Gene Kendall's Reviews > The Inconvenient Sister

“The Inconvenient Sister” by Jennifer Reinoehl is a solid and occasionally engaging period romance. Although it is the second book in the Situations of Inconvenience series, it reads comfortably on its own; I hadn’t read the first volume and never felt lost. Set in 18th-century England, the novel pairs Beatrice Radford, a socially conscious commoner with journalistic ambitions, with Dante Sackville, the infamously vain Duke of Dorset. Their romance unfolds around Dante’s decision to hide his title, fearing it would undermine Beatrice’s advocacy and complicate their growing connection.

The prose is formal and clear rather than lush or lyrical, which may surprise readers expecting a more ornate style, given the time period. Reinoehl does a nice job grounding the characters in a convincingly drawn historical setting, with details that feel researched and authentic. While the novel doesn’t break new ground for historical romance, it delivers a thoughtful clash of values and a satisfying emotional arc.