Booklog 35/2022: Sophia Holloway: Kingscastle

[jacey]

Captain William Hawksmoor, a half-pay Captain in the Royal Navy, currently without a command is surprised to find that, despite being the youngest son of a youngest son, he’s inherited an estate (Kingscastle) and a title (Marquis of Athelney). The only stipulation is that he should marry before the trustees can release the estate funds to him. So far, so Regency romance. What makes this a bit different is that much of it is told from William’s point of view and concentrates on him learning how to be a Marquis, seeing a tailor, acquiring a valet, when for the last fifteen years he’s needed nothing but his naval uniform. But William rises to the occasion. He has to cope with a vicious aunt (living in the estate’s dower house) and a monstrous flood, but he has allies (who are involved in a sub-plot romance). Lady Willoughby Hawksmoor, the harridan aunt, is determined that William should marry her timid daughter, but William realises that his aunt’s paid companion, Eleanor Burgess, is more to his liking. It all works out the way you might expect, but the journey is interesting. This is a very ‘clean’ romance, don’t expect sexual romps as in Bridgerton.