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The Appearance of Impropriety

Kate Dolan
Cerridwen Press Publication (2009)
ISBN 9781419958229

Reviewed by Marcy Blesy for RebeccasReads.com (12/09)

“The Appearance of Impropriety” by Kate Dolan is a historical romance with likable characters.   Set back in the times when it was improper for a young lady to speak with a man unless properly introduced, the story follows the life of an out of work Lt. Heyward Elliott.  Lt. Elliott, to support himself and his mother and sisters, seeks to find employment as the steward for Mr. Bayles, a wealthy man..  After a poor first meeting, due to a miscommunication over an egg accident (Yes, that is the truth!), Lt. Elliott finds himself without a job but with the introduction to Mr. Bayles’ daughter Sophie and her odd friend Helen (the instigator of the before mentioned egg incident).

Sophie feels guilty for her role in Lt. Elliott’s loss of a job opportunity and seeks to help him find another suitable job.  Throughout the story, her attempts produce embarrassing and failed job prospects for Lt. Elliott.  He begs Sophie to stop helping him, as she only seems to make matters worse.  All the while, though, the two are growing enamored with each other.   Also changing throughout the tale is the relationship between Sophie and Helen, who has tendencies toward obsessive compulsive behavior. 
 
The man who is hired to be Mr. Bayles’ steward, Lt. Ringeour, a detested enemy of Lt. Elliott, provides the final impasse to a job opportunity for Lt. Elliott.  Sophie and Helen try, one more time, to help the poor man! 

The characters are amusing and clearly defined.  The story is fairly simple, and at times, predictable, but the sweet tale of growing love between an elite class woman and a working class man makes for a nice love story. 
 
Ms. Dolan writes well and successfully captures the climate of the times.  I would be curious to see where the characters move next should she write another book.   They carry enough appeal to warrant more stories.


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