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The Burgundy Club series, No 2
Miranda Neville
Avon /HarperCollins
October 2010/ ISBN 978-0-06-180872-2
Romance – Historical (England, 1819)
Amazon
Reviewed
by Leslie Halpern
Few historical
romance novels present a badly dressed, bookish, bespectacled, and
misogynistic hero for women readers to swoon over. Yet that description
fits Sebastian Iverley perfectly. And Sebastian, strangely enough,
fits perfectly with the heroine of this novel, Lady Diana Fanshawe,
a young widow with keen intellect and barely contained passion.
Even though her marriage with her much-older first husband was arranged
for social position rather than love, Diana still clearly misses
the physical intimacy associated with the matrimonial bed.
The socially awkward Sebastian, however, knows nothing of physical
intimacies – other than what he’s read in books, of
course. When he meets Diana at his cousin’s party, he feels
an instant attraction to her that puzzles him with its unexpectedness
and shocks him with its intensity. Sensing his attraction, his cruel
cousin, Lord Blakeney, makes a wager with a friend predicting Sebastian’s
reaction if Diana kisses him. This wager represents something different
for everyone involved and serves as a catalyst for the resulting
story, which involves some childish and mean-spirited – even
dangerous – behavior on nearly everyone’s part.
Although smitten with Lord Blakeney since she was a little girl,
Diana begins to see his true character as he interacts with cousin
Sebastian. Similarly, as she gets to know Sebastian better, she
sees the man behind the awkwardness. Based on their actions, histories,
and appearances, neither Diana nor Sebastian comes across as a particularly
lovable person you’d want to marry. Yet they are enormously
interesting characters and great fun to read about.
In this sequel to The
Wild Marquis, Miranda Neville continues her exploration of the
men involved in The Burgundy Club, a collection of well-read men
who collect rare books. As in the earlier novel, the central characters
possess great wealth, knowledge, and (except for Sebastian) social
graces, though when it comes to matters of the heart they revert
into emotionally immature children. Using wit and style, Neville
provides a highly engaging story that will amuse and delight readers
who seek slightly more intelligent romantic diversions.
Reviewer's
Note: Sexuality
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