Eligible Bride/An

Helena, Augusta and Elizabeth Carstairs, along with their brother Adrian, are orphaned by the death of their father in battle. Left penniless and at the mercy of their vulgar aunt and foppish uncle, they are rescued just in time by the Duke of Halliford. Halliford's brother, Lord Richard, was appointed the children's guardian by their father just before his death. Bennett is a worthy successor to Georgette Heyer. She has a lovely writing style. The language feels authentic while still being accessible. The romance between Helena and Halliford develops slowly and the obstacles (mostly Helena's guilt and Halliford's arrogance)are believable. The minor characters take nothing away from the main romance. You can't help but root for Richard and Chloe to have their own happy ending. Juno, Horace, Aunt Elvira and the 3 kittens contribute to the chuckles throughout the book! The 4 stars reflect some missed opportunities, particularly the absence of Halliford's perspective. It's hard to understand his choices when you don't get to know what he's thinking. Augusta and Elizabeth get their own stories in later books, which is one of my favorite things about Regency authors. They, like me, hate to let characters go. This book was published in 1987 and has none of the explicit bedroom scenes that have become so prevalent. Read this one for character-driven romance.