An Unlikely Alliance

Rachel
Van Dyken
Genre: 
Historical

A poor but hopeful young Evelyn De Jarlias, born and raised on a farm in Louisiana, catapulted into the world of wealth and society when her father is offered an extravagant amount of money for his land by an English aristocrat.   After many etiquette lessons by the finest teachers and a move to New York City, she tries her best to fit in and make her father proud. However, not all of her dreams can be purchsed and she struggles to be the perfect lady, especially when egocentric Royce McArthur sets his sights on her at a ball.
Royce is the head of the McArthur family.  Although wealth and privilege have been his birthright, he falls short of the respect and honor awarded his position, much to the dismay of his recently widowed mother.  She hatches a plan to steer Royce in the right direction by giving him a deadline -  find a suitable wife within four months' time.  Royce, having lived his life until this point sampling the pleasures of all things available to him, finds the challenge difficult until he discovers that perhaps a wife is not so bad if it could be Evelyn.
 A constant thread of humor is woven into this charming story from the very beginning.  The characters are sarcastic, lively and add a whimsical twist to this historical regency romance. The familiar plot of the rogue and feisty heroine who battle each other with wit and charm, ultimately ending up in a whirlwind romance is ever-present here. Although the cover alludes to a very steamy romance, if one is expecting that in the story, it will fall short.  This romance is strictly sweet.  Occasionally, details are known by characters that has the reader confused as to how they would have gained this knowledge without a prior explanation (such as knowing a person's name without a formal introduction). Still, this is a thoroughly scrumptious treat!
Margaret Faria