Review: Lady Katherne's Wild Ride

Lady Katherne's Wild Ride by Jeane Westin
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Do you like japes and cods? Boy do I have a story for you! 

She would soon send him on his way with a hot rebuke he would remember long after his cod cooled. 

The TBRChallenge theme for September was Unusual (Time/Location/Profession), I went with this because it has been on my tbr for about ten years and Jeremy, our hero, is an actor during the Restoration Period. Taken separately, an actor and Restoration period, they are not so uncommon but together, well, I'm not sure I've ever read or seen a historical romance with a hero who was an actor during this time. I feel like I'm begging for people to come out of the woodwork to give me examples, lol. I had about a day to pick from garage sale box tbr for this month's challenge, means and all that. 

Katherne knew the price was hanging and the drawing out of Martha's entrails while she was yet alive, then cutting her body into four pieces to hang on the gate of Sir William Pursevant's manor of Bournely as a lesson to all who would defy a master's rule. 

Lady Katherne (Kit), is living with her uncle because her father fought against Cromwell and when Cromwell came into power, he was hung for a traitor. However, it is now 1666 and Charles II is in power and the Restoration Period (1660-1685) and theaters are back open. Her uncle tries to rape her, this scene is in fact the first scene and if this is a trigger warning for you, beware because her uncle William's actions and thoughts are grotesque. Fortunately, a servant named Martha saves Katherne, she fainted and is unsure if William was able to complete the act before Martha came along, but they fear Martha may have killed William. Fearing for her life, Martha is going to flee and Katherne decides to flee with her. 

All had violated her woman's rights ... what few a woman possessed in this world made for men, who made law to please themselves. 

They come upon an acting troupe, led by a man named Jeremy and he deduces they are the run and offers them a job in the troupe because Katherne relates her story of being on the run because her uncle tried to rape her, making Jeremy think of his sister who was raped by soldiers. Guess what? Jeremy and Katherne immediately have the hots for each other, though, Katherne has made a personal promise to never marry or let a man dictate her life. Guess what, again? Jeremy has been quite the ladies man and has been currently sleeping with Lucy, another actress in the troupe. Lucy is not happy and becomes our scorned other woman. Lucy is not a scorned other woman to sit on her hands, she gets to work immediately and sets it up to look like Katherne and Martha have stolen money from the troupe and gets them cast out. Jeremy wanted to stand-up for them but he also has dreams of acting in Lord Rochester's (yes, that Lord Rochester) theater and doesn't want a damaged reputation. He does, however, send a letter of recommendation along with his friend Alain to Katherne for her to present to a friend, George Folly (yes, that George Folly) to help her get on with his acting school. 

Aye, she was beautiful, but she was more. There was something separate in her that he could not reach, that he longed to touch and yet feared, knowing that it could most surely make him a captive, when as a man he must be free and master. 

Jeremy thinks the above quote two days after knowing Katherne. TWO days. This had some insta-love going on. Because he feels so deeply for Katherne, ol' Jeremy is melancholy and this infuriates Lucy even more and remember, she's a scorned other woman of action! She ends up stabbing Jeremy during a live performance. This causes Jeremy to leave the troupe and head to the Inn he knows Katherne is staying with his friend Alain and collapses in Katherne's arms from his wound. 

"Then I will bleed him to bring down his fever by drawing down the heated blood to cool the residue in his vessels, and to bring his four humors to a proper balance. Do you know if he was born under Sagittarius? Oh, surely not Aquarius. The water bearer is a bad sign for bleeding." Alain shook his head at every question, and the doctor harrumphed, "If I knew his astrologic nativity, I could better treat him." 

Maybe this is where ivermectin people are going wrong, have they consulted their astrologic nativity??? Anyway, by 35% these two were pretty much in luv and I got a bit glazed over for the rest. Martha does end up getting arrested for the attack on William, he didn't die and with a jape set-up by Lord Rochester, gets her out of jail but makes it so Jeremy has to marry her in order to get her out. The lovebirds are upset but this author knows how to dispose of in the way secondary characters and ships Martha off to the Virginia plantations because Martha thinks it will be a better life for her. Goodspeed, Martha. 

He bought a penny bunch of violets from a flower seller. "Here," he said, handing her half the bunch, "hold this to your nose so that you won't breathe in the foul vapors which carry plague." 

Oh god, definitely don't let ivermectin people read this, there will be a shortage of violets next. If you couldn't tell by some of the quotes I've shared, the plague does swirl around in the background. This, along with mentions of chocolate houses, politics, heavy use of real historical people and events, and vernacular did provide an excellent historical setting; I can see modern readers struggling with the parlance. Remember how I said it was 1666? Yep, one of those real historical events the author uses is The Great London Fire. I was a little disappointed in how it felt more like a blip but this story has a lot going on and we can't let something like a little Great Fire take up too much time. 

"They do say the fire started in the king's bakery at Pudding Lane," the man replied bitterly. "The king will get no bread this morning, nor will half of London." 

We're about at the 50% and Jeremy gets arrested and now that I'm thinking about it, I finished reading this at night and am now typing up the review the next morning, I can't remember why he got arrested. Lol. Is this where I say take this review with a grain of salt? Katherne can't be without her luv and when she gets invited to perform the short act she did with Jeremy about lovers meeting and coming together that has become popular, in front of Charles II (yes, that Charles II), she declares she can't do it without Jeremy. Some word play with the king gets him on her side and Jeremy is freed and they perform the play to the delight of the king. But hold on, Lucy our industrious scorned other woman has made it to London and working for the king's troupe and declares Katherne to be a thief and whore. 

"Actresses duel at dawn in Hampstead Heath, Thursday next!" 

Lucy has gumption, I'll give her that. She challenges Katherne to a duel, even though they have been outlawed. So, they meet up and we get some sword fighting. I'm not sure I'd call them Errol Flynns but they hold their own. Katherne comes out victorious, hope this wasn't a spoiler. We are now at 70% and while Katherne is out with her bff Nell Gwyn (yes, that Nell Gwyn) she gets kidnapped by William (the rapist uncle). We get a wild reveal Her dad is alive! But he's out of his mind not knowing years have passed., some dashing sword-fighting, and then a set to rights for Katherne's home estate. She hasn't forgotten about her vow to never marry but does it matter because Jeremy is already married to Martha? I'll just say JAPES. 

He covered her mouth with his, his tongue stroking hers as his cod thrust through her hot, slippery passage, to be stopped by her maidenhead. He thrust again harder and harder again until he broke through. 

This was published in 2006 but it read kind of like an old '80s, not quite bodice ripper because Katherne had more empowerment but the underlining vibe was there with the sheer amount of events happening and the wording choices. I'm going to put the over/under at 100 times for the words “japes” and “cod” used and bet it all on over. If you're here for the stage stuff, you'll get a fair amount along with a lot of quotes from plays and poetry of the time. The ending gave us some contraception talk and Jeremy setting up, you guessed it, a jape to manipulate Katherne into agreeing to marry him. Oh men and their manipulations, so funny!!! She agrees but the epilogue shows us not until right before giving birth to give her offspring legitimacy. Enjoyed the historical aspects but “japes” and “cods” were too abundant and the love was too insta. 

"Although Kit seems to have the mind of a male and I confess I did allow her to be educated with her brothers, she is yet a weak woman and subject to Eve's womb frenzy." 

I do call dibs on “Eve's womb frenzy” for my band name.

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