Stevie‘s review of The Worthington Wife (1920s England Series, Book 2) by Sharon Page
Historical Romance published by HQN Books 27 Dec 16
Sharon Page’s previous book set in 1920’s England has been on the fringes of my radar for quite some time, although I’ve never actually got round to picking up a copy. Somehow, I missed that this is a sequel to that one, although it does stand alone reasonably well as a story in its own right. After reading a number of books in which an American woman provides the resources to save the estate of an aristocratic British family, I was intrigued to see how a novel might tackle the contrasting situation of an American heir dealing with the unexpected acquisition of a British title and estate – presumably with associated debts and death duties.
Cal Carstairs finds himself unexpectedly Earl of Worthington, after his father had been virtually disowned by his family for marrying a working-class American woman. As a consequence, Cal and his brother grew up with very little and saw their parents die young due to the circumstances they found themselves in. Having served as a pilot and seen his brother badly injured in the trenches, Cal has managed to break away from his criminal past and make enough money from legal investments to support his brother, while going on himself to make a living as an artist in Paris.
The shock announcement that an American has inherited the neighbouring estate comes as Lady Julia Hazelton is arguing with her brother over her plans to provide employment for local women left impoverished after the war and, in some cases, forced to resort to prostitution in order to support their families. Julia was engaged to the son of the previous Earl, but has sworn not to marry following his death in the war. She also promised, however, to ensure that his family and estate were cared for and so is thrown into opposing the new Earl, who plans revenge for his parents’ deaths by breaking up the estate.
This is the point at which I started to get cross with the book. If the estate is entailed, as it might well be, then Cal can’t start selling off parts of it until a couple of years after this story is set, when the law will change. If, however, the estate, or parts of it, is not entailed, then why did the whole pass to Cal? If the family were estranged from him, then surely it would have made more sense for anything that could be passed to a closer family member be left to them in the previous Earl’s will? And what about the death duties? We never do get to hear about them.
On top of that, the romance aspects of the book did little for me, I wasn’t convinced by the mystery subplot or its resolution, and the whole issue of one character’s unwanted pregnancy could (and almost certainly would) have been solved by a trip to a discreet Harley Street doctor rather than the complex plans that seemed mainly to serve as excuses for the characters to gad about Europe.
All in all, rather a lot of disappointment for me here, but at least I was saved from buying the previous book in the series.
Grade: D
Summary:
Lady Julia Hazelton is the most dazzling among 1920s England’s bright young things. But rather than choosing the thrill of wanton adventure like so many of her contemporaries, Julia shocks society with her bold business aspirations. Determined to usher the cursed Worthington estate into a prosperous, modern new era, and thus preserve her beloved late fiancé’s legacy, the willful Julia tackles her wildest, most unexpected adventure in Cal Carstairs, the reluctant new Earl of Worthington.
The unconventional American artist threatens everything Julia seeks to protect while stirring desires she thought had died in the war. For reasons of his own, Cal has designed the ultimate revenge. Rather than see the estate prosper, he intends to destroy it. But their impulsive marriage—one that secures Julia’s plans as well as Cal’s secrets—proves that passion is ambition’s greatest rival. Unless Cal ends his quest to satisfy his darkest vendetta, he stands to ruin his Worthington wife and all her glittering dreams.
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
