Rosemary or Too Clever to Love is a charming, traditional Regency Romance by a British author that will suit fans of Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen.

Rosemary is a heroine of her time: she does not defy convention, but at the same time her beliefs and aspirations make her very relatable to modern readers. She’s also intrepid when it counts: this is a woman who can save herself, not the kind of heroine who wilts and needs a man to prop her up.

The Earl of Tyndell is a traditional hero, very attractive with an air of remoteness, whose growing attraction to Rosemary develops very realistically and naturally. There are a couple of romantically tense moments but nothing that crosses the line in an inappropriate or anachronistic way.

There’s also a wonderful villain, the quintessence of dastardly, who happily gets his comeuppance in a manner that paves the way for the Earl to make his declaration of love.

I particularly enjoyed the amount of detail around clothing in this book, which appeared to be very well researched by the author. Also the description and scenes at Vauxhall Gardens were very vivid.

I highly recommend Rosemary or Too Clever to Love to all Regency Romance fans, particularly those looking for an authentic treatment of the period.