The Girl with the Persian Shawl by Elizabeth Mansfield is a mild-mannered Regency Romance that relies on the main character’s misconceptions to move the story along. Kate has resigned herself at twenty-four to remaining single, but when she meets the dashing Harry, Lord Ainsworth, she feels an immediate attraction.

Casual gossip has Lord Ainsworth pegged as a rake who trifles with women’s affections so she tries to stay clear of him but this proves impossible when her cousin becomes betrothed to his best friend. There is a lot of coupling and uncoupling as Kate’s beautiful but fickle cousin falls first for one man than another, but eventually all the couples sort themselves out in time for a happy ending.

The Girl with the Persian Shawl is a charming story with plenty of romantic twists and turns although I found most of these twists quite predictable. I understand that not every author of this genre can be Georgette Heyer, but when it comes to Regency Romances, she is still the best at delivering the goods. ( )