By Patrice Kindl
Viking, 2012. 261 pgs. Young Adult
With her family's castle literally on the verge of collapse and no income, Althea knows she needs to marry for money, but somehow she can't reign in her tongue enough to keep her suitors from finding out exactly what she's after. Although they don't seem to think it's bad that they love her for her beauty, they object to her loving them for their money. So, when Lord Boring buys a nearby estate, Althea is determined to catch his eye--and hold her tongue. While Lord Boring does indeed seem interested, Althea has to contend with her stepsisters (who do have money to offer as a dowry) and the daughter of a wealthy merchant, Miss Vincy, who has even more money. And to make matters worse, Althea is constantly plagued by Mr. Fredericks, Lord Boring's cousin, also a member of the merchant class, who has as blunt a tongue as Althea. While Althea sets out to remove the obstacles to her marrying Lord Boring, including trying to do some matchmaking to get her competition otherwise occupied, she comes to find that she isn't that good at matchmaking, even with her own heart.
This is a frothy, funny book that readers can easily finish in a couple of hours. The banter between Mr. Fredericks and Althea is amusing, and readers will get a good chuckle out of several passages.
AE
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