Title: The Heir and the Enchantress
Author: Paullett Golden
Series: The Enchantresses #5
Fantastic characters more than compensate for the tired plot
Much thanks to the author, who provided me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I admit, I wasn’t as excited for Aunt Hazel’s story as I’d been for the others, mostly because I had a hard time imagining her as anything other than Aunt Hazel. But to my surprise, when I dove into this novel I didn’t see Aunt Hazel, middle-aged widow and chaperone; I saw Hazel Trethow, a fresh-faced and bright-eyed seventeen-year-old looking for love, and I adored her.
It’s a simple and overused plot on both fronts: hero needs money to prevent ruin, marries heroine for financial help; despite her innocence, heroine gets caught in a compromising position and is forced to wed to salvage her reputation. But Golden breathes new life into those tired tropes with her friendly, straightforward style, enthusiasm for the telling, and deft handling of the characters. I’m hard-pressed to find faults.
Harold was described as a serious child, and I can imagine it, because he was pretty serious adult—but in a charming, endearing way. Not dour, not aloof, just quiet, steady, patient, and observant. When he’d smile or laugh, it felt like being rewarded. Hazel was kind almost to a fault, allowing her own reputation to be ruined rather than her friend’s; the generosity she showed Agnes knew no bounds. Hazel also had an admirable way of taking shock and stress in stride; sure, she worried and cried her share of tears, but she remained strong and faced consequences that often weren’t hers to face.
Hazel and Harold were both wonderfully mature, not resorting to petty offenses to manufacture drama. I love that he gave her the benefit of the doubt, and I love that she didn’t resent him for marrying her. I love that he showed utmost respect for her as an intelligent individual, and I love that she befriended a lonely old dowager, in whom I saw a glimmer of the future Aunt Hazel.
Patrick was equally as mature and amazing, but Agnes . . . I didn’t really care for Agnes. First, I don’t feel she ever showed true appreciation for Hazel’s sacrifice and generosity—though, to be fair, she did. I realize I’m contradicting myself; Agnes expressed due gratitude and guilt, but I always got the vibe from her that it was half-hearted or even false, that she wasn’t truly sorry for causing Hazel trouble and relieved that she wouldn’t have to answer for her bad choices herself. Always got subtle self-centered vibes. Second, relative, I was dismayed when she and Patrick wed. I understood their reasons, which were sound, but I felt terrible that Patrick was saddling himself with Ucky Agnes. I thought he deserved better. And third, there was the fact that she fell for Driffield to begin with. Yeah, I was generally not impressed with Agnes.
As for the antagonists, Driffield was the traditionally evil villain, which was fine. Harold’s father, though, only seemed evil, greedy and proud until the very end. I very much disliked him and was prepared to hate his stubborn ass—until we saw him with the gun. Until he wept and asked Harold not to leave. Oh, my heart. It’s hard to tell if he wanted Harold to remain simply because he loved his son, or if he wanted the comfort of Harold’s solid, steady presence. Perhaps both. The former is in question because apparently he wasn’t exactly a doting father.
Pace was steady if not fast. What else . . . Oh, what was with Melissa and Chauncey? I got the feeling that I was supposed to be familiar with them, as if they’d had their story in a different book, but I don’t believe they’ve appeared anywhere else. So that was a little weird.
Overall, this was another great book from Golden, and while I’m not sure I’d call it my favorite, I can safely say it’s toward the top of the list. The characters were wonderful, the writing was skilled, and the tale was enjoyed.
Your reviews are always so lovely! Thank you!