Bantam, Feb 2003, 6.50, 368 pp.
ISBN: 0553584898
In 1816 England, Special Branch enlists the help of Lord Caspar “Case” Devere to capture a clever killer. The clues lead Case to the Ladies' Library women's rights group whose objectives is to change the marriage and property laws. Case asks member Jane Mayberry to take him to see her friend Letitia Gray better known among this circle as Letty Piers.
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Jane is as uncooperative as she is intelligent, which means Case has quite an obstacle to overcome. Case persuades Jane to help him. Working together, they begin to fall in love. However, she harbors a secret that she knows will destroy their relationship even as he realizes the murderer is someone he loathes from the war in the Peninsular.
ALMOST A PRINCESS is as much a historical mystery as it is a Regency romance. The investigation is cleverly designed so that the audience follows Case and his sidekick as they begin to solve the homicides until the plot twists into a cat and mouse game with the lead male protagonist as the rodent and his beloved partner as the cheese. The romance is a delight also especially as the women's movement appears to be an intriguing obstacle. Perhaps the only default is Elizabeth Thornton's penchant to use princess in her titles when this novel is obviously higher ranked.
Harriet Klausner
The review of this Book prepared by Harriet Klausner
