Jack of Hearts by Marjorie Farrell

I appreciate an author who includes a taste of history in her books (I ascribe some of my love of history to my childhood romance reads) but I get a bit frustrated when the romance is pushed aside in favor of a history lesson.

Jack of Hearts by Marjorie Farrell
(2000, Regency Historical) 2/29/08
Grade: 3.5

The daughter of a mill owner, Anne has decided she needs a titled husband. Her solicitor gives her a list of 3 candidates, all in need of money, and she sets out to choose one. Careless rake Jack Belden is at the bottom of the list. But as problems at the mill come forward, she begins to realize that she wants something different from life, and from marriage.

This book started off well, but lost its way in the second half. I liked the practical heroine, although her dislike of Jack seemed a bit flimsy and went on for too long. (It felt like a plot contrivance.) Jack was also an interesting character, although I thought he wasn’t as deeply drawn as Anne. I also appreciated the secondary romance between Anne’s companion Sarah and her groom, Patrick - very moving and well done. When the concerns about the mill workers was first introduced, I thought it was handled very well - it gave Anne a good reason to rethink her life, and wonder how to handle the human side of her inheritance. But the mill plot took over the book in the second half, to the detriment of the romance storyline. If Jack had been a part of the story, it might have worked, but instead, Jack was missing from the book for a large section in the middle, and Anne made some stupid decisions that didn’t make much sense. It’s an interesting story about the industrial development in the Regency period, but the romance was pretty much dropped, to my disappointment.

Thinking about this book a few days later, I remember the mill plot in detail, but the character of Jack fades from memory. Not what you want in a romance!