Kissing Cousins
Grade : C

I read another Nadine Miller book several years ago, and though I wracked my brain trying to come up with a title or a plot, I couldn't remember a thing about it. I had a vague impression that the book was okay, but it was (quite obviously) forgettable. In another couple of years, my thoughts about Kissing Cousins will probably be along similar lines. It has some good points, but it lacks that memorable quality that keeps a book from slipping into the outer recesses of the mind.

Cassandra Markham is a woman who has run out of options. Left alone in the dangerous London neighborhood of the Rookeries after her father's sudden death, she has three younger siblings to care for and no money to speak of. She does have a distant relative to whom she can appeal for help: Simon Markham, Earl of Worthing. Cassie's father was Simon's second cousin who was disinherited after he had the bad judgment to impregnate a lady's maid - and actually marry her. Cassie's father went on to father her three siblings (all by different mothers) as he lived the life of an eccentric, working on a sort of universal dictionary and language. Cassie appeals to Simon to help her find a husband, perhaps a childless widower who wouldn't mind a young wife and a ready-made family. Simon intends to turn her down, but his mother talks him into keeping Cassie and her brood.

Naturally, the plot goes about where you'd expect it to. Anyone can see that the stuffy, elegant earl will decide that Cassie can't just marry some old widower. But there are complications. Simon is already engaged to the daughter of a duke. His fiancée is an intelligent woman who is sure to help Simon in his quest for the office of prime minister. What's more, she's nice - and Simon is a man of his word. But as he spends more time with Cassie, practical concerns, class differences, and even his precious code of honor are all called into question. Simon finds Cassie practically impossible to resist, and it's clear that she returns his feelings. How will he find an honorable way out of his dilemma?

Simon's character is the one that kept me turning the pages. Not only is he likable - he's also believable as a man of his time. When we meet him, he's a snob. He wants nothing to do with Cassie and is only persuaded to help her family by his mother. He has ambitions and he sees Cassie as an impediment to them. His transformation into a man who is willing to sacrifice his ambitions to be with the woman he loves happens realistically, and he manages to retain his honor in the process.

There are some nice secondary characters, including Simon's mother - who could have been a loan from Romance Central Casting but managed to be unique - and his mother's long-time "friend." I also liked Simon's fiancée Honoria, who is definitely something more than the evil other woman.

But therein lies the main problem of the book - I liked the well-read, politically minded Honoria way more than I liked Cassie - who is pretty much a crashing bore. Why anyone would prefer Cassie to Honoria is quite beyond me. Both of them are attractive, but Honoria has far more spirit to her. Cassie's main role in the book is to moon about wishing things could be different as she tries to resign herself to marrying some widower she doesn't love. Her love for Simon seems to be based more on his good looks and the fact that he is just about the only man who has ever treated her nicely in her entire life. This isn't exactly the type of relationship that makes you sigh with longing.

For what it's worth, the children are also portrayed fairly well. They seem like actual kids and they avoid the twin vices of being either constantly underfoot or so cute and cloying that they give you a toothache. The only thing that bothered me were their names; I don't think there were many children in Regency England named Heather and Megan.

I think Regency fans could certainly read book worse than this one, and many may enjoy it for the varied and interesting secondary cast. But when you don't quite care for the heroine of the novel, it's hard to give it much of a recommendation. In the end this is a book much like my other Miller read of the past - fairly competent, and fairly forgettable.

Reviewed by Blythe Smith
Grade : C
Book Type: Regency Romance

Sensuality: Kisses

Review Date : April 28, 2002

Publication Date: 2002

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Blythe Smith

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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