The impostor

Review by Sheri South on Goodreads

“I read this book years ago after picking up a remaindered hardback, and liked it enough to keep it, but I hadn't re-read it until now. Interestingly, I remembered nothing about the romance, but recalled two scenes between the hero (Lord Hector, aka "Mr. Finch") and Jason, the 11-year-old boy he's tutoring. The first of these was the way he got Jason interested in reading THE ILIAD in Greek: after reviewing the list of contestants in a race, "Mr. Finch" asks, "As a betting man, Jason, where would you put your money?" Suddenly Jason has a stake in the outcome, and is eager to read in order to learn if his choice "won." The other was when Jason tries to force his pony to make a jump--and takes a tumble when the pony balks at the last minute: "He's a slug!" shouted Jason. "He's a lazy fat coward, and I hate him!" "Peppercorn isn't a coward; [says Mr. Finch] He's a small pony with the sense to know what's beyond his powers--which is more than can be said for you." There's more, but you get the idea. Those snippets were enough to make me love Lord Hector (and it's to the author's credit that she can make a man named "Hector" a convincing romantic lead!), even though I didn't remember much else about the book. It's important, I think, to go into this book thinking of it as a romantic adventure, because the romance takes a back seat to the adventure; if you're okay with that, you'll probably enjoy it. I was, and I did. Oh, and about that "missing" scene? Here's the set-up: Jason can barely remember his mother; when he was only five years old, she died in France of an illness that almost took his life, too. But lately a no-good character has been bringing Jason things--letters, mementos, etc.--supposedly from his mother. Needless to say, Jason firmly believes his mother is alive and is being kept from him, and he's willing to give this unscrupulous person every farthing he owns for these "messages" from her. When Lord H