Title: Fortune favors the Wicked Series: Royal Rewards #1
Author: Theresa Romain
Published: March 29, 2016
Genre(s): Romance: Historical
Page Count: 298
Rating:
Summary from Goodreads:As a lieutenant in the Royal Navy, Benedict Frost had the respect of every man on board—and the adoration of the women in every port. When injury ends his naval career, the silver-tongued libertine can hardly stomach the boredom. Not after everything—and everyone—he’s experienced. Good thing a new adventure has just fallen into his lap…
When courtesan Charlotte Perry learns the Royal Mint is offering a reward for finding a cache of stolen gold coins, she seizes the chance to build a new life for herself. As the treasure hunt begins, she realizes her tenacity is matched only by Benedict’s—and that sometimes adversaries can make the best allies. But when the search for treasure becomes a discovery of pleasure, they’ll be forced to decide if they can sacrifice the lives they’ve always dreamed of for a love they’ve never known…
If I had a “Renae Approved” stamp to put on the covers of books, I would absolutely put it on this book. Fortune Favors the Wicked was a highly on-brand historical romance for me, one that hit all the right notes and satisfied all of my cravings. Just the other day I was complaining that there was a sad lack of Regency romances that featured working-class, untitled, or otherwise not fabulously wealthy characters. And lo and behold, here came this book—a romance whose protagonists are far from aristocratic, for whom money is a real and pressing concern. I mean, this is the book I’ve been dreaming of!
The first thing I noticed and appreciated about this book is that it’s far from a dreaded “Wallpaper Historical.” Yay! Theresa Romain sets the story during the Great Recoinage of 1816 (thank you, Wikipedia), when the British government switched from guineas to sovereigns. Apparently during all the hubbub, somebody stole several chests of gold sovereigns from the royal mint, and now the government is offering a reward to whoever finds them. When one of the of the missing coins surfaces in a small inn in Derbyshire, the treasure hunt is on.
Enter Benedict Frost and Charlotte Perry.
I’m only going to mention this once because it’s actually not important to the plot: the male lead, Benedict, is blind after contracting a mysterious fever in South America. That’s it, though. His disability is not a major plot point, is not a source of “woe is me” angst. I love this. More books about disabled characters where we don’t have to hear endlessly about how they do things “in spite of” their disability—that’s ableist af. And now, moving on!
Benedict, a former navy officer-turned-physician-turned-writer visits Derbyshire to seek the reward money, which he wants to use to help his younger sister live comfortably without relying on their rather poor cousins. So he goes to the inn where the sovereign surfaced, and sits around listening to the locals. While there, he runs into Charlotte.
Charlotte is a courtesan. She grew up in Derbyshire but left after tangling herself in scandal. Now she’s back, hoping to use the reward money to help finance her parents’ retirement, since she feels guilty for abandoning them and generally being a “bad” daughter.
Oh, also, Benedict’s best friend has wrangled things so that he’s staying at the vicarage where Charlotte grew up and where her parents still live. Shenanigans!
I wouldn’t really say that treasure hunt plots are my most favorite, but Fortune Favors the Wicked did it really well, and I have no complaints. There is intrigue, there are dark family secrets, and there are villainous villains. None of its gets into the real of over-the-top cheesy drama, so it’s all interesting, thrilling, and a little bit fun. My favorite!
The developing relationship between Benedict and Charlotte is is sweet and mature and just a little sexy. These are two people who know what they like (in bed and out of it) and who are 100% sure of who they are as individuals. They’re honest with each other when asked the hard questions, and Romain doesn’t push the Big Misunderstanding into unbelievable territory. For all that it’s a treasure hunt / mystery romance, it’s also a laidback, realistic romance, too.
Adding into that sense of authenticity was the pitch-perfect focus of family and family relationships. The bulk of the book takes place at Charlotte’s parents’ house, and I loved the realism of the messy dynamics that can happen after a trauma and a long separation. Also, Charlotte’s childhood dog, Captain, was there and I loved her (yes, Captain is a girl-dog).
Checking things off the list, Fortune Favors the Wicked is a wonderful Regency romance that features: middle-class protagonists, a blind hero, a treasure hunt, and family dynamics. It was perfect and utterly satisfying. What a great book.
