Reviewed by Donna
TITLE: The Two Lords of Wealdhant Manor
AUTHOR: Katherine Marlowe
PUBLISHER: Honeywine Publishing
LENGTH: 158 Pages
BLURB:
Algernon Clarke risked everything investing in new technologies, but the collapse of his investments has brought him to the brink of ruin. Just when he thinks debtor’s prison is inevitable, he receives a visit from Mr. Sutton, railway solicitor, with paperwork to indicate that Algernon is the long-lost heir of Wealdhant Manor. The railway needs a portion of Wealdhant lands in order to lay their locomotive tracks, and Algernon is in no position to look a gift horse in the mouth. He accepts the inheritance at once, heading off to settle the railway’s affairs.
The situation he finds in distant Lincolnshire is far more complex than he was led to believe, and Algernon is soon at odds with the gruffly handsome groundskeeper whom the village folk refer to as “Lord Jasper.” As the railway’s deadline approaches, Algernon struggles to forge an alliance with Jasper Waltham, to protect the people of the village, and to make peace with the restless ghosts of Wealdhant Manor. Clean romance, no cheating, standalone novel.
REVIEW:
This fourth book by gifted historical romance author Katherine Marlowe is a little different to what I’ve come to expect from her books. It’s still extremely well written, but instead of the story being solely focused on the developing relationship between the two main characters, the world around them takes a much greater role.
Algernon, aka Algy, is probably my favourite character from Ms. Marlowe to date. He has an interest in new technology and invests his money in ventures that unfortunately don’t pan out. Sitting in his cheap turret room, he’s just waiting to be dragged off to debtor’s prison when he receives a fortuitous knock on the door. According to the railway representative that Algernon finds standing there, Algy is the heir to Wealdhant Manor, and they’re willing to help him settle his claim if he’ll cooperate and sell them the portion of land they need to lay tracks. Quick to seize on this unbelievable opportunity Algy hies himself off to the wilds of Lincolnshire to take up his inheritance.
Algernon is less refined than this author’s usual characters. He’s somehow both irreverent yet responsible, playful but earnest, the sort of character you wish was real because he’d be someone you wanted to know. He was the perfect balance to Jasper’s overly serious and sensible personality. I finished this book still unsure whether I liked Jasper but, to be fair, his somewhat gloomy presence was suited perfectly to this book’s setting.
The almost dark gothic setting of the dilapidated and haunted manor house located on the moors is obviously not a new theme, but Katherine Marlowe executes it with her usual aptitude for keeping you aware of the surroundings at all times. When it comes to creating a setting with an atmosphere that is prevalent in every scene of the story, this author is one of the most talented I’ve read.
Another strength that I’ve noted in previous books and found again here, were the well-written and well-wielded secondary characters. Jasper’s sisters, Algy’s servant/friend and even the ghosts all played important roles in this story. The sisters allowed us to see another side to the somewhat abrasive Jasper and I actually preferred him in their company, rather than when he was together with Algernon. Except…
Except when he was “together” with Algernon. Although there are no salacious sex scenes in this book there is more explosive passion than in the author’s other works. These main characters are less “polished gentlemen” than those in previous books. Algy especially is a bright spark of life, and the undeniable attraction between them was a very pleasant surprise.
I’m a true convert to Katherine Marlowe’s writing. I’ve even found myself eyeing other m/m historicals – but as yet I haven’t been brave enough to branch out further. For now I’ll continue to enjoy whatever Ms. Marlowe brings out and maybe one day I’ll give another historical author a try.
RATING: 
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