Book Review: May

For this Season, I've chosen to review:

I was given this book by one of my high school teachers.
The book club at our school was run by me and a fellow classmate,
this teacher was one of our advisors and she suggested
several excellent books for us to read.
When it was time for me to graduate, she gave me this.

The Miser of Mayfair is a regency novel which means that it takes place in England during the Regency period which was named because England was ruled by a prince regent instead of a king. Fiction under this heading generally takes place from 1811 until 1820. While this novel is set in 1807, I think we can qualify it as a regency and forego the specifics.

Not only is it a regency novel, but a romance/adventure novel as well. 

To set the scene, it is important to know that the Season was when eligible young women came to London looking for husbands. People would come in from all over to rent a house and take part because husband-catching is a profitable business.

Mayfair is a part of London which is fashionable and its houses are rented for the Season. In particular, this story is focused around Number 67 Clarges Street. Any house for the well-to-do is stocked with a full staff, composed of a butler, a cook, a housekeeper, a footman, a chambermaid, and a pot boy. The story begins with a closer look at this staff, who are all stuck in their current positions; they form an informal family which looks after each other. 

What is great about Chesney's writing is that a reader can feel the story and time period. It's not overly stiff or complicated either, so a reader will have no trouble enjoying it. The details are thought out and nothing stands out as historically inaccurate (but then, I'm not a regency scholar). 

So the scene is set and the problem is told immediately. Number 67 Clarges Street is seen as cursed and the only way that the staff will get by is having some tenant rent the space. Needless to say, they need someone to come and soon.

Bring in Roderick Sinclair, a drinking enthusiast and retired lawyer. He has just learned about the death of his brother Jamie, and Jamie is wealthy. Roderick's pockets are threadbare and so he goes to hear the will, only to learn that his brother left him one thing: a ward, Fiona. 

When Roderick meets Fiona, he thinks of her as a simpleton. Fiona is beautiful, a stunning natural beauty and Roderick begins to scheme. He's heard about the Season and how else can he take care of her and himself.

Thus begins their journey. Roderick is poor though and it takes nearly everything to get there. Along the road, they have to stop for bad weather and meet Earls and Lords and Ladies. One man in particular stands out, Lord Harrington. If you know romance, then you know our dashing hero and stud has just arrived on scene.

However, he dismisses Fiona as well. What is a poor girl to do?

I've neglected to mention that Fiona is clever. Quite clever that she knows people see what they want to see and she acts like the air-headed innocent that everyone assumes she is. She knows what is at stake and she's determined to have a choice in who she is going to marry. She is the one who spreads the rumor that Mr. Roderick Sinclair is a miser, explaining their homely appearance and making others believe that they are rich. 

It's quite an entertaining read as our lovers dance around each other. Truths will be revealed, liars and schemers chastised, and a race against time and treachery. 

So take the time to go to the Season and learn all about it. If this review captures your interest, then I don't think you'll be disappointed with the novel.