Davenports #1
Putney Classic Romances #1
“If Mozart walked in, summoning a priest or a journalist might be more appropriate. After all, he’s been dead for twenty-five years.”
Caroline Hanscombe
The Diabolical Baron was Mary Jo Putney’s debut novel, and it shows. It is slow going in the first part of the story, but once she hit her stride, the characters began to shine. In the end, it is an amusing comedy of errors as two couples find love.
The book has a diverse cast of unique characters. Caroline is a deliberate wallflower who has made blending into the surroundings an art form. Jessica is a strong, stately widow who refuses to change her life for anything less than love. Jason, the titular baron, is a man who has never gotten over his first love and pulls the name of his future wife out of a nut bowl. Richard is a man from the continent who must decide if he will claim his unexpected inheritance and the responsibilities that go with it or let it go to the next heir.
Mary Jo’s cast of strong women starts in this book, and I love them, with Caroline showing the most growth as she chooses to step out of the shadows to fight for what she truly wants. The secondary characters are great as well. The shrewish aunt shows that she genuinely cares without changing a whit of her personality. At the same time, a dissolute cousin wreaks havoc everywhere he goes.
The plot is weaker than the characters that inhabit it. Some of the plot points that draw the characters together as couples are rather ham-handed. But as the book progressed, new characters and situations were introduced, and the final resolution was very satisfying.
It is by no means perfect, but as a sweet romance, The Diabolical Baron works very well.
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