After reading three of Suzanne Allain‘s books, I’m happy to say that her newest release is my favorite so far. The Wrong Lady Meets Lord Right is out today, and it’s the perfect balance of whimsical and scintillating.
Since being orphaned at only three years old, Arabella Grant has lived with her sweet cousin Isabelle and her wicked, domineering aunt. But when that aunt dies, leaving Isabelle also parentless just when her first season was to begin, the two teens suddenly are left to their own devices. A year later, they visit Isabelle’s great-aunt, Lady Dutton, so she can have her overdue season. But Isabelle is shy and sickly, so she begs Arabella to pose as her for the few months they’re in London. Lady Dutton can’t tell them apart, so what’s the harm? But when Bella, posing as Lady Isabelle, falls in love with a man far above her own social class, the two girls’ convoluted scheme is sure to have some significant repercussions!
Tropes & Narrative Devices:
- Secret identity
- Multiple romances
- Third-person POV
What I Liked:
- Trading identities. It’s always fun to see two characters—especially from different social classes—stepping into each other’s shoes. Here, Lady Isabelle is due for her first season, but she has social anxiety and isn’t well enough to meet people, mingle, and find an aristocratic husband. So she asks her poor cousin, Arabella, to go in her place. Bella is a bit out of her depths, but she’s charming and likable, so it works out well at first. But when she falls for a man that Issie once met five years earlier, things start to get complicated. And when Issie runs into her own unexpected love story, it becomes even more diverting. I loved reading about these two young women posing as each other, falling for the wrong men, and waiting for the truth to finally catch up with them.
- Multiple secrets. Bella and Issie’s true identities aren’t the only secrets being kept around here!
- Extra love stories. Bella and Lord Brooke are the main couple, if they can survive her concealed identity, but there are other romances to enjoy, too. I really liked Issie’s romance with Dr. Jordan, as well as Bella’s friends’ connections.
- Discussions of class and wealth. Naturally, with Bella and Issie (and their love interests) coming from different socioeconomic backgrounds, there are some thoughtful conversations about worth, who one can love, if marriages outside of class can work, and so on. It may be 1818, but these characters are thinking beyond class restrictions, which I love.
- Sense of humor. There is a certain lightness and humor throughout this book, from Lady Strickland’s death to Lady Dutton’s lack of awareness about things. Suzanne Allain’s writing style does tend towards the silly and droll in a way that I quite enjoy.
Final Thoughts
The Wrong Lady Meets Lord Right is an entertaining and quick read that’s witty and humorous in equal measure. This may be Suzanne Allain’s best book so far!
I plan to finally read her novel, Miss Lattimore’s Letter, as well as any other book she puts out in the future.
Special thanks to the publicists at Penguin Random House, Berkley, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!
Get the Book
You can buy The Wrong Lady Meets Lord Right here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.
| The Wrong Lady Meets Lord Right by Suzanne Allain | |
|---|---|
| Audience | Adult |
| Genre | Historical Romance |
| Setting | England |
| Number of Pages | 272 |
| Format I Read | Ebook (NetGalley ARC) |
| Original Publication Date | December 3, 2024 |
| Publisher | Berkley |
Official Summary
When a young woman trades places with her noble cousin, their innocent ruse leads to true love in this sparkling new Regency-era romantic comedy of manners from the author of Mr. Malcolm’s List.
When Arabella Grant’s wicked aunt dies suddenly, both Arabella and her cousin Lady Isabelle cannot help but feel relieved. She’d made their lives miserable, and now Lady Issie is free to read to her heart’s content, and Bella is free from taunts about her ignoble birth.
Their newfound freedom is threatened, however, when Issie’s great-aunt commands her to travel to London for a come-out Issie has never wanted. Issie, who is in poor health, is convinced she’ll drop dead like her mother did if she drops into a curtsy before the queen. So when her great-aunt turns out to be nearsighted and can’t tell the noble Lady Isabelle from her commoner cousin Arabella, Issie convinces Bella to take her place. Bella can attend all the exclusive entertainments that her lower birth would typically exclude her from, and Issie can stay in bed, her nose in a book.
Bella agrees to the scheme for her cousin’s sake, but matters turn complicated when she meets the irresistible Lord Brooke. He begins courting her while under the impression she’s the rich and aristocratic Lady Isabelle, who, unlike Bella, is a suitable bride for an eligible young earl. And Bella, who is convinced that she has met “Lord Right,” worries what will happen when she reveals that he’s actually fallen for…the wrong lady.
Excerpt from The Wrong Lady Meets Lord Right
Upon their arrival, the young women were ushered into an opulent drawing room where Lady Dutton was waiting to greet them. Bella was sorry that they were not even allowed the opportunity to refresh themselves before meeting her and hoped the interview wouldn’t be a long one. But since Lady Dutton stood at their entrance and didn’t invite them to sit, it appeared as if their ordeal was to be brief.
Lady Dutton’s critical glance quickly passed over the three young women before settling on the diminutive May.
“Who is this? She’s certainly not your governess; she looks to be no more than a child. Who are you, girl?” Lady Dutton asked her.
“May- your- ladyship.” May was so overcome with fear at addressing this august personage that the sentence came out in a hurried, breathy whisper.
Lady Dutton did not deign to reply, but merely looked down her nose at the lowly chambermaid in a silence that dragged on for an excruciatingly long time, until poor little May was visibly shaking. Then, finally, Lady Dutton asked: “May I what?”
To which question May was incapable of responding, merely staring at Lady Dutton in confused terror while her mouth opened and closed several times.
Lady Dutton turned in exasperation to Bella, whom she’d obviously marked as the only conversable member of the group, and asked: “What is wrong with the girl? Why can’t she finish her sentence?”
“She had finished. She was telling you her name. It’s ‘May,’ my lady,” Bella explained.
“Call me Aunt Lucretia, child,” Lady Dutton replied, and a wave of relief washed over Bella. She’d never expected a relation of Lady Strickland’s to treat her so graciously and had prepared herself to face coldness, if not outright insults, so she was very pleased to be proven wrong in her assumptions.
Now that Lady Dutton realized that the maid had merely been giving her name, she quickly, albeit firmly, dismissed the girl, telling her that she could stay for two days but was then to return with the coachman to Oxfordshire. Bella was relieved that the question of the missing governess appeared to have been forgotten. After May had gratefully left the room, still trembling from her encounter with Lady Dutton, that lady turned to survey the cousins, who moved closer to each other in an unconscious seeking of support.
“Why, you’re as alike as two peas in a pod,” she finally said, before the silence had grown too ominous. “How does anyone tell you apart?”
Bella and Issie looked at each other in surprise. There was a superficial resemblance, to be sure. They both had blue eyes and brown hair, but while Issie’s was a mousy brown, Bella’s was a darker, richer chestnut. And while they were of a similar height, a little taller than average, Issie was thinner and smaller- bosomed. Both girls were attractive, but Issie’s conventional prettiness paled in comparison to Bella’s more striking appearance, as Bella’s features were more defined; her lips fuller, her blue eyes a more vibrant hue, and her complexion blooming with health. Only a woman who was nearsighted and too vain to wear spectacles would ever think the two girls could pass for each other.
But they had no desire to argue with the lady and allowed her statement to go unchallenged, and she continued: “Though I’m sure I will have no problem knowing who is who, as Isabelle is my dear niece’s daughter, and blood is thicker than water, as the saying goes.” She seemed ready to bring the interview to an end, and gestured to the door, where the housekeeper had suddenly appeared. “You would probably like to refresh yourselves after your long journey. Mrs. Lucas will show you to your rooms.” Before they could leave, she turned to address Issie directly. “You are called Arabella, are you not?” she asked, and the two girls stared back at her as witlessly as May had.
Bella, realizing that the lady had confused her and Issie for each other, hurried to correct her. “Aunt Lucretia,” she said, before pausing, as it had suddenly occurred to her that she’d been invited to call her that because the lady thought she was Isabelle. Should she address her by her title after all? Then she thought about how awkward it would be to correct Lady Dutton when she’d just announced that the noble blood she and Issie shared would create a special bond between them.
While Bella hesitated, Issie startled her by saying, very clearly: “Yes, I am called Arabella.”
Excerpted from The Wrong Lady Meets Lord Right by Suzanne Allain Copyright © 2024 by Suzanne Allain. Excerpted by permission of Berkley. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
About the Author
Credit: Jonathon Allain 2019
Suzanne Allain is a screenwriter who lived in New York and Beijing before returning to her hometown of Tallahassee, Florida, where she lives with her husband.
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