Bleh.
same book I did?" Once again, let me say that reviews are very subjective, and what is one person’s cup of tea is not necessarily someone else’s. When I opened The Footman and I by Valerie Bowman, I was hoping for a light-hearted romance. Well, I guess that is what I got, or maybe what I was supposed to get. However, to be honest with you, there was just something missing from this story. The characters were a little cardboardeeee, the dialogue was a little lifeless, and at times the story a little juvenile. At times, I almost felt as if I were reading a story created for a younger audience, maybe someone who is 16 or 17. It was not that I did not like this story, exactly, there just was not anything there to grasp.A few devices which irritate me. Over the years, there are certain things in romance books that immediately put me in a mood – and, not a good one. It takes a very talented author to pull me out of that mood. Right from the very beginning, in the prologue, we are introduced to a group of men, a group of men who have been drinking. There is the requisite rake whose heart has been broken, a spy, and an oblivious aristocrat...and their married friend. They place a bet...oh noooo, not a bet. Well one of them, our hero Lucas Drake, Earl of Kendall wants to find a wife who wants him for himself, not because he's an Earl. So, they all decide to disguise themselves as servants and attend a party at their married friend’s house...oh nooooo, not a disguise!!!. They all have their reasons for deciding this is a good idea, remember one of them is a spy...oh, nooooo, not a spy!!!!
Next device irritant. Frances Wharton, our heroine, is eighteen. My keep-me-happy rule of thumb: my heroines need to be at least in their twenties. If not that, then they need to seem as if they are actually eighteen, and not 28 going on 30. But, honestly, I prefer mature heroines. There were times in this book, when her actions reflected a more mature person, but then she'd do something lame and I'd say to myself...ah there's the teenage girl of the 1800s - supposedly. And, if you think young people were more mature in the 1800s, then you've never read any of their journals/diaries. They were basically the same as now, just without smart phones. Just because a woman can have a baby at 16, does not mean she’s mature. Another thing about Frances that disturbed me: she used a lot of slang. I had a problem with an 18 year-old woman from the 1800s using some of the words that came out of her mouth. They were jarring, and not appropriate for well-bred women of that time. I am not saying the words were not used during that time; they were, but by men, or a very aggressive woman. Frances was neither. I'm starting to digress. Anyway, I just never connected with Frances.
Anyway, I said to myself, "Get over it! Get past all your irritants! Maybe this book will be funny! Maybe we will get to see men disguised as servants failing because they do not know how to do physical work. Could be funny. Could be some slapstick moments." Nah, the storyline didn't develop that way, in fact it just sort of meandered along.
So, everyone is at the house party, all the future heroes and heroines (I think) are there. But nothing actually happens at the house party, unless you count the illicit meetings in the library between Lucas and Frances. Libraries in romance novels always seem to see a lot of action...maybe that's why everyone likes the library. Here all the time I thought it was the books. Anyway, there's a lot of stuff going on: Francis is trying to stop a law from getting passed, and Lucas is trying to get that law passed. Of course, he has not really read the law. His brother was responsible for writing the law and introducing it…but now his brother is dead. Francis and Lucas discuss the law, but we never get to hear any of the conversation...that’s probably a good thing, I suspect it would be boring. However, we are told they discussed the law. In fact, we are told they discuss many things. We are told they are attracted to each other, but we never see that attraction - except for when his Mr. Toad is trying to get out of his pants. Occasionally the secondary characters walk through, but they don't really add much to the story - until.
In the last few chapters of the book, there are some sincere talks between the secondary disguised friends, Lucas, and Frances. At last, there was some spark in the book. When the friends come together at the end, the dialogue picked up a notch. However, that was after about 200 pages of tedium.
Bottom-line, this is not one of my favorite Valerie Bowman books. I was disappointed that I could not connect with any of the characters in the story. Even though I was disappointed with The Footman and I, it is the beginning of a new series, and I intend to read the others...I'm hoping for the best.
Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality: Bleh
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