Miss Chadwick’s Champion has two elements that I usually prefer to avoid – supposed amnesia and a Big Secret. However, author McRae manages to weave these elements into a plot that is entertaining and believable. The end result will please most fans of Regency Romance

Susanna Chadwick is an heiress who stands to inherit thousands of pounds if she marries before her birthday. She is used to being pursued by hundreds of men, all of whom hope to inherit her fortune. Her conniving cousin, who prefers not to leave Susanna’s choice to chance, kidnaps her and heads for Scotland. Susanna manages to knock him unconscious in a Yorkshire inn, and she flees into the night. For a while she travels in her cousin’s carriage, but when the horses bolt she is left alone in a thunderstorm. She presses onward for a few hours and finally collapses at the door of an out-of-the-way castle. When she awakens in a warm bed she discovers the old castle is owned by Baron Gareth Stavely, Lord Lindale. His two brothers, Gawaine and Gaheris (Harry), are also there, and all three are concerned abut her. Susanna makes a quick decision to fake amnesia; she doesn’t know anything about the Stavelys, and she fears they may return her to her scheming cousin.

Susanna soon decides that the brothers are nice people. The castle they live in is crumbling down around them, and Gareth is doing his best to keep the family afloat. The castle was heavily mortgaged when Gareth inherited the Barony; little by little he is paying it off. Gawaine, who enjoys town life, wishes his brother would sell the castle and buy something more modern, while Harry is fascinated with the rich history of the place. Susanna realizes that if she marries one of the brothers she could help save their castle. Since she can’t resist the opportunity to see if a man will like her for herself rather than her money, she continues her amnesia ruse. But at the same time, Gareth goes to York and discovers a handbill with Susanna’s picture on it – and a message saying she is a missing heiress. The wording makes him suspicious that Susanna is the victim of foul play, so he decides not to tell anyone that he has found her. On the way home he has a great idea – all three brothers can court her. If she marries one of them, the castle will be saved.

All three brothers proceed to court Susanna, and several humorous moments ensue. The best ones occur when the scholarly Harry makes an effort at courting. He is very motivated by the idea of restoring the castle to its former glory, but he is easily distracted by historical documents, even when he is right in the middle of proposing. Gawaine is the handsomest of the brothers, and Susanna enjoys his flirtations, but she is not particularly swayed by his compliments. As Gareth watches his brothers court Susanna, he realizes that he wants her for himself. But even when it appears that they may get together, there are still secrets (that both of them are keeping) which get in their way. And Susanna’s cousin is also still in hot pursuit.

Miss Chadwick’s Champion is the type of read I am usually hoping for when I open a Regency. I find that true Desert Isle Keepers are rare among Regencies, probably because it is difficult to really develop characters in such a short format. But this Regency is amusing and fun, with characters you can really like. Usually I find amnesia stories hard to believe, but since Susanna was merely pretending to have amnesia, that wasn’t a problem here. Dishonesty and secrets can also be troubling, but here again I felt that Susanna’s motivation made sense. I couldn’t blame her for wanting to see if someone would love her rather than her money.

Gareth’s dishonesty seems a little more selfish, since his initial reason for lying is to give himself and his brothers a good shot at marrying a wealthy and attractive woman. But as the book progressed I was convinced that Gareth truly loved her for herself – and felt suitable guilt about his dishonesty. Besides, there is an action-packed ending in which he definitely redeems himself.

My one problem with the book is that the reader never really gets to see Susanna fall in love with Gareth. I would like to have heard more about why she fell in love with him, and why she prefered him to his brothers. But overall this is a fun, quick read, with characters and dialogue that Regency fans will enjoy.