Lady Elizabeth's Comet - Sheila Simonson

At 28, lovely Lady Elizabeth Conway was old enough to know
what she wanted-most especially in the matter of choosing a mate. But now the independent Elizabeth found herself sorely perplexed... Her beau, the incredibly handsome and wealthy Lord Bevis was eagerly seeking her hand. Though the viscount showed no interest in Elizabeth's passion for astronomy or other intellectual pursuits, the young woman had to admit she was ever so fond of him...Then there was Lord Clanross, the insufferably opinionated and maddeningly bossy new heir to the Conway title. Still, Elizabeth had to admit she vastly admired his courage and enjoyed his brilliant mind. It would take a new comet in the heavens to help her choose wisely-and light her way to true love.

Let me start by saying I had a hard time warming up to Lady Elizabeth who I found to be in the beginning a bit of a cold fish, distant and a bit unfeeling. Things do change though and I enjoyed the second half of the story immensely.

When the story opens Elizabeth and two of her sisters receive the announcement that their father’s heir has arrived, one year late, to take possession of his title and his estate. When they meet Elizabeth finds him a bit stiff and even a bit rude. Not that she is worried about it, her prime concern is her work as an astronomer and then the raising of two of her younger sisters who live with her.

When Clanross, the heir, is found to being suffering of a war wound that explains much of his stiffness Elizabeth is forced to nurse him to health. They spend more time together and Clanross seems to respect and be interested in her work. In comes Bevis, friend of both who is been after Elizabeth to marry him for a long time. Bevis does explain much about Clanross’s past and since he keeps pursuing her, she eventually agrees to marry him. The fact that she now understands Clanross doesn’t stop her from inviting his heir, a wastrel of a cousin, whose temperament and interests are at odds with Conway just, in her own words, “to see the fireworks”. By this time I was definitely thinking cold fish. Not to mention that she seems more friend than lover to Bevis and he reciprocates by flirting with another woman, which doesn’t worry her at all.

Clanross proves to know Elizabeth better than anyone and respect her when, after she has discovered a comet and he shows his appreciation for her work, he hints that Bevis might not approve of her publishing astronomy projects after marriage and that she should be sure that she can work after marrying. After talking to him she does have a revelation. She won’t marry Bevis on his terms and she would very much like to marry Clanross. This surprises even herself and from that moment on, when she realizes that she is very much in love with him and that her aunt is matchmaking to marry him to another, she becomes much more human and interesting in my eyes. Instead of unfeeling she now feels deeply every range of emotion from doubt, self awareness, jealousy, fear of losing him.

Since this is a first person novel, we only follow Elizabeth’s side of the story and we are, as she is, quite in the dark about Clanross’s feelings. In fact she is convinced that he cannot reciprocate her feelings. He is always the perfect beta hero, never demanding but always supporting and suggesting improvements, for instance for the girls education. I found him absolutely fascinating and I was eager to see how the story would be unraveled so these two would be happy in the end.

Simonson writes great characters and great dialogue. Their witty conversation is just wonderful and I enjoyed them very much while I was following them through those plot twists and turns that they had suffer to reach their happy conclusion. Besides of how many heroes can you say that he accepted and encouraged his wife’s scientifical pursuits? Not many I would say.

Grade: 5/5
*****
For more on this book read Alex's review

The Rogue's Seduction - Georgina Devon

CAPTURED FOR REVENGE – KEPT FOR PASSION

Ten years ago Lillith, Lady de Lisle, was forced to stand up the man she loved at the altar in favor of a richer husband. Now a widow, she suddenly finds herself the target of her thwarted lover's revenge. In return for Lillith's cruel rejection of him, Jason Beaumair, Earl of Perth, planned to abduct and seduce the beautiful woman who'd haunted his dreams for so long. He'd certainly never fall for her again. But nothing can prepare him when their night of passion turns into an all-consuming desire...

I have been in the mood for a few “second chance at love” stories lately and that is why I picked up this one.

Jason is a very tortured and bitter hero. In the past, not only Lilith left him at the altar but he also suffered horribly at the hands of her brother. Now, since she is a widow, he is determined to get his revenge now and, maybe in a tiny bit of his heart, he hopes to make her love him again.

His bitterness leads him to do rash things however and he does abduct Lilith by force, which doesn’t endear him to her. This is a very intensive story because despite Jason being a very alpha male and somewhat abusive Lilith can’t help being has attracted to him as she was years before. She is, however, unable to face the accusations he throws at her and to believe the worst of her brother. After a few nights of passion, which, we realize was Jason’s attempt to win her back, they separate again.

While Jason reveals himself he is a lot more sensitive than his earlier actions show, Lilith seems to need to grow up a bit and see her family and especially her brother for what they really are. There is a lot of heartache and unhappiness here just because they are unable to discuss the past and put it to rest. Readers who like intense stories and occasionally overbearing heroes will love this one.

Grade: 4/5

The Lost Legacy - Vanessa Gray

THE BEASTLY SIR BELLAMY

A chill went through Miss Jessamine Dalton when she heard the name Sir Ivor Bellamy. Memories stirred o f the time when she had fancied herself desperately in love with this incredibly handsome and extravagantly wealthy lord--before his arrogance gave her pride no choice but to break off the match.

Now Sir Ivor Bellamy was entering her life again--to claim as his legacy, the great country estate that was the Dalton family's last refuge against ruin.

Somehow Jessamine had to best this man who had everything in his favor--including the power to rekindle the flames o f past folly and to melt a heart that had already betrayed Jessamine once...

I got this book because it had a “second chance at love” theme. I have to begin by saying that I was very disappointed in it. After being 4 years apart it seemed odd that the hero devises a plan to get the heroine back as if they had just met a week or two ago. Since they split with harsh words being exchanged it seemed to me that they would at first be uncomfortable around each other and then have to spend some time speaking of past actions and healing the rift. Instead they are thrown into a gothic mystery with ghosts and furniture appearing and disappearing, this could be the backdrop for them to engage in a common investigation, spending more time together they could have talked of what separated them and heal but not only that doesn’t happen as in the beginning the heroine suspects that the hero is the one behind the odd events.

There was never a feeling of an attraction existing between those two and another thing is that heroine wasn’t really a likeable person and I couldn’t see how the hero would spend 4 years mooning over her. The name of the book refers to a lost treasure of the family and at some point I thought that secondary storyline would be more interesting than that of the main couple but in the end it’s also not explained clearly who was doing what and why.

These type of stories usually have a lot of angst because there is a past relationship to work through, so bad feelings and possible misunderstandings to explain and heal but here all those emotions were absent and I really couldn’t care less whether they ended together or not.

Grade: 2/5

The Spinster and The Rake - Anne Stuart

Were the lines around his eyes from laughter or light living? One good look at Ronan Patrick Blakely, Marquis of Herrington, and Gillian Redford thought she knew the answer. This knight in tarnished armor, who had rescued her from a coach accident, now presumed to pluck her from her straitlaced life and send her to perdition! He was clearly a rogue, a rake with a dangerous gleam in his eye, determined to chase the last vestiges of propriety from her starchy life. Did she dare accept the challenge? She was thirty--old enough to know better. Old enough, he said, to kick up her heels and let the devil take the hindmost!

I was actually expecting The Spinster and The Rake to be a sort of To Love a Dark Lord but in short format. I have no idea why I thought that, I should have remembered that Stuart has many different voices and the fact is that TSaTR is a light and fun regency romance, not to be taken too seriously but certain to leave you with a smile on your face.

Gillian is a confirmed spinster. She is nearing 30 and she spends much of her time taking care of her brother and sister’s children alternating between one home and the other, as she is needed. One day while she is travelling to her brother’s house in London her carriage suffers an accident and she is saved by Lord Marlowe, a confirmed rake with whom her brother shares some past history.

Marlowe is highly entertained by Gilly, who he at first believed to be some kind of servant. When he finds out she is the sister of his old enemy, Lord Redfern, he has no problems accepting a wager from his friend Vivian that he can seduce her.

The problem though is that Marlowe is not the hardened and unfeeling rake that his actions might make him seem. He is actually rather nice and easygoing and it’s not difficult to like. He starts approaching Gilly and takes her to his gaming hell or at balls he convinces her to dance with him more than the proverbial two times allowed.

As Gilly falls for Marlowe so Marlowe falls for Gilly, there are a few problems though on their way to happiness as Marlowe is not ready to ruin Gilly after all but can’t offer marriage. There’s wonderful banter between the Gilly and Marlowe and there’s also a bit of a villain and a visit from the past to help them in the right direction. Of course, in the end Gilly still has to save Marlowe from himself, what would a rake do without a good woman to make him change his ways?

Grade: 4.5/5

Libby's London Merchant - Carla Kelly

MAN OF MYSTERY

Beautiful Miss Elizabeth Ames, better known as Libby, knew little about the man who invaded her country manor. Only that he was Mr.Nesbitt Duke, a London Merchant who had had an accident on the road. Soon she knew even less. For it quickly became clear he was not who he claimed, and was not in her house by accident at all. But that was not the greatest mystery. For Libby found out she had no idea of the secret longings of her own heart--and no clue what to do when passionate love took her by shocking surprise . . .

I was quite surprised when I picked up this book. At first glance, it seemed to have many things I don’t particularly like romance, the first of which is a love triangle, but it the end Kelly convinced me again. I wasn’t as enthusiastic as with the previous one I read by her but it was a satisfying read, especially because the right man won in the end.

So, Kelly starts off with something that is not that original. Two drunken friends, one asks the other to go and check if the fiancée his father arranged for him is ugly as sin, we can almost see the friend falling for the girl, etc etc… but that’s not how Kelly tells it.

Instead of the fiancée, the friends find her cousin, a sensible and beautiful girl. He is injured in an accident and spends some time at her house being tended by her and the doctor. The doctor is a clumsy big man who is also in love with Libby but whose lack of social graces and general clumsiness make him the butt of jokes.

The friend (a duke in disguise pretending to be a merchant) and Libby proceed to fall in love but when he plans to offer Libby’s cousin tells him she has no dowry and is the daughter of an unequal marriage that lead to her father being disinherited. Unable to face social disgrace the duke pretends he had a less than honourable intentions, which leads to Libby refusing him. It’s a huge deception for her and the tragic part is that the duke is not that bad a person, he will eventually realize his mistake.

In the mean time Libby becomes closer to the doctor, she gets to know him better, to appreciate his qualities, not the less of which is how he treats her brother, a boy who is a bit slow but who Libby loves dearly. I was a bit worried because Kelly does make Libby a bit too undecided; in fact, she stays undecided about which suitor to favor almost till the end. However, considering this was not your standard regency romance and I like originality it worked very well that way.

When I think of the book as a whole, I realize many different subjects are brought into this plot. None of the characters is black and white, there’s mention of physical wounds and brain damage, the relationship of fathers and sons, the social rules and behavior of polite society and the contrast of those of the common people, alcoholism, she creates a very vivid world and that is very attractive. In the end, I closed the book with a deeply satisfied sigh but I realize that readers who prefer standard regency plots might not be as happy with this one.

Grade: 4.5/5

A Christmas Kiss / Winter Wonderland - Elizabeth Mansfield

These were my first stories by Mansfield and they wont be the last. Although not reaching a keeper status the stories were interesting and full of potential.

A Christmas Kiss

GIFT OF TREASURE...

When James Everard announced that he had invited a young lady home for the Christmas holidays, his father, the Earl of Gyllford, was astounded -- and skeptical. Could it be that Jamie was finally showing an interest in something other than horseplay with his friends?
But when lovely Miss Evalyn Pennington arrived at Gyllford Manor, it was the earl who found himself inexplicably drawn to her winsome beauty. Having been dismissed from her post as a governess, Evalyn would long remember the kindness of being welcomed at Gyllford Manor when she had nowhere else to turn. The elegant home was resplendent with the richness of holiday cheer -- the warm glow of the yule log, the sumptuous sights and smells of the Christmas feast, the glittering parties, and the laughter of children at play.

But neither Evalyn nor the earl expected the light of love that filled their Christmas with some very special gifts....

A young man wants to help a governess in trouble. To find her another job he plans to take her home so his aunt can get to know her and give her a character. The problem is his father and the aunt believe he has brought her home as his fiancée thus starting a big misunderstanding when the father starts falling for the girl.

I did like the main characters and their motivations, I felt the misunderstanding went on for a bit too long and especially that the hero and heroine should have spent more time together so we could see them falling in love. That’s the only way it would make sense for Evalyn to be so hurt when he decides to avoid her. But I did enjoy their relationship and thought that was an original hero, very kind and understanding and even lenient with his servants when they get in trouble.

I did like the set of secondary characters and the secondary romances that were developed. I must say I’m finding that my favourite Christmas stories all seem to include more than one romantic couple so maybe this is a trend in my reading.

Besides wanting more interaction between the Earl and Evalyn what didn’t work so well for me was the mystery plot, I don’t think we really needed a villain to bring those two together and the mystery wasn’t really all that developed with it ending almost before it’s begun and Evalyn not even knowing anything.

Grade: 4/5

---

Winter Wonderland

THE SEASON OF FORGIVENESS...

It took one stinging rejection to chill Barnaby Traherne's heart to love...At his first society ball, beautiful Miranda Pardew haughtily turned down his shy request for a dance. Since that disastrous night, Barnaby vowed that no woman would make a fool of him again. Love was for others, perhaps, but not for him.

Over 10 years have passed since that encounter. But it seems like yesterday when Miranda comes into his life once more. She is still a stunning beauty, but time and circumstance have left her poor, alone and in need of employ. When she is hired as a governess for his brother's children, Barnaby must reconcile his painful memories-and his desire.

For amidst the warmth and merriment of the Christmas season, Miranda's return may be the blessing of a lifetime...

I had a harder time with this story than the first one although it has one of my favourite themes – it’s a second chance at love story.

My first problem is that the heroine really was mean and cruel to the hero 10 years before. Despite her having changed a lot we never really know much about that besides that she was unhappy in her marriage. It was just like she was a totally different person. Then the hero, despite having been deeply affected by her attitude, feels in love again as soon as he sees her. I just wasn’t convinced, both that he would still be in love with her and that she had conveniently changed into a totally different person.

Other than that is was an enjoyable story, with the hero’s sisters in law planning to marry him off to a young girl and him being attracted to the governess who was the beauty of his youth fallen on hard times. At first she doesn’t recognise him and can’t understand why he is so rude to her. But when she is told she regrets her behaviour and does apologise to him. But it just didn’t seem enough, I needed to know more about her. I needed for them to talk more about the past and how they spent those 10 years.

I did like the hero’s family, he had 4 older brothers that were intent on protecting him and his sisters in law were fun to read about. It made me wonder if they had their own books.

Grade: 3.5/5

A Double Deception - Joan Wolf

I've read some books by Joan Wolf and on the whole I enjoyed the regencies more than the european historicals so when the opportunity arised to read one more I didn't hesitate.

After one terrible marriage, Laura Dalwood had sworn never to be duped again. But how could she refuse the proposal of handsome Mark Cheney? What could she do when, as his bride, she discovered how much she could love a man . . . and how much she could fear him?

A Double Deception seemed to have the ideal plot for me. A marriage of convenience story where both the hero and the heroine had troubled pasts with unhappy marriages. I actually did like the idea and how Wolf developed it. It starts with their first marriages and then jumps forward in time. Mark is a widower with a son and departs for the sea leaving the boy in the care of his nurse. Laura is a widow but without children and through her godmother she goes to live and raise Mark's son. When Mark returns they spend a few days in the same house without a chaperone and therefore marriage is the best solution to stop the gossips. Not only do they have to get to know each other as Laura has to face the rumours that Mark murdered his first wife and when a series of accidents start to happen those rumours start again.

It becomes obvious that there's a secret regarding Mark's first marriage and his wife's death. A also that someone is trying to hurt Laura to put the blame on Mark. This could have been interesting if the villain had been a bit stronger and if there had been a confrontation between them. Instead we are told what really happened and who was behind the accidents but there's no sense of closure. Another weak point is that we are told from the back blurb that Laura feared her first husband but it seems he ignored more than mistreated her. I would have liked more background on her because she was such a sensible and nice girl.

Grade 3.5/5

Miss Chartley's Guided Tour - Carla Kelly

THE BETRAYED BEAUTY

When lovely young Omega Chartley was left at the altar by the man she loved, her life turned from a dream into a nightmare. Penniless, she had to find employment far below her station. Heartbroken, she could not think of ever trusting love again.

When she again met Matthew Bering, the man who had betrayed her trust and shattered her life, Omega had every reason to despise his handsome person, dismiss his outrageous explanations, and reject his amorous appeals.

And she had no reason whatsoever to do what she did when she fell under his spell -- a second time.

After a few so so reads, I think I finally saw the light with this story by Carla Kelly. I will certainly pay more attention to the other books I have by her in the TBR pile.

When the story opens Omega Chartley has just been left at the altar by the groom, that scene is told by said groom’s point of view but we don’t know why.
Fast forward 8 years and Omega’s circumstances have been reduced and she is travelling to a new position. Unexpectedly she finds a young boy on the run from a wicked uncle and being chased by a Bow Street Runner. Decided to help him Omega runs away with him and on the way they meet Hugh Owen (an ex-soldier who has lost a hand at Waterloo) and Angela, a Spanish orphan who his young charge. They travel together to a nearby estate where Jamie, the boy they are trying to save, hopes to meet his maternal uncle who might save him from his guardian.

When they arrive, Omega realizes that Jamie’s uncle is none other than her ex fiancé. They are both surprised to see each other and since Jamie’s presence is the main thing explanations are left for a later date but those past events are discussed by them. I thought the explanation for what happened 8 years earlier could in fact have made Matthew run away from his obligation but honestly I feel he should have gone back and explained after a suitable period of time to gather his wits. The fact that for 8 weeks he left Omega the subject of evil gossip, not to mention heartbroken makes him a bit of a coward in my view.

To solve Jamie’s problem Matthew joins forces with the Bow Street runner who was following him and as the action develops we feel that the world is really small as the loose ties are binded and everything starts to make sense.

I think Kelly managed to do a wonderful thing with this book which was to mention difficult subjects in a light way. This is not a sad story despite the fact that it deals with such different things as the poverty of the lower classes in London, thievery, child prostitution, greed that leads to murder, the problems the soldiers coming home from the war faced, war orphans... . These are the sort of social injustice that usually doesn’t make an appearance in romance because, let’s face it, there can be no happy ending for those involved but Kelly doesn’t shy away from them.
She also does write wonderful characters, Omega, Hugh and Angela, Jamie… they were all real, fun, believable and likeable. Matthew was also a good one but with the problems I mentioned earlier. I can’t wait to start my next Carla Kelly book and see if it’s as good as this one.

Grade: 4.5/5

The Chadwick Ring - Julia Jeffries

It was no secret that Ginevra had a rival for her husband. All of London knew that Richard Glover, the Marquess of Chadwick, kept Amalie de Villeneuve as his mistress-and every rake in town smiled at the idea of a chit of a girl like Ginevra competing with the red-haired love goddess of the demi-monde. But Chadwick also had a rival. Bysshe, his own grown son, was head over heels in love with Ginevra-and passionately determined to free a stepmother young enough to be Bysshe's mate from a husband old enough to be not only his father but hers. When Amalie and Bysshe formed an alliance to smash once and for all the crumbling Chadwick marriage, the feuding couple had to decide if they should stop fighting each other-and start fighting for their lives together.

Another romance with a very young heroine. Although I have nothing against that and in fact have enjoyed some stories with this plot I don't think this one worked all that well. Mainly because it mixed it with a big misunderstanding and for the first half of the book Chadwick was not a very sympathetic character. Not only that but Ginevra had first been promised to his older son, who died, than she marries him and his younger son falls in love with her. It was a bit too many family connections for my taste.

I like the older heroes I read about to be sensible people, who can guide and protect their heroine when need be and love her as well. Chadwick unfortunately doesn't really live to those expectations, getting mad at Ginevra instead of explaining her what's to be expected. Their lack of communication makes it easy for other people to create conflict between them and for Ginevra to feel rather self conscious and inferior. Things do get better but in the end I liked Ginevra and all her naiveté more than I did Chadwick.

Grade: 3.5/5

A Kind of Honor - Joan Wolf

Her mariage offered everything but love
When beautiful Amanda Doune wed the Duc de Gace, the elegant exiled French noble offered her full enjoyment of his wealth and position in return for her total worship of him. But her early adoration could not long blind her to the fact that her husband was capable of loving only himself.

Her lover offered everything but marriage
Brilliant and gallant Adam Todd, Lord Stanford, offered Amanda all that she could want as a woman at the cost of all that she had vowed to be as a wife. Was the loss of her good name and her beloved young children worth the promise of pleasure she tasted in the arms of her husband's most deadly enemy? Amanda's future and the fate of England itself hung on her moves in a game of romance and intrigue where kisses courted disaster and love rewrote the rules...

One really can't say that Wolf stays away from original/difficult subjects. In this quest to read most of her books I have been surprised with the variety of subjects and interests she tackles.

In this A Kind of Honor she surprised me because it's not often that I read about adultery in traditional regency, at least involving both the hero and the heroine. I do like her writing but I think it lacked a bit of emotion and I must say I was a bit bored and had to force myself to end this story. Adam and Amanda fall in love after he is invited by her husband to be a guest at their house while he is in London investigating a possible traitor who has been revealing Wellington's plans to Napoleon. They were in such a difficult and emotional situation that I felt I should be more involved in their story and not just an outsider. Moral considerations aside it couldn't be easy to have your husband and your lover under the same roof, I think I would have liked to read more about their moral dilemmas and struggles with conscience. That psychological aspect was approached but very lightly.

Since this is a romance you can guess that the husband was a villain or else it wouldn't be easy to justify the adultery. I don't think she was successful in that department because he wasn't truly villainous towards the heroine, just disinterested. They make much of him being a spy for Napoleon but at least in my eyes that wasn't enough to make him truly hateful.

I think another problem for me was that for the hero and the heroine to be together there had to be either a divorce or a death. Since the story wasn't angsty enough for me to be waiting for the resolution with bated breath, I thought it was predictable and disappointing. It did happen differently than what I had imagined but it seemed to me that the end came about a bit too neatly...

Grade: 3/5

A Natural Attachment - Katherine Kingsley

THE SHOCKING LORD SEATON
Miss Eliza Austerleigh was a retiring young lady, living quietly on her country estate. But she knew all too well what manner of man Lord Edward Seaton was.

She had met Lord Edward only once, but that was enough to learn how dangerously handsome he was and how vulnerable she felt in his powerful presence. London gossip had told her still more about this insatiable and shockingly successful womanizer.

But nothing prepared Eliza for the appearance of Lord Edward on her doorstep. And she found no way to refuse the utterly outrageous proposal of this man who made no pretense of propriety and promised anything but love...

This was my first Katherine Kinsgley story and although it had some interesting parts it also had a couple of flaws that made me give it a lower grade. I liked the middle but I found the beginning a bit forced.

Lord Edward needs to get married. He believes he is currently unable to father a child and since he finds out he has a natural son and wants to make him legitimate he needs a wife who will admit to have secretly married him in the past. This was ok but the only reason for him to have chosen Eliza was because she had spent time in the same caribbean island he did around the time the baby was conceived. I thought he went to a lot of trouble to find and convince Eliza when he could have found some anonymous woman and and have her lie about it. It's not like anyone could say he and Eliza had spent time together then...

She at first mistakes his proposal for something else but eventually accepts to play the part of his wife. Edward is totally mistaken about who Eliza is and what are her interests and she sets out to show him she is a total air head and completely silly thus annoying him to no end. This part was interesting and funny because everyone else could see through her ruse and she really wasn't anything like he believed her to be. Eventually he finds out the truth, that she is a level headed woman that manages her farm with competence besides being a renowned author. Although Eliza has already been in love with him for sometime, it's just then that Edward realises he has feelings for her.

There was a paragraph near the end that totally jolted me out of the story though, Edward refers to Eliza's breasts as udders. She really likes animals, especially cows but somehow that comment seemed totally inappropriate and really modern (weird)sounding.

Grade: 3/5

Moonlight Mist - Laura London

Why, oh why, would Lord Melbrooke, England's dashing poet laureate, marry a raucous imp with little dowry and less social position? Only Lynden, his seventeen-year-old bride, and her fretting family knew the truth. For the arrogant aristocrat had compromised the girl (or so said an archly ambitious aunt), and nothing short of matrimony would stop the scandal.

Astonishingly, Lord Melbrooke agreed. But now Lynden's pride burned. Her husband, it was said, had tasted the charms of England's most famous women and even now kept an elegant mistress at a nearby castle. Did he think he'd been trapped by a conniving society chit? Though it might break her very heart, Lynden was determined to set him free.

When I picked up this book I was totally convinced I was going to read a nice traditional regency. A shotgun wedding between an innocent Miss and a more experienced rake found in a compromising position seemed just the thing to entertain me for a few hours.

Lynden is forced to marry Lord Melbrooke after they are found in his bedroom by her family members. Lynden shows some aversion to being married like that but eventually she agrees and they leave for one of Melbrooke's estates in the company of Lynden's twin sister Lorraine.

I was convinced we were going to have Lynden and Melbrooke getting to know each other but instead the action focus more on Lynden and Lorraine's adventures trying to find more about a local smuggle/highwayman they come in contact with and who surprisingly similar to another gentleman they are introduced to. Lynden behaves very childishly towards Melbrooke who always seems very remote and not prone to share his emotions, he does however tell her he wants to have a true relationship with her.

In a way this book reminded me of Heyer's A Convenient Marriage. A much older hero marrying a young girl and then a rocky relationship where she gets in all sorts of complicated situations and he has to go to the rescue. In ACM however we actually see a relationship beyween them and how there is some attraction growing between them. Here I had no idea why Melbrooke put up with Lynden's bad manners and why did he fell in love with her. I think the story needed more time spent on the relationship of the hero/heroine to truly feel they were developing some feelings for each other.

Grade: 3/5

Lovers and Ladies - Jo Beverley

Now for the first time in a single volume: two long unavailable yet beloved romance classics from a New York Times bestselling favorite.

In these two delectable novels, someone craves to be married and loses sight of the joys of true love-until their heart is opened unexpectedly...

The Fortune Hunter-A stunning beauty rejects the charming suitor who isn't wealthy enough to save her impoverished family. But she can't so easily dismiss the memory of their sweet shared kiss.

Deirdre and Don Juan-The dashing Earl of Everdon is most eager to marry someone-anyone-who will bear him an heir. But when he meets a quiet, well-bred lady who fits the bill, he must resort to an amorous dance of deception to gain her acceptance to his proposal.

Although I have read a lot of trad regencies lately and I have read quite a few of Beverley's novels in the past this is the first time I read her traditional regencies. They are part of a series and due to publishers rights these two that were reprinted now are the last two in the series. Although I am very curious about the secondary couples, that are presumable main characters in previous books, I found that these could be read as standalone so all is well.

The first story was about a young beauty that is decided to marry for money and save her family from poverty. She attracts the attention of a young man that she thinks is not rich enough for her and departs for London to catch a husband. Predictably the young man is in fact very rich and the old banker who is pursuing her ends up falling in love with another. I thought that first proposal scene where Amy gets mad with Harry was a bit too violent and really all his friends had no reason to try and bring them together as they didn't know her all that well. Since this is a light and funny regency Amy eventually accepts Harry's love and all ends well.

Grade: 3.5/5


The second story was more interesting I thought. The Earl of Everdon, known as Don Juan, decides to marry. And nothing better than settling on his mother's mouse of a friend. He is sure she will be grateful for the attention and after the marriage will leave him alone to pursue his interests. Unfortunately Deirdre was just trying to go through her season without a proposal so she could go back home and finally marry the man she wants and that her parents don't want. She was so sure she would get away with it she made a deal with her parents, if she doesn't get a proposal she can marry her heart's desire but if she does she has to accept it. You can see how she feels Don Juan just ruined her life. Of course since she is not interested Everdon's interest is picked and he decides to seduce her and convince her that the man she thinks she loves really just wants a housekeeper. It was funny to follow his attempts at seduction and Deirdre trying to resist him. In the end he does realize that he has fallen in love with her but he still has to convince her of that.

Grade: 4/5

A Gift of Daisies - Mary Balogh

Lady Rachel Palmer is beautiful, wealthy, and frivolous--as well as betrothed to someone else--when she meets and falls in love with the high-minded Reverend David Gower, who is devoted to a life of service and poverty. It seems like an impossible match, especially when David is so set against it.

I started this book with great expectations. So far I have always enjoyed Balogh’s traditional regencies and I was planning on loving this one too.

But this book is very different from all the others I’ve read before by her. First of all it has a strong religious side. The hero is a vicar and extremely dedicated to his good works and helping his poor parishioners. And then there’s the fact that the heroine is rich and noble and the hero is poor and a second son and it’s the heroine that asks the hero to marry her and he is the one who refuses.

Rachel and David meet in London during the heroine’s season. They fall in love with each other but keep those feelings to themselves till eventually the heroine proposes believing her feelings returned. The hero refuses because he thinks she wont be happy as a poor clergyman’s wife. This leads the heroine to ask a childhood friend to marry her. Eventually she accepts that David loves her but wont marry her and that she must be true to her feelings – breaking the betrothal to the friend she doesn’t love – and dedicate herself to good deeds. Although the blurb mentions she is betrothed to someone else when they meet that is not true.

The second half of the book is about how both of them are dedicated to helping others, that they are happy and fulfilled and that they are resigned not to marry. Then David receives an inheritance that allows him to think of marriage to Rachel, but accepting it however will force him to give up his life as a poor vicar. When he proposes it’s Rachel’s turn to say no because she loves him too much to accept such a great sacrifice from him. It took a compromising situation for them to come to their senses and decide to marry.

Well I never quite understood why they couldn’t marry, yes the hero was poor but he was also part of the nobility and so an acceptable party. And in the end he is still poor when finally the marriage is arranged so I ended up thinking they could have saved all that useless self-sacrifice and just get on with it from the beginning. Or Rachel could have let him accept the inheritance and they could be both rich and do good deeds even if in a different place. I’m afraid that instead of being moved by their actions I was annoyed. And I kept thinking Rachel could have ruined Algie and Celia´s happiness.

Looking forward to hear other opinions from Balogh fans. And thank you I. for lending me yet another HTF oldie.

Grade: 3.5/5

The Demon Rake - Gayle Buck

A PAIR OF PROPOSALS

Incredibly handsome Lord Damion St. Claire made no secret of his nature—or of his intentions toward lovely young widow Lady Victoria March. He was the most incorrigible womanizer in all the realm and Victoria was merely another potential conquest.

However, Damion's powerful uncle, Sir Aubrey St. Claire, had an entirely different proposition for Victoria: To save the St. Claire name, Victoria should become Damions wife in a marriage that would give Victoria title and fortune, at the price of enduring a wedded lifetime of infidelity.

Surrender her honor to a man who made her senses swim? Or exchange vows with a man certain to break his? How could Victoria say yes to either pernicious proposal? Yet why was it so hard to say no...?

I did enjoy this book very much. It had determined characters with strong personalities. Lady Victoria March comes to England to visit the father of her dead husband on his invitation. She was at first regarded as a fortune hunter but now the old man wants to make amends. On the way over she meets Damion St. Claire who, as a relative and not knowing she has been invited, treats her as the low birth fortune hunter he believes he is. Lady Victoria however is not about to let him mistreat her so and maintains her composure. Once they get to the March home however he realizes he was quite mistaken about her and she discovers her father in law as passed away but is invited to stay for a while by his brother, who also tells her of his late brother's plan to have Victoria and Damion marry.

Despite this bad start Damion and Victoria are attracted to each other from the beginning. But since he is known to be a devilish rake, a reputation he clearly embraces, she is determined to keep him at a distance and from the beginning refuses to take the late Earl of March's plan seriously. Soon they are joined by Damion's cousin, his wife and her sister who his actively pursuing Damion.

I think what makes the story so good is how they start to get to know each other slowly, without hidden motivations. By chance they have to live in the same house and so it's inevitable that they spend some time together and like what they see in the other.

I did feel though that the book dragged a bit in the middle. When it seems clear that they love each other and are on the way of revealing their feelings the author introduces an element of surprise and the last part of the book is shadowed by the love triangle I mentioned earlier. I don't think was really needed but I must say she wrote an interesting second woman, not totally a villain, and hinting of a happy ending for her.

One thing annoyed me though. The heroine is mentioned as being half portuguese but her name was spanish and so was her father's name. That was really weird. Unless Gayle Buck thinks we speak spanish...

Grade: 4/5

A Christmas Courtship - Sandra Heath

Beautiful Blanche Amberley knew whom she loved. The lucky gentleman was Antony Mortimer, a banker's son who offered her not only his heart and hand, but also a life of wealth and ease.

Miss Amberley also knew whom she thoroughly disliked. That object of her instant aversion was Sir Edmund Brandon. Blanche was quite immune to the good looks and gallantry that made this arrogant blueblood the most eligible lord in the realm.

But then, as Christmas approached, Cupid gave Miss Blanche Amberley a gift that came as a most shocking surprise....

A really nice story with sensible characters that reads almost more as a mystery with strong romantic elements than a true romance but it perfectly suited my tastes.

I did find the back blurb a bit misleading. Although Miss Amberley doesn’t particularly like Sir Edmund Brandon (the why is never fully explained), all their meetings are perfectly civil. In the beginning she is love with Antony Mortimer yes and disposed to convince her father to agree to a match between them when everyone warns her that the match won’t be a good one. We are introduced early also to Sir Edmund’s betrothed who reveals herself as a very nasty woman and surely not a potential good wife.

But what moves the plot forward is the fact that Blanche Amberley’s brother will be wrongfully accused of a theft and Blanche tries to discover how to clear her brother’s name. Mortimer starts to reveal his true colours when he demands that Blanche repudiates her brother and their relationship ends. At the same time Sir Edmund keeps showing his respect and appreciation for Blanche and her father and she can’t help but start to develop some feelings for him.

It’s soon apparent that Jonathan Amberley is being set up by none other than a fellow officer and that all is not what it seems and Sir Edmund will play a part in solving her brother’s situation.

Although I enjoyed it very much there were two details that that could have made it a better book – Blanche and Sir Edmund don’t spend all that much time together and I think that could have made their connection stronger and the ending just wraps up too quickly. I wanted more time with them assuming their feelings and speaking of their past and future.

Grade: 4/5

Four In Hand - Margaret Westhaven

Lady Jane Averham had been married once - and once was quite enough. Her late, unlamented husband left her with wealth, position, and two daughters to raise. He left her as well with a delight in freedom after the constraints of wedlock. All that was missing from her life was love - and the handsome, ardent Archibald MacGowen was on hand to fill that need. Unfortunately this marvelous man wanted her as a wife as well as a woman ... and somehow Jane had to find a way to keep the primrose path from leading her to the altar!

I was quite interested in this little story set in Vienna during the Congress and that featured a widow heroine who didn't want to remarry not to be under a man's thumb again. There's also the fact the heroine is older than the hero!

I must say that I found it very interesting and well written. The heroine, Lady Jane has two daugthers with the older one in her first season and is chaperoning two other girls. The brother of one of those girls visits her house and they are both immediately attracted to each and soon start an affair. I found it original that it's the hero who pursues the heroine, he wants to marry her after they became lovers which seems a bit odd to her considered how society marriages work and she doesn't want to marry him as she as fallen in love with him and doesn't want to suffer when he evetually gets tired of her.

I thought both their behaviours were interesting and believable. The hero, Archie is a diplomat and I liked that the author portrayed Vienna is such an important period for the world replete with diplomats, spys and several national interests on the table. Jane's daughters and charges are also involved in several adventures and some get their happy ending too.

My only complaint is that all seemed a bit too rational to me and never really felt for them. I enjoyed it, appreciated how good it was but I didn't love it...

Grade: 4/5

The Emerald Necklace - Diana Brown

A tragedy of errors. The first error was one of pride - pride that made Lady Leonora spurn the loving attentions of her commoner husband for the frivolous company of her aristocratic friends. The second error was one of vanity - the kind of vanity that made a beautiful young woman an easy victim for the flattery of an all-too-worldly admirer. The third error was one of loyalty - loyalty to a father who would sell anything, even his daughter's honor, to save his own. For Leonora and Etienne Lambert, those were just the opening errors in a battle royal of willful misunderstanding that would give the word marriage a whole new meaning.

Another very emotional story this one starts with a marriage of convenience between a wealthy cit and a ruined nobleman’s daughter. Leonora is married against her will to save her father from debts to a man she dislikes. One sees from the beginning that Etienne, her husband, is very much in love with his wife and tries to please her but Leonora is a childish and selfish young girl and is unable to find any contentment in her marriage despite the fact that she does have an attractive and attentive husband. She keeps being influenced by her snobbish friends and can’t seem to think for herself. Although Etienne is very patient with her it comes to a point where she disappoints him so many times that he decides to give up. Unfortunately for Leonora one of the friends is only snob till she finds herself attracted to Etienne and Leonora finds herself unprepared to deal with that situation. We only see her grow up in fact when she runs away and has to fend for herself. Unlike other romance heroes Etienne, the husband, doesn’t follow her when that happens but seems to realize that maybe his wedding will never be what he wanted to.

This leads to a long separation between them and offers Leonora the possibility of growing up and make up her mind about what she wants. Since we see how Eleonora has changed and matured it is double hard to see her apparently betrayed by both her friend and her husband. Unfortunately the actions of both of them are coloured by the bitterness and distrust from the beginning. Even more than in The Sandalwood Fan, Brown does make her characters suffer either by their own actions or by easily explained misunderstandings. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions reading this story and one gets almost to the end without knowing how a HEA will come about. If there’s a complaint I have is that the ending was wrapped up too quickly and we deserved a better developed one.
Grade: 4.5/5

The False Fiancée - Emma Lange

Command Performance
What the Duke of Clarendon demanded was insufferable, unthinkable, impossible: Miss Catherine Spenser should go to London with him and pretend to be his fiancée.

True, the duke did think Catherine to be an actress named Nancy Wright, and everyone knew that actresses would do anything for the sum of money he offered.

And true, Catherine was down to her last farthing and desperate not to return to her guardian, the odious Baron Rudolph Spenser, who was eager to auction her off to the vulgarly wealthy Mr. Hugo Overstreet.

But how could Catherine possibly trust this notorious womanizing duke to keep to his end of the bargain of love in public only? And even more troubling, how could she trust herself?

Emma Lange is a hit and miss author me, some titles I really enjoyed and others less so. The False Fiancée falls somewhere in the middle, it was a nice story to spend an afternoon with but it ends up being too predictable to reach keeper status.

The Duke of Clarendon needs someone to pose as his fiancée, he finds the perfect candidate in Catherine who he believes to be a low born actress with low morals. Catherine is in fact a young gentlewoman; she has run away from home when her guardian decided to marry her to an old man and is trying to live as an actress in an honest and respectable way.

She needs Money and so agrees to Clarendon scheme for a fee. She plays the part beautifully of course and even finds herself very remorseful for having to lie to his aunt. At the same time she starts to feel an attraction towards the duke. However he believes her to be” just an actress”. Someone that in his estimation cannot have a desire to earn her life honestly or have strict moral rules. In fact Clarendon wouldn’t be adverse to make her his mistress.

There could have been some emotional angst as the image they both have of the other is constantly challenged by their behavior. This happens more with Clarendon towards Catherine because she keeps surprising him by not behaving as a mere mercenary actress would and Catherine because when Clarendon feels he is softening towards her he is usually rude. However Lange never goes beneath the surface and so the misunderstandings and hurt feelings end up just being predictable and sometimes boring.

Catherine’s real identity ends up being discovered when her guardian finds her in Clarendon’s home and believing them to be lovers demands that he marries her. I couldn’t wait for that final explanation between them so that everything could be cleared up.

Grade: 3.5/5

Lessons In Love - Ellen Fitzgerald

A most shocking proposal. Miss Diana Forsythe was prepared for almost anything but this from Sir Sabin Mallory. Her heart had melted at her first meeting with this handsome lord newly arrived in London, and she was prepared to be his guide in the ways of the world and society. Now he asked her to be still more. He asked her to help him win the heart and hand of Lady Aurora Marchant, the most irresistible and haughty beauty in London. As a young lady of breeding, Diana could not bring herself to refuse Sir Sabin's heartfelt request. But as a young woman of feeling, she had to find a way to cure the lovesick lord of the folly of loving anyone but herself.

Another interesting and different traditional regency. This one is centered the heroine, Diana, the daughter of an actress who knows next to nothing of her father, is determined to be a proper young lady and work as a governess. She hides the fact that she is the daughter of an actress and probably illegitimate from her employers although she does love her mother and visits her at the theatre.

On one of those visits Diana meets Sir Sabin, a gentleman newly returned from America who has his heart and his head in the right place but lacks a certain town polish. Sir Sabin is a friend of Diana's employer and they eventually meet again and he tells her how in love he is by his friend’s older sister (and sister to Diana's charges) and asks for her help in teaching him to dress, dance and every other detail needed to impress in polite society. Diana find a young man to help him but agrees to go with him to some dances so he can practice, although this allows them to spend some time together and get to know each other better it's also a danger to Diana's reputation and they have to keep it a secret. But the lessons pay off and soon Sir Sabin manages to impress the young lady he is love with. Unfortunately she is not exactly a nice person and when she suspects that there's more to Diana's relationship to Sir Sabin than what is proper she is summarily dismissed.

The second half of the book is quite interesting and filled with new developments regarding Diana's life. However I felt the book lost a bit with the fact that this second half is mostly devoted to the heroine. Seeing that this is a romance one can expect more emphasis in one character than the other but especially in the first half. This way we lacked the development of their relationship.

Diana is at first miserable for having lost her job and because she has recognized her feelings for Sabin but she finally discovers who her father is and that in fact she is not illegitimate which naturally makes her happy. Unfortunately for her Sabin sees her with her father and believes him to be her lover and treats very badly. Nonetheless Diana is determined to enjoy her father's company and if needed be forget Sir Sabin so she agrees to go live with her father, an Earl, at his estate. It is obvious that Diana's parents still love each other and some sort of misunderstanding kept them apart all those years.

Not everything is perfect though and Diana starts being pressured by her father to marry the son of a cherished friend which Diana refuses to do. Part of the action is devoted to her trying to get away from said young man, who was not a nice person, and she ends up being rescued from that betrothal her father wants her to enter by her mother and her fellow actors who put up quite a performance. And Sir Sabin, who has in the mean time, realized his true feelings for Diana and the awful Aurora's true character finally arrives so that the misunderstanding can be solved.

Although the story seemed original I think it lacked more interaction between the main characters. More time devoted to the growth of their relationship. People interested in the theatre world might find this one interesting.

Grade: 3.5/5