Hundreds of Years to Reform a Rake [Mass Market Paperback]

I'm not generally a fan of paranormals, science fiction, or fantasy books, though I do like an occasional one, especially if it deals with Regency England. So, it wasn't a hardship in any way to read Laurie Brown's Regency-set paranormal Hundreds of Years to Reform a Rake.

In Hundreds of Years to Reform a Rake, Josie Drummond is an American paranormal investigator, hired by English lady Amelia Thornton to investigate Castle Waite for the ghost of Lord Deverell Thornton, 9th Earl of Waite. Lord Waite (aka Deverell) was a handsome libertine who died in a duel back in the Regency. Amelia wants Josie to prove his ghostly existence, which will make the castle a tourist spot and generate money for much-needed renovations.

Unfortunately, Josie finds no proof of Deverell's ghost until she is about to leave. Then, in the presence of Amelia, Deverell reveals himself and explains his real purpose for having Amelia call her. Back when he was alive, a charlatan swindled Dev's mother out of the family fortune with a seance. Dev wants Josie to go back in time and help him stop the fake madam.

Of course, Josie is a modern girl and loves her electronic ghost-hunting gear, but Dev won't let her take it with them and insists she have a crash course in Regency manners. Josie is reluctant to undertake this task, at first, but slowly warms to it---and to Dev with his "dark visage, black hair, and deep-seated gray eyes" (8).

Once Dev (well, Dev's ghost) and Josie have gone back to the Regency, Josie has to use her investigative skills to stop Dev's mother from being swindled and navigate a Regency house party without revealing that she is from the future. To top it all off, not only is Josie attracted to Dev-the-Ghost, but Deverell the man seems smitten by her and she sort of likes him too.

The longer Josie stays in the past, the more she forgets her life in the present. And the more Deverell likes Josie, the less power Dev has to remain present in his ghostly form. Even though Dev and Deverell are really the same man, Josie will have to choose between them.

Hundreds of Years to Reform a Rake contemplates an idea that enthralls many modern Regency fans: what would it be like to go back to the Regency? Brown included many little details that Regency fans will find familiar and pleasing.

Other than the fact that Dev is a ghost, the book does not contain an overwhelming amount of paranormal activity, so non-paranormal readers will not be turned off. I certainly found it interesting that Dev could use his ghostly powers to do things like call for a flower delivery or take Josie back in time with him. Another element that I particularly liked was that the longer Josie was in the past, the more she began to lose her modern-day memories. I only wish Brown had included more of this in the story.

It was fun to watch Josie try to manuever through a Regency house party and ball, try to catch the swindler without her modern detecting equipment, and decide between Dev and Deverell. Brown's ending was clever and I never suspected Josie would choose the path she takes.

I would recommend Hundreds of Years to Reform a Rake to anyone who enjoys paranormals, and even Regency fans who don't usually read them. Brown did an excellent job of combining the two genres. There are a couple of love scenes in this book.

If you like ghosts, historical romance, time travel and great characters - pick up this book. An American ghostbuster finds herself confronted by a early 1800 ghost who wants her time travel with him. He wants her to prove the gypsy that has stealing from his mother that she is a fake. She does not think time travel is real but is willing to spend time with the handsome ghost for scientific purposes. This book was excellent! - Enjoy!

I would also recommended;How to Abduct a Highland Lord by Karen Hawkins, Spirited Away & Into Thin Air by Cindy Miles, Have Glass Slippers Will Travel by Lisa Cach and Crazy For You by Kate Angell.

Despite the rather unwieldy title, this book is a really enjoyable read as we follow Josie Drummond back in time to solve a puzzle in England in 1815. She is working in England as a paranormal investigator in modern times when she meets the resident ghost of Castle Waite, Deverell Thornton, the ninth Earl of Waite, who asks her to go back in time with him to prevent his mother being defrauded by a gypsy and losing the family's money. This event contributed to the severe financial straits of his one remaining relative, Amelia Waite - it seems that the house is falling into rack and ruin in modern times because of a lack of money.

Of course Josie needs lots of education in how to behave as a young single woman in the Regency period and Deverell and Amelia help with this. Then she is transported to 1815 and meets Dev's mother Honoria and some other house guests, including the gypsy, but - unfortunately - also the flesh and blood Deverell who is dangerously charming. She and the Regency Deverell work to find out who the gypsy is and, helped by the ghost Deverell, Josie tries to change the events of the future. However with the ghost running out of energy which would strand her in the Regency period, and with her attraction to the Deverell of 1815, Josie's task is getting harder. Will she be able to leave the Regency period after all?

The descriptions of mealtimes, clothing, dancing and etiquette in the Regency period were fascinating. It all seemed reasonably accurate but I was a little dubious about some facts (for example, it was discussed whether an Earl who is the younger son of a Duke is lower in the pecking order than an Earl who is the eldest son of a Marquis - but younger sons of Dukes don't inherit titles in the UK) and this meant that I wasn't entirely sure if what I was reading was fully correct. This is always disappointing in historical fiction but I gave the author the benefit of the doubt in most cases and enjoyed all the little touches of information that she shared, such as the way that women wore gloves.

There are a few unfortunate errors in the UK setting of the book; for example, we are told about the 'Albert and Victoria Museum' (which is of course the Victoria and Albert Museum), English Regency people using American words such as 'nixed' and someone eating 'biscuits' with her egg and bacon at breakfast in 1815 ('biscuits' in English are equivalent to the American cookies, and breakfasts were usually ham or beef and ale rather than bacon and eggs). The point of view of the narration occasionally jumps from Josie to Dev for a couple of paragraphs and then back again and that can be confusing as it's not always clear initially who is narrating.

However despite these few reservations this was a very enjoyable read with Josie a feisty and independent character and Deverell the ghost and Deverell the man both also very appealing. It was enjoyable to read a book with a mystery plot that wasn't lost behind the romantic part of the book but worked well alongside it. It was also an interesting idea to imagine how a modern woman would manage if transported back to the Regency period; clearly our morals and women's independence have changed significantly and I have doubts as to how well Josie would fit in that world long term but it was an interesting idea and the book never dragged.

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