AN UNLIKELY ARRANGEMENT

Patterson’s historical romance novel traces a young couple’s challenging path to love.

At the turn of the 20th century, Abigail Dupree is almost 20 years old, and her mother, Catherine, is determined to arrange a marriage for the feisty, defiant young lady whose past transgression has made her the subject of gossip. For the last five years, Abigail and her parents have lived in Charlotte, North Carolina—they moved there from Asheville after Abigail’s suitor abandoned her for her best friend. (Unfortunately, Abigail still pines for the scoundrel.) Now Catherine is pushing her daughter to allow the odious William Arendell to court her. Determined not to attend a grand ball, Abigail, dressed in all her finery, flees her house. As she is walking the dark streets, a recklessly driven carriage sweeps by her, forcing her to step back. The heel of her shoe turns, causing her ankle to twist; she is about to fall when a tall, handsome stranger steps out of the darkness to catch her. And thus, Abigail Dupree and Garrett Barringer meet for the first time. Barely a moment later, they are engaged in the verbal dueling that will become a hallmark of their relationship going forward. Garrett is also originally from Asheville; he left after an accident that he failed to prevent caused his younger sister to suffer a permanent disability. Now, he has been hired by Abigail’s father to fulfill a secret assignment. The novel is a gentle romance with an added touch of theology. Patterson’s prose employs the genre’s signature exaggerated linguistic curlicues to convey an ample supply of overwrought emotional turmoil and passionate longings: “The heat of her temper weakened into a puddle of mush. The deep rumble of his voice kindled a fiery warmth within her…” There are enough twists, comical misunderstandings, and evocative atmospherics of time and place (in one amusing digression, Abigail meets and bonds with Theodore Roosevelt’s rebellious daughter, Alice, on a tour of the newly built Vanderbilt mansion) to keep the narrative engaging.

An entertaining beach-read romance, despite its predictable plotline.