Review: The Husband Criteria by Catherine Kullmann
I'm delighted to share my review of The Husband Criteria by Catherine Kullmann. It's Book #3 in her Regency series of novels about The Lorings.
The Husband Criteria is currently on blog tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club. Find other fascinating posts – excerpts, author interviews, guest posts – here!
The Husband Criteria
The Lorings, Book #3
Catherine Kullmann
In The Husband Criteria, we find ourselves in Regency England bustling with families of good standing seeking favourable matches for their daughters – and for eligible young gentlemen and heirs to find a suitable wife.
But with the restrictions of a comparatively short Season, how would a girl know who of those fawning suitors would turn out to be a nice, supportive husband, and not an ogre? Smiles and compliments can be so deceiving...
This third book in a series about The Lorings and their wide circle of family, friends and acquaintances, is about how a girl can find a way of ensuring her match is a good one. I've not read the other books, but I'm well-acquainted with the Regency period.
Cynthia, Chloe and Ann hatch an audacious plan – they draw up a list of qualities a suitor should possess before they would even remotely consider him. But as they go through the never-ending cycle of balls, recitals, carriage rides in the park, and other – well supervised and watched – events, they realise they may have to adjust a point or two.
The plot mainly revolves around Cynthia (I'm guessing the others will get their own novels in due course), and her at first reluctant attraction to Lord Rafe Marfield, and their courtship during her second Season. Having gone through the whole procedure before, Cynthia is well-positioned to advise her cousins, whose first outing it is.
Cynthia is a very likeable character. I found her refreshing and intelligent. Rafe is her perfect match, but of course it takes a series of events to get them to the altar.
Although I'm not a great fan (anymore) of the type of traditional narrative, it always works very well in Regency fiction and romance, as it portrays the attitudes more accurately than any modern point of view could. At times, I found it over-descriptive, but as the author knows her subject era inside out, it makes for a fascinating read. Events are portrayed in a writing style reminiscent of the late, great Georgette Heyer, and this adds a strong sense of authenticity. We find ourselves completely immersed in the ’there and then’.
For me, the strongest aspect of this novel is the impeccable research Ms Kullmann has undertaken. We see familiar names, places, and events, adding a realistic ambience around the characters. It's a period bustling with social events that don't allow participants much time to think, and we see glimpses of the characters trying to find space to breathe in all the hubbub. And all the Ton's strict regulations and views are on display, but there is a subtle sense of humour threaded through the plot, adding a light-hearted touch. Exquisite.
My only gripe would be the many characters linked to the family – at first, I was a little overwhelmed, despite the list of characters provided. Then I stopped checking, as it was really an overwhelming time for a young lady on plain display at the Marriage Mart. So many faces and names to remember. It must have been a true challenge!
The Husband Criteria is a Regency romance novel in the classic sense, with a light-hearted touch, with likeable (and some rather unlikeable!) characters, and a suitably intriguing plot, which is not too taxing but not too simple either. The storyline is clever, and the ending is delightful and realistic. Readers of literary romantic fiction in particular will find The Husband Criteria to be a real treat.
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Blurb:
London 1817
The primary aim of every young lady embarking on the Spring frenzy that is the Season must be to make a good match. Or must it? And what is a good match? For cousins Cynthia, Chloe and Ann, well aware that the society preux chevalier may prove to be a domestic tyrant, these are vital questions. How can they discover their suitors’ true character when all their encounters must be confined to the highly ritualised round of balls, parties and drives in the park?
As they define and refine their Husband Criteria, Cynthia finds herself unwillingly attracted to aloof Rafe Marfield, heir to an earldom, while Chloe is pleased to find that Thomas Musgrave, the vicar’s son from home, is also in London. And Ann must decide what is more important to her, music or marriage.
And what of the gentlemen who consider the marriage mart to be their hunting grounds? How will they react if they realise how rigorously they are being assessed?
A light-hearted, entertaining look behind the scenes of a Season that takes a different course with unexpected consequences for all concerned.
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About the Author:
Catherine Kullmann
Catherine Kullmann was born and educated in Dublin. Following a three-year courtship conducted mostly by letter, she moved to Germany where she lived for twenty-five years before returning to Ireland. She has worked in the Irish and New Zealand public services and in the private sector. Widowed, she has three adult sons and two grandchildren.
Catherine has always been interested in the extended Regency period, a time when the foundations of our modern world were laid. She loves writing and is particularly interested in what happens after the first happy end—how life goes on for the protagonists and sometimes catches up with them. Her books are set against a background of the offstage, Napoleonic wars and consider in particular the situation of women trapped in a patriarchal society.
She is the author of The Murmur of Masks, Perception & Illusion, A Suggestion of Scandal, The Duke’s Regret, The Potential for Love, A Comfortable Alliance and Lady Loring’s Dilemma.
Catherine also blogs about historical facts and trivia related to this era.
You can find out more about her books and read her blog (My Scrap Album) at her website. You can contact her via her Facebook page or on Twitter.
Connect with Catherine:
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About the Author:
Catherine Kullmann
Catherine Kullmann was born and educated in Dublin. Following a three-year courtship conducted mostly by letter, she moved to Germany where she lived for twenty-five years before returning to Ireland. She has worked in the Irish and New Zealand public services and in the private sector. Widowed, she has three adult sons and two grandchildren.
Catherine has always been interested in the extended Regency period, a time when the foundations of our modern world were laid. She loves writing and is particularly interested in what happens after the first happy end—how life goes on for the protagonists and sometimes catches up with them. Her books are set against a background of the offstage, Napoleonic wars and consider in particular the situation of women trapped in a patriarchal society.
She is the author of The Murmur of Masks, Perception & Illusion, A Suggestion of Scandal, The Duke’s Regret, The Potential for Love, A Comfortable Alliance and Lady Loring’s Dilemma.
Catherine also blogs about historical facts and trivia related to this era.
You can find out more about her books and read her blog (My Scrap Album) at her website. You can contact her via her Facebook page or on Twitter.
Connect with Catherine:
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