Love Alters Not - Patricia Veryan

SHE NEVER DREAMED BEING A TRAITOR WOULD ENDANGER HER LIFE AND HER HEART....


Impetuous Dimity Cranford bravely sets out to rescue her wounded friend by delivering a crucial cypher to his fellow Jacobite sympathizers. But her midnight coach is overturned and she is forced into a bold deception to avoid questioning. Masquerading as Mrs. Catherine Deene, the guardian of a young boy orphaned by the accident, she plots to complete her mission.

When she arrives at the lavish estate of her new charge, however, she comes face to face with the famous Lord Anthony Farrar, the knave who deserted her own brother's troops in the midst of battle!! Unfortunately, the cowardly yellow do is extremely good to look at. Soon Dimity finds herself torn in a most daring test of courage--and of love...

Patricia Veryan is an author I keep hearing good things about but I have found it difficult to find her books. When I did find this one I decided to sit and read it. I did like it a lot but since I realised this is part of a series I'm wondering if I should have waited till I had the others to read them in order.

Dimity is a fun, a bit too daring heroine. While trying to carry on a secret mission she finds herself at Sir Anthony Farrar estate pretending to be the aunt of a 6 year boy, claiming to be the right owner of Farrar's inheritance. Farrar waits no time in qualifying them as impostors and Dimity as a common doxy and he treats her accordingly. Only his aunt persuades them to let them stay at the house till their papers can be examined. For Dimity this is also an ordeal because Farrar is the Captain whose actions made one of her brothers loose a foot in the war.

I think the best part of the story is how Veryan creates so many twists and turns, funny scenes and tragical one, in just one book. At first Dimity and Farrar don't like each other, then they start being intrigued because they find the other doesn't exactly match the idea they had in their heads. At the same time Dimity tries to discover to whom she was supposed to deliver the cypher that is her secret mission, avoid being thrown out of Farrar's home till she does it and her brothers keep looking for her everywhere. With Farrar there's the mystery of why everybody hates him so and how did things end up that way.

Besides the main characters the story features a long list of colourful secondary characters who add quite a bit to the success of the action. There are several hilarious scenes, a few tragic ones and many adventures to live before we reach the final conclusion and I have to say I enjoyed everyone of them. Now I'm really looking forward to find some more of her books.

Grade: 4/5