The Earl's Defiant Wallflower

March 23, 2015
The first in Ridley’s less than promising Dukes of War Regency series rushes a complex plot to an unbelievable climax. Grace Halton’s widowed mother, Clara, suffers from an unidentified illness that requires expensive treatment she can’t afford. Grace leaves their Pennsylvania home and travels to England to acquire the only cash to which she has any claim: she is inexplicably entitled to a substantial dowry, even though Clara’s unforgiving parents long ago disowned her. To collect it, Grace needs a husband who’s willing to marry immediately and wealthy enough to let her put the money toward Clara’s medical bills. Enter Lord Oliver York, the new Earl of Carlisle, who’s recently returned from war. He’s dirt-poor and looking for a rich bride. Naturally, they fall in love. A clumsy deus ex machina fixes all the problems caused by Grace and Oliver’s impractical romance, leaving no challenges for them to overcome themselves.