Book review: Just say yes by Myretta Robens

Just Say Yes - Myretta Robens

Synopsis:
Cassie Hartwell is the youngest daughter of the Vicar in the small rural town of Oakleigh. With her social-climbing mother constantly trying to set up matches between her and all the eligible bachelors in the county, Cassie is disheartened with love and instead spends her time renaming and playing with her neighbours’ friendly dogs. One day she comes across one of the dogs, Brummell, sitting on top of the new land steward, Geoffrey Dorton, and instantly forms an attraction to the handsome man. But she doesn’t realise that Geoffrey’s real name is Geoffrey Dorrington, Earl of Cheriton, and that he is working under the alias to prove himself as more than just socially elite. As the future duke, Geoffrey knows that a relationship with the Vicar’s daughter is out of the question but as he begins to fall in love with her, Geoffrey realises he has to tell Cassie the truth about who he really is, and risk losing his anonymity in the county. Will love win out?

What I gained from reading this book:
This book shows that social standing should not stand in the way of love. Geoffrey initially considers forgetting about Cassie as she is only the Vicar’s daughter and therefore does not possess the graces to become a future duchess. But he eventually realises that you can’t chose who you fall in love with, and that class shouldn’t be an obstacle. The ideas in this novel could be related to modern life, where people in a higher socio-economic demographic could just as easily fall in love with someone a lot less fortunate than themselves. In other words, this book shows that it is okay to break down social barriers in the name of love.

Positives:
In this novel, Robens portrays Cassie as a fiery young woman and Geoffrey as nobility in disguise and this premise works well in her story of love and status. Her other characters, the arrogant and obnoxious Rodney Gilbert, and his esteemed but haughty uncle Sir Edmund, contrast with the purity of Cassie and Geoffrey, and help readers to determine that being the richest person doesn’t necessarily mean being the kindest or happiest one.

Negatives:
Although this book was published in 2005, it’s set in the era of Pride And Prejudice, when people attended balls and women were accompanied when on walks with men. If you generally dislike reading about people during these times, then this book will not be of interest to you.

Rating: 6 out of 10

Genre: Epic Romance

Recommended for: People who enjoy reading old-fashioned style romance stories set in the 1800s


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