She wanted a kiss. She got an adventure.
William Peel fancies himself a scholar of classical texts, and what better way to study such artifacts than on an archaeological expedition to Ottoman Turkey? And what better way to try and forget the beautiful—and unattainable—daughter of an earl than by pursuing his studies?
Lady Beatrice Smythe has been granted all the freedoms the middle daughter of a Radical member of Parliament could want—including travel to far-off lands to pursue her interest in archaeology and quench her thirst for adventure.
Beatrice and William find themselves on the very same expedition—and find it difficult to keep their hands in the excavation pit and not on each other. After a discovery of historic proportions, the expedition becomes the target of a determined villain who has set his sights not just on precious artifacts, but on the virginal Beatrice.
But archaeologists and academics are a determined lot when it comes to protecting that which is treasured…
Discovering Her Delight: A Harwell Heirs Legacy Romance (Harwell Heirs Book 5) by Regina Kammer is a Victorian erotic romance with adventure, archaeology, and a surfeit of sensual exploration. This best-friends-to-lovers, coming-of-age romance features a journey abroad, a precocious virgin, a gentleman scholar, and a dastardly villain. Discovering Her Delight can be read as a stand-alone; however, the novel is enhanced by first reading Book 3, Where Destiny Plays.
Assessment:
Plot/Idea: This Victorian-era historical romance is a fast-paced combination of romance and adventure that, in fact, effectively mirrors some of the romance novels from the Victorian period.
Prose: The prose moves the plot forward at a satisfying pace, though there are some moments in which the dialogue (with mainly employs a period-specific tone/vocabulary) is a little stilted. The rapid shifts between perspectives during the courtship/romance scenes is occasionally disorienting.
Originality: Discovering Her Delight follows many conventions of the genre without being derivative or overly-predictable.
Character/Execution: In some respects, the characters emerge more as archetypes than as fully-fleshed out individuals (the gentleman, the virginal Lady, the sexually experienced Turkish men), but their stories will still be captivating to fans of the genre. While the fixation on propriety (especially re: William and Lady Beatrice's relationship) is understandable given the period in which the novel is set, after a point, it becomes a bit repetitive. The reader would have welcomed other plot contrivances to keep them apart in addition to the socially-dictated ones.
Blurb: Discovering Her Delight takes readers back to a Victorian-era world of intrigue, adventure, and romance. Highly unconventional, Lady Beatrice Smythe is dedicated to herself -- her studies, career, and independence -- until a like-minded gentleman piques her interest.
Date Submitted: April 12, 2024
