"Lord Fenton's Folly"

Love is in the air. Does anyone else love the atmosphere that Valentine's Day creates? I enjoy celebrating the whole month through romantic books and movies. "Lord Fenton's Folly", by Josi S. Kilpack, helped satisfy my craving for a cute love story. It is more than simply a cute love story though. This book is full of verbal sparring between the main characters and a secret that finally comes to light after twenty years of hiding.

Lord Fenton has made it his life's mission to embarrass his father, the Earl, in any manner possible. He has transformed himself into one of London's greatest dandies and he takes every opportunity to make the fool of himself in his father's name. This discord between father and son ultimately leads to the Earl deciding to disinherit Fenton as heir and pass it on to his younger son instead. When Fenton begs for redemption, he is given certain circumstances he must meet in order to return to his father's good graces. One such circumstance is his must marry an eligible young woman by the end of the year, just six months away.

Alice has been smitten by Lord Fenton ever since they were children, so when he asks for her hand in marriage she couldn't be happier. She is the giddy bride-to-be but quickly observes that Fenton doesn't seem to share her enthusiasm. When she discovers that their engagement is a forced one, she tries to protect herself in the only way
she can - by burying her feelings.

"Lord Fenton's Folly" is filled to the brim with wit and parrying insults. As you can imagine, Alice is not very happy when she discovers Fenton's true motives, which results in a couple that doesn't know how to do anything but argue. Alice is a strong character and doesn't back down from her new husband. She displays a handful of honorable characteristics and I love when women are written with a strong will and independence. Especially in a time when women were not supposed to be opinionated. Fenton on the other hand is an idiot and he makes so many wrong choices that you want to shake him and put him on the right path. You will fall in love with his character though through the small cracks of vulnerability that the author adds in. This book is a "proper romance" and does not include anything that would keep me from wholeheartedly recommending it. For its genre, I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. Check it out and let me know what you think!