Oh man, this was ridiculous and I loved it. You're going to see a bajillion comparisons to Jane Austen in other reviews and while it's definitely a regency romance, that's about where the comparisons end. Donaldson does not have the same wit or ability to skewer social convention in the manner of our dear Austen. That being said, I had a ton of fun reading this. The characters are dense and restrained and heck, that's half of the fun right there. Every few pages, I was like, "Marianne, you fricking idiot! Get your life together!" Absolutely worthy of being a great beach read.