3.5 out of 5 stars
THE DISHONORABLE MISS DELANCY by Carolyn Miller was an
enjoyable read with genuine characters who were easy to like.
Miss Clara Delancy feels she’s at her bitter end. In love
with a man who does not return her love, her dowry gone due to her wayward
brother, and the subject of gossip and scandal, she hides away in the town of
Brighton. While distraught, she has a chance meeting with a former Navy captain,
a meeting she would like to forget. However, she soon crosses his path again
when she strikes up a friendship with his two sisters. She realizes the more
she has opportunity to see the man Benjamin Kemsley is, the more her heart is
stirred. Unfortunately, status, society, and her titled parents deem him an inadequate
suitor.
While former Navy Captain, Benjamin Kemsley, is waiting to receive
his due, he enjoys spending his time with his sisters, Tessa and Mattie. When
they introduce him to their new friend, he is shocked to see the woman he had a
chance meeting with on the cliffs of Brighton. Glad to see the woman in better
shape than when he first saw her, he’s surprised when his feelings for her turns
from concern to attraction. Regrettably, his station in society will not permit
him to pursue her.
As Clara and Ben struggle with their feelings for each other,
Clara gleans the attention of the Prince Regent. Clara knows the Regent’s
interest in her is purely artistic, but it does put her in a position to
possibly help Ben get what was once promised to him. Just as it seems all is
going well, Clara finds her life threatened, and that of Ben’s sister, Tessa. Clara
must make the decision to save her family’s reputation, but it might cost her
everything.
Though Regency era fiction is not my favorite genre, I did
enjoy THE DISHONORABLE MISS DELANCY. I felt for Clara and all she’d been
through. I hated that people kept misinterpreting her actions and intentions.
The relationship between Ben and his sisters was so sweet and caring. He was an
upstanding guy who deserved people’s respect instead of questions of his worthiness.
The story started off on a high, and though the middle was a bit slow, it built
to a surprising climax with twists I didn’t see coming. It definitely kept my
attention until the end.
Book provided for review purposes.
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