Book Review: "The Husband List"

"The Husband List" by Janet Evanovich and Dorien Kelly
First published in 2013
309 pages
My rating: 3.75 out of 5
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I picked up "The Husband List" from the library because, as a rule, I read all of Janet Evanovich's books. And while I fairly enjoyed the book, this Gilded Age romance set in 1894 was a major departure from her normal work. It also seemed to lack Evanovich's usual zing and zip, and I suspect the co-author played a more major part in this novel than "Love in a Nutshell," the book the two penned together last year.

Nevertheless, "The Husband List" was a frivolous, light, predictable somewhat-historical romance -- and sometimes you just need one of those! Our heroine is Caroline Maxwell, an American heiress whose mother's singular goal in life is to see her three daughters married well. Caroline is the eldest of the trio, and though she's managed to wile herself out of any proposals thus far, her mother has set her sights on an English soon-to-be-duke. Unfortunately for her mother, the "almost duke" is harboring some nasty secrets. Oh, and Caroline happens to be in love with someone else -- her brother's handsome, rugged, brewery-owning Irish best friend -- whom her mother would find completely and totally unsuitable.

"The Husband List" definitely wasn't the best historical romance I've read, and hardly the most accurate to the period. And it wasn't Evanovich's best work. But it was a fun diversion nonetheless and I'm glad I picked it up.

Happy reading!