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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Ms Butler does it again,
By lucy.miller@starmail.com (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Prodigal Hero (Signet Regency Romance) (Paperback)
Ms Butler once again proves that she can write a solid, thoughtful Regency romance.MacHeath, a man undone by a false accusation in his past and the loss of his hand in a sea battle, stumbles on a plot to kidnap the daughter of his former employer. He sees at once the opportunity to foil the plans of an old enemy and perhaps regain the honour taken from him in his youth. He does not realise, of course, that the charming child that was Alexa has grown into a compelling woman who will ultimately heal his wounds and help to restore his honour. The story is a dramatic adventure as MacHeath and Alexa flee the villains to gain the safety of her father's estate. Alexa, after an initial bout of silliness, pulls herself together to behave sensibly and logically in the face of all perils. It is rare to see this sort of deliberate character development in a heroine, and Ms Butler handles it well. MacHeath, unjustly accused of a crime in the past, and further maligned by fate with the loss of his hand, fights his attraction to Alexa even as he admires her cool head in the face of extreme danger. Her battle is to restore to him his sense of worth. Although MacHeath fights his attraction to Alexa this is no hate-turned-love story - Alexa's love for MacHeath, once realised, is mature and strong, and even as he fights his attraction his admiration for her is clear. These are two people who genuinely look beyond appearances and value each other for their individual qualities. This book benefits, as Ms Butler's mostly do, from an interesting choice of setting. It is not, perhaps, as clearly realised as it is in other books, such as "The Ramshackle Suitor" or "Keeper of the Swans", but it is unique and interesting all the same. Though MacHeath is a very different hero from the delightful Roddy in "The Ramshackle Suitor", some of that same romantic sparkle runs through this book. The subject matter is, of necessity, more intensely treated, and there are, as in all Ms Butler's books, some very memorable scenes between the hero and heroine. A definite keeper.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A very different sort of hero (and heroine!),
By Susan Smith (A small rural village in the English Midlands) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Prodigal Hero (Signet Regency Romance) (Paperback)
I bought 4 of Nancy Butler's novels a while ago and put them aside on the TBR pile. The Discarded Duke was the first one I picked up and I was extremely impressed. Not quite so impressed with The Prodigal Hero although I liked it very much. I think that Nancy Butler, somewhat in the same vein as Carla Kelly, is good with characters who are not "top drawer" and are either from a humble and/or hurt background. MacHeath, our hero, is from both. Alexa, our heroine, is from a family in trade with roots even lower than his. So, in the world of Regency fiction, they are pretty unusual. Both are drawn well but the villain of the piece, a semi-aristocratic cousin of Alexa, is a little incredulous (and therefore, to a certain extent the plot) and I found him and his actions not quite believable. There is a large cast of supporting characters on both the side of good and evil and there is also some violence in the story. My problem is with MacHeath. For a man of obvious intelligence, he seems to let an overweening sense of honour to get in his way almost until the last page. Also, I thought too many of his personal behavioural traits were attributed to his Scottish roots which, frankly, did not really add to the development to his character. Although falsly accused 10 years before the action begins, he let his over-inflated sense of pride get in the way of clearing up the situation - a somewhat immature stance to be sure. As a result, he is unable to find personal happiness in a meaningful relationship with a woman and allows himself to sink to a seamier side of life (albeit we are told without impugning his honour!). Alexa just rebels against what her father wants for her and develops a pretty thick skin and makes no headway at all in finding a suitable role for herself as she is shown as having carried a torch for MacHeath since she was 11 and is unable to move past it. Thus, it is only when circumstances bring them together that either of them make any progress and for a man of 33 and a woman of 24, they have left it rather late in life. So, of course, there are lots of obstacles to overcome. Nany Butler uses a metaphor (MacHeath's prosthetic hand) for false pride rather well but unfortunately, I think his view of his amputation is a little sensitive in a time when a successful amputation was a triumph over clumsy surgery and rampant infections. Nor was it unusual in a time when maiming was not as uncommon as it is today. This is an author of considerable talent. Although there are a few awkward turns of phrase scattered through the book, overall, her prose is excellent and her dialogue well constructed. I think that the Discarded Duke was better but here, nevertheless, is a very good story about people maturing and leaving behind sad and hurt pasts. I recommend this one but did not feel it was a keeper.
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