Published by Paullett Golden on July 18, 2020
Genres: Fiction, Romance, Historical, Regency Romance, Short Stories (single author)
Pages: 338
Format: eBook
Source: ARC
With quills and fantasies, they write their future. Percival Randall lives an uncomplicated life of luxury, as he likes it. Not even an ultimatum requiring marriage can tip the scales. A conniving young lady who compromises his name to force a betrothal, however, is an impediment to happiness Percival must confront. Abigail Walsley dreams of publishing novels rather than marrying dashing heroes. An unexpected proposal and a subsequent Banbury tale tumble her into a betrothal with a man she has never met. Following her dreams proves a challenge with a marriage of inconvenience on the horizon. This is the love story of Percival and Abigail, two dreamers who write their love story one scene at a time.
From second chance romances to mistaken identities, experience A Dash of Romance in this collection of one short novel and fourteen bonus flash fiction pieces.
Today, I’m absolutely chuffed to be sharing my review of Paullett Golden’s first anthology! Composed of a novella and flash fiction, Golden whisks us back in time for some delightful, romantic tales. Before I start, I do highly recommend signing up for her newsletter! Each month includes a fun piece of flash fiction. I have found several of them I desperately want to have turned into full stories or at least a novella. I’m not above begging; I would even be happy with the same length as Percy and Abigail’s sweet, fluffy, fabulous romance!
Golden typically writes historical romance with a bit more angst and conflict but, A Dash of Romance takes a different direction from her enchantresses. Don’t fret! Percy and Abigail are a joy to watch as they move from a fake relationship between an aimless second son and vicar’s daughter (on the shelf) to friendship and more. It is the perfect storm of tropes to help readers escape from reality for a while with a lighthearted, perfectly sweet romance. Percival never failed to make me smile. His confusion over his attraction to the somewhat drab vicar’s daughter brought me so much joy.
True to form, there is always one half of the couple that I don’t like quite as much. Practical and (mostly) content, Abigail reminded me a bit of Jane Austen’s Elizabeth, whom I also struggled with… so you know I have no taste. Her internal debate regarding Percival’s intentions and personality seemed to exist on a pendulum. Fickle woman! That said, I’m positive a significant portion of my grumpiness comes from me being irretrievably smitten with Percival. Any time Abbie tried to call him a rake, I was outraged. I’m talking pitchforks and torches irritable.
All good romances have some type of obstacle. Without Abbie’s wishy-washy denial, the story wouldn’t have been as perfectly cozy. Golden made up for it with the playful banter between Percival and Abbie, crafting absurd stories or revising her novel. They are a perfectly suited couple!
Side highlight: I was so pleased with the fathers, the vicar, and the Earl! They were both sweet and supportive when providing guidance, and even the ultimatum from the Earl comes from good intentions. It was a nice change from the typical cold, overbearing fathers that we often see in historical romance.
I don’t think I can stress enough how much I enjoyed A Dash of Romance. Mr. B always knew when I was reading it because I had a goofy smile on my face instead of “the typical neutral robot face” (this is romance, friends). Golden also includes some of the beloved newsletter flash-fiction! My favorites were Entangled, Candor, Persephone, Haunted, and Masquerade. I didn’t adore all of them, but that comes down to my hang-ups. No matter how well-written, if there is a reference to pregnancy, loss of pregnancy, or babies younger than three, I get twitchy. Don’t let that put you off, Golden handles the topics with care.
Overall, this romantic collection was a sweet distraction from what has shaped up to be an incredibly stressful year. If you are looking for a low-angst read with notes of Jane Austen, I am sure Percy and Abigail’s romance will enchant you!
**I badgered the author into allowing me to voluntarily read and review an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
About Paullett Golden
Paullett Golden is a Houston, Texas native who now divides her time between Northumberland, England and her hometown. She has been a university professor for over 20 years. When an oncologist told her she had three months to live, she decided it was time to fulfill her dream of being a novelist. After defying the odds, she now focuses her attention on her writing. Her debut novel has hit the Amazon bestseller list multiple times and has won a Reader Views Literary Award.
She loves historical fiction of all kinds as a way to transport us to a different time and place. All research comes from authentic resources of the time and from scholarly and peer-reviewed articles from researchers specializing in the time. Though she may take liberties with the fictional aspects, she does aim for the fiction to reflect the mores, culture, laws, and environment of the time. When not writing, she can be found in her butterfly garden or on a race track.
I want to read this book!
It really is wonderful! I hope you enjoy it!
When I get my hands on a copy and read, I’ll be sure to share my thoughts.