
The year is 1803 and London is just coming into “season”, that time of year when marriageable young ladies, of a certain class, gather to try to meet the eligible young bachelors of the town, perhaps even to move up in class by marriage to an Earl or a Viscount. Lucy and Lucien Goodwin were not born into this society, but their expertise in breeding and racing thoroughbred horses in the “Sport of Kings” has given them an entrée to this rarefied high-society world. When Lucien is badly injured in a carriage accident and there are doubts he will even survive, Lucy is forced to make some tough decisions about the future of their business – decisions, which in Seventeenth Century London would be thought of as nothing short of scandalous. In this Regency Novel, Surrender of Trust, by Mariel Grey, Lucy must take on the “Hoi Polloi” to safeguard the interests of her family. With just her friend Monique and the uncertain attentions of Lord Chalifour, Lucy strives to hold her emotions and her rashness in check.
Surrender of Trust is a wonderful read. I love looking back into history and Mariel Grey seems to be an author well versed and well researched in the period. Perhaps no period of history is more fascinating than Regency Britain, where woman who are often treated as mere chattels by their male counterparts are slowly yet certainly beginning their struggle toward recognition that will culminate well over a century later with the suffragette movement. In this highly structured society, Grey has created a feisty, willful character in Lucy who would no doubt have made a fantastic suffragette. I found Lucy’s determination to do whatever was necessary to safeguard hers and her brother’s interests totally refreshing. This is a wonderful read, with the usual dollop of romance and intrigue one would expect from a Regency Romance. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and I am sure I am far from Mariel Gray’s typical reader demographic. I want to read more of this author.
