This is one of those books I go back to once or twice a year to reread my favorite chapters/scenes. Its plot is nothing earth shattering: an upper class, "ugly duckling" spinster living in genteel "poverty" teaches a chimney sweep/rat catcher how to act like an upper class gentleman. This all happens because a pair of d-bags make a bet that some street rat can't learn to be upper class or whatever, and of course there's some intrigue where the street rat is secretly a noble all along, but whatever. That's not what stuck out to me about this story.
Both leads are really likable and well developed. They both have their moments of vulnerability and strength. The female lead might be well-educated and upper class, but she's still a woman. Her business teaching other ugly ducklings of high society how to behave at dinner parties will be destroyed if she's caught "living" with a street rat. Mick might be a man, and big and strong, but he will pretty much be killed if he's caught fooling the upper classes at one of their parties, especially if he's caught "seducing an innocent".
And I do like the opening quite a bit:
The most highborn lady Mick had ever been with - the wife of a sitting member of the House of Lords, as it turned out - told him that the French had a name for what she felt for him, a name that put words to her wanting his "lionhearted virility" - he liked the phrase and remembered it.
"A yearning for the mud," she told him. "That's what the French called it."
Well, that sounds interesting!
ReplyDeleteWell, that sounds interesting!
ReplyDeleteIt is very interesting.
DeleteHmmm... Now this seems like a forbidden intriguing story.
ReplyDeleteI love the main characters description and also the fact that the chimney sweeper/rat catcher might be noble all along. I want to know what happen to him!
Well, you can probably guess the HEA ending of most romances :)
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