Friday, September 21, 2018

Review: The Impertinent Miss Templeton

Title: The Impertinent Miss Templeton: A Regency Romance
Author: Lynn Messina
Publisher: 30 August 2018 by Potatoworks Press
Pages: 276 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: romance, regency
My Rating: 4 crowns

Synopsis:
No, no, no! It doesn’t matter how many times the Duchess of Trent (The Harlow Hoyden) requests her help with a delicate matter regarding a patent for her sister’s invention, Tuppence Templeton will not lend a hand. She has a habit, yes, of coming up with ingenious plans to solve other people’s problems, and it is true that she’s clever and daring enough to pull off the proposed scheme. But there’s no way she’s going to confront the arrogant and dismissive Earl of Gage again. She is still shaken—or is it stirred?—from their last encounter when, rather than thank her for saving his sister from ruin, he railed against her for having the temerity to interfere in his family’s business. And yet somehow when the opportunity arises, she finds herself unable to resist issuing the challenge.
Nicholas Perceval, Earl of Gage, cannot believe it when the impertinent upstart who exposed his sister to disaster maneuvers him into escorting her to the Bill Patent Office. What a perfectly ridiculous request! And then to discover that she manipulated him while they were there so that she could “find” a missing application—he has never been so angry in his entire life. And it’s not because he’d unexpectedly enjoyed her charming and irreverent company. No, that has nothing to do with it at all. Although perhaps maybe a little…
My Thoughts

“If I were a better woman, perhaps less of a spinster and a quiz, I would be gracious and let you have your say. But I have far too much respect for you to let you condescend to my feelings.”

Having read Lynn Messina before (HERE), I knew I would be up for a fun and enjoyable romp in Regency England - she did not fail to deliver. This book is a lot of fun. Part of the ‘Love Takes Root’ series, do not fear for this is a standalone read and I had no problems at all with it. Following along classic lines, Messina puts her own spin producing a fun historical romance with intrigue - all very polite of course! It is a refreshing take on strong willed heroines with fabulous dialogue that takes a stand for female characters in an era when it would have been frowned upon. Far from being one dimensional, Messina provides a range of fun and inviting characters that I would be most interested in reading more from the series for light entertainment.

“I would never consider a beau who had made his declaration on the way to claiming a prawn.”

There were passages that I found repetitive, especially concerning the inner dialogue of both Tuppence and Gage, and I just wished it were filled more with the witty banter between both the leads and other prominent characters (the sisters were thoroughly entertaining). The plots are clever and really so amusing that is provides a wonderful escape as it is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face (even a chuckle is on the cards).  Traditional regency readers beware! This light and humourous read may not be for you unless you are prepared to suspend your inner critic and just lose yourself in this fun regency romp.

The duchess clutched the side of the window with one hand as she tugged her skirt over the sill with the other. “Actually, she wouldn’t care about the height. A lady being astride anything would be horrifying enough.”

This is a tale with a little bit of everything - mystery, intrigue, action, romance and a barrel of laughs. Spend some time with Tuppence Templeton and you cannot help but smile at her ‘impertinence’!

“...he’d never consider her his equal—no woman was—and she was far better off alone than diminishing herself to fit inside his pocket.”


This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

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