Carla Kelly is an author I usually enjoy - I have several of her books on my keeper shelf. But I've held a few of them back, reading them one by one so I won't run out! I think With This Ring, one of her later books, shows her gradual switch away from romance and toward straight historical fiction.
With This Ring by Carla Kelly
(1997, Regency) 1/8/05
Grade: 4
Lydia is tired of giving in to her pretty sister and nasty mother - and when begins nursing to dying soldiers, she finds there’s more to life than the ton. She meets dedicated Major Sam Reed, who is looking for a wife - and after a scandal, finds herself married to him! But can they build a marriage together, as they travel from London to his home in Northumberland?
As always, Carla Kelly illustrates the gritty life of soldiers and war. Her depiction of the hospital at St. Barnabas and the dying soldiers there is painful and real. But I never warmed up to the hero and heroine, even though they were both noble and brave. It was interesting to read about the heroine growing stronger and more confident, but the relationship between the hero and heroine never really took hold. The story is more like a series of episodes that don’t completely hang together. It’s a strong and original look at a different side of Regency life, but I didn’t find it convincing as a romance.
Although I admire Carla Kelly's depiction of a side of life that's rarely shown in Regency romance, I'll admit I prefer her more romantic stories.
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