SOMEDAY SOON
Joan Wolf

When Lady Alexandra turns down her umpteenth suitor, her father at last loses patience. In a fit of temper, the Earl of Hartford rewrites his will in such a way that Alexandra will be forced to marry his heir, her cousin. But to everyone’s surprise, after his death the heir turns out to be the wrong cousin.

Niall MacDonald had no idea he was heir to the Earldom of Hartford. A devout Scot, his only interest in his English inheritance is money to buy quality cattle, for the clan whose leadership he will inherit. He plans a quick trip to England and a quick return to the Scottish Highlands with a herd of cattle. He certainly has no expectation of marrying the dead earl’s daughter.

When Alexandra and Niall meet it is immediately obvious that they have much in common. They both need money, they both need the cracks in their manners smoothed over, and neither is willing to make allowances for cultural differences. Also, they both feel the electric cloud of attraction swirling between them. Can they overcome the source of their biggest conflict, the belief that English and Scots are hereditary enemies?

Within the first few pages of SOMEDAY SOON, I realized that I had been missing humor in my reading lately. Joan Wolf’s twinkling sense of the absurd places us above the fray, where we can root for both Alexandra and Niall. The characters take themselves very seriously, but the author gives us an understanding of each of their viewpoints, and makes us want to offer them assurances that all will be well. That is not to say the plot is predictable. Lines of suspense keep cropping up, in varying degrees, a new one each time the old is resolved. Wolf is an inventive writer who seems to let her characters set their personal hands to their own destinies. As I finished reading it I laughed with delight.

I first found Joan Wolf by way of her hardcover novels, among them NO DARK PLACE, THE EDGE OF LIGHT, and DAUGHTER OF THE RED DEER. In these she takes more time to create her characters’ worlds in solid form, and her people seem to be breathing in the room right next to you. In Regency romances, the world has already been created, and the cast of characters is set by convention. Wolf pushes the possibilities of this genre, in an entertaining, affectionate, and simpler way.

June 2000 Review Originally Published on Romance Communications

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