An Evening At Almacks

The Abandoned Bride - Edith Layton

2011-01-21T11:39:00.001Z

Strikingly beautiful young Julia Hastings had been an inexperienced innocent when handsome, high-born Robin Marlowe induced her to elope with him -- only to abandon her without a word of explanation on their wedding night.

Julia was left with her virtue intact but her reputation in tatters. Her life became a struggle to defend herself against gentlemen who henceforth considered her easy prey.

By now, Julia knew better than to trust any man, even when that man was the overwhelmingly attractive Lord Nicholas Daventry, Robin's own uncle. But if Julia had learned how dangerous blissful ignorance was in matters of the heart, she had yet to discover what folly it was to be too wise...

I have really enjoyed some of Layton's books that I have enjoyed in the past so I'm always looking forward to find more. This one didn't quite match my expectations though.

The opening scene is Julia's elopement and the author does make it sound like there is a big mystery surrounding the groom's actions but in the end they were not that mysterious. The action then jumps to a few years afterwards. Julia's reputation suffered, she had to go away and find employment so that her sisters wouldn't suffer from her bad behaviour and she is now working as a governess but thinking of leaving her post.

That's when Nicholas Daventry makes his appearance. He is the uncle of Julia's potential groom in her botched elopement and he seems to believe that Julia was the one who left his nephew and treated him badly when the opposite was true. He is looking for his nephew and came up with a plan to take Julia with him to make the young man happy. We can immediately see that the young man must be an immature idiot who concocted a story to keep his uncle at bay. That he did it by harming Julia once doesn't seem to matter much.

I really didn't like Nicholas Daventry. He is arrogant and domineering; he forces Julia to go with him through a mad and a bit too convoluted scheme and eventually becomes violent when provoked. Even without that I just couldn't believe that taking Julia would be a guarantee that he would find his nephew so I thought it all a bit exaggerated. Since he was a disagreeable character I also couldn't understand how Julia kept giving him the benefit of the doubt or why she kept feeling attracted to him.

They do spend quite some time together till they find Daventry's idiot nephew but I never could overcome my initial dislike of the hero enough to be happy for them. I did like Julia but in my opinion she was too good for that hero. Daventry's stepfather sounded like an intriguing character and I wonder if he has his own book...

Grade: 2.5/5

The Defiant Miss Foster & A Highly Respectable Widow - Melinda McRae

2011-01-15T09:15:00.001Z

Valentine Debenham has just learned that since his father's death, he himself has been responsible for the welfare of a family of orphaned children, including a young girl on the brink of womanhood. Finding a husband for Kat Foster is a responsibility he doesn't take lightly--but he never considered that the only man perfect enough to be Kat's husband was himself.

The superbly handsome Earl of Knowilton was a rake without equal. No woman, whether wanton or well-born could resist him, just as none could satisfy him for long. But Knowlton had grown bored with easy conquests. He sought a sterner test of his powers of seduction to stir his jaded sense of sport.

Then he met Katherine Mayfield. This widowed beauty with her air of unassailable virtue and flaming red hair provided the spark to set Knowlton's passion ablaze. Thus the struggle was joined between this licentious lord and a perfect lady who had to keep the infamous earl at baby and her own heart in check.

THE DEFIANT MISS FOSTER

My love for traditional regencies leads me to pick them here and there, sometimes without any references. Such was the case with this 2 in 1 book. I have to say, though that I don't particularly enjoy guardian / ward romances and The Defiant Miss Foster did nothing to change that.

The ward in question, Miss Foster, was childish, impulsive, and rude and I just couldn't see how her guardian could feel attracted to her. Even if she, and her brothers, were mad at being deserted by their guardian (the father of the current one) for so long and feel like they don't want one now there's nothing to justify her action in the beginning and her rudeness from then onwards.

Besides she had a TSTL streak that made her get into trouble often, or almost get into trouble because she was actually a lucky girl. It’s quite unbelievable how a young lady who allowed strangers to be so very familiar with her didn't actually get into big trouble.

Debenham was a bit strict yes but next to how annoyed Kat made me feel that was nothing!

Grade: 2/5

A HIGHLY RESPECTABLE WIDOW

Now this story had a plot more to my taste. Although it is another take on a fairly common theme - rake tries to make a woman his mistress only to fall in love with her and repent his ways. I thought this one was well done, with interesting characters that made it an entertaining read if not an uncommon one.

Unlike the first story here it was the heroine that I liked best. She was sensible, she knew what the hero wanted and how temporary that would be so she told him no no matter how attracted to him she might be. She was also wise enough to understand that if she wanted to raise her child well she would have to swallow her pride and go to the one who could help her. The hero was a bit too self assure and conceited in his actions and it felt good to see him fall.

Grade: 3.5/5

Imprudent Lady - Joan Smith

2011-01-08T11:33:00.001Z

PRUDENCE HAD SEEMED SUCH A PROPER NAME FOR HER... UNTIL SHE STARTED WRITING NOVELS AND BEGAN DREAMING ABOUT A LOVE AFFAIR WITH A WORLD-FAMOUS AUTHOR.

Prudence had fallen in love with the celebrated and dashing Lord Dammler from the moment she read his first book. Then she began to have fantasies about him. Then she actually met him!

Suddenly Prudence was not living up to her name anymore....

This is my first read by Joan Smith and I found it intriguing, sometimes amusing but hardly a traditional regency romance. It's more of a friend’s story than a love story... but it does have a HEA.

Prudence, the title's imprudent lady, becomes a writer with some success. She shares a publisher with the famous Lord Dammler, the time's most celebrated writer, and ends up being introduced to him. Although she is a bit critic of his work, Prudence can't help but admire him.

Lord Dammler, alas, finds Prudence quite unremarkable but a series of events lead them to spend more and more time together and as she falls in love with him he just sees her as a friend. Prudence naiveté in terms of the ton's social behaviour does lead her to some trouble with an admirer without ever realising it. Her social awkwardness does make for some humourous moments as does her silly uncle. Lord Dammler is quite unhappy with Prudence's admirers and they become an object of discussion between them leading to some witty dialogue.

Eventually Dammler realises what his feelings for Prudence really mean but for a moment there it seems all may well be lost and where he previously commanded Prudence's emotions he will now have to work for his happy ending.

An interesting read, much different from your typical romance novel which is always a plus. However the lack of empathy that I felt with both main characters made it a slow read for me and while recognising its value and originality it doesn't come close to being a favourite.

Grade: 3.5/5

Lucy In Disguise - Lynn Kerstand

2011-01-03T15:28:00.001Z

SHE RELUCTANTLY RESCUED THE ROGUE -- NOW HE'S DETERMINED TO RESCUE HER!

Miss Lucy Preston pulls a wounded smuggler from the quicksand of the Lancashire beaches, and she soon rues the day. For the rascal immediately sees through her disguise and that of her heavily veiled companion -- who, indeed, is not a mute, elderly woman but a frightened young lady running from danger and seeking refuge at this remote seaside cottage.

Happily acknowledging he has just landed in a truly fascinating melodrama, Christopher Valliant is determined to aid the fair damsels. For this reformed rake is motivated by the most noble reasons of all: love -- pure and glorious -- for the lovely, temperamental, and ever-so-delightful Lucy!

I recently read Kerstan's Celia's Grand Passion and since this story is about the hero's brother I couldn't resist picking it up next. It has an original plot that resembles that of a gothic story but this one is humourous novel so the resemblance stops there.

Christopher Valliant is saved by a lady masquerading as a lad one night when he is about to drown after having fell under a cart on the beach, during a smuggling operation. He is taken to her house to recover and he realises that there are in fact two ladies, one of whom is always hiding.

Lucy, the supposed lad, is a rather determined young Lady. She does her best to protect her friend Diana, who has been hurt by her uncle and is hiding from an unwanted suitor, and her efforts go as far as to pretend she is the ghost of an old witch to prevent people to approach their cottage. Christopher can't help but admiring her character and eventually he manages to hear the hole story from Diana and is determined to help them loose the evil guardian.

I'm afraid I did not like this story half as much as the other Kerstan book I had read. It may be that part of my problem was that I don't always like funny regencies (unless we are talking about Heyer); I always love best the ones that are dark, poignant and a bit tragic. But most of it was that I thought Christopher and Lucy had no chemistry together. I had a hard time believing they had fallen in love and made it a bit of a chore to finish it. I was glad to see Celia and her husband again though and I ended up a bit curious about Diana so I might try to track her book down one of these days.

Grade: 3/5

A Christmas Promise - Mary Balogh

2010-12-27T12:15:00.000Z

THE BOUGHT BRIDEGROOM

Eleanor Transome found her father's wealth a dubious blessing, for he was determined that she wed a nobleman. Lord Randolph Falloden, on the brink of ruin, could not resist the lure of cold cash, despite his passionate alliances with several other desirable maidens. And though her heart belonged to the handsome, if humble, Mr. Wilfred Ellis, Eleanor would never deny her father's wishes. Thus the match was made--with love not part of the bargain--for the arrogant earl and the coal merchant's proud daughter. But in this season of unexpected gifts, a most remarkable surprise was in store for them both....

After reading A Christmas Bride how could I resist picking up another Christmas story. Especially one that has been OOP for so long but has now been reprinted. I really couldn't and I am really happy I read it. Once again Balogh grabs a familiar situation - an impoverished lord marrying a rich Cit's daughter - but manages to write very original characters and situations.

Eleanor Transome's father is dying. He wants’ to leave her under the protection of a husband and he chooses the Earl of Falloden as bridegroom. He buys the Earl's considerable debts and tells him that either he marries his daughter or he will demand immediate payment.

Falloden is disgusted with the arrangement but feels he has no other choice if he wants to save the family estate from being sold. To him Eleanor Transome is nothing but a greedy young woman after a place in society. To Eleanor he is nothing but a gambler and a womaniser but she feels she must respect her father's last wishes and marry him.

To say that the marriage started on the wrong foot is an understatement. They both distrust and despise the other and Eleanor's reserve prevents her from showing her true feelings about her father which Randolph mistakes for coldness. Their wedding night is an intense, poignant, scene where neither wants to show their feelings, in a way it is a fight between them and it must be one of the most different love scenes I've read in a while.

Randolph doesn't understand Eleanor's feelings or how some of her attitudes are dictated by her father's wishes. And she is quick to judge him and take offense and uses sarcasm and irony to attack him. But after Eleanor's father passes away they end up spending the Christmas season at Randolph estate, surrounded by some of his friends and her family, and slowly they start letting their guard down.

I did like Randolph very much. He was an honourable man, he had good intentions and after the first bitter moments of resentment for having been forced to marry he tried to turn their relationship into something good. But it was Eleanor that truly conquered me as a character. She was so passionate, so emotional inside but she kept it all locked up because of her pride and natural reserve. She believed the worst of Randolph and also that he must despise her for being who she was but she never gave up a fight and, in her own words, gave as good as she got.

It was only after she starts relaxing with her family and the tenants of Grenfell Park that we, and Randolph, have the chance to see how warm and affectionate she really was. One of things I like the most in Balogh's earlier titles is how much introspection we have, we know what the characters are thinking and feeling and we know why they do and say the things they do. Randolph and Eleanor's feelings do not develop overnight and even after that starts they do still quarrel which leads him to call her, affectionaly, an hedgehog. They will only be entirely honest and open on Christmas Day, when Randolph gives her the present her father had left for her.

I really loved reading about these two and their journey to love which, in the beginning, seems that it will take nothing short of a Christmas Miracle to achieve. My one complaint is a minor one, that so many secondary couples finding love is highly unlikely. But that is certainly a detail in the middle of this lovely, emotional story.

Grade: 5/5

A Christmas Bride - Mary Balogh

2010-12-25T12:23:00.000Z

The Wrong Lady

At six-and-thirty, the very wealthy Edgar Downes had finally decided to take a bride. Although not to the manor born, Edgar had promised his aging father that he would wed a titled lady by Christmas. Edgar came to London to review a parade of eligible misses, all of them pretty, proper, and young enough to bear him a son. But it was the widow Lady Helena Stapleton, in a shocking red dress, who captured his undivided attention. He simply could not take his eyes from her. And as for Helena, she too felt a most disturbing frisson when she saw this seductive stranger.

An irresistible passion was soon sweeping them into a scandalous liaison. Marriage, of course, would never do. Helena was too old and altogether the wrong lady to marry; Helena thought Edgar simply not in her class. But in a season of unexpected miracles, something wondrous was about to happen... something that would change their minds and transform their hearts forever....

Is there anything better than to read one of Balogh's Christmas romances at Christmas time? I think not and this year the first one I read was A Christmas Bride

Lady Helena Stapleton was introduced in a previous book, A Precious Jewel, where she was the villain. Even if you haven't read that book Helena is not exactly a nice character when this story starts. She is cynical, bitter and doesn't trust anyone. She also doesn't seem to feel good about who she is.

Edgar Downes is the heir of a merchant family. His sister, Cora, married the younger son of a duke and he knows he is only received in polite society because of that connection. At thirty-six is father is urging him to marry and give him grandchildren and Edgar decides to spend a season in London looking for a bride.

When he and Helena see each other the attraction is there and Helena decides it's high time she takes a lover. That evening she manipulates Edgar to take her home and they do sleep together but her cold manner makes him leave without plans of seeing her again. In fact he starts to court another young lady but his natural kindness and moral values lead him to inquire about Helena's well being and when it is apparent that she is pregnant he feels that there is no alternative but to marry. Since the Christmas season is just starting and they were already planning a party at the Downes country home a Christmas wedding is decided.

It is not in every book that we see a heroine as tortured as Helena. She feels the need to punish herself for a past behaviour and she does that at every turn. Even wounding others so they don't get close to her. With Edgar however she is unable to that. Edgar is a wonderful hero, once he sets his course of action he is determined that he will do his best to have a good marriage. He tries to find a way to breach Helena's defenses and eventually he manages just that and learns what she did in the past.

I really enjoyed their interaction during those days after the wedding. With family and friends in attendance, Helena starts opening up a bit and Edgar feels he might have a chance to heal her if he manages to bring her together with those she hurt and especially if he gets her to forgive herself. Since this is the season for family, good will and forgiveness I thought this was the perfect theme for a Christmas story. Just lovely!

Grade: 4.5/5

Mally - Sandra Heath

2010-12-23T11:30:00.000Z

HOMECOMING
Mally came to her girlhood castle home in Wales to discover what should become of her as a woman.

With her was Sir Christopher Carlyon. who begged her to be his wife and whose passion was devilishly hard to deny. Missing was her younger sister. Who had vanished with - of all disreputable types of gentlemen - an American.

And making her feel both all-too-comfortable and increasingly uneasy was her extraordinarily charming host. Richard Vallender. who claimed to be Christopher's most loyal friend even as he drew closer and closer to Mally.

The questions of the heart and the seductive lies of love- twin puzzles for a young woman who found that all that was once so safe and familiar was now so menacing and strange....

I am, slowly, getting to the bottom of the TBR pile and this time I found another Sandra Heath book. I have loved a couple of her books and been less sure of other. This one, unfortunately, falls in the second category.

Mally is a young widow, she has a beau in Sir Christopher Carlyon but she doesn't seem much interested in him. At the moment she is more worried with her younger sister who has disappeared and she fears she went away to marry someone her family wouldn't approve of.

My main problem is that I never felt I actually knew Mally and what I did know of her wasn't very interesting. I couldn't understand why she kept Carlyon around if she didn't want him; it seemed kinder than leading him on. I didn't feel like I really got to know Carlyon, by the way, but he seemed a lot more involved with her than she was with him.

Then the mystery did get me a bit, or lot actually, confused. First Mally's sister had run away to marry, then it seemed something darker was afoot.. When she meets Vallender she first believes he may be the villain who took her sister or at least know what happened to her and when they all find themselves at his castle she can't help but being attracted to him despite everything.

I suppose the idea is to introduce a bit of a gothic feel in the story - mysterious man, mysterious castle but maybe because I wasn't really invested in Mally as a character it didn't really work for me.

Grade: 2/5

Celia's Grand Passion - Lynn Kerstan

2010-12-11T11:04:00.002Z

EVEN OUTRIGHT REJECTION WOULDN'T STOP HER FROM PURSUING HER GRAND PASSION. . . .

No man in London could match Lord Kendal's cool elegance nor rival his skills as a diplomat. His icy calm was as notorious as his untouchable heart. And few women had any illusions of finding love in his arms. Lady Celia Greer, however, was not among them.

Young and very determined, she has made it her mission to melt the ice around his lordship's heart. Though charmed by the exuberant young widow, he is not willing to toy with one still innocent in the ways of love. But if ever there was a gentleman worth saving from his own cold prison, it was Kendal. And if ever there was a woman for the job . . . 'twas she!

I've put Kerstan on my WL after reading Lord Dragoner's Wife, that was a MOC story between a titled gentleman and a cit's daughter and I greatly enjoyed it. Celia's Grand Passion is completely different but it was also a nice story.

It starts in a surprising way with a lady of the ton hiding in a closet to spy on the gentleman of her dreams. Naturally she couldn't be an ordinary lady and Celia does have a strange story behind that we get to know as the action progresses. The lover of her dreams is Lord Kendall and he ends up catching her spying on him.

When they meet again at a society ball Kendall seems as interested in Celia as she is in him. Since they are both free, she is a widow and he a widower, the eventually decide to engage in a love affair. But everything goes wrong when Kendall discover something about Celia's past, something that makes him distrust her as he did his wife and that left him scarred about trusting people.

I did like Celia's quiet dignity; she knew she was not in the wrong and that men are often only interested in their own pleasures so she actually bests him and makes him feel the worse about his attitude. They separate, determined not to see watch other again but fate brings them together when Celia meets Kendall's son and brother in the country and he eventually comes home.

I did like them more the better I knew them and although Kendall's past wasn't that original I thought Celia's story was a bit different from the ordinary. For a while I thought it would be difficult for those two to find their way to happiness because they kept bickering and fighting each other but in the end I am glad they found a way to make up and confess their feelings.

Grade: 4/5

The Plumed Bonnet - Mary Balogh

2010-11-29T09:48:00.000Z

DECEIVING THE DUKE

There was no reason for a lord as handsome and high and mighty as the Duke of Bridgewater even to glance at a humble vicar's daughter like Miss Stephanie Gray. No reason except the Duke was in need of amorous amusement, and the he was mistakenly convinced that Stephanie was precisely the kind of woman that she was decidedly not.

It was one thing for Stephanie to be grateful to the Duke for rescuing her from a horrific highway mishap. It was quite another, however, to repay him by accepting what she long had been told was a fate worse than death. So when the Duke stooped to conquer, Stephanie rose to defend her virtue - only to find that even the most proper young lady on the brink of the deepest of dangers could nonetheless fall in love . . .

The Plumed Bonnet is part of a series that starts with Dark Angel. I have read the previous books some time ago and I never wrote the reviews but reading this one actually made me want to go back and revisit those soon.

In the beginning of this story we find Stephanie Gray walking along the road in a very colourful hat and destitute. When the Duke of Bridgewater's carriage comes along he sees a lady of easy virtue who might help him pass a few comfortable hours and he offers her a ride. Stephanie is naturally grateful and tells him the story of how she ended up like that and who she is. The story sounds so fantastic that Bridgewater believes it to be made up just to gain his interest. Amused he plays along and they both spend a night in an Inn albeit in separate rooms. When Bridgewater realises she was telling the truth he feels duty bound to offer for her because he knows he has compromised her.

Stephanie accepts as she feels she has no option (she has to marry to receive her inheritance) and she does admire the Duke very much for what she feels was a good deed towards her. But the easy communication between the two is now at an end. Stephanie feels like a country bumpkin next to Bridgewater's family and despite being coached in her new duties by the dowager Duchess she feels she may never be sophisticated enough to fulfill her new duties, and Bridgewater realises he wants a true marriage between them but seems unable to express his feelings in a way she understands them.

On their wedding day he decides to be truthful and tell her what he really thought about her when they met. This makes Stephanie realise that he also has flaws; the man she thought had been so kind to her simply thought she was a trollop. While this causes her some pain it was also a much needed conversation to clear the air between them. After the initial big misunderstanding (which I usually don't like) that was quite funny and then the smaller ones that contributed to make this a very angsty read during their engagement. Bridgewater and Stephanie will have to build their relationship on who they really are.

I found this a lovely, entertaining story with very funny moments in the first half and then some poignant ones in the second. It covers the dangers to women alone on the road, the insecurity of meeting one's in laws and how difficult it is sometimes to understand others, be it words or looks, when you don't actually know them. Another winner!

Grade: 4.5/5

The Obedient Bride - Mary Balogh

2010-11-11T22:55:00.001Z

LOVE WAS NOT PART OF HER MARRIAGE BARGAIN

Miss Arabella Wilson knew perfectly well that the handsome, dashing Lord Geoffrey Astor was marrying her only out of a sense of duty. She knew she could be only grateful to this man who so generously offered her a life of aristocratic privilege. Surely she could not imagine she could ever claim his heart as well as his hand. Surely she could not object to his mistress, the ravishingly sensual Ginny Cox.

Surely she should be content with the attentions of the gentlemen of the ton who swarmed around her.

But Arabella had committed the most scandalous of sins. She had fallen in love with her own husband...

After a few less than wonderful Baloghs here's one that I truly enjoyed. The Obedient Bride is a "MOC" story; both the hero and the heroine marry out of a sense of duty. Him because he is helping the last Viscount's family and she because she will be able to help her family if she does.

The way they approach the marriage however is very different. The hero sees it has something he has to do but that it won't disrupt his private life, he will continue to keep his usual mistress and doing his usual activities with the exception that now he will accompany his wife to social functions and will present her sisters to society. The heroine, however, is determined to make the best of her marriage and be the perfect wife. In part because she feel he is entering a bad bargain as she is not as beautiful as her sister.

They do adjust well to married life and in fact Bella, the heroine, likes her new social life so much that she becomes a vibrant young woman always surrounded by friends and admirers. However, one evening she hears that her husband is keeping a mistress and decides to confront him about it.

I loved how Bella was so very hurt and disappointed but managed to hold on to her her dignity while making it very clear how mad she was. Geoffrey really couldn't see how his actions could be seen as wrong (which I suppose was accurate for the time and type of marriage) but he felt her displeasure and decided to change. He ended things with the mistress and worked on gaining Bella's trust again. Mind you he did not change overnight, in fact his first reaction was to get very angry that Bella should think and speak in such a way with him. But when he decided to reform he did his best to please her and I felt he actually won her over.

There's a subplot with Bella's sister and a rake that I felt was a bit unnecessary unless it was to show how noble Geoffrey was in contrast. In the end I found this a very nice little story although readers with strong feelings about adultery should probably stay away. I always feel Balogh has more original/outrageous plots in her earlier titles than in the more recent ones and this is the perfect example!

Grade: 4/5

The Constant Heart - Mary Balogh

2010-11-08T19:35:00.003Z

THE ROGUE'S RETURN

Miss Rebecca Shaw had lost her heart once in her young life - lost it and had it broken.

At last it had mended - mended enough for her to say yes when the handsome, high-minded young Reverend Phillip Everett asked her to be his wife and share a life of the purest propriety and best of good works.

But now Christopher Sinclair had returned. He was fee now of the marriage that had given him fabulous wealth at the price of leaving Rebecca behind and betrayed. He was free now to turn Rebecca's head again... away from the man who soon would be her lawfully wedded husband. And Rebecca was also free to change her mind - but was she foolish enough to turn toward a love that had proven faithless once and now could be utterly ruinous. . . .?

Another one of Balogh's oldies The Constant Heart tells the story of Rebecca Shaw, a young woman who suffered a big disappointment a few years before when her beau tells her that he is marrying a rich heiress he met in town and leaving her behind. Now she is engaged to be married to the village Reverend but the return of the man who betrayed her, now a rich widower, does make her heart feel divided.

Besides her disappointment with him Rebecca keeps hearing about how Christopher mistreated his wife. But she can't seem to stay away from him as they keep seeing each other everywhere and he is always very civil to her. When they meet by accident in the forest and Christopher tells her he still cares for her Rebecca has a hard time dealing with the feelings that his declaration bring to surface.

But soon she finds out that maybe not all that has been said about him is true, that he has been helping her through the years without her knowledge and the real reasons behind his actions.

I thought this plot had great potential for an angst ridden story. Unfortunately, although there are some emotional moments, that potential is not fulfilled. Maybe because we only know Rebecca's side of it or because Christopher actually does seem like a nice guy and there isn't much misunderstanding on that score. That lack of emotion prevented me from being totally engaged in the story and it didn't quite work as I was expecting it to.

The secondary characters were really nice and the love stories they developed also made for a good read. They were the kind of people I wouldn't mind revisiting at a later date to see how well they deal with each other.

Grade: 3.5/5

Gentle Conquest - Mary Balogh

2010-11-03T18:50:00.001Z

THE BASHFUL BRIDEGROOM

It should have been the perfect marriage for beautiful Georgiana Burton. The husband her parents had picked for her, Lord Ralph Chartleigh, was wealthy, handsome, noble, and kind. Unfortunately, he did not measure up to Georgiana's firm notions of what a man should be. He was uninterested in society, impervious to fashions, had the worst of tailors, knew little of women -- and was wary of the little he knew. Clearly Georgiana had to teach him a great deal about life and even more about love...forgetting until it was almost too late how much she had to learn herself.

Another Balogh oldie (yes I read quite a few last month) and one that I started worrying about once I was introduced to the heroine. She seemed the ultimate shallow girl, marrying because her parents so decided but determined to make fun of her husband. The husband was intelligent, honourable, charming even although a bit shy with his bride. He fell head over heels in love with at first sight and seemed unable to utter more than a couple of words in her presence. Georgiana pretends to also be shy and delicate while she is being courted but while Ralph never even kissed a girl she has already been kissed by a couple of her friends and sees nothing wrong with a light flirtation.

Ralph's inexperience and Georgiana’s behaviour lead them to an awkward situation on their wedding night and they do not consummate it. Instead Ralph decided to wait till they get to know each other better. He is quite surprised by the vivacious girl she becomes after the wedding and feels even more enchanted by her. Although seems as shallow as in the beginning we can see that she doesn't have a bad heart and would like to make a go of her marriage. She is a bit impulsive and sometimes her actions really are a bit too much but she is the kind who learns from her mistakes.

They eventually return to London and the ton's social life. Georgiana meets her old friends and makes the acquaintance of one of Ralph's cousins. The more she gets to know her husband the more she wants their marriage to be consummated, you can see her growing up, appreciating her husband as she should and he deserves. But Ralph doesn't seem in any hurry to do the deed. With the help of her husband's cousin she eventually comes up with a plan to seduce him, but since he feels intimidated by her she pretends to be someone else.

I must admit that Georgiana's crazy plan was quite funny. Because of that I could suspend my disbelief regarding the fact that Ralph slept with his wife believing her to be a stranger and never realising it. But I could see a mile away that someone would eventually believe Georgiana to be carrying on an affair and that might have some trouble explaining what she had been up to. How she was found out and how Ralph dealt with the situation was also quite funny.

Despite what I would think to be a crazy plot if I had just read about it I think the story worked very well, showing two young people (18 and 21) getting to know each other and falling in love while still showing some adolescent behaviour. While this isn't one of my favourite Balogh's it was still a very nice read.

The secondary romance was also a nice touch.

Grade: 4/5

Miss Dornton's Hero - Elisabeth Fairchild

2010-10-25T08:33:00.002+01:00

Fateful Attraction

It was lovely young Miss Margaret Dornton 's first London season. That was why she knew nothing of the fearful reputation of the dark and handsome Evelyn Dade until it was terribly too late.

To be seen in this notorious gentleman's company meant scandal and social disgrace. To be on close terms with him was to court the most dreadful of dangers. And to fall in love with the bitter and brooding Lord Dade went beyond folly into the realm of ruin. But this inexperienced, impressionable young lady did even more. She awoke the passions of this man driven by private demons, for whom love and war were one and the same. Which meant she not only had to fight her own desires but defeat his as well-in a battle to save what was left of her good name even after she had lost her heart....

Although the Napoleonic Wars are present in many regency novels it is not often that they deal with the traumas and scarring from the war. In Miss Dornton's Hero Elizabeth Fairchild brings us one such stories. Evelyn Dade led his men to war and saw every one of them die, now the Ton calls him Captain Death and believes death will follow wherever he goes.

When he first meets Margaret Dornton he saves her from a dog and takes her home. Unfortunately just being seen with such a notorious character is enough to damage Margaret's reputation in the eyes of society. Margaret is a bit naive. She has a few scars herself from having seen her brother die in a fire as a child, and she has an idealistic view of people and the world. She likes Dade, thinks him a hero for saving her and does seem to be much worried about being an outcast of society.

Margaret does grow out of it a bit but she never stops liking Dade and looking forward to be with him socially. Dade, knowing the damage he has done and continues doing to her reputation, would rather stay away but feels unable to do so as Margaret becomes the bright spot in his existence. He even concocts a plan to rescue her reputation and then stay away.

Part of the story is told from his point of view. I really liked that despite the fact that it means a separation for the couple. I think this is not light reading but it definitely is a nice one and we can't help but wish that Margaret and Dade are finally brought together in the end.

Grade: 4/5

Mannerby's Lady - Sandra Heath

2010-08-30T08:30:00.001+01:00

SHE REFUSED TO BE A BARTERED BRIDE--AND BECAME A CAPTIVE IN AN ARISTOCRATIC CAGE

To some, the great manor of Mannerby might have seemed a lovely country retreat. To beautiful Sarah Jane Stratford, it was a hateful prison to which she had been consigned for the crime of spurning the odious boor whom her noble father had ignobly chosen to be her husband.

Always close at hand was her captor, the infuriatingly arrogant Paul Ransome, who clearly believed every scandalous rumor about Sarah Jane. Frustratingly far away was the handsome, gallant Jack Holland, to whom Sarah Jane was eager to give her hand, her good name, and anything else he chose to desire.

Sarah Jane vowed to brook no obstacle of social censure nor pitfall of prudish propriety on her path to true love--only to discover what sinister snares passion could set, and how treacherous a guide the heart could be....

Heath is a hit and miss author for me. I always open her books with a lot of expectation and sometimes they end being a bit a letdown. Fortunately that was not what happened with this one although I did find it to have some problems. The blurb is also a bit misleading as I thought that what happens before Sarah Jane goes to Mannerby is as important as what happens there and Ransome is not exactly a captor.

Sarah Jane is an illegitimate daughter that her father recognised when she was already an adult so that she could marry his heir. Neither Sarah Jane nor her fiancé love want the marriage but she is practical enough to realise that if she refuses she will be condemning herself to a life of poverty. The only person who has been nice to her is a young man and when he proposes to meet her in the woods she accepts despite some misgivings. Her fears were well founded as he proceeds to try to force but she is saved by the appearance of another gentleman, Jack Holland.

Despite having a terrible reputation Holland behaves in an honourable fashion and takes Sara Jane home. However later in the day he hears the other bragging to friends how he succeeded in forcing Sarah Jane and challenges and kills him. To Sarah Jane he becomes a romantic figure, her saviour who promises to return for her. But his actions and her future mother-in-law malicious gossip make everyone believe that she was his lover and her father decides to send to one of his estates in the country - Mannerby.

Throughout all this Sarah Jane behaves in a dignified manner but on her way to Mannerby her strength is once again tested has her maid, indeed her only friend, dies when crossing a river. Paul Ransome, the tenant of Mannerby, believes the worst of her behaviour but always treats her with proper respect; the same cannot be said of his sister who seems to have something against her. At first Sarah Jane believes that Melissa was the woman her fiancé wanted to marry and that is way she dislikes her but soon is apparent that there is something more at stake as Melissa's behaviour turns more secretive.

The problem I had with this story was that it was part romance and part gothic and there seemed to be a bit of hesitation about which should be the stronger element in the story. Sarah Jane finds herself without friends, and indeed almost surrounded by enemies, during her stay in Mannerby and stranger things keep happening has a mysterious man keeps appearing in the woods, a fire is set in a nearby inn and Melissa ends up running away with tragic results.

Ransome eventually discovers that Sarah Jane is not the person he thought but when they start to spend more time together Holland returns. All the feelings that Sarah Jane had for him come rushing back and they eventually admit their love for each other.

I had a feeling from very early about who the bad guy really was and I was proved correct. The convoluted plot that was behind his actions wasn't as easy to guess but I couldn't believe how Sarah Jane couldn't see it as clearly as I did. That detracted a bit from my enjoyment of the mystery plot and the ending came about so abruptly that I felt a bit cheated on the romance part. It was an interesting story but I think it would have felt stronger if it had been entirely a gothic or entirely a romance.

Grade: 4/5

The Lady's Companion - Carla Kelly

2010-08-23T07:58:00.001+01:00

A Compromising Position

Miss Susan Hampton was a lady born and bred. She never imagined that she would have to make her own way in the world. But that was before her feckless father gamed away the family estate. That was before her odious aunt turned her into an unpaid servant. Now Susan had fled that tyranny--only to wonder if she had leapt out of the frying pan into the fire.

In a remote country manor, Susan took the post of companion to the Dowager Lady Bushnell, whose fiery temper made a dragon seem sweet. But even more dangerous was the dowager's boldly handsome bailiff, David Wiggins, whose blood was red, not blue, and who was everything a man could be except a gentleman. Desperately, Susan told herself that he was totally unsuitable as her suitor--even as this infuriatingly irresistible man awoke her as a woman and made her forget she was a lady...

Carla Kelly is usually a hit and miss author with me but I always grab her books with some expectation. I had no idea what this book was about but I couldn't resist getting it because she usually writes about different characters. This story was no exception...

Susan Hampton is a young lady of a good family. Her father, however, is a gambler of the worst sort and has ruined his family. There is no money for Susan's dowry and eventually they have to go and live with a relative. Seeing as she will be treated has a non paid instead of a family member Susan decides to find a proper job and support herself. That is how she finds herself living in the country with the dowager duchess of Bushnell and her bailiff, Daniel Wiggings among other interesting characters.

Susan is not exactly a success at her new job. She has no experience and Lady Bushnell is a fiercely independent woman who doesn't want the companions her daughter-in-law likes to send her. As soon as they meet Susan is fired but eventually Lady Bushnell gives her another chance and Susan has to find to best way to be useful and keep her job.

What I liked most in this story was how everyone felt so real in their reactions to pain and sorrow. How Lady Bushnell was strong and wanted no pity for the tragedies that she suffered in the past, how she elicited such protective feelings from Daniel and, later, Susan and how. Daniel, bit by bit ends up telling Susan his whole story, how he was a soldier and a thief and was saved, both literally and from a life of crime, by Lady Bushnell and her family. He bears the weight of quite a few secrets and doesn't mind keeping them not to disturb an old lady. And Susan, a special king of courage is needed to break society's barriers. Susan ends up doing it twice, when she leaves her family to find employment and when she accepts Daniel's proposal, and both times she does it with her eyes open. Fully aware that there will be consequences and that she will be made to pay the price. I really couldn't help admiring all of them and loving their story!

Grade: 5/5

The Talisman Ring - Georgette Heyer

2010-08-16T07:48:00.000+01:00

'I dare say it will not be so very bad, our marriage, if I can have a house in town, and perhaps a love.' 'Perhaps a WHAT?' demanded Shield, in a voice that made her jump. Neither Sir Tristram Shield nor Eustacie, his young French cousin, share the slightest inclination to marry one another. Yet it is Lord Lavenham's dying wish. For there is no one else to provide for the old man's granddaughter while Ludovic, his heir, remains a fugitive from justice...

I have been a long time fan of Georgette Heyer, I first read some of books while a teenager in translated versions and now, as an adult, I have been collecting them in the original English thanks to Arrow and Sourcebooks who made them readily available everywhere.

The talisman Ring was one of the books that I read more recently. A mixed story, part romance / part mystery, it sees two couples searching around for a family jewel to exonerate one of the heroes from a murder charge. To make a long story short, Sir Tristam Shield and Eustacie de Vauban are ordered by their great granduncle and grandfather respectively to embark on a marriage of convenience to guarantee Eustacie’s well being and status in life after the old man dies. But Eustacie is a lively and romantic girl who finds Sir Tristam a stuffy unromantic old man and decides to run away to become a governess. On the road she finds her cousin Ludovic, her grandfather’s heir who has been on the run for the past two years after having been suspected of murdering a man on the night his favourite jewel – the talisman ring – disappeared. Ludovic is now a free trader, which seems utterly adventurous and romantic to Eustacie, and after an encounter with the excise men he is hurt and they find shelter at a nearby inn. There they find Lady Sarah Thane, a young woman who travels with her brother and seems to have an original sense of humour, and that’s where Sir Tristam eventually finds them. With Eustacie and Ludovic on their way to falling in love the four set out to find the jewel and prove his innocence.

I must admit that this is not one of my favourite Heyers. I think the story, as a mystery, loses pace because of the romance and all those secondary characters – the free traders, the excise men, the Bow Street Runners – and as a romance looses interest because so much time is devoted to finding the jewel. I think I am more used to those Heyer romances where we find sparkling and witty dialogue between the main characters, where the funny coincidences make for laugh out loud moments and where we have closure in the end. Here, although there are some funny moments they are not so sparkling and witty, and while the story ends with one couple engaged, the other doesn’t get the same king of closure, although everything indicates that they will do so too.

I did like Lady Sarah Thane and Sir Tristam Shield very much. To the point where I would have loved to have the book devoted solely to them. In a way, because they are an older couple they reminded me of Abby and Miles from The Black Sheep which I greatly enjoyed. If only we had seen more of them I am sure that we had been gifted with some witty dialogues. Eustacie seemed a bit too young and, well, silly. I have been fond of other young heroines like Horry and Leonie and I have forgiven them their silly naiveté because of their wonderful heroes but here I must confess that Ludovic was not a favourite with me either. He seemed impulsive and extravagant but oh so perfect for Eustacie who only wanted a husband to ride “ventre a terre” to her death bed.

But don’t be discouraged by my review, lots of Heyer fans seem to love this story so my advice to you is try it and see. There are a lot of farcical moments in this story and if nothing else it will definitely put you in a good mood.

********************************

This review was written for the Heyer Celebration at Austenprose in August 2010

The Honorable Miss Clarendon - Margaret Sebastian

2010-07-03T04:14:00.000+01:00

Young Miss Cynthia Clarendon may have fallen upon difficult times, but never could she forget the aristocratic heritage of her distinguished family name. Even when she became governess to a family whose wealth could not buy them a title, she refused to bow her lovely head or humble her stubborn pride. Or then could a mere gentleman's servant, no matter how handsome and charming and resourceful, make her heart beat too quickly for comfort, and her mind dance with impossible dreams? As a Clarendon, it was clearly beneath her. As a proper young lady, she refused to let it happen. But as her unsuitable suitor seemed to know all too well, the Honorable Miss Clarendon was also very much a woman.

In previous reviews I have stated my preference for dramatic stories over funny ones but I have to admit that The Honorable Miss Clarendon by new-to-me author Margaret SeBastian was one that I enjoyed.

Miss Clarendon, fallen on hard times after her father's death is forced to accept a position as a governess. When she is stranded after a carriage accident she is helped by a young man that she believes to be a lowly servant - but is instead a duke. Her prides makes her mislead him and tell him that she will be a guest of the family she will be living with. After they part without disclosing their true stations in life the duke decides to look for her but none of the neighbouring families seem to be entertaining a guest. I couldn't help but thinking it was really funny how she kept thinking about him even though she thought he was someone beneath her station. The family with whom she lives also adds to the funny aspect of the story because the mother is quite a character, apparently a light headed woman incapable of two serious thoughts together she manages to manipulate everyone to do what she wants: but of course she is a good soul and treats her new governess as a daughter (implausible but funny).

After some investigative work and some coincidences (of course) - the duke's uncle ends up being Miss Clarendon's godfather - they meet again and the duke proposes. Miss Clarendon's pride (again) doesn't let her accept him after being so deceived and they part angry with each other. Two more stubborn characters is hard to find, with their happiness within reach but too proud, in her case, and too stubborn, in his to grab it. Fortunately for her the godfather and her solicitor will hatch a plan to bring her out in society and, eventually, accept the duke's suit.

I think what made the book work for me was the witty dialogue between the main characters but also the fact that there are so many innocent misunderstandings between them and that most of the secondary characters are a bit eccentric and add to the comic aspect of this plot. It was my first book by this author and I'll be curious to read some more.

Grade: 4/5

An Improper Proposal - Anthea Malcolm

2010-06-25T13:39:00.000+01:00

It had only been six weeks since her brother was named the Eighth Marquis of Parminter, but already Rachel's life seemed but a farce played out to please the ton. Suddenly she was Lady Rachel, and her ambitious sister Christine was betrothed to a future duke! And in the midst of it all, their cousin Guy had returned, Guy, whom Rachel secretly loved beyond all reason. Hunted by Bow Street these last two years for a crime he hadn't committed, he had risked imprisonment to prevent his beloved Christine from marrying another. Rachel had to save him-from Christine as well as Bow Street. And what better protection could a Lady offer than the wealth and respectability of an aristocratic marriage?

I had heard good things things about Anthea Malcolm and since the traditional regencies are one of my favourite genres I finally decided to pick one up.

I was quite surprised by it because there was a lot more to the story than just a romance between two people. In fact, I think An Improper Proposal is mostly a mystery with a strong element of romance. It's also the story of a family - Rachel, Christine and Magnus and their extended family - and I ended up wondering if there were books about the other characters mentioned.

When the story opens Rachel has just become a widow and her sister Christine lost her fiancée when both men and some friends died in a fire. Christine accuses their cousin Guy, whom she had a romantic relationship in the past, of being the murderer and he disappears for two years.

Guy returns when the three siblings situation was bettered because Magnus has inherited the family's title and Christine is engaged to a duke's son (the brother of her dead fiancé). The Bow Street Runners are still after him becaure of the deaths and when he asks for a month to find out the truth before being arrested, they agree on the condition that Magnus guarantess his good behaviour. seeing her brother is going to reject the request Rachel tells them they are engaged, even though she believes him in love with her sister still.

Guy and Rachel eventually decide that the best thing is to actually marry, Rachel will have a father figure for her children and Guy will be free to investigate who actually set fire to the theater. The theather is also an interesting theme in the story because not only Guy is a play writer but Rachel actually owns and manages the theater making her a woman of independent means.

Most of the book is devoted to the mystery and I thought that was actually very well done. The men who died were part of a radical group that contested some political actions and while their ideas might have been a motive for murder the author manages to make more intriguing and less obvious than that. I was quite surprised in a good way with the detecting skills of the main characters.

What I didn't like was the lack of communication between Rachel and Guy. She spends most of the book, almost to the last page actually, believing that he loves her sister and I thought that was really sad. Since she was the one who suggested their marriage it seemed obvious to me that she loved and that he should be the one to talk about his feelings first. Instead he kept putting up with her sister's demands for attention and leaving Rachel with the impression that he still loved Christine. Not only that but I really disliked his attitude when their mother came to visit, the mother had left them 25 years before and while making the peace was the best thing for all of them he should never have shown all that familiarity with her and seemingly putting himself on her side, against Rachel.

In a way, because they talked so little, I found it hard to empathise with Guy and Rachel. I would have been much happier if we had more time devoted to the secondary romance of Magnus and Margaret who seemed nice people who fell for each other when they started getting to know one another better. They were a prime example of a couple that changed for the best by having a relationship. Magnus became less cold and Margaret more self assured. Unfortunately they are not given enough time in the story and my disappointment with the main romance leads me to give this one a lower grade. But I was intrigued enough with the story and the fact that there were so many different plots in it to want to read another Malcolm and see how I like it.

Grade: 3.5/5

Come Be My Love - Diana Brown

2010-06-02T21:25:00.002+01:00

IMPOSSIBLE ALEXANDRA
Beautiful, brilliant and headstrong Alexandra Cox-Neville was a thoroughly impossible young lady--with an even more impossible dream of love. If she could not wed Darius Wentworth, heir to the neighboring barony of Blandon, she would have no husband at all.
Thus when Darius took another for his wife, there was but one place for Alexandra to go: London, where a woman could make her living with her pen if she did not fear the censure of society and the scandal of being on her own. Unfortunately, Darius soon followed her to that capital of fashion and folly, and--as Alexandra soon found out --where Darius went, trouble was sure to follow. So it shouldn't have been a shock to a young lady who broke all the rules to find there was no escape from the one man who could break her heart....

I'm having a hard time writing a review of this book. It is definitely my least favourite Brown book so far but there were still some good interesting things in it.

I think my first problem is that Alexandra's love for Darius sounds too much like hero worship, she doesn't really know him, since he spends most of his time at school, and he does see her as a sort of younger sister so while I could understand those feelings in a teenager Alexandra I think she should have grown out of it after he married. But she doesn't.

Darius ends up unhappy in his marriage and when his wife dies in child birth leaving an orphan son everyone believes that he doesn't pay attention to the child because he is heartbroken. I immediately guessed where the author was leading us and I wasn't wrong. Alexandra refuses to wed another and fights with her parents about it. She has always been fond of reading and writing and after secretly publishing a book decides to run away to London to avoid marrying the neighbour her father wanted her to. She first attempted to declare her love for Darius and convince him to marry her but, after a mortifying scene he refuses her.

Alexandra writes powerful novels about women's feelings and passions that first make London's society curious and then leads them to condemn her when her poetry becomes too revealing. It seemed to me that it echoed a bit the reaction the Bronte sisters had when their first published their works that also seemed too passionate and coarse to society. But there the similarity ends because Alex, even after warned that she can be disgraced in the eyes of the world, persists in publishing the damaging poetry. This sets in motion a turn of events that could lead to hers and Darius destruction.

But the fact is that Darius never seemed worthy of such love and devotion, and for most of the book he just isn’t interested. And Alex proved to be immature by not measuring the consequences of her actions and in not accepting salvation when it was offered just because of her pride. Where previous books like The Emerald Necklace or St Martin's Summer had poignant moments where the character's misery really touched the reader, here such moments where merely humiliating and miserable for them.

I did feel the story had potential, the idea of a writer heroine was really good, but that the way it was developed wasn't the best one. Not to mention that Alexandra's father was a tyrant and in the end we are supposed to reach the conclusion that he was right after all. Too weird... But I do like Brown's writing, a lot, and I will definitely continue reading her books and see if the rest of her backlist proves to be winners like all the previous ones I read, or so so reads like this one.

Grade: 3.5/5

Regency Rose - Caroline Brooks

2010-05-19T08:43:00.000+01:00

THE INFORMAL EARL

The Earl of Llandath seemed intent on thoroughly disrupting young and lovely Miss Kate Vaughn's life. When this dark and handsome nobleman returned from abroad to reclaim his ancestral estate, he raised clouds of speculation about where he had been and what he had done.

Then, most unfortunately, he caused Kate to lose here position in the wealthy Stockwood household and shattered her hopes of finding true love with the gallant and idealistic Stockwood heir. And to add to Kate's distress, as she trudged wearily along the highway toward a fearful future and a quite probably dreadful fate, the earl swept her up into his coach and informed her that he would take charge of her whether she wanted him to or not.

Kate was at the mercy of a lord she had every reason to loathe. And mercy was the one thing that the Earl of Llandath had no intention of offering...

I have more than a few doubts on how to review this story. First of all Llandath is not the dark and mysterious man that the blurb seems to suggest and Kate is well able to get herself in trouble without his help.

She is a young lady's companion and fallen in love with the young lady's brother. Her love is reciprocated but you can easily see that the boy is a weakling and that nothing will come of it. When she meets Llandath while walking the fields Kate has no problem is pretending that she is part of the family she serves and making him believe she is a well born lady. Llandath also pretends to be someone else but when later he visits the house expecting to find her the deception is revealed and Kate finds herself out of a job and with no beau because her suitor refuses to stand up to his mother. When Llandath encounters her walking the streets in the rain he decides to help her find a new job. The new job, surprinsingly, is as an actress in a theatre company.

There are several things that I felt could have been better explained, Llandath's past for instance remains a bit too mysterious. It's also obvious from the beginning that he is helping Kate because he is attracted to her but she never seems to see it. Then I'm not sure that just because Kate is good at pretending and imagining stories that she would be a good actress. But she quickly becomes that company's main attraction. She also keeps pining for her lost beau for too much time.

The story does have some attempts at humour. Not enough to make this a funny story though which left me undecided where the author wanted to take this. Especially after Kate's former suitor and his sister both end up in the care of Kate I had my doubts about the plausibility of all this and couldn't help being a bit sorry for Llandath who didn't seem to be any close to getting his HEA.

So, not exactly to my taste I'm afraid and since I wasn't really invested in the characters the whole story dragged a lot in the middle and later parts. People who like to read about theater settings might find this interesting though.

Grade: 2/5

Sylvester - Georgette Heyer

2010-05-11T09:22:00.000+01:00

Sylvester, Duke of Salford, seeks with unconscious arrogance a bride worthy of the honour of becoming his Duchess. He journeys to Wiltshire to inspect the Hon Phoebe Marlow, unaware that he has met her before and instantly forgotten the tongue-tied girl without beauty or elegance to recommend her.

One of these days I was looking for something to cheer me up when I found this Heyer novel. And what a delightful book this one was, I laughed out loud at Sylvester and Phoebe's confrontations; they were truly a matching of wits...

Sylvester, the duke of Salford is very much aware of his rank and consequence. When he decides to get married he makes a list of suitable young ladies and goes to his mother for advice on which one to choose. His godmother makes him add one more name to the list, her granddaughter Phoebe Marlow.

Sylvester decides to visit Phoebe's family to see if they might suit but Phoebe is less than thrilled with the prospect of becoming his wife. She briefly met him in town during her first season and having thought him arrogant made him the main character of the novel she was writing. Not realising that there is a smart young woman behind the shy and repressed young lady he meets there Sylvester starts planning how to leave without being rude but the pressure Phoebe's parents put on her finally lead her to run away to London. But on the road her carriage suffers and accident and it's Sylvester which will come to rescue forcing them to spend some days together and actually get to know each other.

Unfortunately Phoebe's book where Sylvester features as the wicked uncle (which the second title of this novel) is about to be published and the ton not only recognises him in the character but starts believing that what is written might be a bit true. Phoebe have a very angry, and public, quarrel over it with her deserting him on the ballroom floor and their relationship will go through quite a few problems before it can be saved.

There is a really interesting and colourful set of secondary characters who add to the appeal of the story. The scenes where Phoebe and her friend Tom end up being kidnapped by Lady Henry and her second husband, who are eloping to France, not to mention the scenes with little Edmund are completely hilarious. The main characters start as a very unlikely couple and it makes for a really funny journey to watch them spar. I liked Sylvester more than Phoebe because he never felt that arrogant to me and he accepts most of her criticism quite charmingly. We don't see what led Phoebe to dislike him so and in fact she gladly accepts that she didn't know him all that well. In the end one can't help but cheer for Sylvester when he finally quite clumsily blurts out his feelings for Phoebe... It was a hard road to happiness for these two but a lovely one for me.

Grade: 4.5/5

Bellfield Hall - Anna Dean

2010-05-05T12:04:00.001+01:00

1805. An engagement party is taking place for Mr Richard Montague, son of wealthy landowner Sir Edgar Montague, and his fiancee Catherine. During a dance with his beloved, a strange thing happens: a man appears at Richard's shoulder and appears to communicate something to him without saying a word. Instantly breaking off the engagement, he rushes off to speak to his father, never to be seen again. Distraught with worry, Catherine sends for her spinster aunt, Miss Dido Kent, who has a penchant for solving mysteries. Catherine pleads with her to find her fiance and to discover the truth behind his disappearance. It's going to take a lot of logical thinking to untangle the complex threads of this multi-layered mystery, and Miss Dido Kent is just the woman to do it.

Let me start this review by saying that this is a traditional regency mystery and not a traditional regency romance. But I enjoyed it so much that I thought I should share my review with you all...

Miss Dido Kent is a spinster, she never married but she comes from a big family and her brothers occasionally ask for her help when dealing with their children. She has a special fondness for her niece Catherine who lived with her for a while when she was a young child and when she asks for her help Dido runs to her side.

Catherine had just become engaged when, during the celebratory ball at his parent’s estate, Bellfield Hall, the fiancé is approached by a mysterious man who, without a word being spoken, makes him break the betrothal and run away. On the next day the body of a young woman in found murdered in the shrubbery. Although Catherine is more concerned with being reunited with her beau, Dido can't help but think that the two events may well be connected. Is the unwavering faith that Catherine has in Richard well deserved?

I really enjoyed the world that Anna Dean has created; Miss Dido Kent is a very believable maiden aunt, with a great deal of curiosity and a keen eye to observe the world around her. I thought it interesting that part of the story is told through the letters that Dido is writing to her sister relating what happens and how she sees the events. Garnering knowledge not only from the other guests but also from the servants of the house Dido soon realises that all is not as it should be with the family and that some of the guests are not what they appear.

Set in the Regency period Bellfield Hall is a wonderful cosy mystery where an amateur detective has to uncover the truth and find the villain before the house party is over. Dean created a suspenseful plot where the danger increases with each chapter and where the clues are cleverly inserted in the plot in the form of little details... I look forward to revisit Miss Dido Kent and her world in future books of the series.

Grade: 4/5

A Grand Deception - Elizabeth Mansfield

2010-04-19T11:58:00.000+01:00

LOVE'S BOLD DISGUISE

Miss Georgy Verney doesn't wish to upset her mother, but she can't bring herself to flirt with the gentlemen of the ton--much less accept a marriage proposal based solely on social status or financial gain. Then she finds herself attracted to the most handsome, eligible catch of the season....

Anthony Maitland, Viscount Ivers, wants nothing more than to return Georgy's affections--then the spirited girl runs away. Desperate to avoid scandal, the girl's mother concocts a bold and daring masquerade, but the viscount's heart is not easily fooled. Amid a flurry of mistaken identities, Anthony embarks on a deception of his own, determined to bring Georgy back home and into his arms....

A Grand Deception is a fun and light story. It's about two couples, Anthony Maitland, Viscount Ivers, and Miss Georgy Verney, to whom he is greatly attracted the night he meets her at a ball but who decides to run away to be an independent woman; and Georgy's brother Jeremy and Peggy, the girl he finds to replace his sister and hold Maitland's affections while they all attend a house party at Maitland's estate in the country.

I thought it was great fun how Georgy and Jeremy's mother was so keen on her making a grand marriage that she doesn't even let her disappearance stop her. When she sees Peggy and her resemblance to Peggy she immediately concocts a scheme in which Peggy will pretend to be Georgy and conquer Maitland till they can find the real Georgy and convince her to return and marry him.

Although Maitland and Georgy's story is supposed to be the main romance I confess that I was more interested in Peggy and Jeremy. They spend more time together and we see their feelings develop while Maitland and Georgy only have that one ball and then she leaves for the country. Georgy's idea was actually an interesting one and I really enjoyed reading about her and her pupils but I couldn't help feeling that first she was attracted to Maitland but never acted on it and then she refused him despite that attraction without really strong reasons... I found her a bit irritating at times and in the end when faced with a real obstacle she gives up and goes back home...

The best part was watching Peggy fool Georgy's friends and her relationship with Jeremy but also Allie's witty conversations. Allie is Georgy and Jeremy's younger sister and she seems just the right kind of girl to give a hero a lot of headaches, I wonder if there is a book about her?

Grade: 4/5

THE TEMPORARY WIFE - MARY BALOGH

2010-04-14T10:53:00.004+01:00

The Pernicious Proposal

Miss Charity Duncan had no illusions when she said yes to the marriage proposal of Lord Anthony Earheart. This arrogant aristocrat made it painfully clear what he wanted of her. Would Charity agree to be the wife he needed to enrage the father he hated? Of course. Would Charity then depart from his life in return for the money she and her family desperately needed? Of course. Was Earheart as heartless as he was handsome and as remorseless as he was rich? Of course.

It was only when Charity entered into this mockery of a marriage that she discovered that things were not as simple as they seemed. For when the libertine lord took her in his arms, it was not only her marriage contract that threatened to be broken--but her heart as well...

Where do I begin?! Why is it so hard to write a review about a great book? I know I won’t be able to make it justice, but I shall try nonetheless… Because this is one of my favorite books ever, one of those Desert Isle Keepers, like our friends from *all about romance* use to say…

This is, first of all, a story about 2 people falling in love in a marriage of convenience. Yeah, not so original, but me thinks this is one of the best attempts on making work a relationship of two people who have just met and have to share their lives. The hero, Anthony Earheart, Marques of Staunton, heir to a dukedom, a young man who 8 years ago chose to leave his home and family because he couldn’t live any longer in his father’s house, makes an advertisement in the papers that he looks for a governess. His real reason for it is to choose a very insipid, plain and boring wife from the list of “to be governesses” in order to spite his father who, finally, has summoned him home. He is the typical arrogant, cold, cynical *don’t believe in love*romance hero. The heroine, Charity Duncan, comes from a large, impoverished family, she chooses to work in order to help her brother to pay for the family’s needs. She is also very used to managing her brothers and sisters lives, to speak her own mind and also to care for the people around her. So, as destiny would have it (or just the author :)), she applies to the hero’s ad for a governess, is chosen because of her *brown mouse* appearance and accepts to be his temporary wife for a few weeks, in exchange for financial security. Together they go to the hero’s home, where he can flaunt, in front of his father, his lower born wife.

And now the magic begins…

We enter the world of a very unhappy family, caught at a very difficult moment and we meet His grace, the duke of Willingsby, the most cold, arrogant, toplofty duke from Balogh’s ever-growing list, and by far, the most interesting character of this book. Maybe because he remains almost an enigma throughout the book, maybe because he first appeared as the villain who caused the hero’s pain, or just that the human nature will always have more shades of gray instead of the simple black and white of good or bad characters, the Duke impressed me a lot.

The hero is another interesting character, after 8 years he returns home and has to deal with serious problems, some of them caused by youth folly, some by immaturity, some by miscommunication, and all that is added to the fact that he falls in love with his heroine, a process that is quite visible throughout… Another interesting thing about the hero is the fact that, although 28 and quite independent from his family, he still has a lot to grow up, especially emotionally and in terms of accepting his family ties and his heritage.

And now the heroine… I usually don’t like main female characters, they are either too stupid for their own good, or too sassy, or they try to appear independent, or are portrayed as wounded souls, etc., etc. But in this case, Charity is a charming person, very level-headed, decided, correct, taking everything that happens at it’s face-value, but most of all, she is a very nice character, who’s impossible not to love.

No matter how much or how little I say about this book, I will never make it justice… This book just has to be read, especially if you like good family stories, great characters, a wonderful love story and why not, drama and hurt made well until the end.

Grade 5 / 5

The Notorious Rake - Mary Balogh

2010-04-06T08:04:00.002+01:00

The Lady and the Libertine

Lord Edmund Waite was everything that Lady Mary Gregg despised in a man. He was lewd, lascivious, mocking---the most notorious and successful rake in the realm. Happily, Mary had nothing to fear from this lord of libertines. A bluestocking like her could never tempt a man whose taste ran to pretty playthings for his pleasures.

How startled Mary was to find herself the object of Lord Waite's determined desires. But even more surprising was her reaction to his shocking advances. How could she remain a lady with this man who knew so well how to make her feel like a woman.

After meeting Lord Edmond Waite in The Trysting Place and Lady Mornington in The Counterfeit Betrothal I couldn't wait to get to their book. I was hoping to find a winner and I wasn't disappointed, this was my favourite book in the trilogy.

Lord Edmond is a rake with a really bad reputation, he is lucky that he is still received by the ton. Lady Mornington is a learned lady who likes to organise literary salons at her home and to spend time with like minded friends to discuss literature and politics. When they are paired up during a visit to Vauxhall Gardens none of them is very entusiastic about the company. Not only that but when they are caught by a thunderstorm that leaves Mary terrified, Edmond finds that the best way to calm her down is though sex. I thought Balogh wrote a powerful and violent scene and for a moment I worried where she was going with this story... They end up spending the night together and on the next day Lord Edmond is determined to make Mary his mistress, while she is quite determined to forget him... and so starts the pursuit.

Mary, a widow, as decided to remarry, she acknowledges she spent a pleasant time in Edmond's arms but she wants a husband not a lover and besides she doesn't think they would suit. They meet at the same events and Edmond even makes an appearance at one of Mary's salons much to the annoyance of her new beau but their relationship is difficult at best.

Edmond finds himself more and more captivated but he doesn't always conform to society rules and when people think the worst of him he can't help but behave according to those expectations. One of the things he has been accused of is the death of his brother and his mother and he acknowledges to Mary that he was indeed responsible. He tries to show her his good side on a one day visit to his aunt and while Mary can't help but feeling that the real Edmond is hidden and might be a lot more honourable and interesting that he lets on she still decides not to accept him. But they do meet again at a house party for his aunt's birthday (that Mary attends with her new fiancé) and when Edmond is confronted with his estranged family it is to Mary that he turns as a friend.

I really loved this story and the fact that both characters start with an idea of the other one that soon will change. Edmond thought Mary was plain and common but after spending time with her he sees her in a whole new light and can't stop thinking about her. Even when he decides not to pursue her anymore to obey her wishes he still thinks about her and decides to change his rakish ways as they give him no more pleasure. Mary thinks he is cold and unfeeling but throughout their relationship sees glimpses of the man behind the mask. Since there are so many mixed signals she takes longer to realise who he is and how she loves him. I also liked that Edmond had a real reason for his self destruction, 15 years seems a long time to be that way but I could accept that it was so. I liked Edmond more than Mary maybe because he seems more human, more fragile, despite his bad behaviour than her, who seemed at times a bit too perfect. Because of whom they are, and how unlikely it seems at times that they will get their happy ending, this was an angsty and poignant story, my favourite kind!

Grade: 5/5

The Counterfeit Betrothal - Mary Balogh

2010-03-29T09:38:00.000+01:00

The Tender Trap

Lady Sophia Bryant had no intention of ever marrying. However, her own parents had been estranged for some fourteen years, and her one desire was to bring them together again in love. Surely, if she were to announce her betrothal -- even a false one -- they would be forced to see each other at last.

Lord Francis Sutton was perfect for such deceit. Devilishly handsome and a notorious rake, he was always agreeable to games of passion, especially those in which he had nothing to fear and nothing to lose. The trap was set... if only Lady Sophia could keep her foolish heart from falling prey to her brilliant snares...

After reading The Trysting Place I wasn't sure that I wanted to read the other books in the so called Waite trilogy, but the reviews were good and the plots were interesting so I decided to try them. Last weekend I finished the Counterfeit Betrothal and I have to say that this was a very enjoyable story.

Lady Sophia Bryant's parents separated when she was four years old. Since that time she has lived with her mother in the country and she spends her holidays one or two weeks a year with her father. This has left her with no wish to marry but one day, on an outing with friends, she concocts a mad scheme... she and her friend Lord Francis Sutton, a perfectly eligible gentleman but with a rakish reputation, will pretend to be engaged so that her parents will be forced to meet to speak of her future and maybe that will bring about a reconciliation.

So this is a story about two couples, Sophia and Francis and her parents. Sophia's parents were madly in love with each other but when her father did something very wrong her mother was unable to continue living with him. A betrayal is not easy to forget and she felt that she would never be able to live with her husband and trust him the way she did before. While Sophia's idea might seem a bit mad at first the truth is that it works perfectly. Unable to say no to the daughter he loves but with serious misgivings about Lord Francis, Sophia's father asks for her mother's help in convincing her that the she should not go ahead with the betrothal.

I thought it all rather funny, that Sophia's parents were so concerned with her when she was equally concerned about them and determined to keep with her bogus engagement till they are brought together. And the best thing is the witty dialogue between Sophia and Francis, they met as toddlers when Sophia was always chasing Francis and he was always playing pranks on her, now that they are grownups they are both decided to remain single but this counterfeit betrothal makes them spend a lot of time in each others company and the dialogues between these two are absolutely hilarious. I loved Ms Balogh twist for these characters...

Regarding Sophia's parents I liked their storyline a bit less. It was obvious from the beginning that they still loved each other and while I could understand what had happened in the past I think they should have been much quicker in talking about their feelings and who was important to them. As it was they are only made to talk about what they feel due to an outside event. All the time they were together they were assuming wrong things about one another and I thought that was a shame as "marriage in trouble" is one of my favourite storylines in romance.

Still they were both pretty good, it takes a good author to write two such different stories in the same book. One filled with carefree moments and funny lines and the other full of angst and poignant moments, one lighter and the other a more complex relationship. I closed the book with a happy sigh!

Grade: 4.5/5

The Trysting Place - Mary Balogh

2010-03-22T09:46:00.004Z

A MOST DANGEROUS GAME

Lady Felicity Wren came to London for one purpose. After a marriage in name only to a man old enough to be her father, she was now a young, beautiful and wealthy widow; free at last to enjoy the happiness that her misalliance had denied her. And her first step toward this goal was to find the handsomest and most sophisticated lord in all the realm to be her new mate.
She found him in the elegant person of Lord Edmond Waite. From the moment she met him, she wanted him, and he made it clear be wanted her as well.

But there was one cruel complication. While Felicity wanted Lord Waite as a husband he wanted her as a mistress--and to win this war between decency and desire, Felicity had to risk losing all in the arms of another man...

I am a bit undecided on how I should grade this story, it was an easy read but it left me cold and dissatisfied with the heroine. Lady Wren, Felicity, is a widow in her mid twenties. She married an older man when she was eighteen to save her family from ruin and in doing so she had to give up the man she really loved, her neighbour Tom Russell. Now that she is free, she is determined to find a rich and attractive husband with whom she can enjoy the society life she first got to know with her elderly husband. Her feelings for Tom Russell have turned to those of friendship. She arrives at her parent’s country home for a visit. There she meets her twin sisters, now eighteen and eager for a London season, and Tom Russell. Felicity decides to take her sisters to London for the season and Tom decides to go with them.

While Tom is still very much in love with Felicity he realises that she only considers him a friend and is looking for a gentleman to marry. In London they attend several society functions and they encounter Lord Edmond Waite who pays Felicity marked attention. She at first believes him to be paying court to her with marriage in mind but he soon makes it clear that what he wants is a mistress. Felicity then pretends to be betrothed to Tom to make Waite jealous and force him to a marriage proposal. In the mean time Felicity's twin sisters find their own beaus and have to deal with their own feelings to decide with whom they want to spend the rest of their lives with.

I really disliked that Felicity seemed to be so self centered that she did not realise she was using Tom to gain what she wanted and doing him harm because he loved her. He is definitely too good to be true as although it pains him he is always ready to help her. Then I disliked that she seemed to like Waite only because of what he could give her and what her position in society would be. Even after she realises her true feelings she is still planning to marry Waite because she thinks Tom only sees her as a friend and at least she will get to be a viscountess... she is definitely not a heroine I could like.

What I did like very much were her sisters, they also had their own problems and heartaches to deal with but they did it honestly and examining their own hearts. A pity that they weren't the heroines...

Grade: 3/5

Lord Caliban - Ellen Fitzgerald

2010-03-15T07:47:00.002Z

THE DREADFUL DEBT

Lord Rodger Colbourue had saved Clemency's life one terrifying day when she was trapped in a collapsing tower; and he came to her rescue.

Now he had come to claim that life he had saved, as he proposed marriage without a promise of love, and demanded she trust him even though he filled her with fear

There was no one to save her now--not Damian, who had stolen her heart and then vanished... not her beautiful cousin Beatrix, who had vanished, too, in a disquieting cloud of mystery... not her parents, who wanted only that Clemency be wed at last.

Clemency knew that debts had to be paid-- but she trembled to discover how high the price would be...

Ok, so it's not every day that I get really annoyed with the characters of a book I'm reading, so annoyed in fact that when I finished reading their story I almost wallbanged the it. I usually like Ellen Fitzgerald’s stories so this one was a very unwelcome surprise.

I don't mind stories with villains, I don't mind the characters being fooled by the bad guy but when a simple conversation would be enough for everything to be uncovered, when people tell the heroine about what a bad character the villain is and she still doesn't believe them... well, sometimes it gets a bit too much and it starts seeming like the characters are too naive to be real. And that is exactly what happened here!

I really felt the story had much potential at first. Clemency met Rodger when in saved her for falling from a tower in ruins but she was in love with her friend Damian. Unbeknownst to both he predicament was arranged by her cousin Beatrix who wanted to see her dead so that she could be the young lady of the house. In time Damian leaves to fight in the colonies and Beatrix elopes with one of his friends. When Damian is thought dead in battle Clemency and Rodger decide to marry since they are friends and could have a happy life. And so they are falling in love with each and living happily till Beatrix returns to live with them and Damian comes back from the dead.

I could accept that Rodger's uncertainty and jealousy over his wife's feelings about Damian were easy to explore by Beatrix but that they stop talking and use Beatrix to carry messages for them, thus allowing her to plant the seeds of doubt in both their minds was a bit too much. And Clemency even abandons her husband still believing her cousin was a good woman! I'm afraid that was all a bit too much for me...

Oh and the blurb above? Is completely wrong, Clemency liked Rodger, she never feared him after she met him and he definitely did not come to "claim" the life he had saved...

Grade: 2/5

The Marriage Mart - Norma Lee Clark

2010-03-08T10:32:00.002Z

EXCESSIVE EXPECTATIONS

Lovely, auburn-haired Georgina Fitzhardinge knew what was expected of her when the Earl of Trowbridge proposed:

Society expected her to revel in the respectability of this superbly suitable match.

Her family expected her to use the Earl's fortune to give them the help they badly needed and fervently desired.

The Earl himself expected her to be a charming hostess, an efficient household manager, and, in time, to produce an heir to his title and estates.

But when Georgina became the Earl's wife, it soon became dismayingly apparent that this handsome, virile, worldly man wanted far more than she ever expected to give, and Georgina would have only herself to blame if she didn't make it perfectly clear to her lordly husband that she had her own list o expectations--some of which might very well conflict with his...

I had never read Norma Lee Clark before but I am terribly fond of Marriage of Convenience stories so I decided to give this one a try. It was a complete surprise and I mean that in a good way. If, in the beginning, the heroine felt a bit cold and non-engaging in the middle of the story I was completely fascinated and I couldn't stop reading.

Our heroine, Georgina, is about to accept the Earl of Trowbridge's marriage proposal when the story opens. He is marrying for the usual reason, an heir, but also because he felt he could eventually love Georgina if what he senses about her character is true. Georgina, however, although not repelled by him mostly thinks of her duty towards her family. One must marry to have a proper place in society and if one can catch an eligible party and so help the family all the better for it.

Trowbridge has high expectations for his marriage but he is confronted with Georgina's apparent coldness and reserve. Unbeknownst to him she has been sadly neglected has a child, first abandoned by her mother and then not cherished by her father, and she has learned the hard way to always maintain her composure and not display any strong emotions.

This is no light romance novel, Georgina and Trowbridge must first get to know each other before reaching any kind of agreement and although she had thought herself immune to Trowbridge, Georgina can't help feeling hurt and betrayed at thoughts of his infidelity.

The story is told from a feminine view point, there is much made of the fact that all women should aspire to marriage because that is the only fate open to a young lady and that the kind of husband one gets can make or destroy your happiness. While we get to know Georgina - who needs to deal with her past hurts and trust her husband and accept her emotions - we also get to know her three sisters whose expectations and marriages couldn't have been more different. One is the society lady with loose morals, caring only for her happiness and flirtations and that happily cuckolds her husband another is the boring, and sometimes annoying, perfect miss who ends up with a husband that beats her but from whom she can't even run away without being brought back by her father, and the last one is sensible young lady who ends up finding happiness with a vicar despite an early heartache.

Although this is a romance and, naturally, there is a happy ending, there's much to be said about the lot of women in society during that period and I felt that this story reflected just that. In the end Georgina reflects on how happy she is and how lucky she was to get Trowbridge as husband as they really did not know each other in the beginning and instead of growing up and overcoming her fears she might as easily have continued trapped inside herself or abused at the hands of a less worthy man.

Grade: 4.5/5

The Discarded Duke - Nancy Butler

2010-03-02T05:19:00.000Z

Nearly destitute, Ursula Roarke agrees to sell her late husband's bloodstock to the Duke of Ardsley. But the wily widow has an ulterior motive in visiting the peer's property in Devon: She hopes to entice him into marriage. Never does she imagine that a handsome sheepherder will jeopardize her plan--and win her heart.

William Ridd has spent years breeding the best woolbearing sheep in England for Ardsley. And he blames Ursula alone for the duke's decision to replace the flocks with horses. Still, Ridd cannot long deny the redhead's tempting charms. But the love of a beautiful woman may not be enough to conquer his fear that a secret from long ago will destroy any future happiness.

When I started reading this book I got the feeling that it was going to be a real keeper. The beginning was really promising with our nearly destitute widowed heroine, Ursula, Lady Roarke, trying to sell some of her horses to the Duke of Ardsley, who also happens to be young, good-looking, rich, and a nice guy. All in all very eligible, and Ursula, feels quite confident she can get him to offer for her. They visit together Myrmion, his property in Devon to see if it will be suitable for the horses the Duke will buy from Ursula. William Ridd is the Duke’s bailiff at Myrmion and he has been breeding and raising sheep there, which also produce a superior quality of wool, and the people in the area depend in the wool industry, which in turn depends on William’s sheep. The competing plans of Ursula and the Ardsley (horses), and William’s (sheep) for Myrmion make them adversaries. However Ursula, soon comes to see the advantages to the people of the area in keeping the sheep, so she proposes to have the horses in a nearby unused property. However the Duke is unconvinced.

All characters are very nicely fleshed out, William, Ursula, Ardsley as well as a neighbour, Miss Coltrane who provides a romantic interest for Ardsley (because obviously our heroine is going to end up with William). However parts of the plot where somewhat unrealistic and far-fetched. William seems to have had a troubled childhood, of which he does not remember much. From the hints and clues we are given early on in the book, the reader knows that William is the real Duke of Ardsley, the older brother of the ‘current’ Duke. This is not a spoiler. Even if the reader was not 100% sure, the title of the book “The Discarded Duke” gives it away. How William lost his rightful place as a Duke was a bit far-fetched for me, and the resolution was not realistic either, featuring a very eeevil grandmother. This is my only complaint about the book. All the characters are delightful (apart from the grandmother obviously), William and Ursula are a really great couple, and Ardsley and Miss Coltrane were also very likeable and their romance quite enjoyable.

If I did not find the story of William’s childhood unconvincing, its resolution far-fetched and the grandmother way too evil, this would have been absolutely perfect. As it is, I am deducting 1 mark for this aspect of the plot. Everything else was spot on, and I can highly recommend this book. I really enjoyed it, and if you have no problem suspending disbelief here and there in a romance, you will absolutely love it.

Grade 4/5.

Regency Christmas Wishes - Anthology

2010-02-22T15:30:00.000Z

The Regency Christmas Wishes is my last entry for the Winter Holiday Reading Challenge. I found these short stories very pleasant reading material and I think this is my favourite Christmas Anthology for this year.

The Lucky Coin by Barbara Metzger

A funny story about a penniless gentleman who is offered a magic coin and all his wishes become real. He falls in love with the niece of his banker and has to win her uncle's approval and his own fortune back by wishing the right things to come true. Grade: 4/5

Following Yonder Star by Emma Jensen

8 years ago Alice was left behind when the man she loved ran away to make his fortune and see the world. Now he is back and wants her forgiveness... but still has plans to leave again. I thought Alice forgave him a little too soon and while the story was nice I think she deserved better. Grade: 3.5/5

Merry Magpie by Sandra Heath

A couple became estranged after the lady found out the husband had a mistress but now he decides he wants her back and sets out to win her love. There's a very clever magpie in this story and while I don't usually like when animals behave like people I didn't mind what this one did to bring them together. Grade: 4/5

Best Wishes by Edith Layton

This one was a lot of fun to read. The main couple are newlyweds with very different personalities and both want to spend Christmas their own way. They decide to spend half the time with the hero's friends and half the time with the heroine's family but both solutions will have their own problems and maybe they needed to grow up a bit too. Grade: 4/5

Let Nothing You Dismay by Carla Kelly

Another really nice story about a barrister who blames himself for a past tragedy and his niece's teacher who spends Christmas with them and has some fears of her own. I thought this was a lovely story about family, love and forgiveness. Just right for this season. Grade: 4.5/5

Devil's Cub by Georgette Heyer

2010-02-15T10:34:00.001Z

Intelligent, practical Mary Challoner knew wicked Dominic Alastair, Marquis of Vidal, wouldn't marry her sister, despite her mother's matchmaking schemes. So Mary coolly prepared to protect her sister by deceiving Vidal. But, she certainly hadn't expected the infuriated nobleman to kidnap her! Reluctantly awakening to his responsibility --and realizing just how serious Mary was about her virtue -- Vidal postponed marriage. But after all the carefully laid wedding plots he'd dodged, Vidal had never expected to be refused by a chit! Baffled, bewitched and frustratingly tempted, Vidal swore that Mary would be his wife. Even if it was the last thing either of them ever did.

Quite honestly, I don’t think I can do this book justice. Clever humor pours all through the pages of this wonderful story. I spent last Sunday afternoon with a beatific smile plastered on my face laughing uncontrollably. My cat, who was sleeping right next to me, was awaken several times and made me well aware with some glaring looks that I was disturbing his comfortable nap.

The characters are a true delight, attaching and far from perfect, who made them even more attractive to my eyes. But it’s the dialogues that caught me completely unaware with their delicious wittiness. There are so many memorable moments, that is hard to pick up a favorite.

Vidal is a true rake, not the kind that makes all the show and, at the end, is another misunderstood man who is in great need of talking about his feelings. But he is always honest with his intentions and clearly shows marriage is not in his immediate plans. The pretty and frivolous Miss Challowner caught his eye and is convinced he will maker her his marchioness.

After another scandal, Vidal needs to leave the country and intends to take his current love interest with him. But this is without counting with the young woman’s elder sister, Mary, who always knew the Marquis true intentions. Determined to ruin his plans, she decides to go in her sister’s place.

I enjoyed Mary immensely! There’s sizzling chemistry between her and Vidal right from the beginning, but they both try to ignore it the best they can without many success. The shooting scene is hilarious and one of my many favorites in this book.

The constant interventions of Vidal’s family contributes to many funny moments, especially when his paternal aunt is involved (her complains about Vidal’s behavior and comparisons to her son are higly amusing) or even his mother, Léonie, the heroine of These Old Shades, who has always a peculiar talent to comfort her son.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough! Devil’s Cub is now in my comfort reads shelf forever.

Grade: 5/5

A MATTER OF CLASS - MARY BALOGH

2010-02-09T14:39:00.002Z

Reginald Mason is wealthy, refined, and, by all accounts, a gentleman. However, he is not a gentleman by title, a factor that pains him and his father within the Regency society that upholds station over all else. That is, until an opportunity for social advancement arises, namely, Lady Annabelle Ashton. Daughter of the Earl of Havercroft, a neighbor and enemy of the Mason family, Annabelle finds herself disgraced by a scandal, one that has left her brandished as damaged goods. Besmirched by shame, the earl is only too happy to marry Annabelle off to anyone willing to have her.

Though Reginald Mason, Senior, wishes to use Annabelle to propel his family up the social ladder, his son does not wish to marry her, preferring instead to live the wild, single life he is accustomed to. With this, Reginald Senior serves his son an ultimatum: marry Annabelle, or make do without family funds. Having no choice, Reginald consents, and enters into a hostile engagement in which the prospective bride and groom are openly antagonistic, each one resenting the other for their current state of affairs while their respective fathers revel in their suffering.

So begins an intoxicating tale rife with dark secrets, deception, and the trials of love - a story in which very little is as it seems.

The new book by Mary Balogh… longer than a novella, but not quite a novel either. Although not a traditional Regency book, it does deserve to be reviewed here, on the blog, because of the theme and also because of Mary Balogh (who will always be a trad writer, even if her stories tend to be a little unconventional)

The difference between the two classes: the very highborn and the industrial class, has been depicted in many books, even Mrs. Balogh has a few more titles with this theme (A Christmas Promise comes to mind), so it’s not easy to come with something new. I confess I was very skeptical about it, and maybe with a good reason, but lucky me (us) I was wrong. This book was quite unique, in writing style and in the way the author managed to twist the theme.

First of all, for anyone who reads this review and hasn’t read the book yet, I want to warn you that there will be spoilers, this being the type of story that will get spoiled by a review no matter how carefully written. Actually, what is best about this book lies in exactly that – the power of surprise and it would be a pity to know in advance about what’s going to happen. My advice is simply to read the book – because it’s well worth it, and only after that to comment upon it…

*** SPOILER ***

That being said, I want to mention that the writing style is a little different than what we’re used to. You get one chapter in the present (after the scandal that ruined Annabelle’s chances of making a good marriage) and the next is in the past, so you get to know how everything came to this happening, glimpses of the past with Reggie and Annabelle meeting, forming a tentative friendship and falling in love...

I have to say that I didn’t have a clue about the secret arrangement between the two characters until I was way into the second part of the book, so I got to enjoy almost fully the double-entendres, the little surprises and the fact that the hero and heroine who remained almost throughout the whole book a mystery...

The book is quite dynamic, it doesn’t dwell much on inner emotions (because it can’t :)), some of the scenes are very funny (one of the best proposal scenes ever!!) and it has one of those rare qualities – it makes you want to start all over again as soon as you finish and it’s even better on a second read.

As for what I didn’t like about this book, then it has to be the scene where the hero and heroine have sex. Okay, Mary Balogh’s sex scenes have never been her forte, so I don’t expect much anyway, but I expect at least that it made sense, that the plot requires it, that is not forced… So to me it felt like the publisher asked for a love scene and the author wrote one, but it wasn’t well done, it didn’t make sense and I just passed through it hoping it wouldn’t last much...

In the end, a very nice read, uncomplicated and funny in parts, the type of book that leaves you with a warm, lovely feeling.

Grade: 4.5/5.

THE DUKE’S WAGER – EDITH LAYTON

2010-02-02T07:26:00.008Z

BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA

Lovely Regina Berryman was pursued by two men--the two most attractive and infamous bachelors in London.

One was Jason Thomas, Duke of Torquay, whose skill and success in seduction had made him a legend of lordly licentiousness. The other was St. John Basil St. Charles, Marquis of Bessacarr, the devilish duke's only rival as the foremost rake of the realm.

These notorious gentlemen had made Regina fair game in a competition where all was considered legitimate strategy in winning her affection and capturing her virtue. And Regina's only chance of preserving her honor and protecting her heart was to turn the tables on her titled tempters--and change the dallying way Regency London played the game of love ...

The duke’s wager, the book that was published the month I was born – so that makes it as old as I am… :) Okay, except of that, this is also one of my top favorite books ever. And why is that, since the plot written above doesn’t state anything exceptional: 2 rakes trying to win the love of a beautiful innocent and also quite poor little miss … blah, blah. Well, it’s not as simple as that, especially since we’re talking about Edith Layton, who is quite well known for her in-depth character description and for her gift of truly immersing the reader in the world she’s depicting.

The heroine, Regina, begins the book as the very beautiful innocent, with absolutely no relations in the beau-monde, with very high morals, she also becomes destitute quite early in the story. And so, these are the reasons why she is to become the object of a wager between 2 infamous rakes. She is not very interesting at the beginning, quite common in fact, but as the story progresses we see her learn so many things about life, about right and wrong and how these can change so quickly, about what is moral and what is human, she will learn that life has more shades of gray and it’s not simply black or white, on the whole, we see her gain a lot of depth to her character, something that will become surprising to the reader and irresistible to the hero, who is not a simple character either.

The hero is something special too. Maybe it was just me not having read many romances at the time I first read this book, but I have to confess that I did not guess WHO the hero was, between the 2 main characters mentioned in the blurb, until very late in the story. So I won’t say anything about him, just that he really is one of the worst rakes ever, not a fake, misunderstood or exaggerated one. Nope, he is the real deal (even if the reason for it is a little romanticized). Another thing I liked about him is that he doesn’t invite pity, he has a crystal clear view of his life and the choices he made that lead him to what he is now, he accepts himself and doesn’t try to hide behind fancy words. He is honest, he doesn’t lie, to the world, or to the heroine. He is a cynic, but not the “my momma didn’t love me so I must go out and make everyone else to feel as miserable as I do” type, no, he is more refined than that, maybe a little cruel sometimes, but in the end, very human. The flawed character by excellence.

There are some other interesting characters depicted in the story, although I couldn’t say that any of them is a villain. Like always in Layton books, the secondary characters are very well drawn and maybe take too much space from the main ones. On the other hand, as a reader, you get a much better picture of the whole story, so the journey gets very enjoyable.

Pfiew… it seems I did it :) I wrote the review without mentioning anything about the plot! Since I enjoyed it so much, word by word, especially on my first read, I don’t want to spoil it for anyone else…

Grade: 5/5 with congratulations :)

A Father For Christmas - Paula Tanner Girard

2010-01-29T08:15:00.001Z

A COACH, A CASTLE AND A CATCH -- FOR THE LADY WHO ISN'T LOOKING FOR LOVE...

Widowed Lady Millicent Copley rejoiced at the invitation from the Copleys in Devonshire: Christmas at their magnificent castle on the faraway moors. A visit to the remote estate was sure to distract her mischievous six-year-old son, Rupert, from an impossible yuletide wish. But how to get to Devonshire? The distance was great, the roads were snowy, and a highwayman was kidnapping noblemen for ransom. Then a fellow guest, the Marquis of Wetherby, offered Millicent his coach and company. One of the most sought-after bachelors in London, the rakish Wetherby thought Millicent a perfect...mouse. Millicent though him a handsome...gadabout. And Master Rupert thought the Marquis the answer to his prayers. Now this determined young boy was about to put into action an outrageous scheme to help him get his wish: a new father just in time for Christmas!

Another Christmas read and another new author to me. This was a very light story with the hero and heroine being thrown together because the hero must accompany the heroine and her son to the Christmas party of a relative. On the way they get to know each other better and end up being kidnapped by an outlaw who has been holding noblemen for ransom.

While some of the scenes were actually very funny, like the time they spent with the outlaws or later in the farmer's cottage, I couldn't help feeling the heroine was too naive and too good to be true, she was almost annoying in how she kept seeing the best in everyone even in the rival for the hero's affections... a woman that was actually pretty decent to the heroine when she didn't have to... I'm guessing she will be the heroine of a future book.

The hero was also the usual kind, a rake decided to change his ways, and nothing really stood so I just enjoyed it for the fun romp that it was with being extraordinary.

Grade: 3.5/5

A Gift For a Rogue - Julia Parks

2010-01-22T08:28:00.001Z

His Reputation Was Abominable...

After years as one of London's most notorious rakes, Alexander Havenhurst, Earl of Foxworth, has decided to settle down. He longs for the sort of storybook marriage his brother enjoys, but his reputation keeps most suitable ladies from taking him seriously. With pride bowing to need, Alex has but one option left--to consult a professional matchmaker who can give him the polish he lacks. And the only matchmaker who will agree to help him is the lovely widow Lady Isabelle Fanshaw, whose sparkling green eyes and ready wit do nothing to help his efforts to reform.

...And Very Tempting

Lady Isabelle has guided many a young lady through the pitfalls of the social season. But how can she tame such a rake as Alex Foxworth, a man with manners more suited to a brothel than the drawing room? When the lout insists that he must flirt with someone, or go mad, Isabelle agrees to let him engage in some harmless repartee with her, as long as he behaves as a perfect gentleman in public. But as an important Christmas house party draws near, Isabelle realizes that her tutoring may be succeeding all too well. For she soon has no desire to see her beloved rake in any woman's arms but her own.

Continuing with my Christmas reading I picked this traditional regency. I had no expectations about it, had never read the author, and while I didn't love it I ended up finding it a pretty decent story.

The hero and the heroine are both widowers. The hero, who after losing his wife had become a sort of a rake, wants to change his ways and find a new wife and settle down. The heroine, having been disowned by her father after her marriage, has supported herself and her young daughter by becoming a companion to young ladies who are to be presented in society. She is a friend of the hero's sister in law and since she is engaged to help his two wards in their coming season Grace suggests that she helps him achieve his goal.

They were both rather likeable characters although the heroine seemed to have an infinite dose of patience to deal with a rude and annoying ward, I kept wishing she would give the girl a set down. Both of them have children although the hero's relationship with his sons is a bit distant and it was nice, since this is a Christmassy read set during a house party, to see the family members interacting with each other and both children and parents worrying about each other and spending time together.

One thing annoyed me though and that's what made me lower the grade a bit. We know the hero is a confirmed rake but since he mentions reforming he really is a nice guy. But even after their feelings are acknowledged the heroine keeps complaining about rakes and how that can't be trusted to change their ways. While I understood she had been hurt by the events of her past her behaviour seemed a bit too much.

Grade: 3.5/5

These Old Shades - Georgette Heyer

2010-01-18T08:22:00.001Z

Under the reign of Louis XV, corruption and intrigue have been allowed to blossom in France, and Justin Alastair, the notorious Duke of Avon and proud of his soubriquet ‘Satanas’, flourishes as well. Then, from a dark Parisian back alley, he plucks Leon, a red-headed urchin with strangely familiar looks, just in time for his long over-due schemes of revenge on the Comte de St. Vire. Among the splendours of Versailles and the dignified mansions of England, Justin begins to unfold his sinister plans - until, that is, Leon becomes the ravishing beauty Leonie...

It's a compliment o Georgette Heyer that she can write a story with one of my personal pet peeves and make it work - this is a girl in pants story.

The story has a mystery, a romance, friendship, a villain or two and a case of stolen identity.

The Duke of Avon is an arrogant, cynical and jaded man. He constantly refers to himself has the devil thus showing how fond he is of his bad reputation. One day while strolling on the streets of Paris he finds a young "boy" running away from a beating and decides to protect him. "He" becomes Avon's page and totally devoted to his saviour who "he" believes to be a noble and good man no matter what Avon, and everyone else, says to deny it. It is soon apparent that there is a motive for Avon's actions other than the kindness of his heart. Leon, or Leonie, will be his instrument of revenge towards an old enemy.

I love how Heyer shows the relationship between the older, jaded aristocrat and the young naive girl. He is always in control of his actions and emotions, she is very impulsive and emotional. She is always very honest, sometimes too honest in her remarks and about her situation but Heyer makes it work wonderfully. Unlike other stories with girls disguised as boys Avon immediately sees that Leonie is a girl and let's her continue the ruse to keep appearances and till he can discover more about her. Once he does he puts her in his sisters care what Leonie sees as a loss of his favour. It's clear from early on that Leonie loves Avon and that he fights what he feels for her because he feels he is too old and unworthy.

Without giving much away of the plot Leonie will be put in danger by Avon's old enemy, The Comte de Saint Vire, and it will take several adventures to rescue her and uncover the truth of Leonie's past. In the mean time we get to know a few more members of Avon's family and have some insight on his past. I liked that it had action, witty and funny dialogues, a good plot and believable characters. Heyer does a good job with portraying the Georgian atmosphere and mannerisms (the book is set circa 1756) making it a very good read.

Grade: 5/5

April Lady - Georgette Heyer

2010-01-12T08:57:00.004Z

When Lord Cardross marries the young Lady Helen he also finds himself coping with her father's financial disasters and the pressing gambling debts of her scapegrace brother. Many escapades must be resolved before the much-tried Earl can smooth the course of true love in his own marriage.

April Lady is, like several Heyer novels, a comedy of errors.

Lady Cardross, recently married, is very much in love with her husband but tries to hide as her mother told her on the eve of the wedding that she was merely a convenience to Cardross and his sister mentioned to her he had a mistress thus making her even more sure of his lack of love for her. Lord Cardross is madly in love with his wife but fears she only married him because he is very rich and her family of gamesters was very much in need of funds.

When the story starts Helen (Nell) has incurred in a great deal of debt not only to help her brother but also with the dress makers. Seeing her worried Cardross tells her he will pay all the debts but she forgets to give him one and after promising him she will take better care of her purchases she doesn't have the courage to ask him to pay one more. She tries to find a way to have the money needed asking for her brother's help but she finds herself unable to look her husband in the eye for fear he will discover the debt. At the same time, finding her behaviour odd Cardross starts to believe she just married him so she can pay the family's debts and feels nothing for him.

Heyer always writes fun lines and vivid characters but although I enjoyed the book I think Nell needed to sparkle a bit more, say like Leonie in These Old Shades or Horatia in The Convenient Marriage. Two books where we have a younger heroine paired up with an older man but in which they steal the scenes they appear in. Cardross also seems to lack the condescending and sometimes sarcastic and self deprecating humour those heroes had.

There are quite a few adventures involving Cardross's sister and her beloved that lead to an even bigger misunderstanding between Lord and Lady Cardross but everything gets solved in the end and I almost laughed out loud with the set down Dysart gives Cardross about him not taking care of his wife. Dysart is after all a carefree rogue always involved in new adventures and without a feather to fly with so hardly the type to be giving lectures but in this case Cardross has to accept it with grace.

Grade: 3.5/5

A Regency Homespun Christmas - Anthology

2010-01-08T07:49:00.003Z

It is a sad thing when one starts a new anthology thinking it will be full of new stories and then realises you've read them all. It was nice to revisit them but I would have preferred new ones.

The Wexford Carol - Emma Jensen

This one was a really nice story about a woman who is trying to keep her ancestral home in order and good repair despite the fact that it has been sold by the cousin who inherited it and the man sent by the new owner to oversee the property. Some funny secondary characters helped keeping this a light story. Grade: 4/5

Mistletoe and Folly - Sandra Heath

A pair of young lovers meets again after 5 years. The hero had his heart broken by the heroine when she left to marry another and now that they meet again he is engaged to be married. A rival for the affections of his current fiancee creates a misunderstanding to have their engagement broken which leads to an explanation of what really happened 5 years earlier. I liked this story, it had an unusual plot, a bit more mystery than you usually find here and an unexpected ending for some of the secondary characters. A 4/5.

An Object of Charity - Carla Kelly

Captain Lynch unexpectedly finds himself taking charge of his dead first mate niece and nephew. He plans to return home to visit the mother and brother he hasn't speak with in 20 years and develops a fondness the Sally Partlow, the mentioned niece. I found this the best story of the book mainly due to the hero who was wonderful. I have two complaints though, Sally is at first shown as a very young girl when she is in fact 25 years old and as in all of my previous Kelly reads I wanted a bit more emotion. Grade: 4/5

Amanda McCabe - Upon a Midnight Clear

This story has an original heroine, a Jamaican girl who makes soaps and perfumes. She has come to England to accompany a childhood friend. Then she meets a British naval officer who thinks he is unworthy of love because of his scars and they fall in love with each other. Grade: 3.5/5

Anthology grade: 4/5

A Christmas Charade - Karla Hocker

2010-01-04T08:48:00.000Z

Elizabeth Gore-Langton was hardly in a position to refuse to accompany Lady Astley to the Christmas party at Stenton Castle. After all, a paid companion must follow her employer's wishes. It scarcely signified that Elizabeth would be forced to face the man who had unknowingly broken her heart years ago during her first season. Most likely, the Duke of Stenton wouldn't even recognize her. But once she looked up into his dark piercing eyes, she knew this was a man who forgot very little..and forgave even less. Well, she was no longer a blushing schoolgirl, and the dashing duke would soon find that a broken heart, once mended, could be formidable, indeed! Clive Rowland, Fifth Duke of Stenton, was in no mood for a holiday gathering. But the Christmas gala would provide the perfect cover as he investigated reports that French agents were doing a brisk trade in stolen documents along the Sussex coast. It would be devilishly difficult to play the host while tracking down traitors, but Clive was up to the task--provided he kept his wits about him and didn't get distracted by yule logs and Chirstmas folderol..or the delightful charms of the disturbingly familiar Elizabeth. The little minx was hiding something, to be sure, and she was about to learn that he liked nothing better than unveiling a lady's secrets!

Another Christmas story from a new author this A Christmas Charade is my final entry for the 2009 Holiday Reading Challenge. I have been trying a lot of new authors for these Christmas challenges and if not all of them are winner they at least are entertaining for an afternoon of leisure.

I found that this story suffered from the same problem that many other Christmas reads where there are too many things going on. Here we have a house party, a search for lost family jewels, smugglers and French spies, a secondary romance and a ghost all in one book.

I was particularly interested in this story because, from the blurb, it seemed a "second chance" kind of story and I do love those (I blame it on Austen's Persuasion). However I found that particular side of the story ends up being one of the least important ones and the hero doesn't remember the heroine almost till the end so it was like they were getting to know each other for the first time.

What really made it entertaining for me was the presence of the ghost, I normally complain of paranormal elements in my traditional regency reading but I must confess that this time I found the ghost of Annie Tuck fun and a good addition to the story. Especially when she helps the secondary characters reunite.

I think the smugglers and the spies really weren't needed, although the search for a French spy was the reason for Stenton to reunite the family at his home I thought he could have searched for him better without them and so the story could have been just their reunion because of the Christmas festivities and their interaction with each other.

With so many things going on it is only natural that Clive and Elizabeth don't have that much time to interact and their relationship seemed to me a bit superficial. But it was still entertaing and pleasant.

Grade: 3.5/5

A Regency Christmas III - Anthology

2010-01-01T06:06:00.004Z

Bringing together five all-new Christmas stories by some of the most highly
acclaimed Regency authors, this rich collection celebrates the joys and
traditions of the holiday season. These are stories that capture the essence of
Christmas - the generosity and goodwill, the love and longing, the hopes and the
heartbreaks. Filled with romance and that joyful spirit that comes only once a
year, this wonderful collection will delight readers all year round.

Ana's review:

I'm not much of an anthology reader except at Christmas. Ever since I found the
Signet Christmas anthologies I've been collecting them and reading a few every
Christmas. This one has 5 stories by well known authors.

In Sandra Heath's MISTLETOE AND FOLLY a pair of young lovers meet again after 5 years. The hero had his heart broken by the heroine when she left to marry another and now that they meet again he is engaged to be married. A rival for the affections of his current fiancee creates a misunderstanding to have their engagement broken which leads to an explanation of what really happened 5 years earlier. I liked this story, it had an unusual plot, a bit more mystery than you usually find here and an unexpected ending for some of the secondary characters. A 4.

In Mary Jo Putney THE CHRISTMAS CUCKOO a misunderstanding leads the wrong man to be invited to spend Christmas at a farmhouse by the heroine. Although misunderstanding plots aren't always easy to believe in I really liked this one. Not only it worked well as the main characters were really likeable people. A 4.

In Mary Balogh's THE BEST CHRISTMAS EVER a young child, mute since her mother's death, wishes for a new mother for Christmas and believes she got it when the heroine arrives to the house party the next morning. The hero and the heroine have a past together and it will take them a while to solve things between them. I found the thoughts of the child regarding her mother very emotional. An 5.

In Melinda McRae's HOME FOR CHRISTMAS a man returning from America finds his parents house empty except for the servants and the children's governess. This was a sweet story but the weakest of all as there is not much back story or explanation for the characters feelings. A 3.5

In Edith Layton's THE DARK MAN a young lady newly betrothed has doubts about her fiancé's feelings and ends up breaking up with him. It will take him a while to discover his true feelings and go after her. I did like this story that had a really nice set of secondary characters like the heroine's parents and the hero's friend trying to matchmake. The Duke of Torquay is mentioned briefly and that was a nice touch. A 4.

Grade: 4/5

Ioana’s review:
After having neglected my Regency reading for such a long time, I thought to start anew with a Christmas book, to put me in the mood for… Christmas (catching the Ana bug – who only reads Christmas books in December :) ). So I chose this book, starring 3 of my favorite authors, it should have been palatable :)
And I have to say that it was quite good, well except for the first story, which almost made go back to my not-reading Regencies status…
But let me begin with the review. Oh, I won’t describe each story, I see that Ana did it already, I’ll just say how I liked them and why.

“Mistletoe and Folly” by Sandra Heath was quite bad in my opinion (sorry Ana :)). I’ve never been a fan of misunderstandings, even if I do admit they can work sometimes… But NOT when you have only 70 pages to write a story that brings the spirit of Christmas, a story that should make the reader feel warm inside, and not confused on who does what and why and annoyed because everything is so rushed. Also, the very beautiful heroine, who sacrifices herself for her family and suffers greatly in her arranged marriage with a cruel man, is so hated and misjudged by the hero at the beginning of the story and then SNAP! hero finds out the truth and he is so much in love with her again! Puh-lease! A 2.

“The Christmas Cuckoo” by Mary Jo Putney was my favorite (yeah, even before Mary Balogh’s). It’s such a funny, cheerful story, with some wonderful characters. The hero is to die for! Anyway, he gets to spend Christmas with a very nice family that mistake him for a friend, and in between almost drowning, baking mince pies and decorating the house, you get romance, Christmas cheer and some trepidation about what will happen when the truth is revealed! A 5!

“The best Christmas ever” by Mary Balogh. It was a nice, warm book, I can’t really complain… but I am! What it had best was the little girl, and not the hero or the heroine… he seemed a little dense and she – a long suffering victim… Oh, okay, it was a 4.

Melinda McRae was a new author or me, so I didn’t know what to expect. “Home for Christmas” wasn’t quite bad, but it felt like an empty story: it brought the sense of Christmas (and that was great), but it lacked a lot on the romance level. The two main characters were perfect strangers at the beginning of the story, and did not seem a lot different by the end of the book. And to believe that any sane woman would choose to accompany a man, who she has just met, to a foreign land, in the middle of nowhere, it’s a little too much for me. Yes, romances let us dream about things that can’t really happen in real life, but I will never dream about being insane… Still, it was better than the first story, a 3.5.

“The dark man” was a nice end to the anthology, it showed in very few pages why Edith Layton was such a great author. It was quite an introspective book, with a serious theme, maybe not really fit for Christmas, but a nice touch nevertheless… Anyway, I won’t say more, just that it’s worth reading, especially if you like your characters well explained :) even if I will say that the book deserved a lot more pages… A 5.

Grade: 4/5

Under The Kissing Bough - Shannon Donnelly

2009-12-28T08:04:00.001Z

Shy Eleanor Glover is astounded when wickedly handsome Geoffrey Westerly, Lord Staines, asks for her hand. Yet he makes it plain that he wants nothing more than a sensible wife—and a Christmas Eve wedding to please his dying father. With three beautiful sisters and a dearth of suitors herself, Eleanor does not refuse—yet she soon fears that despite Geoffrey's generous promise to give her anything her heart desires, he won't offer the one thing she truly wants…his love. Eleanor's reserve is a challenge to Geoffrey—he once loved another woman, and believes his passionate nature scared her away. Yet when he finds Eleanor seated beneath a mistletoe bough, tradition demands that he pluck a berry and kiss her. He doesn't anticipate his lovely bride's warm response, but as the wedding draw nears, he resolves to present the surprisingly strong-willed Eleanor with a gift far more meaningful than a betrothal ring…his heart.

When I first read the blurb I thought the story had great potential for a nice Christmas read. It mentioned a marriage of convenience and I could see how two people could get to know each other during a Christmas house party and surrounded by family. I was a bit worried though about the mention of the hero scaring a past love interest with his passionate nature, that sounded weird... and I'm afraid it was...

Eleanor is our common plain, intelligent and shy heroine that the hero never notices at first but learns to value in time. She accepts a marriage of convenience because her parent's tell her to. She finds the hero charming and attractive but sees that he only offered for her because his father is dying and wants to see him wed. And she soon finds out that he has loved another in the past and people believe he is still in love with her. Geoffrey is marrying because his father wants him to; he wants a sensible wife and a marriage with no emotional entanglements. He loved a woman in the past and she run away from him when he tried to embrace her and he still feels deeply the pain of her rejection.

Now everything would be well if we just had them getting to know each other and falling in love. But that's no exactly what happens, we see Geoffrey learning that Eleanor is a generous, intelligent woman but we don't really get to see her knowing him all that well except that he hurts inside. And the woman from his past does appear several times and while there's an attempt to explain why she rejected him (sounded pretty weak to me) I was left wondering why she married that weird man, he could be less passionate but he was weird. Eleanor and Geoffrey never really speak of their feelings till they are married and I would much preferred to have them address their problems before, because there are several scenes where Eleanor is jealous of Geoffrey and Cynthia and because the situation of Geoffrey's father being revealed was the perfect opportunity for them to speak of their feelings.

I am curious about Eleanor's sisters, especially Emma who seemed the opposite of her sister...

Grade. 3.5/5

More Winners

2009-12-25T08:10:00.010Z

We never heard back from two of the winners of our blogiversary giveaway so we decided to draw two new names. So...

LizA

wins

Diane Farr - Once Upon a Christmas

and

Peggy

wins

Allison Lane - The Notorious Widow

Please contact us at an.evening.at.almacks@googlemail.com with your address details so we can put your books in the mail as soon as possible... if we haven't heard from the winners in a week new ones will be selected.

A Rogue For Christmas - Kate Huntington

2009-12-22T08:02:00.000Z

Even though he is not on the guest list for the Blakelys' elegant Christmas Ball, notorious rogue and gamester Lionel St. James attends the party just to see the stunning Miss Mary Ann Whittaker, a woman he had encountered years ago who changed his life forever.

I picked up this book because I had previously loved the book I read by Kate Huntington about Christmas. That one really struck a chord and I had high expectations for this one but I'm afraid they were left unfulfilled.

When the book starts Mary Ann is a fourteen year old girl who is going to pawn her only jewel so her family can have Christmas dinner. On the way to the pawn shop she is attacked by a thief and saved by Lionel St James who ends up accompanying her to the pawn shop and later to buy her family a nice Christmas dinner. Fast forward 5 or 6 years and not only Mary Ann hasn't forgotten Lionel, but she is convinced she will find him again and they will marry.

They do meet again and while Mary Ann's family is much better with one of her sisters having married and wealthy viscount Lionel is much worse living his life as a gambler and having had no luck in the recent months. Mary Ann and her sisters ask him to spend Christmas with them in the country after having seen how alone he was, not only that but they manage to invite his estranged family to go too without him knowing to try and help them make peace. But her brother in law is less than thrilled, he knows Lionel for a gamester and a rake and doesn't want him around the young ladies of his family. To add to the awkward situation Lionel's stepmother brings along her sister with whom Lionel was involved in the past and who actually made up the situation that estranged him from his family.

I felt the story had two problems, one that Mary Ann is just too open for a regency Miss, and her behaviour was a bit too modern and liberated. And the second that there was too much going on at the same time, Lionel and Mary Ann, the story with his parents, the problems with the woman from his past that lead him to believe she was going after Mary Ann's sister in law this time... There were so many secondary characters that I ended up thinking this book must be a part of a series and it is.

It's not that I disliked it, it was a pleasant Christmas story and I had an enjoyable afternoon reading it. But it was not memorable has the previous book I had read by her.

Grade: 3.5/5

Regency Chritmas Spirits - Anthology

2009-12-18T09:42:00.002Z

Another Signet Christmas Anthology, the common theme here is Spirits although they can come in various forms:

The Merry Wanderer - Nancy Butler

Julia is the Lady of Islay, after the death of her father she is now the keeper of a special book that is invaluable for the fairy world. Robin is the being sent to see if she will be a good keeper or find her a husband that is. An ok read but not memorable. Grade: 3.5/5

The Wexford Carol - Emma Jensen

High Spirits - Edith Layton

My favourite. It's not everyday we have a heroine who likes too drink a bit too much. The hero was your common rake with a good heart but the original heroine and plot with the hero trying to make the heroine sober more than made up for it. Grade: 4.5/5

The Christmas Curse - Barbara Metzger

Two ghosts can not find eternal rest while their descendant doesn't put the Lady's wedding ring on his beloved's finger. So they plot to see that happen. The descendant is Lord Worth who returned home with scars from the Peninsular War and the heroine is the widow Amelia Merriot who stays at his home to nurse two old ladies. One of the last scenes, the dinner, is a very funny comedy of errors. Grade: 4/5

A Gathering of Gifts - Andrea Pickens

Although this story was a bit predictable it made me think of Jane Austen's Emma and not only because the heroine is named Emma. She is also wilful and too used to having her own way. When an accident leaves her unable to move in a neighbour's home for a few days she has to do a bit of growing up and realise things can't always go as she wants. Grade: 4/5

Anthology grade: 4/5

Mistletoe Mischief - Sandra Heath

2009-12-14T08:22:00.002Z

A Christmas Match

A lovely orphan who was unfairly dismissed from her last place of employment, Megan Mortimer can't believe her luck when the notoriously eccentric Lady Evangeline Radcliffe hires her as a companion. Evangeline is well aware of the unjust accusations that ruined the unfortunate girl's reputation-but she fully intends to make this Christmas one Megan will remember forever. ...

Arriving at her home in Brighton with Megan in tow, Evangeline is surprised but delighted to find her distant cousin, Sir Greville Seton, already in residence. As the date of her annual holiday theater extravaganza draws near, Evangeline grows ever more determined to bring Megan and Greville together-despite the fact that Greville despises women who work as companions. But when this bitter bachelor embraces the spirit of the holiday season, his old grudges quickly give way to a joyful and precious new love. ...

Another Christmas read and traditional regency by Sandra Heath, an author I keep reading even if not all her books work for me. This one was a so so, nice enough but not memorable.

Miss Megan Mortimer is a Lady's companion. She is dismissed from her last job after being blamed for the advances the Lady's son and is then employed by Lady Evangeline. Lady Evangeline was actually a really nice character, an older woman decided to right a past wrong and to marry her two nephews happily, who is in love with a family friend and speaks with ghosts. Yes, this story has a ghost, Heath seems to be fond of adding these magical elements to her stories and I keep reading them even if they don't work for me.

One of Lady Evangeline's nephews is Sir Greville, who hates companions because his father run off with one. From the rest of the story one gathers that Sir Greville's mother wasn't happy even before the father run away so may the companion did her a favour but he doesn’t' t seem to see it that way. In the blurb much is made of his attitude but I felt her overcame his dislike for Megan really quickly and from then on the happy ending in sight.

The story revolves around Megan and Sir Greville, how he at first believes what is being said in polite society about how she was dismissed but then believes her and stands by her but also about Lady Evangeline's other nephew Lord Rupert Radcliffe and his problems after realising he may have let slip the woman he loves through his fingers as she is now being courted by another man (and a nasty piece at that). And around the ghost who we realise is a Shakespearean actor waiting to be reunited in death with his lover and that Megan can also see. His actions will give her a help in a much needed situation.

The book has some funny moments but I think it never really stands out; it's entertaining but not memorable. I wish more time would have been devoted to Lady Evangeline's romance with her neighbour and maybe if there weren't so many stories and main characters things would have felt more solid.

Grade: 3.5/5

Regency Christmas Magic - Anthology

2009-12-11T10:57:00.003Z

5 Regency Christmas short stories with a magical twist, this made for a pleasant afternoon reading.

Amanda McCabe - Upon a Midnight Clear

Allison Lane - The Ultimate Magic

I was left with the feeling that this was part of a series as the h/h actively dislike each other when the story opens due to events of the past. The heroine is a governess who has to control her charge, a spoiled heiress, till she weds but things are complicated because the heiress keeps flirting with someone other than her fiancé. The hero ends up helping with the charge and looking at the heroine in a new light. Grade: 4/5

Edith Layton - Two Dancing Daughters

This story does have a larger magical element as two girls keep slipping away from their bedrooms at night to meet with a strange character that presents himself as a foreign duke and wants to take them to another world. The worried father hires an ex soldier to investigate and him and one of the daughters fall in love. Grade: 4/5

Barbara Metzger - The Enchanted Earl

I'm not too fond of magic in my regencies and this one has the aggravating problem that the hero is under a spell. The heroine decides to organise a big Christmas party at her late husband home and the hero ends up helping her and protecting her from spells and other magical creatures after she makes a wish for a magician for the party. Grade: 3.5/5

Sandra Heath - The Green Gauze Gown

This one was nice although it included a magical being that could, among other things, change the colors of dresses. It's a second chance story and I actually liked the detail of the letters stolen by the heroine's late husband who wood and proposed with words not his. Of course that if the hero hadn't been so shy the first time around... Grade: 4/5

Father Christmas - Barbara Metzger

2009-12-07T11:34:00.001Z

HE DARED BELIEVE THAT HIS MONEY COULD BUY ANYTHING!

A war hero's widow had few pleasures, especially when she was living under the miserly auspices of a stern father. But Graceanne had her beautiful three-year-old twin boys and that was joy enough.

Therefore she was shocked by the audacity of the Duke of Ware, who decided he could help himself to one of her babies. He needed an heir and she had a boy to spare. It was appalling! And she told him so with a swift kick to his manly pride.

But it was Christmas, after all, and 'tis the season of forgiveness. The gentleman was a charming rake to be sure, but there was no chance of his claiming her child—or her heart, though she was certain he was conspiring for both ....

Barbara Metzger’s Father Christmas kicked off my Christmas reading month. It is my first read by the author and I was a bit unsure whether I would like it or not. It started off well with the story of the Duke of Ware who needs an heir and Graceanne, his cousin’s widow who has twin sons and how he starts thinking one of the twins could be raised as his heir. The problem was the story soon loses direction. Instead of developing Ware’s and Graceanne’s relationship it takes us to Graceanne’s family problems, namely her idiot and selfish sister who runs away pregnant and unmarried to Scotland. Graceanne is forced to follow her and eventually adopt the baby she bores as her own. Naturally Ware, who is still only interested in the twins, believes the worst of Graceanne who doesn’t bother telling him that it’s not her child but her niece. We never feel the attraction between them, there’s no tension and honestly the plot didn’t seem like traditional regency. If you like light and fluffy this maybe for you but it didn’t work for me.

Grade: 2/5

A Regency Christmas Carol - Anthology

2009-12-04T11:30:00.001Z

Hark, the herald angels sing as five of Signet's favorite Regency authors bring you a melodious collection of stories to make the season even brighter. Lush with the magic of the holiday, the stories in this Christmas Regency collection capture the true spirit of this special time of year--the giving and receiving of love. This exquisite treasury will warm you with Yuletide cheer and makes the perfect gift for you and your loved ones.

Mary Balogh – The Bond Street Carolers
A moving story where music and children bring two lonely adults together. Balogh is very good at creating believable character s in short story format and this one is no exception. Lord Heath doesn’t like Christmas ort children but he does love music and upon meeting a young singer he can’t help being attracted to his mother.
Grade: 4.5/5

Edith Layton – The Earl’s Nightingale
Another lovely story with a hint of magic. A young woman pawns a cage as she needs money for an emergency but plans to get it back. When she goes back she discovers it has already been sold and as she approaches the buyer they start a quest for the cage and fall in love in the mean time. A fairy tale like ending for this one.
Grade: 4/5

Elizabeth Fairchild – Mistletoe Kiss
A governess and her charges go visit a man known as the Devil to bring him some happiness and succeed in making a lonely man seek other people. I thought his devilish side was a bit overdone making is a darker story than the others but it was nice to watch their interaction with the children and his final dialogue trying to convince her to love him.
Grade: 3.5/5

Carla Kelly – Make a Joyful Noise
I’m starting to think Carla Kelly works better for me in short story format. Charged by his mother to form the Christmas choir Lord Wythe finds a new singer in the Wetherby’s poor relation, Rosie. Rosie is a widow, is pregnant and soon will have no house to live in but Lord Wythe won’t let that happen. As usual it’s the hero who has center stage.
Grade: 4/5

Anne Barbour – Melody
Lovely story, an American who finds himself an English earl and is emotionally wounded meet a young ladies's companion who is physically damaged by a facial scar and they both heal each other forming a special connection through music.
Grade: 4.5/5

Anthology grade: 4/5

Christmas Beau - Mary Balogh

2009-11-30T07:25:00.001Z

His Vengeance Was Sweet

Judith Easton knew that even the spirit of Christmas wouldn't stop the Marquess of Denhigh from settling the score with her. For the beautiful young widow had injured Denhigh's rigid pride years ago by jilting him for another man.

Now that Judith was free from her nightmare marriage to that other man, the bold and handsome Marquess made no secret that he had her in his sights and wanted her in his arms.

But how could she trust the tender words on his lips when she could sense the hardness of his heart? And after she had made so grievous a mistake in love once, how could she ever trust her own heart's desire again?

There's nothing better to start my Christmas reading this year that picking up one of Balogh's wonderful Christmas novels. Christmas Beau is a revenge story but it is also a story about healing and love.

Eight years ago Judith, then betrothed to Viscount Evendon who she thought was cold and feeling, eloped with Andrew Easton who she thought was charming and passionate. Unfortunately her husband soon revealed himself as rake and a gambler and now that she is a widow Judith feels her two children were the best thing of her marriage.

Max is now the Marquess of Denbigh, eight years ago he had been much in love with Judith although too shy to tell her. He was devastated with her elopement and now that she is a widow and back in town he is decided to get his revenge.

Max and Judith meet each other at several social functions. While seems charming enough Judith senses that all is not as it should be and would prefer to stay away from him. Unfortunately for her Max charms her children and her sister in law and soon she finds herself accepting an invitation to spend the holiday season at his home in the country.

Max is a lonely man who has managed to assemble around him other lonely people to spend Christmas and so spend a happy holiday. Not only that but Judith finds that he is funding the upbringing of a number of young girls and boys rescued from the London slums that a friend of his is trying to educate so they can have a better future.

It's easy to see how Judith's opinion changes and she starts falling in love with Max, and it's sad to see how he is actually a good man but he can't let go of the past and of how hurt by her he was. Eventually Max does follow through with his plans but Christmas is a season for healing, for understanding and for forgiveness and they both end up speaking of the past and accepting their feelings.

A lovely story very evocative of all the good feelings of the season and with interesting characters including the secondary ones. There's also a very nice secondary romance that also enhances the spirit of the season.

Grade: 4.5/5

Blogiversary Giveaway Winners

2009-11-26T08:13:00.002Z

With the help of Random.org we have selected our giveaway winners. Thanks to everyone who participated and without further ado the winners are:

Mystica

who wins

Nadine Miller - The Barbarian Earl

Nishitak

who wins

April Kihlstrom - Miss Timble's Folly

Psvenndex

who wins

Alison Lane - The Notorious Widow

Spring
who wins

Diane Farr - Once upon a Christmas

Alfie

who wins

Katherine Kingsley - A Natural Attachment

Laura

who wins

Vanessa Gray - The Lost Legacy

Lydia Marmorstein

who wins

April Kihlstrom - The Soldier's Bride

A Regency Christmas Present - Anthology

2009-11-23T09:02:00.002Z

The gifts of Christmas are priceless -- good cheer, warm hearts, and happy times with friends. And now five bestselling Regency authors have made a special present to you--five brand-new stories. High-spirited and humorous, heartwarming and romantic and full of the fun and flavor of the holiday season they're the perfect present to share with friends and loved ones. And in each delightful story you'll find that there's one Christmas present that lasts all year round--the gift of true love.…

Heart's Desire - Allison Lane
Emma Fairlawn is a widow and she is travelling back to her father's house when she meets Craig Curtiss, home from the war to inherit the title after the death of his brother. He has a veritable dragon of a grandmother who plans to order his life and Emma gives him the courage he needs to face his grandmother.
Grade: 3/5

Christmas Wish List - Barbara Metzger
A Lord Boughton changes his life for his sick child and does what he can to get a rare breed kitten for her. Unfortunately for him his first encounter with owner of the kittens, Geraldine Selden, didn't go very well and she is determined not to give him one. He thinks of so many plans to get that one kitten that the story almost resembles a farce and misses on the romantic element.
Grade: 3/5

An Object of Charity - Carla Kelly
Captain Lynch unexpectedly finds himself taking charge of his dead first mate niece and nephew. He plans to return home to visit the mother and brother he hasn't speak with in 20 years and develops a fondness the Sally Partlow, the mentioned niece. I found this the best story of the book mainly due to the hero who was wonderful. I have two complaints though, Sally is at first shown as a very young girl when she is in fact 25 years old and as in all of my previous Kelly reads I wanted a bit more emotion.
Grade: 4/5

A Christmas Canvas - Elizabeth Fairchild
This was a strange story. Maitland, a painter is sent by his uncle to paint his fiancée and while there falls in love with the girl himself (I wonder why as she was a rather strange girl) and realises her brother is a villain (I didn't understand his motives but he was a bad apple) and decides to elope with her. Enter the uncle who says he never asked the girl to marry him, he just wanted them both to be together and he just knew they would suit. Say what?
Grade: 2/5

The Last Gift - Edith Layton
Rewriting a classic children's tale is not always easy and Layton attempts here to do that with Sleeping Beauty. Lord Cameron wants an old fashioned bride and when he goes to spend a few days in a Scottish cottage he finds an old house with a sleeping girl he rouses with a kiss. I found it too unbelievable, there were many loose ends regarding Mirabelle's story and little of holiday cheer.
Grade: 2/5

Grade: 3/5

Welcome to our 1st Blogiversary

2009-11-18T06:13:00.001Z

An Evening at Almacks turns 1 year old today! One year of posting reviews and articles about traditional regencies. As we mentioned in the beginning we started this blog to talk about one of our favourite genres, although it's not one of the most fashionable trends in todays literature the traditional regencies had once a big following and we are glad that we managed to chat about them with our visitors. To celebrate this one year of blogging we would like to give away a few of our spare copies. Please note that these are all second hand books, so no pristine copies, but we hope they'll find a nice home and will be appreciated. Without further ado the books we have to give away are:

Nadine Miller - The Barbarian Earl

April Kihlstrom - Miss Timble's Folly

Alison Lane - The Notorious Widow

Diane Farr - Once upon a Christmas

Katherine Kingsley - A Natural Attachment

Vanessa Gray - The Lost Legacy

April Kihlstrom - The Soldier's Bride

Please leave a comment telling us which is favourite traditional regency or if you're new to the genre and we will select the winners on Nov 26. If there's a book you already have do let us know so we can enter you only for the others.

The Merry Chase - Judith Nelson

2009-11-16T06:16:00.001Z

AN IMPOSSIBLE MAN!

That's what independent and beautiful Drucilla Wrothton considered her new neighbor, Mr. Pettigrew. And she felt sure her equally free-spirited Cousin Mathilde would share her feelings. After all, Crandon Pettigrew had already criticized Dru's forward manners and insulted her favorite horse!

Madcap Cousin Matty was prepared to go along with any wild scheme Drucilla might have. But neither young woman counted on the sudden appearance of the charming and eligible Duke of Ratchford--or that Mr. Pettigrew would have as little respect for the proprieties as the ladies themselves.

He would stop at nothing to get the woman he desired, even if it led to a merry chase across the land and a tangle of heartstrings Cupid himself would have to undo!

I had no expectations when I started this book, I traded for it a couple of years ago just because there was nothing of interest in the other trader's pile and I forgot it at the bottom of the TBR pile till this weekend when I decided to pick it up.

I was a pleasant book as it is quite a funny story about Drucilla Wrothon, a young lady almost on the shelf, who despairs of finding a husband and stop her annoying cousins to stop coming to visit as they believe themselves to be the next heirs to the place if she doesn't marry.

Taking matters in hand Dru's aunt decides to promote a ball at their house and Dru decides to ask her cousin Matty to visit. But all doesn't go well has Dru makes the acquaintance of her disagreeable neighbour Mr Pettigrew and not even his friendship with the very nice Duke of Ratchford can make her like him.

But then Matty arrives and the cousins start spending more time in the company of the two gentlemen, especially after Matty takes a fall and as to spend a night at Mr Pettigrew's house. The story is full of witty dialogue and little jokes that are quite funny and things even better when they all go on the merry chase mentioned in the title across the country.

I really enjoyed it, found the characters funny and interesting, especially Matty and Pettigrew. Dru and the Duke were more according to the regency norm but still nice and those cousins they kept trying to kick out of the house added more humour to the whole of it. I'm now very curious about the author's other novels.

Grade: 4.5/5

The Game of Love - Edith Layton

2009-11-10T17:54:00.000Z

Francesca Wyndham knew the folly of gambling. She had seen her father, Lord Wyndham, lose the family fortune, forcing her to become a plain chaperone to an empty-headed young Miss.

But now Francesca was taking a gamble even her father would have blanched at. She was falling in love with the irresistible Arden Lyons, a gentleman who was clearly anything but a gentleman when it came to winning what he wanted, whether a hand of cards, a test of strength, or a lady's favours.

She knew nothing about this man except that she wanted him from the moment she saw him...and though his past was a dark mystery, his motives for choosing her over other seductive or wealthy young beauties were even more mysterious. Still, Francesca dared to pit her innocence against Arden's expertise -- in a game where passion took all...

My favourite thing about this book was the hero - Arden Lyons. When Arden meets Francesca she is working as a companion to a rich tradesman daughter. A place her father, a notorious gamester, found for her since he lost all his fortune and couldn't support her. We soon realise that Arden decides to court the said daughter in hopes of being closer to her companion. However he believes her to be a widow and 25 when in truth she is single and 21.

With a harsh past behind him Arden believes someone older and experienced would be ideal for him and confronted with Francesca's inexperience he feels she deserves better. But he doesn't want to abandon her, as her father does to run away from debtor's prison, and offers friendship and transport back to London instead. Francesca feels more attracted to him the better she knows him and to totally ruin her good image of himself, he decides to take her on a journey of discovery of his past. From his noble biological father to the slums of London where he spent sometime doing all sorts of jobs till he became king of the underworld and decided to leave that life behind. We get to know him at the same time has Francesca and there's a lot to be said of a man who protects and loves a heroine enough to want the best for her and so wants to give her a safe future without him or the eventual threats of his past.

There's a mystery subplot about who tries to kill Arden that is at the same time a plot device to allow Francesca and the reader to see how beloved he really is by everyone in the criminal world. Although that really borders on the cliché somehow Layton pulls it off and we end up with a nice little sweet story.

Grade - 4/5

The Ungrateful Governess - Mary Balogh

2009-11-03T16:46:00.002Z

Another one of Balogh's traditional regencies. No matter how much I enjoy her european historicals I approach these little books with an even greater expectation. This one was no different.

When the Earl of Rutherford tries to seduce Jessica Moore in her employer's library one night, she is blamed and loses her job. Rutherford offers her a position as his mistress, but instead Jessica enlists the aid of his own grandmother and sets out to teach him a lesson.

Jessica Moore, a young ladies governess, is dismissed after having been caught, barefoot and in her nightgown, with the Earl of Rutherford in the library, even if she has just refused his advances.

When he meets her on the road feels partially responsible for her predicament but at the same time sees it as the perfect opportunity for her to become his lover. Although at first she agrees Jess finds she cannot go through with it and Rutherford ends up sending her to his grandmother so she can find her a new position.

It is with evident surprise that he sees how his grandmother introduces her to society as a dear friend's granddaughter. At first he believes it to be a lie and still wants her to be his mistress and after knowing better to be his wife.

What I liked in this one was that it had a real feel. For instance Jessice first accepts to be Rutherford's mistress because she knows the situation she will face in London will be even darker. And when she cannot go through with it there's still some basic goodness in him to send her to his grandmother instead of just abandoning her. This is another story where a compromised young lady refuses to marry because there's no love involved, however and on the contrary of many other stories that does work here (no one else knows...). Jessica feels Rutherford would only use her and so they are constantly at odds. Their love is never expressed because they are always too busy fighting. The tension between the two grows and as the book reaches it's climax without them ever having confessed their feelings to each other there's material for a big misunderstanding to occur, fortunately it's not overly done.

What leads to this is that Rutherford changes his atitude throughout the book but never mentions it and Jessica is a bit too inflexible not allowing such confidences and that was what stopped me from grading it higher.

I also enjoyed the secondary characters. The grandmother was indeed a great lady and Hope and Godfrey were nicely done. I'm glad they had their happy ending even if Hope seemed a bit too naive.

Grade: 4.5/5

The Convenient Marriage - Georgette Heyer

2009-10-30T09:49:00.002Z

THE KNOWING BRIDE

When dazzling Horatia Winwood married the powerful Earl of Rule, she was saving her sister from a loveless match, rescuing her family fortune, and providing herself with a life of ease. Hers was a marriage made not in heaven but in the coolly logical mind of a very self-possessed young beauty.

Not until Horatia was deep in dangerous intrigue with her husband's vengeful rival, the dashing and arrogant Lord Lethbridge, did she suddenly find -- to her own tremulous surprise -- she had fallen deeply in love with the man she had married for money. But was it too late, now that she was but a heartbeat away from betraying both him and herself?

This was one of the first books I read by Heyer and it has remained one of my favourites ever since. I reread it recently and since I had never written a review I decided to do it this time. I'm happy to say that I enjoyed it as much as the first time.

The Earl of Rule has decided it's time to marry and for his bride chooses Miss Winwood less from inclination then from her impeccable bloodline. But Miss Winwood already has a beau and the Miss Charlotte Winwood is determined not to marry so the youngest of the family - Miss Horatia Winwood decides to take matters into her own hands and offer herself as prospective bride. It is fun to see how Rule is instantly charmed by the plain, stammering Horry and not only agrees to the change of bride as to becoming the patron of Miss Winwood's beau.

Like other Heyer novels The Convenient Marriage is full of witty dialogues and interesting conversations between the characters. Horry and Rule have a big age gap and she tries to be as adult as possible, keeping out of his way and his affairs but it is quite obvious from the beginning that Rule likes her as she is and is determined to be patient and considerate with his wife.

Horatia gets herself in various degrees of trouble, especially by befriending one of Rule's old enemies, and things aren't helped by Rule's cousin trying to make mischief between them. I was also quite amused by Horry's brother Pelham, the inveterate gambler who run through the family fortune but has a high sense of propriety and can't understand why Rule doesn't have a heavier hand when dealing with his sister. And in the end it is lovely to see Rule save Horry from herself... Although she is sometime too childish and immature he is a wonderful wise hero who totally makes up for it.

This is a fun Georgian romance that I highly recommend!

Grade: 4.5/5

Victoire - Clare Darcy

2009-10-26T09:36:00.000Z

A Delightfully Impudent Impostor

Sparkling young Victoire Duvernay made her first appearance in Regency England posing as her cousin who had been shamefully wronged by the dashing, devastatingly handsome rake, the Marquis of Tarn. But soon she emerged under her own name as the leading light of the London season, with the hot-blooded, hot-tempered Tarn dancing attendance upon her, and a host of gallants, fortune-hunters, and rogues swarming around her.

Victoire seemed such a defenseless innocent in this sophisticated world of elegant snobbery and cruel deception. But Victoire had no intention of becoming anyone's pawn or prey. Instead this captivating young lady was determined to give the most arrogant gentleman in all the realm an unforgettable lesson in love!

I have been curious about this author ever since Ioanna wrote a review of one of her books. So when I had the opportunity to read one I was quite happy. I did like the book although I felt the type of story asked for more banter, more witty and humorous dialogue to really work out.

Victoire is a french young lady, daughter of an officer in the Napoleon Wars, who, after her father dies and her mother remarries finds herself shipped to England to live with an Irish relative. Unfortunately the relative is not entirely comme i'l faut and leads Victoire to pretend to be her cousin Nancy, recently deceased, so they can blackmail Lord Tarn's relatives by telling he has broken a promise of marriage. The success of such ploy is based on the fact that Tarn is supposed to be out of the country and can't unmask her. But he does unexpectedly return and after a few adventures that include the relative kidnapping Tarn and Victoire saving him, the Marquess of Tarn decides that he owes a debt of gratitude to Victoire and to pay it he offers her marriage.

Now it maybe be because I recently read Heyer's The Convenient Marriage but I did feel that there were some similarities between the two stories - namely the older heroes who let no emotions show and the young and sometimes naive heroines who are constantly getting into trouble.

Being this one a regency romance we know that they are on their way to a happy end, however that path isn't always smooth and in this case several people are interested in breaking them apart. One of Tarn's cousin's and his portuguese mistress who both set different suitors on Victoire just to make trouble. Since Tarn and Victoire both are hot tempered and don't run from a good fight this could have been the perfect opportunity for showing some tension and their emotions towards one another but it is never fully explored. Even when Victoire is kidnapped in the end and Tarn rushes to save her I felt his proposal was a bit bland. I wanted more emotion in their courtship to make me believe that Tarn really had fallen for Victoire. As it was I felt it was a nice story but that it could have been better.

One detail that annoyed me was that Portuguese's mistress had a spanish name and spoke spanish instead of portuguese. Most of you wont probably notice it but for a native portuguese speaker it's totally distracting.

Grade: 3.5/5

My Lady Domino - Sandra Heath

2009-10-23T11:15:00.000+01:00

Miss Adele Russell knew it was sheer folly to attend the Duke and Duchess of Bellingham's grand masquerade. A year ago, she would have been an honoured guest - before the disgrace and death of her father. Now she was a penniless shop girl, scorned by society and mocked by the memory of her broken engagement to the elegant and handsome Lord David Latimer.

But when by chance she found an invitation to the masquerade, the temptation was too great. What danger could there be in going masked to this dazzling affair? She soon found out. First, in the arms of a stranger as mysterious as he was attractive. And then, face to face with the same David Latimer who had broken her heart once and still had the power to do it again . . .

Adele lost everything, including her fiancé, when her father died in a fire leaving her penniless and in disgrace after some irregularities where discovered in his bank. She now lives with her former governess who manages a shop in Bath where Adele works. She is unable to accept that her father might have been more than the victim of two dangerous man and despite her resentment at how he left her she can't forget her feelings for David Latimer her former fiancé.

When the action starts she receives a visit from her father's former secretary, and one of the men responsible for his ruin, telling her not to interfere when the announcement of the new engagement of Latimer is announced, he is supposedly marrying the daughter of the other man involved in her father's death.

Revolted, Adele decides to have a taste of her former life and attend Lady Bellingham's ball. In disguise she snubs David and makes a conquest of another young gentleman. Although she still loves David she is unable to resist going to meet the young gentleman again and her identity is soon discovered by both the gentleman and Latimer.

In a way this story reminded me of Mary Balogh's earlier books, very emotional with intense scenes where the characters mistaken their feelings and remain at odds when they are clearly in love. Adele finds herself in a dangerous situation as the young gentleman proves himself to be a villain but Latimer rescues her and helps her find the evidence that her father was innocent and the other two men were responsible for stealing the money. They don't seem on the right path to happiness though and they need a little push from Latimer's mother who gets her son to think on what really happened five years ago.

Grade: 4.5/5

A Makeshift Marriage - Sandra Heath

2009-10-19T11:05:00.000+01:00

When lovely young Miss Laura Milbanke was asked for her hand in marriage in romantic Venice, the irresistibly handsome Sir Nicholas Grenville was at death's door. He had fought a disastrous duel to defend Laura's honor, and now he would defend her from poverty by leaving her his estate when he died.

But Sir Nicholas did not die. He lived to bring Laura home to King's Cliff manor. Waiting for him was the fabulously beautiful Augustine Townsend, whom Nicholas had long adored and who would be his - if only Laura did not stand in the way.

Should Laura try to fight this ravishing rival? Or should she give her husband his freedom by giving herself to the temptingly attractive Daniel Tregarron, who offered her all the love Sir Nicholas denied her? Never did a young bride find herself in a greater dilemma - as a marriage that broke all the rules threatened to break her heart . . .

This book had no magic, unlike my previous read by the author, and I liked it a lot better for it. It features a marriage of convenience in which both the h/h believe he will die. They marry so the heroine can have finantial security and since he survives she decides to bring him back to England to recover.

As soon as they arrive it becomes clear that Ausgustine, Nicholas previous fiancee, is determined to separate the newlyweds and gain back her status after an annulment. She starts turning Nicholas' mind against his wife and unable to tell him the truth due to doctors orders, Laura decides to implement in the property some changes that Nicholas wanted to bring about, knowing they won't go well with Augustine and the neighbours. Feeling lonely Laura strikes a friendship with Nicholas' doctor and friend that will end up ruining her reputation and damaging her marriage.

I thought this had the potential to reach keeper status but in the end it didn't. I felt Nicholas was too easily manipulated by Augustine and Laura kept seeing the doctor (and getting into trouble) when she should have realized that that was only making things worse. And even if Laura was the wronged party it was she who ended up making the first steps to the reconciliation. Too much heart ache and not enough happy moments was my final take on the story.

Grade: 3.5/5

A Man of Affairs - Anne Barbour

2009-10-15T20:57:00.000+01:00

Well beyond the normal age of courtship and marriage, a young woman resigns herself to a quiet life on her parents's estate. Then the adopted son of the Duke of Derwent arrived. His kind manner and passionate glances brought new, unfamiliar joy to the lady's heart. But the dashing gentleman had too many duties to his father to properly court her. It will take a scandalous heartbreak to bring them both together in a love that will go against their families and society. . .

Seth Lindow is the adopted son of the Duke of Derwent, he has always felt indebted to the Duke for adopting him so her works as his man of affairs. The Duke has an heir, a rake of the lowest sort who has assignations with maids, beats his servants and drinks too much. To control his wild ways the Duke asks Seth to find a bride, someone pretty and biddable who will put up with his bad temper. Seth thinks he may have found the right one when he meets Zoe Beckett, the youngest daughter of an impoverished Baronet. To better know her he decides to visit her home under pretext of buying some horses.

Seth gets to know Zoe better but also her oldest sister Eden. Eden seems the most sensible person in the family, she likes to paint and secretly plans to live alone and support herself selling her paintings. While he feels more disappointed with Zoe as he gets to know her better he feels more attracted to Eden as the time passes.

On his return to London he invites the family to a dinner party at the duke's house. There Zoe meets the Marquess of Bellhaven, the Duke's heir and unexpectedly they seem much taken with each other. And as Seth finds himself falling in love with Eden the Duke decides she is the perfect choice for Belhaven's bride leaving him thorn between his loyalty to his father and his love for Eden.

There were plenty of things to like in this story. First that we have an original hero, someone that is not a titled gentleman and who actually works, then that Eden is a dedicated painter who takes her art seriously, and then that the more they know each other the better they deal with each other, Seth helps Eden gain confidence and she makes him realise that he should live his life and not do everything the duke wants. Now, what I didn't like, I know Eden was more modern than most with her dream of living alone but each time Seth kissed her she just seemed to take it in stride, like it was "all normal, we just got carried away, let's not think about it anymore", I thought that was a bit odd but just a little detail.

There are some problems to deal with before they get their HEA, namely Bellhaven and Zoe. Barbour did find an unexpected explanation for Bellhaven's behaviour and while I wasn't very convinced I have to give her points for originality.

Grade: 4/5

Old Friends and New Fancies - Sybil G. Brinton

2009-10-05T13:45:00.001+01:00

Originally published in 1914, this charming and original sequel to the novels of Jane Austen intertwines the lives of the most beloved characters from all six Austen novels with new characters of the author's devising. Inventive matchmaking leads numerous pairs of lovers through the inevitable (and entertaining) difficulties they must encounter before they are united in the end.

I haven’t read that many Austen sequels yet but I have read a few and I am happy to announce that this one just became a favourite. It was interesting to learn that this story, written in 1913, was the first ever sequel to the Austen books and contrary to many being written today it combines the characters of the several novels.

There is much to love in the story, we revisit familiar characters who may or may not be old favourites, we have the restraint and manners of the Austen stories and we have the misunderstandings and thwarted love pairings that existed in every of the original books.

The main characters are Georgiana Darcy, Kitty Bennet, Mary Crawford and Colonel Fitzwilliam. But there’s also Lizzy and Darcy, Jane and Bingley, Wentworth and Anne, William Price (Fanny’s brother), Tom Bertram, James Morland (Catherine’s brother) not to mention Knightley and Emma. We revisit them a few years after the original action and I must say that although I was in doubt throwing them all together would work the fact is that it made for a delightful story. It was really fun seeing how Emma and Lady Catherine de Bourgh continued to be the same characters, meddling in everyone else’s affairs and how all the others stay true to the idea I had of them. With the exception of Mary Crawford which is much improved.

When the story opens Georgiana Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam are engaged, however it's soon clear that none of them is too happy and the engagement is broken. While Fitzwilliam goes to Bath with Lizzy and Darcy where he meets Mary Crawford, Georgiana goes to stay with the Bingleys. She later goes to meet with her friend Kitty Bennet who is convinced (influenced by Emma Knightley) that William Price is about to make her a marriage proposal. Of course things are not as easy as they seem and some heartache will follow.

I think it’s best to read the Austen books before delving into this one because part of the enjoyment is definitely the fact that we are revisiting old characters, however it can be read as a standalone as the facts of the past that influence the story are explained in due course. What is perhaps lacking from the original is the witty dialogue; even Lizzy seems a bit tamer and more conciliatory towards Lady Catherine. The less sympathetic characters, Miss Steele and Mrs. Robert Ferrars are not given enough room to possibly engage in some more aggressive discourse but maybe that was a good thing because I really didn’t like them!

A very enjoyable read and highly recommended especially for Austen fans.

Grade: 4.5/5

The Devil's Bargain - Karen Harbaugh

2009-09-29T11:54:00.001+01:00

THE ENDANGERED INNOCENT . . .
Lovely Eveline Seton knew that she could never be a proper match for Lord Richard Clairmond. The devastatingly handsome blueblood would never dream of taking a merchant's daughter as a wife. Why then did he whisper words that made her heart beat faster? Why did he gaze at her with a heat that melted her to the core? Eveline feared her ardent suitor was hiding something.

THE IRRESISTIBLE RAKE . . .
Not for nothing did the Viscount Clairmond keep a list of ladyloves that testified to his supreme skill as a seducer. But it was not as a wife that this reckless gambler wanted Eveline. To be relieved of embarrassing debts and a certain future of pauperism, he had sold his soul-and Eveline's virtue-to Satan. And unless this extraordinarily persuasive young woman proved an equal match for him in the thrust and parry of his campaign of conquest, she most surely would become his all - too - willing victim. Or he hers . .

I've been in the mood lately for stories featuring nobility and the so called Cit's. The merchants and tradesmen who became rich enough to save a title from ruin.

That's why I picked this one to read and it didn't disappoint me in that, it had nice and interesting characters who behaved in a believable way. Especially Eveline who seemed a fairly level headed woman, not the one to go into hysterics but in fact to make the best of her situation and indeed believe in who seems to have betrayed her. I had more trouble believing Clairmond who lost his money in a foolish game, believes his neighbour is harassing his sister just because the devil tells him so and then proceeds to ruin Evangeline when he could just have married her and used her money.

My main problem was the "devilish" side of the plot. I prefer my historicals without paranormal or supernatural elements and have the Devil struck a bargain with the hero that he would ruin the heroine and in exchange win the money he badly needed to restore his estate was a bit too much for me.

I think the story would have been perfect without that, it had all the elements for a nice marriage of convenience story and at least for me it would have worked better.

Grade: 3.5/5

The Irish Rake - Emma Lange

2009-09-21T12:14:00.000+01:00

Miss Gillian Edwards was barely more than a schoolgirl, and certainly as innocent as one - but she knew how shockingly evil the Marquess of Clare was. He did not even try to hide a history of illicit loves that ran the gamut from London ‘lightskirts' to highborn ladies. Nor did he conceal his scorn for marriage and morality and his devotion to the pleasures of the flesh.

Thus Gillian was forewarned and should have been forearmed when she found herself face-to-face with this man whose dazzling good looks were clearly lascivious lures. All she had to do was remind herself that she was engaged to wed the wealthy, handsome, and aristocratic Lord Lionel Rockingham, the ideal partner for a perfect marriage.

All she had to do was say no to the maddeningly mocking Marquess, who would never stoop to seduce an unwilling woman. But strangely enough, what Gillian did was something else . . .

I did enjoy this story but not as much as A Certain Reputation, the first I've read by this author. I did have more trouble relating to and liking the hero and the heroine and that must be a part of my problem.

The heroine is very young and at first it seems her attraction to the hero is a bit of hero worship more than a real emotion as she doesn't know him all that well. As they start to see more of each other, she has an accident and has to spend some time in his house. I could see how he started feeling attracted to her but really couldn't understand what kept her attracted to him other than him being described as a rake with a charming attitude towards the ladies.

The end is marked by a big misunderstanding that if the heroine hadn't been the young and impulsive girl she was could have been avoided with an honest conversation between them. As it was I enjoyed at least the fact that since she was the one jumping to conclusions it was also her that went looking for him to apologise.

Grade: 4/5

DARING MASQUERADE - MARY BALOGH

2009-09-12T08:30:00.005+01:00

BETWEEN TWO FIRES

Beautiful young widow Katherine Mannering vowed that no man would ever possess her. Her brief but brutal forced marriage left her with profound distaste for what went by the name of love.

But that was before she met Nicholas Seyton, a devilishly dashing highwayman who kidnapped her person and stole her heart. And that was before she met the infuriating yet attractive Sir Harry Tate, whose manner made her blood boil yet whose touch lit flames of passion.

The outlaw and the lord... Katherine knew so little about either, except that each taught her a different lesson in love -- and presented her with a more and more difficult choice....

Who could have been the author to tempt me to finish my break in reading traditional romances?! Mary Balogh, of course… I don’t know why, but I was never tempted to read this book, and I had it for quite a while… I think it was the suggestion of masquerade in the title and the fact that the hero passes himself for 2 different persons that put me off…

Anyway, I read it and I’m glad of it. Something about the plot: well, you have the heroine, who works as a companion for the daughter of an earl who is terrified of highwaymen (the daughter, that is). The heroine, Kate, has been married to a somewhat nasty character who choked on a bone and died (yes, I don’t know why that’s funny, but it is) and she claims that she doesn’t want nothing from men from now on! On the road to the family’s estate, she, her employer and her brother, are held up by a highwayman, who abducts Kate believing she is the daughter of the earl.

The highwayman is of course the hero. Nicholas Seyton, wearing a mask and a wig. He has been wronged by the earl and asks for some answers – hence the kidnapping. He doesn’t get too fierce in his role and somehow manages to tell Kate all about his life and sufferings, she believes him and offers her help. They meet now and then, he is always using his mask, and they start and affair and concludes in a one memorable night of smuggling and making love!!! That’s fine of course, it could happen in romances , but exactly the next day the hero arrives at the earl’s estate as a different man, Sir Harry Tate. A very interesting character, actually the best in the book, and my personal opinion is that for him only it’s worth reading it. The heroine doesn’t recognize him and every time they meet, sparks start flying. He is quite obnoxious, really . Anyway, the rest is for you to discover…

It was an entertaining read, sometimes funny characters, not such a clever plot, but the strongest point were the nice dialogues. As a proof of that, I really have to show here, one of my favorite scenes, with Kate and Harry:

“G-go away then!” Kate said crossly on a shuddering inward breath. “I am not looking for your sympathy. And I would not be crying now, sir, but that I had a sleepless night and have not been feeling quite the thing today. I never cry.” She blew her nose loudly in the handkerchief and glared at him out of reddened eyes.
“Hm,” he said. “Quite disgusting. Your nose and your eyes vie over which are the redder. I do believe the nose wins because it also shines”
“Oh!” Kate stamped her foot crossly. “I might have known you would not have an ounce of gallantry for a poor female in trouble.”
“Now, think a moment, Mrs. Mannering,” he said on a sigh. “If I had taken you in my arms and held your head against my shoulder and crooned soothing inanities into your ear, do you not think you would still be bawling? As it is, your emotion has been converted to anger, and your chin and cheeks have perhaps been saved from the same fate as your eyes and nose”

In the end, it is worth reading for fans of the genre, but only if you’re willing to ignore the big white elephant in the room – the fact that the heroine has an affair with 2 different men, never knowing it is actually one single person.

Grade: 3.5/5

A Regency Valentine - Anthology

2009-09-07T09:09:00.000+01:00

Although Valentine's Day is in February I couldn't resist picking up this anthology on the eve of going on holidays for a bit of comfort read.

Golden Rose - Mary Balogh
I've read many stories where the jaded rake is saved by the love of a good woman but Balogh always seems to add something more to hers. This is one such example and despite being an old plot you can't resist finishing it with a satisfied sigh. Especially as this seems like a comedy of errors with the hero believing he is sending flowers to a society's widow while his young cousin is taking them to the heroine, who believes them to be from another man.
Grade: 4/5

Katherine Kingsley - The Secret Benefactor
While I really enjoy stories with less than perfect heroes here you don't really feel the pain involved in the hero's past. He has been playing benefactor to the heroine who, after her father's death, became destitute, and is too afraid to tell her he loves her. I did not feel his motives were enough and thought he should have told the truth much earlier.
Grade: 3.5/5

Emma Lange - Lady Valentine's Scheme
I'm afraid feisty, impulsive heroines are not my favourite and this story suffered from having one. She is betrothed to a young man who is clearly a mamma's boy and has mixed feelings when an old friend, now a rake, returns and seems to have feelings for her.
Grade: 3.5/5

Patricia Rice - Fathers and Daughters
I do have a fondness of stories about a second chance at love and this one was wonderful. The hero is forced by the heroine's father to leave her and when he returns, now rich and worthy of her, she doesn't make it easy for him to explain much less offer his love again. But his bastard daughter will be the means to bringing them together.
Grade: 4.5/5

Joan Wolf - The Antagonists
I usually enjoy Wolf's stories but I must say this one disappointed me a bit. Not enough banter between the main characters to make it stand out when they finally realise they are in love and I didn't particularly liked Dinah which, being this written in the first person, could be the main problem for me.
Grade: 3.5/5

Anthology grade: 3.5 (but very worth it for the Rice and Balogh's stories)

Heartfelt Blog Award

2009-09-04T08:51:00.001+01:00

Laura at Laura's Reviews was kind enough to give us a Heartfelt Award. This is our first award and we are naturally quite happy that she remembered us especially as this seems such a cosy award.

Do you reach for a cup of cocoa or tea when your relaxing, seeking comfort, sharing a plate of cookies with family and friends? You know the feeling you get when you drink a yummy cup of cocoa, tea, or a hot toddy? That is what the Heartfelt Award is all about, feeling warm inside.

The Rules for the Heartfelt Award are:

1) Put the logo on your blog/post.

2) Nominate up to 9 blogs which make you feel comfy or warm inside.

3) Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.

4) Let them know that they have been nominated by commenting on their blog.

5) Remember to link to the person from whom you received your award.

So, in the same spirit in which this was passed to us, we would like to nominate the following blogs and everyone else who has been following us:

Stephanie's Written World

Austenprose

Lord Rotham's Wager - Ann Elizabeth Cree

2009-08-31T12:11:00.002+01:00

HIS BRIDE BY LOTTERY...
Lord Jack Rotham was not a betting man when it came to marriage. But when his great-uncle's will ordered Jack to marry, a bride by wager seemed the logical solution. And so Jack picked the winning wife out of a lottery. However, fate dealt him a cruel hand, for his new bride was the woman who'd left him broken-hearted to marry another man!

HER SECOND-CHANCE HUSBAND...
Claire Ellison had suffered a miserable marriage and didn't want to repeat the experience, particularly to a man who wasn't sure whether he hated her -- or loved her! But when a devious element threatened their new marriage, could Claire finally fight for the man she'd always loved...?

And another story about a second chance at love!

When Lord Rotham meets Claire again - at a ball where gentleman chose the lady by choosing her fans (I had never heard of this)- he decides he wont let her escape again. He had once proposed marriage only to be refused by her brother and learn that she was promptly married to another man. Now he decides he will court her again and convince her to marry him.

The premise was good but it seemed to me that there were too many misunderstandings keeping them apart that could have been easily explained if they had only talked to one another. Instead the problems and tension between them seems to go unresolved for too long. Besides I never really understood why her brother refused him in the first place, yes he had a bad reputation but he compromised her and he proposed. Wasn't that the right thing to do? And her friend who kept sabotaging his efforts and interfering was pretty annoying too.

Grade: 3.5/5

A Matter of Duty - Sandra Heath

2009-08-28T14:40:00.004+01:00

ALTAR-BOUND

Handsome and wealthy Lord Christopher Highclare made it painfully clear why he was asking a virtual nobody like Miss Louisa Cherington to be his wife. He had made a promise to her dying brother to do so, and was honour-bound to keep that vow.

Proud and beautiful Louisa made it just as clear why she was accepting this man who not only made no pretence of loving her, but made no secret of the ravishing woman who was his mistress. Louisa, too, was bowing to the wishes of her late brother, who wanted to rescue her from poverty and the peril of Captain Geoffrey Lawrence, the notorious rake who was in hot pursuit of her.

Thus these two were bound to marry - and bound to wonder what would happen then.

I really enjoyed the beginning of this story. Both the main characters were nice, sensible people. They were ready to enter in a marriage of convenience and making the best of it.

Although they marry because the hero has made a vow to Louisa's brother and she wants some security after being dismissed from the house she works in as a governess they find themselves pleased with each other and ready to develop warmer feelings to one another. However Louisa had been dismissed because the older brother of the girl she teached was pursuing her and his young stepmother was jealous (yes the stepmother was having an affair with the stepson). Looking for revenge the woman sends Louisa a gift pretending to be her stepson. This originates a huge misunderstanding between Louisa and her husband and everything goes bad after that. Louisa discovers her husband had a mistress and doesn't believe that it is over between them. And Christopher refuses to believe that Louisa did not accept gladly Captain Lawrence's advances.

The tension rises when all four meet for a regatta on the Island of Wight, it made for an interesting setting, and Louisa believes Christopher to be enamoured of Thea still and he still thinks she might have responded to Captain Lawrence's advances. It doesn't help that Thea is determined to get Christopher back and does everything to make Louisa jealous.

Although I do like some conflict I thought this one went on for too long. If they had just talked to one another many a misunderstanding and harsh words could have been avoided. Also the happy ending was a bit rushed as everything is solved in one final scene.

Grade: 3.5/5

The Wagered Heart - Rhonda Woodward

2009-08-24T10:38:00.002+01:00

An Alarming Kiss

The incident is quite unexpected. Enjoying a spring afternoon of shop-ping with her relatives, Miss Julia Allard could not be better chaperoned with the Royal Navy by her side. Even so, a handsome stranger catches up to her, and before she knows what's happening, Miss Allard is in his arms being kissed!The young lady slaps her assailant, of course, but not before her reputation has been fairly tarnished--and the memory of his passionate kiss forever sealed on her lips. The stranger in question, the Duke of Kelbourne, has made a name for himself with such roguish acts. Now, to allay rumors, the mortified Miss Allard must cut short her Season and return home, where she'll concoct an elaborate plan to exact her revenge. Little does she know, however, that the duke also has sonic plans up his rakish sleeve....

Julia Allard is in town for the season with her cousin and her family when one day she is accosted by a stranger on the streets and kissed. The kisser was the duke of Kelbourne trying to win a wager made after a night of drunken revelry. When the matter is known Juliann's relatives decide to ship her to the country as they feel they could never force the duke to propose and her reputation will be in tatters if it becomes known she is the woman involved. So Julia is sent back home in disgrace although she never really did anything to deserve it and feeling rather hurt that she could not have a season.

A few months later she is invited to join her cousin, now married, in Bath. One day, in the streets, she meets the Duke of Kelbourne who, in the mean time, had realised that is actions were less than acceptable and suddenly decides he must apologise. Unfortunately the duke's apology leaves Julia feeling more offended still and she decides to work on a little revenge of her own by engaging his attentions and then refusing him. Since they meet constantly at several social functions that's not really difficult to work on, although sometimes Julia can't always keep her cool and serene facade and she soon starts finding the duke more attractive than she would like.

It must be said that although Kelbourne does apologise for his actions, his bad behaviour is not something that he has thought much about. In fact when we meet him again in Bath he is ready to move in from his rakish ways and settle down and marry. Julia, on the other hand, is still suffering the effects of having been sent home and everyone in the village has been gossiping about it. What I enjoyed the most about the book was how it was about class and status and how that influenced people's daily lives. The highest ranking people could get away with almost anything while the others were left to dance to their tune.

The book includes a big set of secondary characters which are all of Julia and Kelbourne's family and friends and there's a secondary storyline about Julia's cousin problems with her mother in law that I actually thought were fun. The story is definitely on the light side, despite the subject, except for the scenes where Julia was exposed as the woman Kel had kissed. I thought that intruded a bit in the general tone of the book but nothing to worry about so I can really say I enjoyed it.

Grade: 4/5

BBAW 2009 Nomination

2009-08-20T10:39:00.008+01:00

We just had a wonderful surprise and received a nomination for a BBAW Award in the Special Interest category! This is really exciting for us as we started this blog in November 2008 to show our love for a genre that has almost vanished in recent years and that didn't have as much space on the internet as we thought it deserved!

Thank you so much to whoever nominated us, we are very honoured and even if we don't make it to the shortlist it is wonderful to know that we have readers who enjoy what we do here! Don't be shy and do comment because we love to chat about these books!

And thank you Amy for starting the BBAW!

Courting Julia - Mary Balogh

2009-08-17T10:55:00.002+01:00

A Swarm of Suitors

Miss Julia Maynard never dreamed that she might be the most passionately pursued prize in the Marriage Mart. But then her step-grandfather died. And his legacy drew suitors to her like bees to honey.

She could wed the very friendly Augustus...or the kindly Malcolm...or the most loyal Lesley. Even more tempting, there was the superbly sensual Frederick, whose good looks, charm and masterful skills in matters of love had won him scandalous success as a rake. But that was one marriage she would have to think thrice about. Could she ever become the bride of the arrogant, cavalier Earl of Beaconswood no matter how irresistible he might be...no matter how foolish her heart behaved when he took her in his arms to teach her the dangerous delights of desire...?

I read another of Mary Balogh’s old traditional regencies this weekend. Courting Julia is the first in a trilogy but somehow I managed to read the other 2 first. I really enjoy these smaller books about the regency period where the emphasis is more on the social manners and behaviour of the character.

In this book Julia’s grandfather dies and in his will he leaves his unentailed estate to Julia on the condition she marries one of her 5 cousins within a month of his death. Julia is both surprised and devastated with this clause that leaves her unable to privately grieve for her grandfather and the object of her cousins interest because she is now a great heiress. All the cousins show some interest except for Daniel, the heir to the title. A former play mate of Julia he went away when he inherited his father’s estate and had to deal with new responsibilities. He still sees Julia as an irresponsible young woman, always playing games and having fun. And she sees him has a bore who forgot how to enjoy himself and only cares about convention.

I thought the 2 main characters were planned to be true opposites, Julia is too wild and Daniel too conservative and that was a bit too much imho. It would have been more real if they weren’t such extreme characters that they spent half the book believing that they hated each other and after Julia finds herself in danger suddenly realise they love each other.

Just as a side note the villain in this book is the main character of the next one, Dancing With Clara.

Not Balogh at its best but still an enjoyable read. A 4/5.

A Love For All Seasons - Edith Layton

2009-08-14T10:16:00.000+01:00

I usually like Edith Layton's stories and when I discovered she had an anthology out in which all the stories were written by her I couldn't resist till I found it. I had no idea though that all the stories were connected and it was fun to discover it as I went along.

SPRING'S PROMISE
The story of Felicia, a diamond of the first water who unexpectedly sees the man that was courting her marry another and to have a little revenge on fate decides to engage a known rake who is a neighbour of her father's estate. The rake does see through her scheme and ends up being more honourable than his reputation and the two fall in love.

SUMMER'S FRUIT
The story of Adela who married a navy officer and on the few days after the wedding and before he went away become pregnant. Now Adela's time is almost due, she is heavily pregnant and moody and her husband does not know how to deal with the woman she has become. It will take them some adjusting and talking to finally reach their HEA. Adela's husband and Felicia's fiancé are old schoolmates.

AUTUMN LEAVES
Bronwen Penny had been a rich young lady till her father's fortune vanished and she had to become a governess. One day she meets Nick, the Earl of Fairlie and one of her old childhood friends. Bronwen and Nick are attracted to each other but he sees himself has jaded and unworthy. This story had a bit of a magical feel to it and eventually the prince does realise he can't let the damsel get away.

SNOW BROTH
This story starts with the improbable premise that a young lady - Marjorie - attends the wrong wake. She becomes friends with 3 other young people with whom she visiting the city's entertainments. She and one of the gentleman feel attracted to each other and she feels sad and confused when she realises that he is engaged to another young lady but he is eventually released from that commitment and the two reveal their feelings. Marjorie spends part of the action in Felicia and her parent's house.

A LOVE FOR ALL SEASONS
This is Rachel, Felicia's mother story, and how after many years of marriage she and her husband find themselves drifting apart and knowing different people till they eventually have to rethink and work on their relationship. A story of how people change and sometimes have to fall in love with each other again to be happy.

While none of the stories captivated me completely I felt this was a really nice read, maybe not unforgettable but the kind to spend an afternoon reading with a cup of tea by your side and end with a smile on your face.

Grade: 3.5/5

Mistress of the Hunt - Amanda Scott

2009-08-10T06:12:00.000+01:00

Lady Philippa's Pursuit

Proud and beautiful Lady Philippa Raynard-Wakefield did all she could to make one thing clear to elegant suitors seeking to capture her hand. Her brief youthful marriage to an elderly lord had left the young widow with a deep distaste for wedlock, and she would never fall into that snare again.

The Viscount Rochford got her message instantly. He did not hesitate to in turning his attention elsewhere, which should have made Philippa happy indeed.

Instead, as Philippa watched this handsome, hard-riding lord head for other quarry, this lady fleeing a pack of fortune hunters turned into a most unladylike huntress ... in as breakneck a chase as was ever run on the wild, wild fields of love...

This was another winner from Amanda Scott, who has provided me over time with many good reads. As usual the main characters are likeable (no ninny hammer or TSTL heroine, no bitter, harsh or idiot hero), the book has an authentic regency feel to it (people are addressed properly, and behave according to the manners and morals of the time) and the plot is believable and very enjoyable. What more could one ask ? Well here Ms Scott goes one step further: the book has a lot to do with fox hunting [as the title would suggest], and I have learned more about hunting from this book than from all the other books I have ever read combined. So on top of everything else, the book is also educational!

(By the way, disregard the book summary on the back page, is totally wrong and misleading. It is as if a different book is described there by mistake).

Our widowed heroine, Lady Philippa Raynard-Wakefield (and there is an explanation why she called is Lady Philippa rather than Lady Wakefield), is young, beautiful and very well endowed, courtesy of the will of her late husband. Lady Philippa is certainly aware of her desirability as a wife and is used to being chased by prospective suitors, so she goes to the country to avoid them. While she is there, she would like to hunt. After all she has done so before, with her husband’s hunt and also with the Duke of Rutland’s one.

Her stepdaughter Jessalyn gets into a scrape by leaving her Ladies seminary in Bath with a fellow pupil, Lady Lucinda Drake, without permission. This is how Lady Philippa gets to meet Lady Lucinda’s brother and guardian, Viscount Rochford, who happens to be a neighbour. Philippa quickly becomes aware of Rochford admiration of her charming self (and sizeable fortune, she assumes), and although she has no plans to remarry and generally discourages potential suitors, she is not averse into cultivating Rochford acquaintance, and even subtly flirt with him. After all he is very handsome, charming and good company, plus he might agree to allow her to join his hunt if he has taken a liking to her.

In this book we have the pleasure of making the acquaintance of Mr Assheton-Smith (his is the famous Quorn Hunt) and Lord Lonsdale (Cottesmore Hunt). I had heard of these gentlemen before, but now I got to meet them, as Lady Philippa visits each one to ask permission to join their hunt. Both refuse though, since according to Mr Assheton-Smith the right place for a woman is a sofa not a saddle, and Lonsdale firmly believes that Melton men are not fit company for a lady. So Philippa has to turn to her third and final candidate Rochford. Surely since he is quite evidently taken with her, he will not refuse to oblige her ? To her surprise and dismay though he flatly refuses to allow her to join his hunt. Here is where a battle of wills between these two starts, and it was a very enjoyable one. (Of course I was on Philippa side!)

At one point, Philippa goes as far as posting ‘no trespassing’ signs on her property, which ruins most of the hunts in the area (including Rochford’s who was the main target of this tactical manouvre). But this has the whole countryside (gentry, other hunters, the farmers as well) in uproar, and casts Philippa on the role of number one public enemy. Even when she realises she has gone too far, she can not back down since it would look as if she was giving in to Rochford’s demands, as he had stormed in her home ordering her to have the signs taken down. As if he had any right to order her, which of course he doesn’t. So Philippa stands her ground.

The clash between these two was very engaging, both entertaining to read, and also interesting to see each one’s side of the argument. Also Philippa comes to care about Rochford, but how could she contemplate marrying someone too autocratic, who will not respect her wishes and desire for independence and not allow her to take her own decisions ? So the matter of whether Philippa should hunt or not, represents a greater issue for Philippa: Rochford should learn to be less dictatorial and protective of her if she is to contemplate a future with him. Needless to say, that since this is a romance with a happy ending, Rochford does come round in the end.

All in all, a very enjoyable read. If you have not tried Amanda Scott before, this is a great book to start. It ticks all the right boxes and I can not see how anyone could be disappointed in it.

Grade 4/5

The Soldier's Bride - April Kihlstrom

2009-08-07T08:21:00.001+01:00

A Marriage of Convenience

Lisbeth Barlow has never much cared for the notion of marriage--all duty and appearances and submitting to one's husband. But when Lord Thomas Kepley arrives one morning to ask for her hand, he has none of those conventions in mind. He wants only to evade the marriage his father has arranged for him. And for her help in this matter, Lisbeth can enjoy all the benefits of marrying quality without suffering any of the bother--as Lord Thomas will be off to rejoin Wellington's army in Portugal the next day.Kepley's father, the Marquess of Aylsham, hasn't the slightest patience, however, with Thomas's defiant behavior, and when Lisbeth bears a child who does not have the Kepley birthmark, Aylsham believes he has more than sufficient reason to discredit her. But the more the marquess tries to break them apart, the more Lisbeth and Thomas learn how much trust, love, and happiness can be found in their all too practical union.

Lisbeth Barlow's has a special magical locket where the women of the family look and that shows them the face of the man they will marry. That is why she is not surprised when Lord Thomas asks her to marry him all of a sudden and she happily accepts. However Thomas wants to marry right away not because he loves Lisbeth but because he wants to avoid the marriage his father planned for him.

He quickly leaves for the battle front and stays away for many months during which his parents do not accept his marriage or the baby that Lisbeth gives birth to and she has to leave in his old and ruined estate sewing clothes to make ends meet.

When Thomas finally returns he also refuses to accept that the baby is his and believes Lisbeth played him false. Despite that he wants to make the marriage work and only asks her to tell him what happened and why she betrayed him. Lisbeth has a hard time understanding what is happening and feels rightfully wounded that no one believes her. Unfortunately the lack of a birthmark that all male babies of her husband's family bear prevents her husband from believing her.

The story seemed to be stuck at this point with both of them stubborn and determined to maintain their view of events. It is clear that they do deal well with each other but since they are determined not to bend the HEA seems difficult. But the author does manage to solve this with a plot twist that I have to confess I did not see coming. It's always nice in this sort of book to be pleasantly surprised and just because of that I'm going to grade it a bit higher than I initially thought of...

There's a subplot involving Thomas being a spy and another about Lisbeth's aunt but I have to confess I didn't feel they added much to the story.

Grade: 3.5/5

Miss Prestwick’s Crusade - Anne Barbour

2009-08-03T08:56:00.001+01:00

Miss Helen Prestwick has completed her arduous journey from Portugal to England determined to ensure the future of her nephew, the ninth Earl of Camberwell. Unfortunately, she has no evidence that the child is the son of Christopher Beresford--who died in battle--and knows her claim will enrage Christopher's cousin Edward, who currently wields the title.

Edward Beresford never wanted the Earldom to be bestowed upon him, nor the familial and financial responsibilities that came with the title after his cousin's death. But he's not going to surrender the title without verifying the legitimacy of Helen's claim. Although Christopher's mother and sisters are pleased as punch at the possibility of a new heir, Edward finds himself enchanted with the child's lovely guardian who's mission to usurp his title has also ensnared his heart.

I have generally enjoyed Anne Barbour’s books, but I am afraid this was not one of her best efforts.

Miss Helen Prestwick, daughter of an art expert, leaves Portugal to return to England with her dead sister’s son William, the 12th Earl of Camberwell. The problem is, that William’s paternal relations do not know that Christopher - the 11th Earl – got married in Portugal, let alone that he had a son before he died, and the title has passed to Christopher’s cousin Edward Beresford. Helen aims to present William’s claim, so in essence oust the current ‘fake’ Earl. It is natural to think that the current Earl will not be happy and will do anything possible to hold on to his title. Especially since Helen has not been able to locate her sister’s marriage certificate which would prove her claim on behalf of William.

The hero, Edward Beresford, is a kind and fair guy though, and does not particularly relish being an earl. So he does not see Helen as his enemy, a fact that it takes Helen some time to realise. Also Edward is almost immediately smitten by Helen, a fact that it takes a bit longer for Helen to realise. But soon enough, these two are on good terms, and have a common goal to find evidence that William is Christopher’s legitimate son, and hence the Earl of Camberwell.

The obstacles thrown to their budding romance is the fact that Helen left Portugal under a cloud, that concerned a counterfeit painting. Helen is of course innocent, but would Edward believe her if she confessed ? Probably not (she thinks) so she keeps quiet. As usually happens in novels though, the scandal surrounding Helen is revealed, and Edward is angry at her and feels betrayed because she had not told him.

Overall Helen and Edward are likeable, and quite suited to each other. Edward is actually a very nice example of a beta hero. And I quite like the fact that he is not set against marriage or women in general, neither has he suffered an disappointment in the past and is bitter. On the contrary, he very early on thinks that he would very much like to marry Helen, which was a refreshing change as far as heroes’ attitudes go. Overall, Helen and Edward’s romance, while enjoyable and sweet at times, is not that engaging or passionate. It proceeds at a steady pace, and suffers minor setbacks every now and then, in the form of the villainous uncle’s interventions, or Helen’s guilt that she has not told Edward about the issue of the counterfeit painting.

All in all a useful book to help pass the time pleasantly if you have nothing more appealing to read. But if you like to try Anne Barbour, I recommend you read "A Pressing Engagement" instead.

Grade 3/5

Once Upon A Sofa - Myretta Robens

2009-07-31T09:50:00.001+01:00

WILL A MINOR INDISCRETION

In a mad moment, Lady Isabel Ashby surrenders to a passionate kiss from the earl to whom she is betrothed. Then the door flies open and the rest of the party guests stumble in--and Isabel finds that she has kissed not the earl, but his brother! Major Sidney Chamberlayne is a dashing younger son without a feather to fly with, but he'll have to marry her now.

Still, it was an honest mistake and the room was very dark...can Isabel be blamed?...LEAD TO MAJOR HAPPINESS? Sidney is too much of a gentleman to do that--but they must marry in haste, though they know very little of each other.

Fortunately, his darling Isabel seems eager to learn everything she
can...especially when it comes to love...

I usually dislike cartoonish covers in books and I think that's why it took me so long to pick this one up. It just doesn't look like a traditional regency and I had never read Myretta Robens so it's been sitting there for a few months now.

I'm glad to say that overall it was a nice and funny story, definitely on the light side. Isabel Ashby doesn’t start as a very sympathetic character; in fact I had the idea that she might be a villainess being redeemed as she begins the story by planning to be caught in a compromising position with a man so as to force him to marry her. Things don't go according to plan because the man she entraps is not the one she wants but a penniless officer, albeit from a good family, that has just returned from the war.

I think the weakest part of the story is how they are forced to wed. Since Isabel is a widow it’s not like she is a virginal debutante with a reputation to maintain (especially as there are already rumours about her) and since Sydney doesn't hold a prominent place in society he doesn't really need to care about a scandal. And it is quite obvious to everyone that Isabel planned it so... why would he want to marry her? But so he does... it is unclear if he fell in love a little bit or if he feels it’s the gentlemanly thing to do or both but it seemed a bit too weak a motive for a life changing decision as is marriage.

Isabel accepts his proposal but only after her aunts convinces her that it is the best thing to do. She comes across as cold and selfish in the beginning and I was wondering where Robens would go with her character. In fact for much of the beginning of their marriage Sydney and Isabel remain strangers, and while his mother accepts her Sydney's brother is another matter altogether. As they spend more time together Isabel starts appreciating her husband's qualities and realising that she actually likes him and comparing him in a favourable light with the shallow youths she usually keeps company.

Unfortunately the past has a way of catching up with people and one of the fortune hunters that used to surround Isabel decides to pursue her sister-in-law which leads to trouble for Isabel. I didn't particularly like this part of the story and I felt the author had just introduced it to create conflict between the pair so has to bring them together. I really liked the parts just with Isabel and Sydney and so I think the HEA could have been achieved without (especially as Sydney's sister became a really annoying character) but in the end it didn't bother enough to keep me from enjoying the story.

Grade: 4/5

An Unwelcome Alliance - Ellen Fitzgerald

2009-07-27T09:39:00.002+01:00

The Mistaken Mismatch
Beautiful Lady Belinda Deveraux and handsome Lord Gerald Courtenay were passionately in love when they were married. Unfortunately they were not in love with each other. Belinda's heart belonged to Lord Anthony Furneaux, whether or not he chose to accept the rest of her. Meanwhile, Gerald was totally devoted to the ravishing Felice D'Aubigny.

Though bride and groom vowed to remain faithful to their own true loves, they were surprised to find that marital duty led to unexpected desire - as their marriage of convenience became something entirely different!

The premise was good - a couple forced to a marriage of convenience who slowly develop feelings for each other. They were both in love with someone else in the beginning and I was looking forward to know how they would deal with that change of feelings and with getting to know each other.

I found that in the end none of that was really explored, the heroine just had a childhood attraction to another man and the hero had a mistress that he gave up when he found himself in love with his wife. There was no big analysis of their feelings and in the end I wondered why he fell in love with her, and why every other man seemed expected to do the same. She was bit too impulsive and naive which led to some bad decisions when she discovers the husband's mistress. After that I was hoping for some confrontation where they would bare their feelings but I didn't even get that as the husband is hurt in a duel and when unconscious speaks in his dreams and proclaims his love for his wife which is enough for her.

I was much more interested in her friend Cornelia who seemed a level headed young woman and fortunately also has a happy ending of her own. The author seems so determined to give happy endings to all that even the husband's mistress gets one. In the end I found too neatly wrapped and not emotional enough.

Grade: 3/5