Aurora

by Joan Smith

Is the handsome, dashing man Aurora meets so precipitously in the woods really the long-lost Lord Kenelm Raiker? Or is he actually Kenelm's illegitimate half-brother, posing as the baron? Aurora, captivated in spite of herself, is determined to learn the truth. Lady Raiker, greedy, ambitious, and ruthless, claims that the stranger is not Kenelm, the banished son of the late Lord Raiker. She wants the title and the fortune for herself, but must prove that Kenelm is not the rightful heir. Aurora watches Kenelm's easy and seductive charm work on every woman he sees. She, too, finds him very attractive, but what if he is an impostor? She could be falling in love with a murderer.

Genres: Regency, Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Traditional Regency, Historical Fiction

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published November 12, 1987

About the author

Joan Smith is a graduate of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, and the Ontario College of Education. She has taught French and English in high school and English in college. When she began writing, her interest in Jane Austen and Lord Byron led to her first choice of genre, the Regency, which she especially liked for its wit and humor.
Her favorite travel destination is England, where she researches her books. Her hobbies are gardening, painting, sculpture and reading. She is married and has three children. A prolific writer, she is currently working on Regencies and various mysteries at her home in Georgetown, Ontario.
She is also known as Jennie Gallant

Reviews

[Mela · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an interesting case. This book, in my opinion was written very well. There was no room for chance. All characters were well chosen. An adventure/a mystery was also intriguing and keeping questioning "who and what did". A romance has a few nice scenes. There was a witty atmosphere in the air (although not much). It is simply a good work. I can't tell I was bored, even once.

I am torn between 3 and 4 stars. I see here a professionalism of Joan Smith, her skills as a writer but I wasn't gripped, like by some other Smith novels. If I was a mystery fan I would have liked it more, I am sure.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a rather typical regency era romance. The character of the heroine is not well developed; the evil stepmother and the hero are not much better. I typically enjoy Joan Smith, but this is not one of her better efforts.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't sure if this would ever get to a HEA.

[Pauline Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a whole heap of fun, with a mystery that kept me engrossed. It’s an old-fashioned Regency, which means the romance is rather perfunctory with the mystery taking centre stage, but it works pretty well. It helps that the hero is an absolute charmer.

Here’s the premise: the baron, Lord Raiker, has died, leaving his eldest son to inherit. Now he too has died without an heir, leaving two brothers to inherit. But Kenelm, the elder, vanished years ago, and the old baron’s young second wife sets about having her son Charles declared the new baron. But then a man appears claiming to be Kenelm. The race is on to prove or disprove his claim. Aurora, the unmarried sister of the widow of the eldest son, would very much like him to be Kenelm, because if he is an imposter, he might very well be a murderer, too. And it would never do to fall in love with such a man. But he is so very charming…

Now, it has to be said that the answer to the is-he-or-isn’t-he question is obvious almost from the start, but the twists and turns of the plot are very twisty and turny indeed, so there is constantly doubt being thrown up, not to mention a body exhumed and all sorts of plausible obstacles arising. Even though I was almost certain how it would go, there was always a little niggle of doubt in there. Meanwhile, the man claiming to be Kenelm appears to be enjoying himself hugely, as he gradually draws strait-laced Aurora into his schemes. And did I mention how charming he is? When he persuades her to creep around the manor house attics in the middle of the night, it’s not at all clear whether he really cares about finding whatever piece of evidence is the excuse, or whether he just wants the fun of it. It’s no wonder she falls hard for him.

What did puzzle me somewhat is what he saw in her. He makes his interest obvious almost from the start, but he is also flirting with pretty much anything in a skirt, so she’s not at all sure whether he really likes her, or is just reflexively flirting with her, or whether he’s just using her to help him gain the barony. Aurora never really shows much personality, so what was the great attraction? That was more of a mystery to me than whether the hero was really Lord Raiker or not.

Nevertheless, this is a light-hearted read, very entertaining if you’re not looking for a passionate romance. The flamboyant and rakish hero (did I mention how charming he is? I may have mentioned it once or twice) and his swashbuckling style more than compensate for the rather colourless heroine. Four stars.

[Flo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I repeat every word of this terribly funny regency romance. I enjoyed it 2nd time around. Malone, the Raiker family companion and her screwball English is a riot.

Aurora is more of a mystery than a Regency romance, but why should we care when it has us laughing out loud for the better part of 3 hours.
Lord Raiker is dead, his 2nd wife, Clare's son to be announced as the new Baron. His half-brother, Kenelm, the son of Lord Raiker's first wife has disappeared for years and is supposedly dead. But imagine what a scene it is when Kenelm arrives and announces that he is Lord Raiker at the very party Clare is announcing her son as the Baron. The shenanigens only start now as there is a younger widow, Lady Raiker, who was married to Lord Raiker's younger son, who is also deceased and her sister Aurora, another half brother, but he is illegitimate. Clare is adamant that she can prove Kenelm is not who he claims to be. Lovely.

[Elen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. A decent mystery! Unlike 'behold, a mystery!', this one kept me guessing till the end. I had guessed a more sordid reason for Kenelm's flight - guess there's a line traditional regency authors wouldn't cross. It was overall a good story, but fell short as a romance.

[Kaylynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The conflict got in the way of the romance, unusual for a regency.

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book I own. I'll probably keep it. It was a quick read

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. Lots of plot twists.

[K]

After reading several YAs in a row, this was a welcome change. However, I could not like the character of the love interest. Why does everyone overlook the behavior of a philanderer?