Because of You by Cathy Maxwell

Sometimes, with all the emphasis on "new" and "different" in the romance industry, the pleasure of the simple things is forgotten. A traditional story can be just as enjoyable as it ever was, if the story is told well, with believable, well written characters.

Because of You by Cathy Maxwell
(1999, Regency Historical) 4/18/08
Grade: 4

Yale Carderock, the disinherited younger son of a Duke, has returned from exile a successful man, only to find his father dead. Posing as “Marvin Browne”, he collapses at the local inn, where he’s nursed by the vicar’s daughter, Samantha Northrup. But when the villagers insist that they marry, Yale finds the idea surprisingly appealing.

A wonderfully enjoyable book with vividly written characters. The first half, in particular, just sparkled. The reader was given a chance to really get to know these characters, and understand who they were. Thankfully, just when the book seemed ready to go down the familiar road of the big misunderstanding or the big secret, the author had the characters talk to each other (how shocking!), which made the book a lot more interesting. The book bogged down just a bit in the second half, not that it was bad, but just not quite as sparkling and fast moving as the first half. And I can’t say it really moved me, as much as I liked the characters. But I didn’t want to put it down, and I enjoyed every page. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

I've been reading romance for more than 20 years, and sometimes after reading a string of cliched books with cardboard characters, I start to think I'm getting bored with romance. But then I pick up a book that does it right, and I'm happy all over again.