TEST
I read and enjoyed Emma Jensen’s Best Laid Schemes last year, so when I picked up her newest novel, The Irish Rogue, I was expecting something similar – a nice little comedy of manners with some slapstick humor thrown in. I was in for a surprise, but not an unpleasant one. The Irish Rogue is a darker, more serious Regency set in Dublin. The humor is more subtle, and the plot features much more action and adventure. Though the plot was not exactly new, the memorable characters made it a very worthwhile read.
The hero and heroine of The Irish Rake are both unusual people. Ailis O’Neill is a spirited, patriotic Irish woman who enjoys painting local wildlife. She has no great love for snobby Englishmen, so she tries to avoid Christor Moore, Lord Clane, at every opportunity. Although his mother was Irish, his father was an English nobleman, and Ailis is sure that Christor is stuck-up and unfeeling.
Actually, Christor is leading a double life. By day he is a well-dressed nobleman with influence in the House of Lords. By night he rides as An Cu, an Irish Robin Hood who holds up carriages – always of wealthy English nobles – and distributes the spoils to Ireland’s poor. Though Ailis is often cold to him, Christor finds himself attracted to her anyway. He wonders what the source of her animosity is, and he really wants to win her over. His biggest frustration is that while Ailis barely tolerates him, she is enamored of An Cu. As Christor spends more time with her, she seems to soften towards him. But how can he compete with himself?
In addition to the primary romance plot, there is a lot more going on. Christor is a war veteran, and he retired An Cu while he was fighting Napoleon. However, someone else has been impersonating An Cu. Christor is afraid that the imposter An Cu, who seems less competent than himself, will be captured. Meanwhile, Ailis is worried about her brother Eamonn, who hopes to become an MP for Dublin. Eamonn is often gone at night, and both Ailis and Christor are afraid that he could be the imposter An Cu. They need to catch the imposter and protect him before both An Cus get into serious trouble.
The humor in The Irish Rogue is different than in some of Jensen’s other books, but it still figures prominently. Often it comes from the secondary characters, but both the main characters have humorous thoughts now and then. Christor’s role as An Cu also provides much of the comedy. His outings frequently result in injuries which he has to hide, and his lame excuses for them are quite amusing.
I really enjoyed both Ailis and Christor. Ailis was stubborn and strong-willed, but even from the beginning she was attracted to Christor. She fought her feelings every step of the way, but she couldn’t help thinking about him. I found her very endearing. Her artistry also contained a humorous surprise which made for one of the best scenes in the book. Christor was equally likable. His dogged pursuit of Ailis and his dashing role as An Cu provided an irresistible combination.
This plot has certainly been done before. Two examples that come to mind are Jude Deveraux’s The Raider and Mary Balogh’s Truly. In this case, Jensen creates likable characters that help make the book unique. The problem with this sort of plot is that it is always hard to believe that the heroine can’t see through the hero’s disguise and figure out his true identity. Ailis actually kisses “both” men, and still manages to be fooled by a mask and a fake countrified accent. This is just a little hard to believe.
Even so, the plot is a fun one, and the memorable characters make the book worth reading. Readers who enjoy Regencies but are tired of the same old London setting might especially enjoy this one. I look forward to Emma Jensen’s next book, and whatever surprises it might hold.
Grade: B
Book Type: Regency Romance
Sensuality: Kisses
Review Date: 09/03/00
Publication Date: 1999
I've been at AAR since dinosaurs roamed the Internet. I've been a Reviewer, Reviews Editor, Managing Editor, Publisher, and Blogger. Oh, and Advertising Corodinator. Right now I'm taking a step back to concentrate on kids, new husband, and new job in law...but I'll still keep my toe in the romance waters.
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Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.