My Dearest Enemy: A Novel

Having been introduced to Georgette Heyer in my teens and to Jane Austen shortly afterwards, I have always had a weakness for Regency Romances - although I almost never read any other kind of romantic fiction. However, I came across All Though The Night under the Regency Romance heading. This, of course, it is not! It is an amazingly powerful love story in its own very individual way and I was totally captivated. When I saw My Dearest Enemy advertised, I remembered Ms Brockway's name and thought I would take a chance on it. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and had difficulty putting it down.Avery and Lily are such well written characters that I feel I know them - and felt quite lost when I got to the end of the story. Once again, Ms Brockway gets a story that does not seem the least bit derivative. Her writing is clear, and the wit comes through beautifully in the letters. She also highlights a great dilemma for intelligent women in the past. Marriage effectively took away their rights and liberty, and the custody of their children. But illegitimacy and 'living in sin' were great social disasters. I will not rehearse the story-line as that is explained in many of the reviews. I will say, though, that the characters were very attractive, the writing style excellent and the book a total joy. I thoroughly recommend it.

This came to my attention as part of an article on Heroes and Heartbreakers in which Courtney Milan explained why she loved the book ( here). As I recalled the article I understood that the bulk of the book comprised Lily and Avery writing to each other, having re-read the article I can see that I was mistaken, however that was my expectation going into the book.Lily is a highly unconventional woman. Born out of wedlock, she has received a good education and she is an advocate (in print) of women's rights. A male relative, who had financed her education, is incensed at her vocal opinions but rather than cut her off or disown her, he offers her a challenge in his will. He is disappointed in his nephew Avery who is weak and sickly and has shown little inclination for farming and therefore to spite Avery he offers to leave Lily a property, the Mill House, if she can run it at a profit over five years then he will allow her to retain it. If she cannot turn a profit he will give the Mill House to Avery and, if Lily will admit that a woman is not as capable as a man, he will give her an annual stipend. During the five year trial period Lily must also provide Avery with an allowance.Lily is thrilled to have the opportunity to live in a fully furnished house AND prove to the world that women can manage a business just as well as a man. Avery has loved the Mill House since he was a child and he is devastated by his uncle's will. However, rather than try to contest the will he does what he has always done - turn the other cheek. In this case, Avery decides to travel the world for the five years.Scared that Avery's flight abroad is an attempt to frustrate Lily's attempts to meet the terms of the will, Lily does everything in her power to send Avery's allowance to him using her network of friends and acquaintances all over the world. Having never met, Lily and Avery both labour under misconceptions about each other in practically every respect.Avery feels obligated to write to his nephew, Brandon, who lives with his mother Evelyn and aunt Francesca at Mill House. His letters telling stories of tiger attacks and eating exotic foods with natives, accompanied often by stuffed animals and other memorabilia of his travels. Lily scoffs at the letters considering them exaggerations and flights of fantasy. her letters to Avery are acerbic and highly dismissive of men in general. In return Avery's letters to Brandon (which he knows Lily reads) refer to Lily as 'She Who Must be Obeyed' and similar derogatory terms. I loved the letters between Lily and Avery and (as I hinted above) I really would have liked this to take up much of the book, instead the five years passes very quickly.Most of the book takes place at Mill House when Avery finally returns home a few weeks before the end of the five years. He and Lily continue to spar with each other, Lily finds that her egalitarian female ideal at Mill House (she takes on pregnant maids and gives them a safe home until they give birth and then helps them to find new situations with glowing references and fake wedding certificates) falls beneath the reality of a man in the house - the staff all revert to the feudal system of kow-towing to the man.Slowly Lily and Avery reassess their opinions of each other. However, they hold diametrically opposite views about marriage and children. How do they reconcile their growing feelings for each other with their opposing views?Given that this book is 17 years old I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't appear dated - maybe that was because it is an historical novel, but even they have changed significantly over the past decade or two. It wouldn't have surprised me if this book was written in the last year or two by someone like Courtney Milan or Grace Burrows.This was my first Connie Brockway book but I don't think it will be my last.Recommended for anyone who likes historicals with unconventional heroines and intelligent heroes.

I think this is my fifth or sixth book by the author and I think it was my favourite. I absolutely loved it - the storyline, the characters, the setting, absolutely everything. I just didn't want it to end, which is the surest sign of a good book. I would definitely recommend this one. Buy it, you won't be disappointed in the slightest!

I had forgotten how a Connie Brockway story can move me to laughter and tears. Delightful characters with brilliant dialogue. I couldn't put it down. When I reached the end I felt myself sigh with emotion. What a great gift.