Liviania‘s review of His Cavalry Lady (Aikenhead Honors, Book 1) by Joanna Maitland
Historical romance released by Harlequin Historical 1 Mar 09

What’s this?  A Harlequin Historical review by someone other than Wendy the Super Librarian?  Could it really be?  I must admit, I don’t pick up much historical fiction. It’s not my favorite genre.  (I should note that I evaluate Romancelandia different from standard history.)  But I’ve really wanted to read a couple of the recent HH releases, because their summaries hit my buttons.  This one had cross-dressing and Russians.  Cross-dressing!  Russians!  Tell me you don’t want that in your Regency!

Joanna Maitland hooked me from the beginning.  The Tsar has decided to honor one of his enlisted soldiers for saving the life of an officer, but our heroine knows the jig is up when he reveals a letter from her father.  However, he decides to let her continue with her disguise since she’s demonstrated she is a valiant soldier and grants her a new name, Alexei, attached to nobility so that she can be an officer.  Fast forward and she’s part of his retinue during a visit to England, set to spy on a spy – Dominic Aikenhead, Duke of Calder.

Dominic is in charge of the ill-named Aikenhead Honors, a generally nice guy who happens to pass on some of the sensitive information he comes across.  He could be the stuffy type, but his interactions with his brothers and Alex show off his sense of humor.  He’s the honorable guy who most find less interesting than a bad boy, but I really liked him.  (For those who prefer the bad boys, the other Honors fulfill that role.)

The structure of the story helps.  Since Dominic thinks Alex is a man, they first develop a solid friendship.  Dominic enjoys Alex’s company because of her wit, skill, and attention to duty rather than a pretty face.  They earn each other’s respect before anything romantic occurs, and it allows me to forgive Maitland when they go far pretty quickly.

As far as I can tell, the history is well-done.  Maitland owns up to changing the timeline of some events in the author’s note, but it matters more that she gets the feel of the societies correct.  Alex, while half-Scottish, was raised in Russia and fought for Russia.  Dominic is English and likewise loyal to his country.  It is fun to watch Dominic teach Alex about English culture . . . and to see the Russians make Dominic perform a salutation he finds humiliating.  (Plus, Russians are awesome but they seem to pop up less than Vikings, Highlanders, and sheiks of questionable ethnicity.)

I haven’t read anything else by Maitland, but I know I’m picking up the other Aikenhead Honors books.  I liked what I saw of the Knight and Knave and thoroughly enjoyed the way Maitland told the first story.  I’m very good I had His Cavalry Lady with me on the long bus ride.

Grade: B+

Summary:
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Alex instantly fell for Dominic Aikenhead, Duke of Calder, knowing that he would never notice her–because to him she was Captain Alexei Alexandrov, a young man and a brave hussar!
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Alex longed to be with her English duke just once, as the passionate woman she truly was. To be swept off her feet, wearing the finest of gowns, would be a dream come true. But there was danger in such thoughts. What if Dominic ever found out the truth?
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Read an excerpt here.

Other books in this series: