Book Review ~ "Miss Billings Treads the Boards" by Carla Kelly #TackleTBR

Miss Billings Treads the Boards by Carla Kelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Source: Received from publisher to review.
Genre: Regency Romance

Book Description:  Cynical, lazy Lord Grayson is coerced into delivering a message to lovely Katherine Billings, whose late father frittered away a fortune on artwork. All his purchases were forgeries, save one, which--if sold--would offer Kate a modest living. Meanwhile, Kate has bowed to necessity and set off for Wakefield to become a governess. Gently reared, she has no plans to become a scandalous actress, but Things Happen. Injured by a highwayman hired by his greedy nephew, Lord Grayson staggers to a barn where a play is in progress. There he sees Kate, playing a small role. Through a mishap, she has ended up in Wickfield, not Wakefield, and is performing with the Bladesworth Traveling Company, an acting troupe. What’s a lazy and cynical marquis to do? Lord Grayson--using his everyday name of Hal Hampton--joins the troupe, partly to protect himself from his nephew, but mostly to get to know Kate better. They both fall under the spell of the impecunious but talented Bladesworths. A charming French émigré, a single-minded Bow Street Runner, and love round out a summer where the repertory includes deception, faux marriage, the law, and enough unsavory characters to suit any would-be Shakespeare. After all, the play’s the thing.


My thoughts: Carly Kelly has cemented her position as one of my favorite romance authors. She has a way with words that keep me turning pages and entertained.

In Miss Billings Treads the Boards, a down on her luck, soon to be governess finds herself in an acting group. Katherine Billings got off the mail coach at the wrong stop. A series of misinformation and a little bit of bungling find her heading farther and father away from her destination in Wakefield.

Lord Grayson wanted time away from his boring life. He had come to the realization that he was lazy, balding, and overweight. He decided to take the long route to his friends estate, adding a couple of weeks or so to his itinerary. His valet and nephew met him on the road, a misguided attempt for his nephew to become a hero and back in his Uncle's good graces.

This has many funny moments. It is a romantic comedy set in the regency era. The interaction between the characters made me laugh several times. They are very likable, except the nephew and the valet. The people you think you are going to dislike, end up becoming endearing.

This book contains innuendo, but is a fairly clean read.

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This is the third book in my Tackle your TBR Read-a-thon!

For this challenge, I am not including the books that I already had to review on my schedule.

The books read I have had in my possession for a while and hadn't gotten to yet.