I started collecting Sheri Cobb South's Regency books after I read her Regency mysteries featuring Lady Julia Fieldhurst and John Pickett, a young Bow Street Runner. The first series I of Regencies I read followed Ethan Brumby, a "workhouse brat" who had been adopted by a mill owner and who has become one of the wealthiest men in England. Ethan's heart has been captured by Lady Helen, who only marries him because her family needs the money. They do find love, but the road to it is not an easy one as each has a certain amount of pride. And that's the case here: young James Weatherly, heir to the deceased Duke of Montford, has only known a genteel shabbiness. He's a curate with a broken heart--his lady love rejected him when he was just a tutor to young gentlemen about to go off to school. He meets Miss Margaret Darrington when he is attacked and robbed on his way to Montjoy--his new estate. He keeps his identity a secret (unintentionally, at first, but then intentionally). Ultimately, Margaret, too, rejects him (and the feelings of her own heart) when she is faced with the very practical problem of the prospect of a life on a tutor's salary. So how will they find their way to one another? And how will Margaret react when she learns that the shabby curate is actually the Duke?

In a sense, both books are version of Cinderella (or rather "Cinderfella"), with very charming, very winning male heroes at the heart of the story. Unfortunately, it's much harder to warm to the female characters of both books, even when we understand their reasoning. ( )