The Mesalliance had the potential to be a truly interesting read. The major players – penniless but proud aristocrats and the self-made man who now owns their entire estate – at their very best show the promise of being interesting, multidimensional people. However, instead of letting intriguing characters tell their story, I cannot help feeling that the author pulled out tired old plot devices and forced her characters into them. The result is not a bad book, but certainly an ordinary one.

Lady Allegra Humphrey and her brother Richard know their place in Society. As aristocrats of very old lineage, they occupy a distinguished position and have lived their lives accordingly. Following their father’s suicide, the two mourned quietly and continued to spend money in a manner befitting their station, unaware of the extent of their ruin. As they prepare to come out of mourning, a solicitor calls to tell them the truth. Their father died deeply in debt and their estate belongs to one Silas Tremayne, a self-made millionaire. Out of pity for the mourning children, Silas allowed them to mourn in peace, but the time has come for them to face reality.

It is an especially cruel blow to Allegra considering that she found her father’s body, an experience that upset her deeply and left lingering effects. In addition, Allegra’s entire identity seems wrapped up in her social station. She is the perfect ice queen, a model of propriety not given to displays of emotion. Indeed, she is convinced that she has no passion or fire lurking beneath her reserved manners.

Silas Tremayne, on the other hand, has no delusions about his station. He has earned the place that he has and he realizes that this makes him unwelcome in the finest drawing rooms. However, he is determined that his beloved daughter Demelza will take her place in Society without being snubbed as he has been. To that end, he hits upon marriage into an aristrocratic family (perhaps even that aristocratic family whose ruin he has the power to control) as the answer.

While Silas’ initial use of his power over Allegra and her brother seems cold at times, it is hard to escape the idea that perhaps this rough shake is exactly what these two spoiled twits need to jolt them out of their ridiculous behavior. At the best moments in this book, the author manages to contrast Silas and Demelza’s rough manners and fundamental decency with the polished snobbery of Allegra and Richard to great effect.

Unfortunately, not every part of this book is so promising. While there is a very sweet secondary romance, the main relationship between Silas and Allegra grows exasperating. Sweet, touching scenes where Silas and Allegra seem to fall into friendship and then love are often marred by bickering and a lack of trust that extends too far into the story’s action to be wholly plausible. In addition, an unnecessary suspense plot detracts from the main action and makes the second half of the book much less enjoyable than the first.

Given that this book is a hardback and is priced accordingly, I cannot recommend The Mesalliance. It is not a bad novel, and the first half is actually quite entertaining. Ultimately, however, the writing is too uneven to raise the book above the merely average. Traditional Regencies are hard to find these days, but they are still not so rare that I would spend exhorbitantly to purchase a couple hours of mediocrity.