I love historical novels set in the regency period and I had heard some good things about this book, but I found myself picking it up and putting it down again and again and again. It’s not that I disliked this book but I just could not get involved with it.

Indiscreet begins with the Widow Winstead and her lover the Duke of Selbourne cavorting naked on a balcony – a very narrow balcony. When Selbourne’s valet throws open the doors to the balcony – well let’s just say that the people at Lady Buxley’s lawn party will never forget that night!

Several years later, the current Duke of Selbourne, Bramwell, gets a message that the Widow Winstead’s daughter Sophie is coming to town for the Season. Bram’s father had made a promise that he would sponsor Sophie for the Season and Bram feels honor-bound to carry out his father’s wishes. Bram is as stiff and stuffy a man as can be found. He has reacted to the scandal of his father’s death by becoming so prim and proper as to be a prig. Then in comes Sophie Winstead.

Sophie is beautiful and as happy as a lark about everything. She reminded me of Pollyanna, that sickeningly cheerful little brat and soon has just about everyone in Bram’s household wrapped around her perfect little finger. Soon, many of Bram’s friends, and several of Sophie’s mother’s old lovers (whom Sophie refers to as her “Uncles”) are all buzzing around and disrupting Bram’s quiet life.

Sophie wishes to marry and have children, but she refuses to believe in love. For Sophie’s mother, love brought tears and disgrace. Sophie is a virgin but is familiar with lust and not shocked by it, but as for love – no thank you ma’am.

Sophie’s charm can’t help but have an effect on Bram and as he unbends, Sophie begins to question her rejection of love. There is a lot of banter between the two of them, but I did not feel much sexual tension in their relationship.

There were a few other things that I didn’t care for in this book as well. There is a lot of slang, so much that I sometimes wondered what the heck they were talking about. Bram’s fiancee Isadora (who is stiffer than he is) starts every other sentence with “Lud,” and I found that to be annoying, damme! The secondary characters – Bram’s kleptomaniac aunt, Bram’s friends and Sophie’s “Uncles” were funnier than Bram and Sophie. Bram, especially was so wooden, that when he finally thawed, I didn’t care.

When it takes me so long to finish a book, I know it is not for me. Maybe a reader who is vey fond of the regency period and more conversant with the slang will like Indiscreet better than I did.