Themes in romance novels are like clothing – they are very trendy. For the past few months every European historical I’ve read involves an American heiress who is either rich, spoiled, or both. Fortunately for me the heroine in this book managed to redeem herself very well. It was the hero who ultimately ended up driving me crazy for most of the book.

The Wedding Escape is the sequel to The Prisoner. The band of thieves featured in that book have all grown up. Jack Kent, the oldest, is running his own shipping company and has returned home for a short holiday. He wants to spend more time with his family, which unfortunately means attending the wedding of American heiress Amelia Belford to the Duke of Whitcliffe. He is bored silly with the affair since he barely knows the Duke and has no connection with the heiress whatsoever, and steps outside for some air. There he is treated to an interesting sight: a woman in a bridal gown crawling down from the balcony and landing in a heap in the bushes below. It’s just his luck that she attempts to commandeer his carriage. Jack climbs into his carriage with her to determine why the bride is running away.

Amelia has tried to be a dutiful daughter to her parents. It’s her mother’s ambition that Amelia capture a British title to go along with the wealth her parents built in America. Unfortunately, the only duke they could find desperate enough to marry an American was old and mean. Amelia has another suitor whom her parents refused to allow her to marry, but she believes he loves her so she is willing to run away from her wedding. Luckily for Amelia she runs into Jack first. He isn’t sure what to do with her, but she seems desperate and Jack knows what desperation feels like. He agrees to help Amelia return to her beloved. Jack privately thinks the man is a fortune hunter and it’s no surprise to him that he’s right.

Amelia is definitely a fish out of water. She’s used to having money to buy whatever she wants and the freedom to move through society. Since there is a large bounty out for her return, she has to hide in Jack’s home. She doesn’t have access to her father’s money and Jack is not financially able to support her in the manner to which she’s always been accustomed. It’s a painful awakening for her, although she isn’t as spoiled or immature as she first appears, thankfully. Jack finds himself intensely attracted to Ameilia, but he knows that someone like her could never love a former thief and murderer like him.

Amelia has a strong backbone and is determined to make her own way. I liked this about her character. She isn’t afraid to work even though she has never had to work a day in her life. She also understands a lot more about Jack than he realizes, which is good because he is a hard-headed, stubborn idiot about his past. In fact, I was completely frustrated with him most of the way through the book. He’s a likable guy with this gigantic chip on his shoulder. He flagellates himself entirely too long with the “I’m not good enough” refrain.

All the secondary characters involved with Jack are quite enjoyable. His family and servants all seem to have interesting talents and are more than willing to help Amelia achieve her goal of supporting herself. Jack, on the other hand, thinks that a woman like Amelia shouldn’t have to work, and therefore doesn’t help her at all. He thinks her search for employment is another example of his own shortcomings because he can’t afford to give her the luxuries he thinks she deserves. Jack does redeem himself toward the end of the book, so I was able to (mostly) forgive his stubbornness.

I’ve decided to consider this book my first guilty pleasure of the year. The plot was implausible considering the time period, and Jack had some serious problems, but I found myself truly enjoying the interaction between Jack and Amelia and the supporting characters. I loved the rescue scene involving some great acting on the part of Jack and his “family” and recommend this book with a caveat. Though there are some definite problems with The Wedding Escape, I had a good time anyway.