Regina Scott's The Lady Emily Capers series features alliterative titles and silhouetted covers that I love. Reading Secrets and Sensibilities (2013), however, did not pique my interest enough to warrant continuing with the series. This is due, again, to poor characterization and unrealistic plot development.As far as steamy romances go, Secrets and Sensibilities isn't one, similar to Julia Quinn's romances in which steamy sex scenes have no part in the storyline. Unlike Quinn romances, though, Secrets and Sensibilities also lacks interesting characters, witty dialogue, romantic courtship, and sexual sizzle. Bland, flat, and boring best describe a story that began with great potential.
So what's the story?
At the invitation of the widow of the former Earl of Brentfield, art instructor Hannah Alexander accompanies four of her students on a country visit to the estate of David Tenant, the new Earl of Brentfield. The widow of the late Earl and aunt to one of Hannah's pupils has failed in her attempts to capture the attention of the new earl and hopes that her niece, on the verge of her seasonal debut, will be more successful. All her plans come to naught when Hannah captures the attention and imagination of David upon their first meeting. It's unclear why because the characters are not developed enough to reveal traits that make them distinct and unique from others. What follows is a nonsensical, unrealistic story. Here are just a couple of examples of what I mean:
At the invitation of the widow of the former Earl of Brentfield, art instructor Hannah Alexander accompanies four of her students on a country visit to the estate of David Tenant, the new Earl of Brentfield. The widow of the late Earl and aunt to one of Hannah's pupils has failed in her attempts to capture the attention of the new earl and hopes that her niece, on the verge of her seasonal debut, will be more successful. All her plans come to naught when Hannah captures the attention and imagination of David upon their first meeting. It's unclear why because the characters are not developed enough to reveal traits that make them distinct and unique from others. What follows is a nonsensical, unrealistic story. Here are just a couple of examples of what I mean:
- Characterized as an awkward spinster who retreats into her art at the all girls' school to avoid interacting with them, within the week she spends at the earl's estate with four of her students, Hannah is suddenly open to having children because she learns that all they need is love. This, despite telling David within day one or two of meeting him that she is not interested in being a mother.
- A self-taught painter, Hannah is expected by the new earl to be the best candidate to help him locate and identify precious works of art. This plot point was meant to be a mystery but was again flat and predictable.
- The plot element that annoyed me the most is the development of the romance. It seems like within two or three days, with minimal contact, David was already pledging loyalty and devotion to Hannah by promising her marriage. Again, they had barely interacted with each other, and the little interaction they did have had not made either of them so extraordinary that their attraction to each other would have made sense. Furthermore, the conflict that would have arisen from their unequal social status was brushed over. I understand that to explain this element Scott created David and outsider, a leather craftsman from Boston who found himself heir to an earldom and who didn't care to adhere to British society norms. Still, the shoulder shrug given to this aspect of the story just seemed ridiculous.
Regina Scott had a good set up; however, the delivery is amateurish and unrealistic mainly because the plot evolves and conflicts are resolved all within the span of one week.
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