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Persons Of Rank |
| By Sherry-Anne Jacobs
(An E book – Hard Shell Publishing, 1999) Reviewed by Frances Grattan |
 o you know what really bugs me when reading historical romances? Feisty heroines. You know the type—breathtakingly beautiful, outspoken, intelligent, and without a shred of inhibition. They cause havoc wherever they go and get themselves into impossible situations from which only the hero can rescue them. In truth, these characters are not particularly believable—nor likeable. If this woman existed, she would be—at best—a social outcast, and—at worst—an angry father or husband would beat her to death, most likely with the full sympathy of his peers.
Yet each evening when I settled down to read Persons of Rank with my cup of tea and couple of chocolate biscuits, I felt none of this revulsion. This book takes you comfortably back in time and there are no rough jolts zapping you back to reality. It’s been a while since I’d read a “regency,” but Persons of Rank reminded me of all the good points of the genre. Sherry-Anne’s characters have everything one expects from this era. They are likeable and humorous, but not unrealistically so. In the novel, Beatrice is the “poor relation” since her father disgraced himself by marrying beneath him. When she is orphaned, her elderly aunt, the Dowager Lady Graceover, takes her in. At Satherby, she becomes not only a companion to her benefactor, but a substitute mother for her niece, Eleanor. Her life is not an unhappy one, although she does daydream of a husband and children. For many women without dowry or position, these would feel like quite unattainable goals. As time marches on, her aunt’s health begins to deteriorate and Eleanor, a considerable heiress in her own right, has reached marriageable age. Beatrice is packed off to enjoy a London season and to seek out prospective husbands for Eleanor. Remember, Lady Graceover cautions her, they must be persons of rank! In London, Beatrice meets an array of possibilities. Although she enjoys parts of the season, the new clothes, and dancing, the fortune hunters horrify her. It is only when she arrives for the season that she learns the Dowager has bestowed a healthy dowry upon her. The most eligible man—Justin Searle—is attractive, with a good bloodline, and compared to the other prospects, quite intelligent. Yes, she thinks, he would do very well for Eleanor. Yet Beatrice has one major problem with Justin—how can she resolve it and still do her duty by Eleanor and her aunt? Eleanor is like a daughter to her, and she greatly respects the aunt to whom she owes a great deal. Still, she has her own happiness and future to think of as well. And when Lady Graceover dies, what will become of her? Meanwhile, back at Satherby, while the Dowager contemplates meeting the heir to her home, Eleanor has plans of her own. Always having possessed position and money, Eleanor is naturally more outgoing and exuberant than Beatrice. Under no circumstances does she intend to tie herself to some “stuffed-shirt” her great aunt chooses. She has met an intriguing stranger and fallen in love. Can she convince Lady Graceover that the stranger is worthy enough when the woman lists love at the bottom of her pre-requisites for a husband? This is an enjoyable, amusing, and relaxing read. Sherry-Anne Jacobs is an author of many novels and “How-To” books. She is also going to do a workshop on Plotting and Editing in Melbourne, Australia, in August. For more information, visit her web site at . . . http://www.iinet.net.au/~jacobses Additionally, watch future issues of Of Ages Past, as her book Plotting and Editing will be reviewed here soon. (Editor’s note: Also see this month’s “Articles,” where Ms. Jacobs shares with us her experiences with Electronic Publishing.)
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