Lord Kane’s Keepsake
Sweet-tempered Emma Rutherford is betrothed to Gerald Fitzroy, Lord Kane. It is quite a coup for a young lady from Dorchester to capture the attention of such a sophisticated and wealthy nobleman. Emma’s insecurities that she is marrying above her station are compounded by discovering that Lord Kane was involved with the most beautiful woman in London, and by the whispered slanders of Kane’s rival, Lord Avenley.
This book was written over fifteen years ago, and I wonder if this was reissued without evaluation by an editor. Since that time, writing styles have changed. Both writers and readers have become more sophisticated. No longer are whole paragraphs devoted to what the main character is wearing where a word or two would suffice. This stops the story in its tracks, whereas the reader wants to move through the story to get to the happily-ever-after of the romance. The characters seem one-dimensional, and the plot is predictable. Compound this with the ugliest woman to ever grace the dust jacket of a novel. All these make Lord Kane’s Keepsake a book that will not grace your keeper shelf.