Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of The Makings of a Lady (Chadcome Marriages, Book 3) by Catherine Tinley
Historical Romance published by Harlequin Historical 01 Oct 18
While attending RWA this summer, I watched as Catherine Tinley won the RITA for Historical Romance: Short for Waltzing with the Earl. I was over the moon with her win, because she writes for Harlequin Historical, probably my favorite line in the Harlequin universe and the one of the few go-to places where I can still find “history” in my historical romance reading. So when I saw The Makings of a Lady, part of the same series, posted on NetGalley, I one-clicked the heck out of that baby.
Lady Olivia Fanton lives in the country, is the youngest of three and, darnit, she’s not a child anymore! Four years ago, our hero, Captain Jem Ford, a colleague of her brother’s, recuperated at their family estate following his injury at Waterloo. Jem and Olivia developed a friendship and the start of deeper feelings, but then the Army shipped him off for a four-year stint of service in Australia – leaving Olivia with a broken heart. Now Jem is back in England and visiting once more – but she will guard her heart this time! Adding further complications is the dashing Mr. George Manning, who is visiting their neighbors. He’s charming and flirtatious – the type of smooth operator who would turn a country girl’s head.
Basically this smells of a love triangle, but it really isn’t. Any reader with two brain cells to rub together realizes early on that Jem is our hero and that leaves us wanting in some sort of conflict to spur the story onward. And that’s the rub – the lack of compelling conflict. Basically the conflict is two characters (Olivia and Jem) who cannot talk to each other. She was a young 18 when he left for Australia, maybe he wasn’t developing feelings for her, she’s his BFF’s little sister and “way above” him in station – blah, blah, blah. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Seriously, the first 40% of this is a total drag. I’ve had more fun watching paint dry. Then the author introduces a kidnapping and the pace picks up a bit – but readers are still stuck with two characters incapable to just talking to each other, a very young heroine in the vein of Jane Austen’s Emma (without the matchmaking, but just as naive and kind of annoying), and The World’s Most Obvious Villain Ever.
Tone and stylistically this very much reminded me of a Traditional Regency, so readers should expect just-kisses and no bedroom gymnastics. Which, honestly, is more than fine with me – but dang, I need some conflict. A spark. Something other than two characters who are too reserved and tongue-tied that they can’t simply talk to each other. This is also part of a series, and while I never felt “lost” (not having read the other books), there’s a ton of secondary characters standing around crowding the page count.
None of this worked for me and, frankly, that makes me kind of sad.
Grade: D+
Summary:
Be calm, she thought.
Be gracious. Be twenty-two.
Lady Olivia Fanton is eager to prove she’s no longer a child. However, just as she thinks she’s found a suitable match in suave Mr. Manning, charismatic Captain Jem Ford walks back into her life, bringing with him all the embarrassment of her infatuation four years before!
She’s determined to appear mature, distant, friendly. But dare she hope he’ll notice her as the lady she’s become?
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
