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

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.

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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

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

The Trysting Place - Mary Balogh

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

A Regency Christmas Present - Anthology

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

Miss Prestwick’s Crusade - Anne Barbour

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.

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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

An Unwelcome Alliance - Ellen Fitzgerald

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

Second Thoughts - Sandra Heath

Although Lord Carismont is dashing enough to take any girl of the ton for his wife, the widower has only his daughter's best interests at heart. When Carismont interviews Kate Kingsley for the position of governess, he believes he's discovered a suitable mother for his little girl and readily offers Kate more than she ever expected: a marriage of convenience.

A charming young widow with a son to care for, Kate hesitantly accepts Carismont's proposal and all the security that comes with it. But when she arrives at his castle off the coast of England and learns that someone—or something—is determined to keep them apart, she begins to have second thoughts about their union that only the magic of true love can put to rest.

I have greatly enjoyed some of Sandra Heath's books in the past but I seem to have some trouble with the ones that have magical elements.

In this one a young widow agrees to a marriage of convenience to help an orphaned little girl. But from the beginning she starts to see things, namely a cuckoo determined to help her. When they arrive at her husbands estate it soon becomes obvioous that there is a world of magic from which his first wife came and she not only is still alive in that other world, but keeps wanting to come back to join her lover. To accomplish that she will have to convince her daughter to go to that other world and there's a struggle between the h/h trying to keep the child safe and coping with falling in love and the villains.

Bigger fans of magic and paranormal will probably enjoy it more than I did as that is the most important part of the story. The widow agrees too readily to the marriage of convenience and then they proceed to fall in love too quickly and I really couldn't see the attraction.

Grade: 3/5

A Regency Christmas Eve - Anthology

Celebrate the most joyous of seasons with these original stories of holiday romance from five of today's most beloved award-winning Regency authors. Each tale is set on Christmas Eve, capturing the season's true spirit of charity and goodwill, proving time and again why love is the greatest gift of all. This special collection is a perfect present for friends and lovers who find themselves looking forward to the holiday with delicious anticipation, wondering what awaits them under the tree--and under the mistletoe .…

Little Miracles – Barbara Metzger
My favourite story in the anthology this one is about two rodents trying to save a very poor church by sharing the secret only they remember and bringing love and happiness to the vicar and the local lord. I thought the mice were a cute device, the story seems to lack some balance though as they only appear in the beginning and the end.
Grade: 4/5

Marriage Stakes - Allison Lane
Miss Sophie Landess is returning home with her widowed and very pregnant sister when they have a carriage accident and are saved by the Earl of Westlake and soon Sophie finds herself helping him finding the right bride after they are invited to stay at his home during the holiday season. I thought it was odd that Sophie went spying for him and I never really felt the attraction between them.
Grade: 3/5

The Gift of the Spoons – Nancy Butler
A man, desperate to save his son, goes in search of a healer he has heard about but finds her daughter instead. The enmity between the two is immediate but she eventually agrees to go and see his son leading to healing the rift between father and son and the developing of warmer feelings between the two. It was too brief for real development and I was unconvinced by their relationship.
Grade: 2/5

The Reckless Miss Ripley – Diane Farr
A road romance in which the hero finds himself helping Miss Claudia Ripley reaching Bath safely. Miss Ripley is a bit too trusting, naive and sometimes silly for my tastes and after him being so exasperated with her I couldn’t understand how his feelings changed so much. It was actually supposed to be a humorous story but I failed to be entertained by it with humour being such a personal thing.
Grade: 2/5

The Christmas Thief – Edith Layton
The hero, a former captain in the army, believes to have lost all his fortune due to an embezzler and tries his best to arrange a happy Christmas for his niece, even if the means stealing a doll or pawning his hat and boots. He also frees his fiancée from their commitment due to his financial situation but in the end it was all a misunderstanding and all is resolved in the end. The hero is a really nice character but the misunderstanding annoyed me.
Grade: 3/5

Anthology grade: 3/5