The Runaway Heiress by Brenda Hiatt

Enjoyable Regency romance

4 stars

Dina Moore's only chance to claim her rightful inheritance from her scheming brother is to wed before she's 25. But when her intended ditches her two days before her birthday, she decides to take her chances of finding a husband in Gretna Green. Her plans go awry however, when instead of finding a husband she saves a naïve young woman from the clutches of a fortune hunter and earns the gratitude of the lady's handsome brother.

Grant Turpin owes the beautiful stranger a debt of gratitude for saving his sister but he did not anticipate that Dina would request his hand in marriage as a reward. And he certainly didn't anticipate that he would find his new wife so attractive, or that with every bit more independence that Dina offers him - the less he desires to take it.

This was my first novel by Brenda Hiatt and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. Both Dina and Grant, or Thor as he's known to his friends, along with the large cast of supporting characters were all well developed and extremely likeable.

The storyline was fast moving, interesting and kept the pages turning. While possibly not the most original of storylines - there were enough unique plot points to keep it from being clichéd or dull.

There were, however, a few things that stopped the book from getting 5 stars in my opinion. Dina was written as a small woman and Thor as a large man and the more intimate aspects of marriage were a source of conflict within the book. However, despite this raised anticipation - the sex scenes really lacked sizzle which was a little disappointing.

There were also a few oddities within the book that while maybe not historically inaccurate - did seem slightly out of place in a Regency set novel. Dina's love of exercise and callisthenics and Thor not having a house of his own and living with his parents were two things that struck me as odd. But although unusual - neither changed what is essentially a very enjoyable read and one that I would recommend if you're looking for a little light entertainment. I will definitely be looking out for more of Brenda Hiatt's books in the future.