| Claire Cavendish is a rare item in 19th century England, a woman whose primary interests lie within mathematics. Rather than making her an object of desire, however, her insistence on talking about maths simply drives men away. They do, that is, until the very handsome Lord Fox begins flirting with her. Little does she know, his interests lie not in her brain or body but in a bet he has made with another aristocrat about whether he can fundamentally change who she is, turning her into the popular "Lady Claire".
This is definitely a romance novel, with its primary focus on the sexual tension between Claire Cavendish and Lord Fox. But, it also channels a bit of Pygmalion (and the 1999 movie She's All That).
And of course, there is a bit of math as well, though it is mostly just the idea that she is a mathematician that is relevant. The author suggests that the protagonist in this novel was inspired by Ada Lovelace. In fact, Lady Claire does talk about working on the difference engine. However, if you really want to read an entertaining work of fiction that will actually leave you better informed about who Lovelace was and what she actually accomplished (even though it veers off into fantasy partway through), I recommend checking out The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage. But then, I guess my tastes run more towards science fiction than romance.. |
