A regency romance is incomplete without the mention of Almack’s (mixed sex public social club in London outside of the aristocracy) and it was with great eagerness that I picked up Denise Patrick’s novel The Importance of Almack's. I am glad to say I wasn’t let down despite the limited entry into the "hallow’d portals" of the greatest of marriage marts. This book would have been perfect with the subtitle "…and the importance of paternity" nonetheless it made for a very enjoyable evening’s entertainment.  

Pamela Clarkdale’s rural life in Yorkshire changes beyond her wildest dreams when she comes across an injured man and takes him in. "Stabled" in Clark Hall is none other than London’s most eligible bachelor, Christopher Orion Covington—the twelfth Earl of Kittridge, known to his rescuer as just Kitt. Pamela’s family is the typical regency dysfunctional one, but with more than its share of skeletons in the cupboard; skeletons that are revealed as the book unfolds. The first secret that changes the course of Pamela’s life and uproots her is finding out that she is illegitimate, unlike the petted and pampered younger daughter Sheila. This is revealed when their "father" throws her out when Sheila witnesses the first kiss between Kitt and Pamela, and rats on her. Three months later after being thrown out of her house, Pamela and Kitt’s path cross again but this time she is a paid companion to the Earl’s godmother, Lady Parkington. The cynical earl is torn between his past prejudices, his growing admiration for his rescuer, and the guilt that he caused Pamela’s drastic change in circumstances. 

What follows is a pretend engagement between the lovebirds and a Season for Pamela, as she becomes Lady Parkington’s protégé. Despite Sheila’s chagrin and the rumors she and her grandmother start in an attempt discredit Pamela and deny her entrance to Almacks, Kitt is enthralled by his fiancée, who keeps shattering his cynicism about women. Pamela also finds great friends, champions, and a substitute family in Lady Parkington’s family and Kitt’s friends—the foremost being Gerald, Viscount Tinsley; his sister Lisa; and Kitt’s best friend Lord Denton Avery, the younger son of a duke. As more and more secrets are revealed, love blossoms despite all deceptions. Pamela finds the truth of her heritage, as does Kitt when he learns his much-adored father’s dark secrets. Kitt overcomes his cynicism, which was already under the seige of his growing respect and love for Pamela. The book’s happy ending reunites separated families, heals past betrayals, and is a happily-ever-after for two couples. This five-star wrap-up for a five-star story is made tearfully sweet with a final proposal in no less a setting than Almack’s itself. A wonderful book with wonderful characters and some deeply moving scenes! I loved every line of it.