Dangerous Alliance

Lady Victoria 'Vicky' Aston has a good life. Her older sister is married to a charming Viscount; her family estate is secure; and she has more than enough time to worry about getting married. Vicky's life is turned upside down after her sister flees her abusive husband. In order not to lose her family estate, she now finds she needs to marry....soon. Just then her childhood friend Tom Sherborne reappears after being in exile. And very handsome Mr. Carmichael gives her attention. Vicky searches her beloved Jane Austen romances for answers, but doubts even Austen would know the answer to her heart.

What worked: This is a fun, engaging romp through Georgian England with a headstrong protagonist who wants to live a life just like one of the heroines in a beloved Jane Austen novel. Vicky could very well be one of those heroines in Pride & Prejudice. I liked how strong her character was and how she wasn't one to do what the men in her family and social circles demanded of her.

Her best friend Tom is a little like Mr. Darcy. Only his story is more complicated. His abusive father sends him packing and Vicky fears he wants nothing to do with her. He doesn't answer her letters, so she assumes the worse. When he shows up right when a stranger tries to harm her on her estate, unanswered questions arise on what his true purpose might be. Rumors circulate that Tom's dead father left him almost penniless.

Mr. Carmichael is that dashing Nineteenth century British gentleman that might be a rogue in disguise. I like how readers don't know Mr. Carmichael's true intentions toward Vicky until the final reveal.

There's also a mystery on who might be behind the attacks against Vicky and her family. Clues are hidden throughout the novel. All the while Vicky takes solitude in her beloved Jane Austen books. In a way she's almost saying, 'What would Jane Austen Do?' in the situations going on around her.

Highly engaging historical romance with witty dialogue and a protagonist worthy of a Jane Austen novel.