Rachels Change Of Heart [Paperback]

For as along as she can remember, both Rachel and her mother have schemed for her to have a London Season so that she could secure an advantageous marriage. The very thought that Rachel should marry for love had never really entered either lady's mind. And yet, now that Rachel has finally achieved her life's goal, she's having second thoughts. Lord Yarnell is everything that Rachel and her mother could have wished for -- a pillar of society, he's both rich and good looking. But there are drawbacks to this union as well. Lord Yarnell seems to be a bit of a cold fish, and then there is also his mother, a snobbish and interfering lady who has made it only all too clear that she intends to live with the couple after they have married and that she intends to rule the roost.

As Rachel beings to question the very wisdom of remaining engaged to Yarnell, she starts to reexamine her relationships with her friends and her family as well, and begins to realise just how much she has allowed to slip out of her life because of her mad pursuit of a 'suitable' marriage partner. Suddenly her old relationship with Colin Varens (a neighbour from Yorkshire who has been in love with her forever) seems to be more important than ever. But Colin has hinted that he has given up on his pursuit of her and wants only to be friends. Can Rachel be satisfied with this? While Rachel may not be sure of what she wants (or who), she realises only all to well that time is running out and that she will have to decide soon as to which path she should pursue...

I think I would have personally preferred it if there had been much more interaction between Rachel and the gentleman she ultimately chose for a husband and if the entire boxing-subplot had been so prominent. This may have, perhaps, allowed for the romance subplot to be a little more in the fore than it actually was in this novel. However, I did like that the novel focused on how Rachel becomes a better friend towards Andromeda -- in fact when the novel focuses on how these two women become better and closer friends, the book is a 4 star read (though a little more focus and time spent on Andromeda's romance would not have been amiss either). Unfortunately, given that the romance factor was sadly lacking for much of the book, and that in order to fully appreciate this novel, and Rachel's epiphany, you probably should read "A Country Courtship" & "Pamela's Second Season" first, "Rachel's Change of Heart" becomes more of a 3 star read, and one with a few caveats.

Now, the plot: Rachel Neville is a veritable ice princess. She is beautiful and ladylike--a diamond of the first water. She is cool, emotionally aloof, and incredibly proper. Her fiance, Yarnell, is very much like her--and she certainly doesn't love him. And she never loved Colin Varens, the suitor she rejected many times in the past.

Colin, on the other hand, has loved Rachel for years. He had proposed to her every year, but the love was always unrequited. In need of an emotional outlet, he takes up boxing. And while his spinster sister, Andromeda, has always been against the sport--he finds that he is getting very good at it. And he begins to accept the fact that he and Rachel will never be together.

The first half of the novel deals with Rachel and Yarnell, her fiance. There is very little interaction between Rachel and Colin until the second half. However, we learn a lot about Andromeda during that time--who provides a very interesting secondary romance. In fact, I was often MORE interested in Andromeda's subplot, and wanted to hear more about her escapades. Andromeda's romance was a change from the norm.

As the novel progresses, Rachel's cool demeanor begins to thaw. In fact, her character makes a complete turn-around. Colin was an interesting hero. He is unattractive, domineering, and utterly masculine. And while BOTH characters frustrated me at times, they were enjoyable to read about. I wanted to see them prevail.

I did enjoy the book, and I give it a 3 1/2 star rating. Two little problems I had: 1) The repeated use of such blunt words as "homely", "ugly" and "hideous." 2) The epilogue. In my opinion, parts of it could have been omitted. That aside, I really liked the book. However, I'm still waiting for another masterpiece by Donna Simpson. She hasn't written anything as wonderful and moving as her first book, "Lord St. Claire's Angel."