November 5, 2020
Glom Adventure Begins
https://vivlorret.net/After reading Vivienne Lorret's book, My Kind of Earl, I rubbed my hands together with glee! Who doesn’t like to discover a new author with a nice tidy backlog of books? I decided to do a glom project on some of Ms Lorret's stories, starting with How to Forget a Duke. How to Forget a Duke is the first book in the Misadventures in Matchmaking series. You may ask, why didn't you start with her first book? Well, I'll tell you. There was a fascinating character in My Kind of Earl, Reed, who has his own story in The Rogue to Ruin, which is part of the Misadventure in Matchmaking series. See everything is circular, and that’s why I started with Ms. Lorret’s Matchmaker series. That is just how my brain works. So far, none of these books have been heavy-duty, angst-filled-I-have-a-message book. Right now I am in a mood to read something a little light-weight, something I don't have to ponder too much, something that cheers me up. Well for the most part, How to Forget a Duke, hits the spot. It is not a perfect book, there are issues, and there are storylines that don't necessarily make sense. But, I liked How to Forget a Duke, and our main characters: Jacinda and Crispin.
Basically, this story is the set-up for three sisters who are trying to be matchmakers. Not only are they trying to match make, they are trying to get paid for it. This was one of those plot lines which I had to get past, and I did. I thought it was a stretch for three unmarried aristocratic women from the 1820s to be on their own, and have a business. Of course, they aren’t exactly on their own, they have a friendly, irresponsible Uncle Ernest. But they are still running the business, or attempting to, so it was a stretch. But, I moved on. The Bourne sisters: Ainsley the eldest, uptight sister, Jacinda the second sister who doesn't trust people, and Briar, the baby of the family. Briar is overprotected and wants to prove she isn't a baby. This series begins with the second sister, Jacinda, the one who doesn't trust men. Not trusting men might be a problem when you are in the matchmaking business. Jacinda seems to think of herself as a combination Sherlock Holmes/Hercule Poirot. Which is why she has broken into Crispin's office and is snooping through his things. Crispin is a client. She just doesn't believe he has told the matchmaking agency the truth. There is something nefarious going on, and she wants to know just what that is. Well, she’s not a very good housebreaker. She is caught snooping by Crispin.
Crispin is a tad bit irritated by this attractive interloper. Yes, he has secrets, but they are his secrets. He doesn't see any reason why he needs to tell anyone what those secrets are. They proceed to bicker, and she leaves, letting him know that she is not finished with him. It should come as no surprise that this is just the first of many encounters between Crispin and Jacinda. While she was snooping, Jacinda found a letter with the name of Sybil on it. It seems there is much Crispin didn’t tell her. She must discover who the mysterious Sybil is...so she's off to Crispin's country estate. Crispin discovers Jacinda is chasing off to his estate, and he gives pursuit. He doesn’t want anyone to discover his illegitimate sister, Sybil. This race to the country leads to amnesia.
Amnesia you say! How'd that happen? Well, I'll tell you my little Petunia's, I don't rightly know. One minute Jacinda's giving chase, and the next minute she's washing up on shore. She also doesn't remember who she is. Of course, she's washed up on the shoreline which is close to Crispin's country estate. That's a good thing because Crispin has arrived. But wait, he doesn't tell her who she is. Why is that? Well, the doctor tells him that if he tells her who she is it might damage her memory. Not sure if I buy into that argument, but it gave us the reader a reason for Crispin keeping her identity a secret from her. As silly as this plot sounds, and as irritating as I find the amnesia trope, I actually enjoyed Crispin and Jacinda’s time together.
Because Jacinda doesn't remember her initial antagonism against Crispin, she is able to see him for the kind person he is. The romance between the two at this point progresses. They develop a friendship, which develops into more. Jacinda also develops a friendship with Crispin's sister, the mysterious Sybil. This story is a lot to do with trusting someone you love.
Bottom line, while I thought the amnesia theme was a little far-fetched, I didn't mind. The reason I didn't mind was I liked both Jacinda and Crispin. See...even I can overlook pet-peeves, especially if I am routing for the characters in the story. While this wasn't an amazing-out-of-the-universe story, How to Forget a Duke was an enjoyable read, and it made me smile. I do recommend this book.
https://vivlorret.net/After reading Vivienne Lorret's book, My Kind of Earl, I rubbed my hands together with glee! Who doesn’t like to discover a new author with a nice tidy backlog of books? I decided to do a glom project on some of Ms Lorret's stories, starting with How to Forget a Duke. How to Forget a Duke is the first book in the Misadventures in Matchmaking series. You may ask, why didn't you start with her first book? Well, I'll tell you. There was a fascinating character in My Kind of Earl, Reed, who has his own story in The Rogue to Ruin, which is part of the Misadventure in Matchmaking series. See everything is circular, and that’s why I started with Ms. Lorret’s Matchmaker series. That is just how my brain works. So far, none of these books have been heavy-duty, angst-filled-I-have-a-message book. Right now I am in a mood to read something a little light-weight, something I don't have to ponder too much, something that cheers me up. Well for the most part, How to Forget a Duke, hits the spot. It is not a perfect book, there are issues, and there are storylines that don't necessarily make sense. But, I liked How to Forget a Duke, and our main characters: Jacinda and Crispin.
Basically, this story is the set-up for three sisters who are trying to be matchmakers. Not only are they trying to match make, they are trying to get paid for it. This was one of those plot lines which I had to get past, and I did. I thought it was a stretch for three unmarried aristocratic women from the 1820s to be on their own, and have a business. Of course, they aren’t exactly on their own, they have a friendly, irresponsible Uncle Ernest. But they are still running the business, or attempting to, so it was a stretch. But, I moved on. The Bourne sisters: Ainsley the eldest, uptight sister, Jacinda the second sister who doesn't trust people, and Briar, the baby of the family. Briar is overprotected and wants to prove she isn't a baby. This series begins with the second sister, Jacinda, the one who doesn't trust men. Not trusting men might be a problem when you are in the matchmaking business. Jacinda seems to think of herself as a combination Sherlock Holmes/Hercule Poirot. Which is why she has broken into Crispin's office and is snooping through his things. Crispin is a client. She just doesn't believe he has told the matchmaking agency the truth. There is something nefarious going on, and she wants to know just what that is. Well, she’s not a very good housebreaker. She is caught snooping by Crispin.
Crispin is a tad bit irritated by this attractive interloper. Yes, he has secrets, but they are his secrets. He doesn't see any reason why he needs to tell anyone what those secrets are. They proceed to bicker, and she leaves, letting him know that she is not finished with him. It should come as no surprise that this is just the first of many encounters between Crispin and Jacinda. While she was snooping, Jacinda found a letter with the name of Sybil on it. It seems there is much Crispin didn’t tell her. She must discover who the mysterious Sybil is...so she's off to Crispin's country estate. Crispin discovers Jacinda is chasing off to his estate, and he gives pursuit. He doesn’t want anyone to discover his illegitimate sister, Sybil. This race to the country leads to amnesia.
Amnesia you say! How'd that happen? Well, I'll tell you my little Petunia's, I don't rightly know. One minute Jacinda's giving chase, and the next minute she's washing up on shore. She also doesn't remember who she is. Of course, she's washed up on the shoreline which is close to Crispin's country estate. That's a good thing because Crispin has arrived. But wait, he doesn't tell her who she is. Why is that? Well, the doctor tells him that if he tells her who she is it might damage her memory. Not sure if I buy into that argument, but it gave us the reader a reason for Crispin keeping her identity a secret from her. As silly as this plot sounds, and as irritating as I find the amnesia trope, I actually enjoyed Crispin and Jacinda’s time together.
Because Jacinda doesn't remember her initial antagonism against Crispin, she is able to see him for the kind person he is. The romance between the two at this point progresses. They develop a friendship, which develops into more. Jacinda also develops a friendship with Crispin's sister, the mysterious Sybil. This story is a lot to do with trusting someone you love.
Bottom line, while I thought the amnesia theme was a little far-fetched, I didn't mind. The reason I didn't mind was I liked both Jacinda and Crispin. See...even I can overlook pet-peeves, especially if I am routing for the characters in the story. While this wasn't an amazing-out-of-the-universe story, How to Forget a Duke was an enjoyable read, and it made me smile. I do recommend this book.
Time/Place: 1820s England
Sensuality: Warm/Hot
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