I Shot the Sheriff by Regina Jeffers is an interesting Georgian romance/thriller following the Sheriff of Nottingham, William de Wendenal, as he searches for a life that was stolen from him years earlier by the Earl of Sherwood when he stole the woman Wendenal was to marry, Lady Marion Fitzwater, and made it look as if he had committed crimes, leaving him an outcast. There is a tenuous parallel to the stories of Robin Hood. While in London attempting to reclaim his honor, William meets a young woman, Grace Busnik, who saves his life when he is shot at at the same time an attempt is being made on the life of the King, who William is there to protect. It gets very complicated. All her knows is that she is beautiful and the powers that be insist her be guarded. Since he notoriously has not friends, they suggest Grace, as she is an agent of the king. He can pretend to be courting her so no one will be suspicious of them spending time together. He enjoys his time courting her but constantly has to remind himself that it is not real. The she is kidnapped. An add thing about these times: she is now ruined, through no fault of her own, and doomed to a life alone. Wendenal tries to go to her rescue.
This is a very clever and original book. Many of these people really existed, although not as they do in this novel. The kidnapping was well-thought out and almost worked as there was deceit, theft, intrigue, and sex, as well as planned murder. It was a page-turner. Very exciting as well as very romantic. Interesting to note that theft and assassination attempts then were not so different than they are now. It was a terrific book and I fully recommend it.
I was invited to read a free ARC of I Shot the Sheriff by Netgalley. All opinions contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #ishotthesheriff