Truly Yours

Next is Truly Yours by Barbara Metzger. I am unfamiliar with this author. My mom left this book behind on her last visit with the caveat that I probably wouldn't like it. She only says that because I sneer at most of her reading selections these days. Our tastes have diverged over the years.

I found the story amusing. It's not a keeper but it wasn't a total waste of time either, just historical fluff once again written from a very modern sensibility. In this case it's a combination of fantasy, mystery, and romance.

The fantasy: our hero Viscount Rexford comes from a long line of truth-seers. The men have an infallible ability to detect truth and lies, inherited along with their piercing blue eyes. Rex sees them as colored auras ("true show more blue" as literal), while his cousin gets an itchy rash when someone lies. It is an extremely silly premise, but provides for a lot of the comic relief in the story and some amusing dialogue and plot points.

The mystery: Amanda Carville is found holding a gun and standing over her dead wicked stepfather. She's hauled off to jail as a murderess. Only Rex and his truth-sniffing abilities can save her.

The romance: Rex and Amanda Carville, the goddaughter of his mother. Plus possibly his estranged parents who've been separated since he was ten (and Rex has never forgiven his mother for it). Cousin Daniel remains a confirmed bachelor.

Rex finds Amanda catatonic and filthy in her cell, carries her away in true romantic hero fashion, and instantly falls in love with her. Though he doesn't realize it at first, of course, but does start having lustful thoughts as soon as he sees her naked while trying to get her into clean clothes.

There are a bunch of silly plot devices that keep him from being able to ask her the question and discover the truth right away. Then more silly plot devices as he and Daniel try to solve the mystery by barging up to people and asking them point-blank if they murdered the stepfather. And yet more silly plot devices for Amanda and Rex to be lustful all over each other in fine, modern erotic fashion, while godmother et al. mostly tastefully look the other way.

Subplots revolve around the cousins' reputation during the Napoleonic War as interrogators, the mysterious head of British covert operations, the family estrangement, what law enforcement would be like if only we could know when perpetrators and witnesses are lying, etc.

As I said, generally ridiculous escapist fiction set during the Regency era. It has all of the requisite name dropping to give it the minimum of historical trappings. No depth of any sort but the dialogue is moderately engaging and the story trips along. It's better than some I've read, but it's no Heyer. show less

I'm disappointed with the latest Barbara Metzger books. I've always been a big fan of hers but I'm not liking her recent work nearly as much. As usual, the story itself was well written but adding all the sexual content was not necessary nor pleasing. Apparently Ms. Metzger is trying to fit in with today's requirements for historical romances and not the old style regency romances which is too bad.