Angie
Written on May 29, 2015
The beginning of A Radical Arrangement is so utterly ridiculous, but I wound up adore it! Margaret has been very sheltered. She keeps to herself and has no opinions of her own. It's as if her parents boarded up her mind and only slipped in the thoughts that they wanted her to have. In fact, her mother's opinion on Sir Justin had completely frightened Margaret, so that one night when she realizes she's alone with him, she runs, trips, falls, and knocks herself unconscious. Justin isn't the scoundrel that he's made out to be and attempts to help her, only to be caught by the rest of the guests and now Margaret is "compromised".
I had no idea what to expect from A Radical Arrangement, except for an opposites attract romance, where the bland heroine finally comes into her own mind. I did not expect to actually laugh out loud in places. I'm not sure if those opening scenes of Margaret running and falling were meant to be humorous, but they were so over-the-top that I couldn't help it! Then she runs away because she refuses to marry him, he comes after her, she shoots him, and now they're holed up in a small inn together as she nurses him back to health. It was just so fun! Margaret's journey actually reminded me a lot of Bubble Boy, but with her having been kept in a figurative bubble her whole life.
The only thing I didn't like was that Justin kept calling Margaret an idiot. She really isn't the brightest bulb, but he was quite mean about it in the beginning. It's not her fault that she hasn't been exposed to anything at all. But once he realizes that, he's there to open her eyes to the world around her. I liked seeing Margaret develop her own opinions and stand up for herself, earning Justin's respect and admiration in the process.
A Radical Arrangement really surprised me. If it hadn't been for how mean Justin was to Margaret at first, I probably would have given this a full 5 stars. The plot is totally ridiculous, but it totally worked for me! It was a light-hearted and fun read and that's all I really ask for in a Historical Romance.
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