Book Review: Lord Haversham Takes Command

I had a bit of time to do some reading in the past week and one of the favorites of the books I read was Heidi Ashworth's regency romance, Lord Haversham Takes Command.

Mira is about to have her debut into society when she gets the news that her brother's friend Harry, whom she has always loved, has come back from his Grand Tour abroad.  It's been four years and she is ecstatic. Her feelings quickly turn to dismay, however, when Harry is now dressed in lace and acting like a "fribble" asking everyone to now call him Bertie.  Her parents are aghast and while they had thought that Harry and Mira would make a love match, now they think Mira might best be suited to her cousin George, the Duke of Marcross.  A man Mira definitely does not want.  On her family's journey to London, however, she sees a glimpse of the Harry she once knew and loved and knows there is something else going on, especially when gunshots ring out.

Harry does his best to hide his secret life from her, while pining away, hoping she doesn't end up marrying George.  He was such a great hero, though, and I felt for him.  The double life isn't for the faint of heart, for sure.  There are quite a few moments that made me laugh, especially when Harry's mother throws a party, but there's also some sigh-worthy romance thrown in and a good bit of suspense---the three best things to have in a novel I think.  But best of all, the author gives us a really great ending.  My only criticism was that sometimes it felt like we were hit over the head that Harry was a secret service agent and he couldn't tell anyone his secret but he really wanted to tell his secret, but well, then it wouldn't be secret anymore.  And I know this is the fourth book in a series and I felt like I missed some inside jokes because I hadn't read the previous one where Sir Anthony meets his wife (which I want to read now because it sounds intriguing!)  But other than those small things, it was a really great read for this regency romance fan.

Here's the back copy:

Lord Haversham feels as if he is always running, first from Lord and Lady Avery, his foolish parents, then from the consequences of a schoolboy prank gone awry. Now a secret service agent to the young Queen Victoria, he has run back to England from traitors who seek his life. Little does he know he is running into danger of a different kind; the perceptive, sapphire-blue gaze of his childhood love, Miranda Crenshaw. How is he to win her heart without giving away his secret and endangering the life of the Queen?

Mira's parents, Sir Anthony and Lady Crenshaw, had always assumed their daughter would wed her lifelong friend, Harry. However, when he returns to England after a long absence, gone is the boy they had known and loved. Instead he is Bertie, a silly fop exactly like his flibbertigibbet parents. As such, her parents feel obliged to wed her to George, the young Duke of Marcross, whom Mira despises. Instead, she dreams of the man Harry was meant to be. When she catches a glimpse of him beneath his silly facade, she must find a way to persuade her parents he is the man for her--before he once again runs out of her life.