With disaster impending and Roxbury's work not yet done, the Marchioness is persuaded by Dame Alecto Kennet to switch her dying self with that of a strong and able counterpart from one of the many alternate worlds that exist. They choose orphaned Sarah Cunningham from our 1805 America and draw her to their reality. This sets the stage for a Regency-style spy adventure as Sarah becomes involved in plots at the highest levels of England, Denmark, and France.

Sarah wakes at Mooncoign, the Marchioness of Roxbury's estate, with no memory of her past. Under the influence of Dame Alecto's drugs and indoctrination, she is led to believe that she is actually Roxbury. Sarah uneasily assumes her expected though unfamiliar role and finds that she has inherited not only the Marchioness of Roxbury's life, but apparently her childhood betrothed as well.

This Duke of Wessex is a secret agent in two organizations which defend King and state. With his shadowy double life, Wessex is uninterested in marriage in general, and marriage with the potentially untrustworthy Roxbury in particular. Even so, the two are thrown together at this time of crisis and made to marry by order of the King. Thus, Dame Alecto and Wessex's grandmother have ensured that Sarah (even if not the original one) can fulfill her bargain and defend her land against the coming of a great disaster.

Along the course of spying and adventure, Sarah and Wessex discover an increasing trust and admiration for each other. As their secret identities are gradually revealed to the other, they must decide whether to make their marriage real.

There is no Regency in this Stuart England, of course, but that makes it all the more fun. This Regency romp will delight fans of the period. There are the familiar characters of the Regency romance, such as the British spies, the fake French seamstress, the prouder than proud valet, and the manipulative aristocratic grandmother.

Against this familiar background, it's all the more interesting to see characters such as Beau Brummell play out differently in this alternate world. Also, spotting references to works by other authors keeps you on your toes. Citizen Orczy. Lt. Stephen Price. Lymondhythe. Gambit. I'm sure there are more references I've missed.

The Shadow of Albion is great fun in parts, but the overall story was just not compelling. After an intriguing beginning, the narrative was sometimes disjointed, sometimes repetitious, and sometimes just plain dull. Magic and romance played a far lesser role than the adventure.

Still, fans of the Regency period should find plenty in the characters, scenery and history, if not the story itself, to keep them reading all the way to the end of the book. The flashes of wit and sense of sheer fun that sometimes shone through The Shadow of Albion make the thought of a potential sequel with Sarah and Wessex very appealing.

--Preeti Singh