Title: The Trouble with Harry
Author: Katie MacAlister
Publication Date: May 2004/ July 2014 (Kindle Edition)
Grade: B
This book is the third in the series that started with Noble Intentions, but they seemed to have dropped the ‘Noble’ title theme and gone with something a little different. This takes place about 15ish years after the first novel. Harry has long since married the woman he was engaged to in that book, and they have had five kids. Sadly his wife died shortly after the birth of their youngest son, McTavish. Five years after her death, he feels its time to find a wife, someone who can be both companion to him and help reign in his unruly children.
Answering his ad is Plum, a gentlewoman who ended up thrown out by her family because she was tricked into marrying a man who was already married. She’s been living in the country, raising her niece Thom and writing books on ‘connubial calisthenics.’ She doesn’t tell Harry this, and Harry doesn’t tell her about the five kids till they are already married.
Like the previous books, the first third of the book is getting to the wedding, but the second 2 thirds is their life afterwards as they figure out each other, as well as handle the ‘mystery’ that they have to solve. In this case, someone has been after Harry’s children, in an attempt to hurt Harry.
I found this book to be enjoyable, but not one I will probably find myself eager to read again. I probably will one day, when I’m passing by it in my library and think”Oh, why not.” It just doesn’t hold like some of MacAlister’s other books. Also like the other ones I enjoyed the secondary characters even more so then the main two. Harry is still one of my favorites, although I wish more could have been focused on what he did as a spy for England.
The Britons show up in this one in the form of Noble and Nick. Nick and Thom’s interactions are almost more interesting than the main character, and I wish she had used them for the fourth book. (Which I shall move onto now.)
Sokorra Lewis 