I haven’t been reading Regency Romances for very long and truthfully only began reading them by accident. Still, I have no problems making up for lost time and Rita Boucher’s The Poet and the Paragon was a thoroughly pleasant read. At first, the thought of a heroine who writes tracts on proper morals was a little off-putting, but Rebecca is such a sweet, smart and capable heroine that it was easy to look past that.

Rebecca Creighton’s life was forever changed when her fiance left her standing at the altar. Now, ten years later, she is working to make ends meet and to give her younger sister a season. Her ex-fiance Oliver is in dire straits now but there may be a way out, if Rebecca agrees to marry him – again. Michael Fairgrove is an ex-soldier and a poet who also happens to be a friend of Oliver’s. Michael decides to attend one of Rebecca’s readings and ends up saving her from a riotous crowd. The two find themselves thrown together in an unusual situation and because of the rioting Michael finds it difficult to get Rebecca home. Michael feels drawn to Rebecca even though he knows it is imperative that she marry Oliver. For her part, Rebecca is also drawn to Michael. Although she wishes she could give in to her new-found passion, she is very conscious of her reputation and responsibilities.

Michael decides that he must never see her again, but unfortunately that is easier said than done. Oliver has an accident and once again, Michael comes to the rescue. Rebecca finds out that Michael and Oliver are friends and she understandably feels betrayed, accusing him of only seeking her out in order to make sure she married Oliver. While Michael did begin with that intention, by the end of their evening together, he wanted her for himself. But instead of telling her the truth, Michael allows her to feel angry and hurt. While I understand why he did it, this was somewhat bothersome. Thanks to a stolen kiss or two, the situation is resolved and Rebecca and Michael do live happily ever after.

Michael and Rebecca’s evening journey through London was a good way for them to come to know each other. They were thrown into a dangerous and unusual circumstance so they came to know each other in a way that would not have been possible in polite society. The scenario also allows the reader to get to know them as well. The people they got help from on the way, Eve and the DeSilva family, also lent richness to the story and to Michael’s character. Despite Rebecca’s profession, she was open-minded and intelligent. I did not feel that the story had an overly religious bent to it; it was far from preachy. And Michael was a hero worthy as well.

I did find some of the other secondary characters, the Reverend Havermill and Rebecca’s stepmother Lydia, to be a bit stereotypical. The ending was also a bit predictable. But overall, The Poet and the Paragon was an enjoyable read with a winning hero and heroine.