Miss Lockharte's Letters

When Rosellen Lockharte comes down with a severe case of influenza, she is determined not to shuffle off this mortal coil without airing a multitude of grievances. With the last of her strength she sends letters to those who have done her wrong - including the arrogant Viscount Stanford, and Rosellen's beautiful but malicious cousin Clarice. Once Rosellen recovers, she learns that her letters have landed her in a world of trouble. Her employers are turning her out, suspicious accidents abound in her vicinity, and Stanford is convinced she's trying to entrap him into marriage. And how can a penniless penmanship teacher hope to set everything right?

In case you hadn't gathered from the above, there's a heckuva lot going on in this show more relatively short story. I didn't even mention a number of side plots (and possible side romances) that are tidily wrapped up in a bow at the end, but which weren't really resolved satisfactorily. It seemed that the author realized about halfway through that she wasn't going to have enough pages to explain everything in detail, so she just dropped all but one or two major plot points.

So, I liked Rosellen, particularly when she was being snarky or calling our hero an arrogant prig. The girl definitely had gumption, especially given her predilection for getting into all sorts of accidents. But I also think that a lot of her spirit was lost because of her circumstances. She ended up being continually recovering from some injury or other and was never actually in a position to do anything on her own. She was forced to rely almost completely on Viscount Stanford, and the few situations where she took matters into her own hands (the fire) were merely alluded to rather than shown.

As to Stanford, I think Rosellen had it completely right. He is an arrogant prig. He insists that she must be suffering from hysterics and/or paranoia despite ample evidence that she is not one to let difficult circumstances turn her head. He spends most of the time behaving in an irritating autocratic manner which he excuses when he finally proposes by telling her that she won't let him boss her around, so it's all ok... His Great Transformation once he realizes she's in danger for once is rather pitiful all things considered, so I never got around to a part where I actually liked him. He was the same annoying man, he just started spouting pretty words instead of commands for a change.

I just wasn't impressed. It wasn't terrible. I liked the dog a great deal. But on the whole nothing about it really stood out to me.

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Re-read, November 2022
Aha! I could not for the life of me remember which book had a governess-type character wounded and ill and locked in an attic room wherein she is discovered and carried down by a gentleman rescuer.
This is that book. Phew. One less thing to worry about.
Other than that, I enjoyed it pretty well but slightly less than the first time through.

Original review follows:

Another pleasant surprise in a Regency novel... this one has amusing farce and believable romance, although some of the assassination attempts on the heroine do strain credulity! However, I think you're meant to take the whole book as a fun romp and find plenty to laugh about.