The Mismatch of the Season (Fairfax Sisters)
1820. Faced with the prospect of marrying an earl old enough to be her father, Phoebe Fairfax embarks on a last bid for freedom. But her path seems doomed to cross – repeatedly – with that of devastatingly handsome Viscount Damerel, who thwarts her attempts to do something heroic. But it’s her loyalty to her sisters that may prove the bond Phoebe cannot break. This is typical Regency fare – a handsome hero, an outspoken heroine, a devious love rival, a rambunctious family, ballroom scenes, a threatened duel, an abortive elopement…
The characterisation is lively, though Phoebe’s repeated assertions that Damerel is the most arrogant man she has ever met become tedious, and the dialogue sounds modern (‘Are you okay?), despite a scattering of Heyer-esque slang. The plot is uneven and inclined to farce (more Bridget Jones than Austen), though there are some heartfelt moments too.
Unfortunately, the novel suffers from a lack of research. Almost every page contains anachronisms or a failure to understand early 19th-century etiquette. The premiss is that Phoebe’s adventures are inspired by the novels she reads – but as someone who has studied forgotten Georgian and Regency novels, I can’t think of a single heroine who behaves the way Phoebe aspires to and can only conclude she has been reading Heyer’s novels a hundred years before they were written. I also wish Kenney hadn’t called Phoebe’s intended husband the Earl of Cumberland, since the Duke of Cumberland is, in fact, a royal title belonging successively to George IV’s great-uncle, uncle and younger brother. The Pre-Raphaelites are mentioned years before they were born; Mrs Sarah Siddons is repeatedly referred to as Miss… I could go on. Bridgerton fans will no doubt love this, but it seems a shame more fact-checking wasn’t done, because this had the potential to be a fun read
