A Proper Companion

A Proper Companion (2011) Candice Hern

Emily Townsend is of good birth, but impoverished (her mother ran away with her father, and was disowned by her parents), so Emily takes one of the only options available to a genteel lady: a companion to an older woman.

Robert, Lord Bradleigh is a recently betrothed Earl with a reputation as a rake. When his grandmother finds out who is fiancee is, she is sorry Robert hadn’t met her companion Emily before proposing.

So this is a straight-up historical romance. I’ll admit it didn’t feel particularly British but I wasn’t particularly expecting historical accuracy, so that’s neither here nor there. (Though I’ll admit I do love books that feel like their set in their proper time and place.)

I will admit I was particularly amused by this passage, where Emily talks to the dowager about a book they are both reading.

“Stop!” Emily interrupted, laughing. “Please, don’t tell me how it ends. Well, of course I know how it ends. All romantic novels end the same way, but it’s the process of getting tehre that provides all the enjoyment.”

Though I’ll admit that’s one of the things I don’t love about romance novels.

In this instance, however, it was mildly irritating, because I was actually rooting for Lord Sedgewick to win her hand, even though he obviously wasn’t. I mean, who cares about smouldering, I’d much rather have had her end up with the man who made her laugh on a regular basis.

But, of course, Lord Sedgewick didn’t win her hand. And there was also drama, but no misunderstandings, which I appreciated.

So, it was a pleasant read, especially for a book I picked up on sale for only a couple dollars.
Rating: 6/10

Published by Candice Hern

 
 

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