Review: Long Meg and the Wicked Baron

Title: Long Meg and the Wicked Baron

Author: Pamela Hart

Publisher: 1st March 2022 by Escape Publishing

Pages: 130 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: women’s fiction, historical fiction, short story

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

From award-winning author Pamela Hart, a warm and witty Regency tale of second chance love.

Little Foxbury, Norfolk, 1818

Meg is in her mid-twenties, grief-stricken and all but on the shelf after the death of her beloved fiancé, John. The last thing she expects is an immediate attraction to Nicholas, Lord Ashham, newly arrived in their Norfolk area to take up the title of his departed father—who was, indeed, a wicked Baron. Artistic Nicholas is cut from a different cloth. Can Meg help him escape the stain of the past without damaging her own, spotless reputation, and become a bride at last?

My Thoughts

I am always up for a book by Pamela - I love her writing! Here she offers her readers such a sweet and fun Regency short story. I am not a fan overall of short stories as it's difficult to get invested in the characters, however, Pamela does a great job in Long Meg and the Wicked Baron.

‘Step by step he’d build a reputation here which would allow him to stand in the open with Margaret Deveny without destroying her reputation.’

Despite the obvious wishing it were longer and provided more detail, the story moves along at a good pace with highly engaging lead characters. Meg is thought to be a spinster and Nick finds himself judged because of the wickedness of his father (now deceased). Pam successfully captured an energy between the two which is commendable in such a short amount of writing. Of course there is the requisite small village gossip with all their prejudices and rumours to add highlights to this engaging tale. 

‘How wonderful it must be to want something so desperately! To know who you were meant to be, and strive for it daily.’

Long Meg and the Wicked Baron is a perfect afternoon read. A mutual attraction between the endearing heir, the forgotten maid with an artistic little sister providing the fun connection between the two. There is a lovely epilogue that rounds the story out nicely and makes for a satisfying if somewhat quick Regency fix. 

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.