Lady Anna’s Favor (Proper Romance Regency)
In 1814, England and France are reeling from Napoleon, and Lady Anna Clifton is devastated. Her male relatives are dropping like flies, and the only one left is a soldier brother who has been listed as presumed dead. A dreaded cousin is sniffing about the estate, and Lady Anna is not having it. She hies off to France with her maid and manservant, a book on French, and her good looks. Fortunately, she runs into James Jennings, a diplomatic attaché from England. He runs her across the Channel and realizes that she is woefully underprepared for finding her possibly dead brother. In an act of ninety percent chivalry and ten percent lust, he volunteers to take her across war-torn France in an effort to locate the soldier.
The pacing is helped by the road trip and the multiple obstacles that arise when traveling through a pillaged countryside. But in this chaste novel, Mr. Jennings develops affections for the beautiful Lady Anna despite the uncomfortable carriage ride. For those who read this style of Regency romance, this is a fun escapade, but I found the characters too flat for my taste.
