Fieldnotes:
Fenwick on Sea, Regency - 1815

1 Title-Obsessed Young Miss with a Talent for Scandal
1 Non-Titled Merchant Captain (Half-French)
1 Shocking Lack of Introductions!
2 Rejected Overtures

1 Unscrupulous Rival
Sabotage!
1 Terrible Storm
1 Convergence on The Queen's Barque Inn featuring Cross-Pollination

1 Gossip Sheet Reporter
Appalling Lack of Consideration for Reputations
Kidnapping!
Fisticuffs!
Embracing in Public!

The Short Version:

Miranda de Courtenay has one overarching objective - she wants - nay, *needs* to marry a title. After all, she is currently the only one of her siblings without an honorific, and her 20-year-old self just can't handle her elder siblings having something she doesn't. Apparently, the young lady is so fixated on what she wants that she has (in previous novellas) made some rather questionable decisions and weathered more than her fair share of scandals.

I really wanted to like Miranda, but her obsession with a title for the sake of having a title (rather than wealth, or having some ambition related to the title) was extremely tiresome. Despite her being immediately drawn to merchant captain Jasper Rousseau (to the point of ignoring societal niceties like introductions before dancing a waltz - the SCANDAL), she immediately dismisses him out of hand once she learns that he's untitled and instead runs off after someone who claims to be titled but is clearly a MISCREANT - listen to your maid! She also flings herself into danger just to make sure Jasper is safe at one point (so at least she's affectionate, if reckless). She's just a very self-absorbed, very dramatic 20-year-old with messed-up priorities. And I may be a tad too old for her nonsense.

On the whole I liked Jasper and wanted the two of them to get together, but there wasn't really much of an obstacle other than his lack of title, which just wasn't good enough a reason for me to forgive Miranda throwing him away (not once, but multiple times!). I'd happily read more in the series, though. ( )