Review: Cressida Ellen Schofield: Incapability Brown

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I know I keep on saying this, and I apologise if you’re a regular reader, but romances are really not my thing. Remember that when you read this review, because this is a cracking read, and the one thing I don’t like about it is due to my dislike of the genre. So, bear with.

Incapability Brown is witty, has considerable charm, and the author writes extremely well about horses. I actually rather liked her hero too, because although a decently independent soul he doesn't have that saturnine, I am revoltingly rude thing that many romantic heroes have, simply of course so that the heroine can see beneath the horror to the decent soul within. Which is really the plot of many pony books, isn’t it? Vile pony, which only the heroine can find the way to understanding, only this time it's a man.

Hero Jared Walker is a gardener-come-bodyguard at the Yorkshire house where Izzy Brown has come to look after a rich man’s children. Izzy is not called Incapability Brown for nothing. Throughout her time in London she’s trailed destruction and disaster behind her. She is spectacularly incapable. This did worry me at first, because I really dislike the ditzy yet cute type of heroine, with a speck of cupcake icing on her cute little nose, strappy Louboutin dangling from her cute little foot. Fortunately Izzy isn’t that kind of heroine at all. She has a revolting temper, and like many people once away from the straightjacketing effect of other peoples’ opinions of her, starts to find her way, and realise that she is not incapable at all.


The romance is interwoven with the difficulties the children, eight year old Taryn and fourteen year old Carlotta (a thoroughly believable teenage girl) have in coping with their lives. Cressida writes a very good teenager: in fact, she writes a very good character full stop. And I loved the way the plot brings in an element of mystery, and that there’s plenty of well-observed horse, and that there are bits that make you laugh.

If you are a regular reader of romances, you will love the end. That was where the book lost me, but frankly, all romances do at that point. I think it’s because of the unvarying nature of the end: lovestruck girl boots off, convinced he whom she has spent the entire book trying to fight her feelings for, but whom she has realised she loves, loves her not. Mopes. Cannot settle back into her old life. He whom she loves turns up, sweeps her off her miserable yet noble feet and there we are. A couple.

And that is of course exactly what happens here. None of that is the author’s fault, of course, because there are so we’re told, only seven plots, and this one is hugely, hugely popular, and frankly it doesn’t matter what I think because there are plenty of people out there who like this particular plot.

And I have to say that, apart from the quibble above, I enjoyed this book more than the last Jilly Cooper I read. It’s that good.

The royalties from this book are being divided equally between the Dogs’ Trust, Redwings Horse Sanctuary and Help for Heroes.

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Cressida Ellen Schofield: Incapability Brown
KDP: £2.99 (ebook only)


Age of main character: adult read



Cressida Ellen Schofield's books are:


For more information on Cressida, her books and for all Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest contact details, please see: www.cressidaellenschofield.co.uk

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