Review of Some Enchanted Evening by Christina Dodd, a regency era romance set in 1808 Scotland.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. Please see our full disclosure for further information.
Synopsis
Clarice is a princess of Beaumontagne, a small kingdom in the Pyrenees Mountains. Or she was, until revolution threatened her family and she was sent to safety in England. Now, Clarice travels from town to town, selling cosmetics in order to support herself and her younger sister Amy.
Arriving in the Scottish town of Freya Crags, Clarice finds herself the personal guest of Robert MacKenzie, Earl of Hepburn. Robert has been troubled by some things that had happened during the Napoleonic Wars. Clarice’s presence gives him an opportunity to fix these wrongs. While there, she also improves his relationship with his sister and brings him back to full sanity.
Review
Some Enchanted Evening is a light and easy read with a simple (and somewhat silly) plot. Exiled princess falls in love with a troubled Scottish earl – nothing too complicated. There is a lot of time spent on verbal sparring and long conversation, but not enough time spent on creating depth (there is almost no character or relationship development).
So much about the story makes no sense. I find it completely unbelievable that Clarice could make herself look so convincingly like another woman to trick Colonel Ogley. Clarice and Amy are supposed to be hiding from potential assassins, but Clarice draws attention to herself while selling cosmetics. Also, the motivations for certain actions seem a bit far-fetched. For instance, I don’t believe for a second that Clarice slept with Robert that first time “because you needed me.”
I have serious problems with some of the choices the author made in naming the characters. Clarice and Amy are not names that royalty give their children, even royalty in small fictional countries. Also, one of Clarice’s middle names is Jayne, spelled with a “Y”. This is a minor issue, however.
Some Enchanted Evening is supposedly set in 1808 Scotland. However, it has more of a fairy-tale, not historical, feeling. Clarice has been travelling unchaperoned in a time when it was unsafe for women to travel alone. She sells cosmetics to young ladies when makeup is only used by courtesans. Then she jumps into bed with Robert without a thought for the possibility of pregnancy. It’s too modern.
However, I loved the way that Clarice helped Millicent (Robert’s sister) to recognise her worth. She didn’t need the royal creams to be beautiful; Millicent just needed a bit of confidence. And the old men in the village were just lovely.
Conclusion
Have you read Some Enchanted Evening? What did you think? Do you agree with what I’ve said about it? Let me know in the comments.
If you haven’t, you can buy it at Book Depository (they have free international shipping!) or Waterstones (free delivery on UK orders over £25, will ship internationally).
