A Grand Deception - Elizabeth Mansfield

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

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

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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