REVIEW: Heiress Without a Cause

Title: Heiress Without A Cause
Series: Muses of Mayfair #1
Author: Sara Ramsey
Published Date: February 26, 2012
Publisher: Spencerhill Associates Ltd
Format: ebook
Pages: 288
ASIN: B007CK70ZY
Copy provided by: Netgalley
Genre: Historical romance
Add to: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon
Rating: 3 stars

Goodreads synopsis: HEIRESS WITHOUT A CAUSE is the story of William “Ferguson” Avenel and Lady Madeleine Vaillant. Both are unhappy with their lives. Madeleine dreams of the freedom to express her creativity on the stage. She has had enough of making her bows in ballrooms knowing her orphan status and shyness as a debutante mean she’s unlikely to make a match. Ferguson, a third son who fled England in disgrace and wants nothing to do with his family’s heritage, is thrust into his responsibilities as Duke after the tragic loss of his brothers, and his father’s recent and sudden death. 
Ferguson has convinced the seemingly proper Madeleine to chaperone his two sisters in their first season, knowing that if he’s to marry them off, he must distance them from his own unsavory reputation as well as the rumors about their family. When he discovers Madeleine has been hiding behind an assumed name and men’s attire to act on the London stage, he knows it will only cause more gossip among the ton if his plans suddenly change. Besides, Madeleine’s role is about to end. She has just a few performances left, and he’s desperate to conclude his responsibilities in London and return to his self-imposed exile. When Madeleine is blackmailed into continuing her role as Hamlet, Ferguson contrives a plan to help her pull it off. 
It all seems simple enough. But the Duke hasn't counted upon an enemy from the past, determined to destroy him, whose revenge will inadvertently bring down Madeleine at the same time. He also didn't expect the stakes to go up—now they risk losing a future together if they can’t carry off their charade.

My review: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I wasn't too impressed by this book. It seemed much too cookie-cutter Historical Romance (HR). I've read some HR's that have had me in tears, or biting my nails, hoping the characters would get together, or overcome their adversity, or misunderstanding. Unfortunately, this wasn't one of those.
The characters seemed dry and dull, though they were  well-described. There was no investment in them for me. I had no emotional repertoire with either of the main characters, Ferguson or Madeleine. At one point, I was actually hoping that Madeleine would get caught so that the story line would pick up just a little. 
The story line was probably the only semi-redeeming factor to the book, and even then, I found it much too easy to put the book down and eventually come back to it. 
Ultimately, if you're going to read this book, get it from the library.