Long separations, an immature self-sacrificing heroine, and the big misunderstanding are all plot elements I try to avoid when reading romance. And then there is the register somewhere in my head that counts the number of times I roll my eyes in frustration as I read a particular book, gradually reducing the grade as the occurrences add up. Well, The Masquerade contained all of those aggravating plot elements, as well as a large count of eye rolling, but somehow Brenda Joyce pulled out a rather decent story in the end.

For those readers who prefer interaction between the hero and heroine for the majority of a book as I do, The Masquerade does not deliver on that point since by page 239, the leads have only been in each other’s company a grand total of 28 pages. Fortunately, this is followed with 220 pages of quality romance before the reader must endure another 65 page separation which does, surprisingly, fuel a satisfying and touching ending.

Lizzie Fitzgerald is an impoverished Irish gentlewoman, or should I say girl, who has loved the future Earl of Adare since she was ten years old. At the age of sixteen, she is a reticent bookworm given to wild daydreams that have the ability to overwhelm her common sense, even when speaking to others. Lizzie is the youngest of three sisters in a family that seems to come straight off the pages of Pride and Prejudice – well, for a while at least. One sister must marry for money for the sake of family and that responsibility will probably fall to the most beautiful sister, Anna. Mr. and Mrs. Fitzgerald were so similar to Mr. and Mrs. Bennett that I had no trouble envisioning them. And Lizzie likes to walk everywhere – why bother with a coach?

Tyrell de Warenne, the future Earl of Adare, has worked hard all his life to be worthy of his future title. A man we know little of for the first half of the book, he is the typical hero nobleman – impressive, well-liked, good with the ladies, and in control of his life. He doesn’t think about romantic love ever playing an important role in his life since he will eventually marry, for the sake of his family and position, a wealthy heiress.

Part One opens with the Fitzgeralds, complete with daydreaming Lizzie; beautiful, selfish Anna; and politically minded Georgie (the oldest daughter), attending a magnificent masquerade ball on All Hallow’s Eve at the home of the Earl. Mrs. Fitzgerald is obsessed with finding decent matches for her daughters, but realizes Lizzie may prove to be the most difficult since she is not all that pretty, and is both plump, and rather shy. Despite her lack of desirable attributes, Tyrell, a sophisticated man of 24, flirts flagrantly with the obviously virginal Lizzie and invites her to meet him privately later that night. Lizzie assures herself that he can’t be serious – how could he be attracted to someone like her? And although she wants that midnight tryst, someone else goes in her stead.

Lizzie doesn’t see Tyrell again for almost two years. Just weeks after the ball, she leaves home with Anna, who has discovered that she is with child and prefers to go into hiding rather than let anyone know of her disgrace – especially her future husband. They take refuge at their crotchety Aunt Eleanor’s home in Dublin, with the plan that Anna will give away the baby upon birth. When Lizzie decides to claim Anna’s baby boy as her own and keep her egocentric sister’s dire secret from everyone, including their family, she proves to be the very sweetest of martyrs and confirmed my earlier suspicions that she just isn’t a very smart woman. She names him Ned and prays that his father, Tyrell de Warenne, will never discover his existence.

When Ned is a year old, Lizzie shocks her family and society in general when she returns home claiming that he is her son. Family emotions escalate and questions abound about the father’s identity although principled Lizzie stonewalls their attempts as she lies, denies, and manipulates at every turn. When Aunt Eleanor finally discloses that Tyrell is Ned’s father, the Fitzgeralds immediately visit Adare, Lizzie and Ned in tow, to confront the earl and his dishonorable son about his despicable behavior.

Mercifully, at this point the story reclaimed my much waning interest as it gained momentum and shifted into a fairly intense romance. Tyrell finally becomes a real, although imperfect, character complete with rage, displaced honor, affection, sorrow, and torn emotions. While he is an aggressive hero who may be too dominating for some readers, he is the heart of the book in my eyes. The tough choices forced upon Tyrell are fairly typical for a romance hero but seemed rather singular as he worked through his particular angst and attempts to fulfill his duty.

Lizzie’s character matures and fortunately becomes more tolerable, but never reaches the level of genuine. She is a heroine who must live with the many poor choices she makes.

Tyrell and Lizzie’s love story is a roller coaster for certain, more in the style of early 1990s romance writing, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it very touching as well. Their conflicts center mostly on Tyrell’s struggles and gradual enlightenment since Lizzie remains accommodating in nature until forced by extreme circumstances to stand up for herself.

Since I have enjoyed many of Joyce’s historical romances, particularly those written before 1995, I anticipated reading The Masquerade, hoping for more of the same. However it proved to be quite the conundrum instead. How could I dislike a book so much for the first two hundred pages only to find myself relishing the next two hundred? Well, I decided its 539 pages were largely responsible – I prefer lengthy books but this core story is better told in a shorter format.