AN INCONVENIENT LETTER (Proper Romance Regency), by Julie Wright, Shadow Mountain, March 5, 2024, Paperback, $16.99 (young adult/ new adult/ adult fiction)
A young woman is forced into a fake relationship when her secret love letters are accidentally found by the wrong man in An Inconvenient Letter, by Julie Wright.
1828, the London countryside
For years, Marietta Stone has harbored a secret infatuation for the handsome Frederick Finch and has poured out her deepest feelings in a series of passionate love letters that she keeps in a locked drawer. But when Marietta’s private letters are accidentally delivered to Frederick’s house, she must retrieve them immediately before they fall into the wrong hands. If the letters were read by anyone else, the resulting scandal could jeopardize her reputation.
Gerard Hartwell has no time for infatuations, courtship, or even love. He must find a wife with a substantial inheritance if he wishes to save his late father’s bankrupt estate. When he accidentally discovers Marietta’s love letters at his cousin Frederick’s estate, he strikes a bargain with her. If she helps him court her older sister, Anne, he will return the letters and help Marietta win Frederick’s heart.
Marietta agrees, and the two quickly pretend to be courting in order to spend time with their individual love interests. Yet, what appeared to be a straightforward bargain becomes complicated when Gerard realizes that the more time he spends with Marietta, the more he wishes he could court her for real. But can he persuade Marietta to give him a chance when her heart might belong to another man? —Synopsis provided by Shadow Mountain
Julie Wright has become a staple of Shadow Mountain’s Proper Romance line with three contemporary romances — Lies Jane Austen Told Me; Lies, Love and Breakfast and Tiffany’s; and Glass Slippers, Ever After, and Me — and three Regency romances — A Captain for Caroline Gray; Windsong Manor; and her latest, An Inconvenient Letter.
And if you’ve ever read Wright’s work, you know that there’s a warmth and familiarity to her prose that makes reading her novels enjoyable.
An Inconvenient Letter is the second Regency romance with a mashup of the fake courtship and love triangle tropes I’ve read this week. The other, An Unlikely Proposition, by Rosalyn Eves, also hits bookstores March 5. These tropes are popular, so it’s nice to see such different approaches from the two authors.
An Inconvenient Letter is told from the alternating viewpoints of Marietta (Etta) and Gerard. Their friends-to-lovers romance is exactly what you’d expect from Wright — emotion, misunderstandings, unrequited love and friendship. It’s a fast-moving read, perfect for a weekend at home.
As with all Proper Romance novels, An Inconvenient Letter is a sweet romance that is appropriate for all age levels, young adult and up. And because its main characters are on the younger side, it will likely appeal to teens who are fans of Austen-style romances.
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