Book review: 'Her Caprice' is a clean Regency romance with a bit of magic

It's 1812 in London, England, and Beatrice Thornton's mother is trying to make her as ugly as possible for her first (and only) season. Beatrice understands her mother's motives and has agreed to go along with them. And besides, Beatrice and her mother have made a deal in, "Her Caprice," a novel by debut author Keira Dominguez. But what Beatrice hasn't considered is meeting the handsome, yet penniless, Captain Henry Gracechurch, becoming friends with a vivacious girl, and bonding with her little sister in ways she never imagined.

"Her Caprice" had me on pins for the first several chapters as I tried to figure out just why the wealthy Mrs. Thornton didn't want Beatrice, her daughter, to get married. I mean, this is a Regency Romance, right? And if the Thorntons didn't want their daughter to get married, then why did they go to the whole effort of coming to London and attending parties and balls? Also, WHAT WAS BEATRICE'S SECRET!? Just what was it that her mother kept alluding to; the thing that made it impossible for Beatrice to ever live a normal life?

Image from author's blog: https://www.keiradominguez.com/books

Those two questions were what kept me reading "Her Caprice." And while those mysteries are cleared up in the beginning of the book (don't worry!) what kept me reading was seeing Beatrice's evolution from the timid twenty-year-old who was afraid to even disagree with her mother, to the strong woman who ends up saving the life of someone she holds dear.

"Her Caprice" is a typical Regency romance in that there's a pretty girl and a handsome boy who like each other and who have to continually worry about what the ton (members of upper-class English society, for those of you who don't speak Regency) thinks about them. There are carriage rides, balls, and ballgowns; there are visiting hours and holding hands. However, this book has more going for it than the average Regency.

Dominguez's novel delves a bit into the actual history of 1812. Napoleon, the Duke of Wellington, and the Battle of Badajoz make their way into this book. Parliament meetings and the murder of England's Prime Minister take place all while Beatrice and Henry fall in love. And, while Dominguez could have written of all these historical happenings too much, (I mean, we read Regencies for the romance, right?) she doesn't. Instead, knowing that all those events are happening in the background lends a kind of authenticity to this Regency that I haven't encountered before.

"Her Caprice" is a wonderful novel with romance that doesn't go beyond a few kisses. The violence is limited, but exciting, and there are a handful of minor profanities.

A graduate of BYU, Dominguez lives in Oregon with her family.