Gwen’s Review of A Most Unsuitable Groom by Kasey Michaels
Historical romance published 1 Apr 07 by HQN

This was my first Kasey Michaels book.  It’s a historical set in Georgian England.  Bonaparte has been exiled to Elba and is soon to bust loose and break bad on Europe.  The story is about a young woman and a young man meeting under horrendous circumstances, making whoopee and, consequently, a family.  They eventually get their HEA but not until they bust up a Georgian-era assassination ring.

Here’s the book blurb:

Beware the bridegroom…
Hot-blooded Spencer Becket went off to war in America, full of passion and young ideals, only to return older, wiser and with part of his memory missing.

Beware the bride…
Fiery Mariah Rutledge arrived at Becket Hall one stormy night, heavy with child and more than willing to refresh Spencer’s lost memory.

Beware the battle…
Forced to the altar, Spencer and Mariah have little time to explore their attraction before they uncover a plot to restore the recently vanquished Napoleon to power in a most unusual–and deadly–way. Bound by the secrets that keep the Beckets safe from harm, Spencer and Mariah must battle the world and their own devils in order to prevent a tragedy… but what will be the price of their victory?

This book was 10% the couple’s story and 90% back-story and history.  I’m sorry to say it was yawn inducing.  It took me almost three weeks to finish this thing. If you know me, you know that’s, what, something like 21-dog years to finish a book.

The first part of the book went along at a nice clip – preggers girl shows up on gorgeous hunkaman’s doorstep, cursing him nine ways from Sunday.  Amusing and boded well for the story, I thought.  There was an inkling or two early on that the book might devolve into a history textbook, but I ignored those as simply building back-story.  I was a new reader to the series, after all.

No such luck.  It kept devolving into this stultifying dissertation on who did what to whom, why they did it, and what happened next in the historical events occurring around the characters.  I GET IT!  HISTORICAL THINGS ARE HAPPENING!  ENOUGH ALREADY!  Get me back to the reason I’m here – reading about a man and a woman and how they manage to come together and have their HEA! 

And, if the history lessons weren’t bad enough, the main characters just DROPPED a newborn baby on some wetnurse’s lap!  Geez louise!  I hate it when characters are forced into a situation like this for plot reasons.  The timing of the novel would have been shot to shit if Michaels had to wait until the child was old enough to be separated, so she pushes her characters into LEAVING a two month old baby behind for who knows how long?  Uh-uh.  Don’t buy it.  It wouldn’t happen so why force it?

I doubt I’ll be picking up more of this series and I’m iffy on whether I’ll pick up this author again.  Just not for me.

Grade: D+