Title: Runaway Heiress Series: Dare to Defy #1
Author: Syrie James
Published: June 12, 2018
Genre(s): Romance: Historical
Page Count: 400
Rating:
Summary from Goodreads:Brainy and college-educated, American heiress Alexandra Atherton will do anything to avoid marriage to the English peer her mother has chosen for her—even abandon the life of privilege she's always known. But as her escape goes horribly wrong, Alexandra must invent a new identity to gain the help of a handsome stranger.
Thomas Carlyle, the Earl of Longford, sweeps in and out of London disguised as a humble artist, earning just enough to keep his ancestral Cornwall estate afloat. When Alexandra crashes into his life, she awakens feelings and desires that he vows will stay buried. Despite himself, he needs this beautiful newcomer, for his sisters have run off another governess.
Alexandra is surprised to find she thrives in her new position at Longford's home. But as she grows closer to Thomas and his sisters, and her relationship with the emotionally guarded earl unleashes their hidden passions, the truth Alexandra's been forced to hide may end up coming between her and the only man she's ever loved.
Runaway Heiress is a Brontë-inspired romance that combines the best of the secret identity and master/servant tropes.
If you had asked me, prior to reading Syrie James’s first romance novel, whether or not I particularly liked books about wealthy American heiress hiding their identity or Victorian governesses-turned-countesses, I probably would have said no. However, I read the back copy for Runaway Heiress and was instantly intrigued, and lucky for me the book itself lived up to the promise of its blurb. I certainly hope that this won’t be the last romance series James writes!
The plot here is pretty self-explanatory (just read the title). Alexandra is a wealthy, opinionated American woman who was dragged away from Vassar to come and catch a titled husband. The man her mother picks out for her is gross, so Alexandra runs away. Unfortunately, her purse gets stolen, so she’s left in London with nowhere to go except crawling back to her overambitious mother. Luckily, Alexandra runs into Thomas, a shabby painter. Alexandra pretends to be a poor American maid whose employer made inappropriate advances. Thomas eventually hires Alexandra as a governess to his difficult younger sisters. Thomas, it turns out, is actually an earl. Surprise! But Alexandra decides to keep her own identity a secret, for reasons.
Romancey stuffs ensue.
If I were actually to characterize this novel, I’d describe it as a book where an enterprising young woman helps renovate her hero’s life and family, and where a man realizes how lucky he truly is. It’s a nice sort of plot, and I think James does it very well. I would characterize Runaway Heiress as a slow-burn romance, and comparisons to Jane Eyre are not out of place—except that Thomas is far less grouchy and he doesn’t have a crazy attic wife.
I really appreciated, also, how Alexandra’s “Americanness” was utilized throughout the book, especially because she’s college-educated. James doesn’t just pay lip-service to this idea that as an American, Alexandra is brash and headstrong. Rather, I think she carefully contrasts the ideologies of New York’s new money with the stodgy British aristocracy. In her capacity as a governess, Alexandra brings new opinions about educating girls, and about raising children in general, to Thomas’s Cornish estate, and it felt very real.
The focus on family was great in this book as well. Because Runaway Heiress is a slower-paced romance, the author had more time to develop things outside the protagonists’ relationship. Thomas’s younger sisters, for instance, are fully-developed secondary characters whose stories I became invested in as well. The girls aren’t just there for ornamentation—they serve a role in Thomas’s character arc and also have growth of their own.
If there were any complaints I had, I think they were regarding the final few chapters. When a romance reaches the point where the characters decide to do their level best to live together forever, all the conflict is resolved. That’s the point where the book should end, barring a brief epilogue or somesuch. However, the book’s one and only sex scene comes after the HEA has already been accomplished, when it no longer felt relevant or necessary. If you’re going to have sex in your romance, it should not just be filler or as a “treat” for readers at the end—all parts of a novel, including sex scenes, should be serving a purpose. At this point, there was no reason for such a chapter, because Alexandra and Thomas had already decided to be together. I also point this out because in addition to the extra chapter with the sex scene, there was also an epilogue intended to resolve a minor plot thread. As I said, authors should close the novel quickly after the conflict is resolved, otherwise things start to feel superfluous.
Yet all in all, I thought Runaway Heiress was well-written and fun. James had a good handle on character development and on writing a story that didn’t myopically focus on her protagonists. I feel this is a well-rounded novel with everything I could have asked for, and I appreciated the more unique aspects of the plot. This book is the perfect combination of a “Princess in Disguise” story and a Jane Eyre homage. I’m very happy to have read it.
