is not terribly interested in gossip about the American
Earl. He has his own problems, and from his own blackened
reputation he knows better than to listen to gossips. Then
he meets the man, and his opinion begins to change.
The Desire for Dearborne takes a lot of the
familiar tropes of Regency romances and gives them a subtle
twist. Sweet, naïve Leander reminded me of a lot of the
bluestocking female characters in Regencies, only male and
with a much more powerful position in society—not that he
knows how to use it. Julien is a perfect example of the
hardened rake with a mistress and a terrible reputation,
only his “mistress” is an actor, not an actress. There
seemed to be fewer consequences for Julien’s known liking
for men than there should have been, earl or not, given that
it was illegal at the time, but I could easily forgive that
little historical question. There are a lot of familiar
secondary characters in The Desire for Dearborn,
including a bluestocking, other aristocrats, the kindly
aunt, a scheming relative, and others. Somehow, though, VB
Kildaire manages to make all these characters feel new and
interesting. The same goes for the plot, which is filled
with emotion, intrigue, and even some action. There are all
kinds of clichés, yet each one has enough of a twist to make
it fresh. The end result is a story that’s both familiar
and new, and kept me turning pages to see what would happen
next. I have a feeling other readers will find the
reimagining of classic themes as fascinating and fun as I
did. Regency fans won’t want to miss The Desire for
Dearborne. |
