I’ve read many Regency period romance novels in which at least one character worries about being carted off to Bedlam, but in The Reckless Barrister by April Kihlstrom, it actually happens. The heroine is carted off to the mental asylum after accosting the hero’s brother outside his club. Unfortunately, we are given only a brief view inside the hospital when the hero comes to the rescue and the heroine refuses to speak of it later in the book. I’m still wondering what went on within those walls!

Before she is tossed into Bedlam, however, Emily Ashbourne is an impoverished gentlewoman in London determined to change the law. She charges into Philip Langford’s law office asking his help in obtaining better conditions for factory workers. It is this kind of blunt enthusiasm that gets her into all kinds of trouble. It also helps her escape marriage to a most unscrupulous man.

Philip is certain Emily is mad. He is not the reformer his father was, nor does he care to be. Even though he tries to explain to her that laws cannot be changed overnight, he is drawn to her. When his brother Harry, a spy in the British army, arrives asking for his assistance in investigating Emily’s former betrothed, Philip is forced to spend more time with the infuriating baggage – and he loses his heart.

Both Philip and Emily are assertive, witty characters. They banter in traditional Regency fashion, although their language is a tad bit stronger than what you might find in one of Miss Austen’s books. There are also plenty of sexual urges abounding yet things do not progress farther than a few passionate kisses and bewildering longings.

The Reckless Barrister was a fun book. I had only two problems with it other than my disappointment over Bedlam. I didn’t like Emily’s father. Not because he was an idiot, but because he was inconsistent. One minute he was declaring that he would cast her out of his house for ruining the betrothal he sold her into, and the next he was acting like a loving father. It got a little annoying. The secondary spy plot also seemed unnecessary; Philip and Emily were doing just fine on their own without investigating her ex-fiancé. It certainly wasn’t necessary to develop conflict between the two characters and I felt it only took away from the romance plot. The intrigue was over so quickly that it felt more like “filler” than a well-thought-out plot twist.

Honestly, I enjoyed this book more than many Regencies I’ve read. It had many original twists which I enjoyed, but it still managed to stay true to the Regency genre. It’s funny and sweet and left me with a smile on my face despite the few problems I had. If you’re looking for a fun, light read for a lazy afternoon, give The Reckless Barrister a shot.