If I Fall is a regency romance with a bit of mystery and espionage thrown in! Written by Kate Noble, who also writes under the name Kate Rorick for The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. (If you haven't watch these, you need to!)Humiliated, Sarah Forrester tries to face the Ton with as much dignity as she can, but it’s just too much. She knows what the gossips are saying. Since Jason, The Duke of Rayne, broke off their engagement she's been known as “The Girl Who Lost the Duke”. But as quickly as they can turn against you, they can be turned around. With Lady Worth's guidance that's just what happens, and soon she becomes known as “The Golden Girl”.When Lieutenant Jackson Fletcher returns to town, he’s not happy with this new Sarah. So he derives a plan to bring "The Golden Girl" down from the pedestal she’s on and back to being the Sarah he used to know by masquerading as “The Black Raven”. This plan leads them both into a world of murder and espionage. As Jack and Sarah try to find the murderer, will they find love in the process? Will Sarah forgive Jack for his deception when she finds out who he really is?I did have a hard time getting into the story at first. (Which might have been my own fault, due to being too tired to read.) I was almost half way through before I got hooked, but then it really took off! I couldn't put it down. It had me on the edge of my seat and had a nice twist at the end.I really enjoyed this story. This is the fifth in a series, and is the first I've read. It can be read as a stand alone. Regency Historical romance (set in 1823, so slightly outside the Regency time period). I found a romance novel that I actually enjoyed. The historical romances I had read in the past have very little historical detail (the history is the frosting on the cake so to speak) and this was an exception. There is enough happening in the story so it is not just about the heroine and hero. After her engagement to a Duke ends, Lady Sarah Forrester, remakes herself into society's Golden Lady--beautiful, witty, and the life of the party. When Jackson Fletcher, a lieutenant in the Royal Navy, returns to London while his ship is being repaired, he reconnects with the Forrester family and his shocked by Sarah's transformation from the warm and caring girl he knew in her youth to the cold socialite. He disguises himself as the Blue Raven in an attempt to lead Sarah to rediscover her true nature. However this leads him into espionage and intrigue as he works with the War Department to uncover the suspect in a murder. I liked that after initially being on opposite sides, the couple worked together in a light espionage plot (the Blue Raven stuff is reminiscent of the Scarlet Pimperel). The male hero set out to make the female heroine rediscover her kind nature but realized that he himself also had changed and needed to be more compassionate. The gender politics were more balanced than other romances I've read.There is one sex scene but this wasn't a steamy romance. This is also part of a linked romance series. Enjoyable fluff.
What do You think about If I Fall (2012)?
This author's writing is always top notch. This novel was a nice mix of romance and action/mystery.
—Adaneth
