Lucy In Disguise - Lynn Kerstand

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

Celia's Grand Passion - Lynn Kerstan

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

Lord Dragoner's Wife - Lynn Kerstan

JUST ONE NIGHT

Six years ago, Delilah was wed to Charles Everett, Lord Dragoner, a man she'd loved from afar. But after only one night, he fled England for France, and was gone from her life... Now the handsome lord has returned, surrounded by scandalous rumors. Although he cloaks his explanation in wit and laughter, Delilah discovers her husband was forced into their marriage by cruel and manipulative parents - and soon understands why Lord Dragoner wants to cut his ties with the past...He assumes his estranged wife wants the same. But Delilah has other plans - for she truly loves her husband, and dreams of a life together, if he could give them a chance at happiness. Only two things stand in their way - Dragoner's bitter past, and his present occupation, which promises danger for them both....And when Delilah resolves to face that danger beside her husband, a fragile chance for love begins to bloom...

I had read Lord Dragoner’s Wife a few years ago but I had never reviewed it so as I found another copy I thought I should reread and write about it. Plot wise it has two of my favourite themes – it’s a marriage of convenience and a marriage in trouble story.

Six years previously Delilah, a tradesman daughter, and the present Lord Dragoner were married. He appeared on church drunk and disappeared right after the wedding night. For five years, Delilah has waited for him to come back so they can form a relationship but when he returns is to speak of a divorce.

While Dragoner believes theirs was only a marriage of convenience, trading a title for money that his parents immediately managed to spend Delilah had in fact examined several candidates and decided to choose him because she was attracted to him. It’s with considerable distress that she finds what he plans when the only thing she wants is to start a family.

It seems divorces are much easier to come by in France and that’s where Dragoner has been living so he assumes it will be as easy in England. When he sees it is not so he lets Delilah persuade him to postpone a decision. While he goes back to France where he performs undercover work for Wellington she decides to follow him and see if his bad reputation is well deserved and if she should indeed forget him and any chances of saving their wedding. But she is welcomed with open arms in Madame de Stael’s salons and given a lot of information on her husband as well as a makeover.

What follows is Dragoner still trying to do his job as a spy but finding his wife in the middle of the action. Delilah is quite a strong and determined woman in her own way and tries her best to help him even if some wrong assumptions do lead to some funny and unexpected scenes. And of course, in the end Dragoner can’t help himself and does fall in love with his wife.

A very enjoyable story where my only complaint is that Delilah was a bit too good, too kind, too intelligent, a business genious… but I still liked it very much!

Grade: 4/5