Julianne Maclean, My Own Private Hero

My Own Private Hero

Julianne Maclean

Avon, Dec 2004, $5.99, 384 pp.

ISBN: 0060597283

In 1884, following the path of her older sisters Clara and Sophia, Adele Wilson crosses the Atlantic to marry an English aristocrat, in her case Lord Osulton. Adele feels she and her fianc Harold are well-suited as both enjoy quiet rather than adventures and prefer rustication as opposed to the big city. At a short stop on coastal West England, someone abducts Adele from her cabin.

The kidnapper demands a ransom and Harold's cousin Damien Renshaw arrives. He rescues Adele, who wonders why Harold sent Damien, but she is wounded in the process. As she heals, Damien and Adele begin to fall in love. However, she thinks she is more suited to wed the quiet Harold than the extroverted hero even as she rationalizes why she covertly covets Damien as gratitude for rescuing her. Still, late at night she admits secretly to herself that Damien makes her heart beat faster than Harold though she would prefer not to hurt her kind fianc .

The third Wilson sisters' tale is a fine Victorian romance that closes the loop on a charming mini series (see AN AFFAIR MOST WICKED and TO MARRY THE DUKE). The cast, as with the previous two tales, make the storyline hum. Adele's brain knows that Harold is more suited to her temperament, but her heart insists Damien is her soulmate. Julian Maclean closes with a high note, but leaves room for perhaps another sequel starring Harold.

Harriet Klausner