The Shocking Secret of a Guest at the Wedding by Victoria Alexander
Historical Romance, 390 pages
Released: October 28, 2014
Zebra Books

Reviewed by Sheena

Blurb: The bride and groom cordially request your presence for a wedding at Millworth Manor. . .

Guests will include Jackson Quincy Graham Channing, New York City banker, and Lady Theodosia “Teddy” Winslow, wedding planner to the finest families in England.

Introductions shall be followed by light conversation, dancing, flirtation, arguing, reconciliation, and an impulsive kiss that both parties are quite certain they will never repeat.

Until they do.

A mutually beneficial fake engagement will be accompanied by all manner of very real complications, scandalous revelations, nefarious schemes, and one inescapable conclusion: 

That true love–unlike the perfect wedding–is impossible to plan. . .

So…ahhh… to cut to the chase, I spent a majority of the time scratching my head throughout this novel.  It had all of my usual trappings.  Historical romancy- smancy goings ons, strapping and handsome and rougish gentleman.  Distressed Damsels, ladies who lunch and ladies who faint, and *gasp* social intrigue and swoony declarations of affection.  But too often the plot got in its own way and soon I fond myself finishing primarily because I was in too deep to drop it.

*Plop!* At the opening of the story, we find ourselves front and center of a most unexpected and emotional family reunion where our hero Jackson, is brought face to face with his father whom he has long believed to be dead.  Finding out is father was not in fact killed in a gruesome attack, Jackson runs off to meet his most reluctant bride-to-be, Theodosia (sounds very throwback Walt Dinsey-ish right?). London native Theodosia is a party planner who is very independent of mind and spirit and though she plans amazing affairs, she has no intention of wedding her American arranged suitor,  Jackson.

Annnd. That is pretty much the beginning, middle and end of it all.  To be a full lengther, not mush happens besides the push and pull between Jackson and Theodosia.   After the eighth or so passage dedicated to reiterating how fearless, witty and independent Theodosia (Teddy) is, I started wondering just who needed the convincing here?  The supporting cast actually did more to keep the plot’s pacing and  I often found myself pleased (but, not quite relieved) to see them return to the scenes.  Jack’s long lost father, Basil Channing, was possibly one of the best supporting characters,  No Nonsense and firm in his beliefs.  He also seems to have held a torch (low burning as it may have been) for Jackson’s mother which made for a few blush worthy moments when they appeared on the page along side one another.

Jackson was not a particularly strong hero, he kind of whimps out a bit much for my liking.  I like a strong heroine but I do not like to see steam rolling going on.  Before long I was blaming Jackson’s mother for his lack of tenacity.  There were times he surprised me and took charge, but had he been but a few years younger, and this would have felt like a coming of age book where we see Jackson grow and change and throw caution to wind and be bold and unapologetic.  That is the Jackson I wanted to see evolve.  He did not quite get there, but there was a sort of sweetness to  seeing him grow into his own man:

“If someone had asked Jack last week or yesterday or even an hour ago if he had so much as a single rebellious bone in his body, he would have laughed in a wry manner and said no…In that moment Jackson Quincy Graham Channing realized, while he had no particular desire to be an English lord, he wasn’t sure he really wanted to be a New York Banker either…what he truly wanted in life was to escape.”

Sounds like a poor lass trapped in a gilded cage right?  Only he his most definitely a man- but the sentiment still holds true.  To be candid, I was more taken with the character development and lifestyle change of Jackson than I was interested in the romance.  Nothing about this pair made me catch my breath or clutch my pearls.  But the times where Jackson was especially vulnerable, I found myself tuned completely in and wanting more.

This was more than a slow burn- it burned at a snails pace.  I was only sufficiently convinced that there was even an HEA maybe 17 pages from the end.  Aside from a few steamy kisses, you know, one of the only ways Jackson could assert his maleness and shut-up the brash and ballsy Teddy, the story is rather sterile and I often felt as if I were being read to as opposed to losing myself in the story.  I did not want to BE Theodosia, nor did I particularly  want Jackson to be MY man.  Now Jackson’s father Basil- he sure had his swoony moments with is estranged wife- Jackson’s mother.  *Squinty eyes* Is it a bad sign to fall for the hero’s old man?  Ummhmmmmm Basil….Now THAT was leading man. Yep. Totally have the hots for Jack’s dad.

 Rating: C-

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