The front cover of The Scoundrel’s Vow reads: “She was young, beautiful, innocent. He vowed to protect her. . . from himself.” While that sounds terrific, the execution is far less scintillating – this is one of those books that just misses. Perhaps together we can discover why.

Calandra Locke has returned home to Scarborough Park after six years attending Lady Shelbourne’s School for Girls. She’s ready to dazzle Sir Scarborough Weston. No longer a plump youngster, she is now a beautiful firebrand who wants to win her lord’s heart, whom she’s loved since she was a child. But is it possible that a mere servant’s daughter can achieve her goal – to become his wife?

Scar is indeed shocked when he sees Callie after all this time. He’d paid for her schooling out of fondness for his estate manager, Eldridge Locke, and is allowing her to live, not with the servants for the summer, but in his wing of the manor. Will he be able to control his urges and not defile the feisty young woman he’s always held in affection, especially now that she is everything he could want in a woman? For Scar has vowed never to marry. His father was a bounder and he’ll be damned if he’ll hurt a woman as his father hurt his mother.

To make things more difficult for this couple is Callie’s father’s desire to marry off his daughter to anyone but his roguish young master. And then, of course, there is Scar’s Aunt Lenore, a class-conscious shrew who will do anything to ensure the continuation of the family line, as long as Scar marries someone “suitable.”

All the pieces are in place for a delightful Regency-era historical, but the pieces don’t seem to jibe. They fit more like puzzle pieces cut by a jigsaw in need of being sharpened. The setting, for instance, is it England in 1820 or 1860? It doesn’t say, and while I’m sure more historically-minded readers will be able to figure it out from the detail, it bothered me not to have a date listed on the first page. Then there’s the chemistry, so important in a romance. Unfortunately, it’s missing just as the date was.

This reviewer only feels chemistry when connected with both lead characters. I came to like Scar – baser instincts aside, because his behaviour made sense. On the other hand, Calandra reminded me of what author Susan Isaacs calls a “wimpette” in her book Brave Dames & Wimpettes. Surely I’ve read many a romance where the main goal of the heroine was to land her hero, but Callie was annoying in her efforts to do so. There was no purpose for her in this book other than finding a sneaky way to convince Scar she was the one for him. As a result, I never came to like her, even though she had had a difficult life and, without Scar, wouldn’t have had much to look forward to in the future.

So, the setting is vague and the chemistry nil. What’s left? Plot. Characterization. Secondary characters. There isn’t much plot beyond Callie’s wanting Scar and scheming to get him and Scar’s wanting Callie and trying to avoid his feelings for her. As for characterization, Scar is an interesting hero as he figures out Callie really is perfect for him. But there’s that annoying Callie to cancel him out. Secondary characters are also problematical – Aunt Lenore is a walking, talking stereotype, and Eldridge Locke’s attempts to help his daughter only end up hurting her. And, what kind of a father only visits his daughter four times in six years, with none of the visits within the last 24 months?

Is there anything that works in The Scoundrel’s Vow? I can foresee author Browning, who debuts with this book, writing a far better book next time. Sir Scarborough is written well, for the most part, so she can write an interesting hero. The background for Calandra was well thought-out, so she can create realistic empathy. But she will need to flesh out her heroines and plots in the future, and create a better type of Aunt Lenore in the future if she wants this reviewer to give her a second shot.