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28. Clare Darcy, Cressida
Beautiful, vivacious, and wealthy, Cressida Calverton is one of the most sought-after women in London. She often encourages her many suitors and accepts their attentions, but always stops short before marrying them - a habit that has caused some people to label her a heartless flirt. Cressy, however, is simply trying to find a man who can replace her memories of her first love. Six years earlier, she had been engaged to Deverell Rossiter, a penniless soldier, but the engagement had lasted only one week before a violent quarrel ended the relationship. Now Cressy is inclined to accept a proposal from the extremely eligible Lord Langmere - but then Rossiter returns to London from his adventures in the army, incredibly rich and ready to settle down. He and Cressy meet several times but can’t seem to hold a conversation without arguing. Will they ever be able to reconcile their differences and find true love?
Okay, I’ll admit it: I quite enjoyed this novel, despite the fact that the basic plot was a shameless ripoff of Austen’s Persuasion. Rossiter was a fun hero, blunt and straightforward - I just wish there had been more of him. I also found Cressy sympathetic overall, although I wanted to smack her sometimes because of her crazy, self-indulgent behavior. The subplot, involving a poor young woman whom Cressy takes under her wing and a hardened rake, was trite and irrelevant to the main plot. Rossiter’s engagement to Kitty was never believable, and Addison was like a cartoon villain. Although I had a lot of problems with the book, though, overall it was very entertaining, and the resolution was sweet. I’d recommend this to fans of historical romance who just want a light, quick read.