Lord Deverill's Secret

Amanda Grange
Regency Romance

"...he was not in the habit of keeping personal possessions won from young fools at the gambling tables.  But somehow he had not been able to part with it."



Cassandra Paxton has two things to accomplish in Brighton - to prepare the townhouse to sell, and to find the meaning of a letter written by her late brother.  The one who can help her with her brother's letter is none other than Lord Deverill - a man she never would have thought to be a friend to her rakehell brother.  However, the earl has a secret too - one he is most reluctant to admit to the lovely Miss Paxton -because such a telling might drive her from him forever.  But if she insists on learning more about her brother's death, he might not be able to keep it for much longer despite his desire to earn her good opinion.

My Opinion: I found this book to be highly enjoyable.  The whole premise of the book is well thought out and written.  The conflict between the characters is believable and fun.  I love the way the characters interact and how side characters play into the story.  There are definitely some good surprises and turns in the storyline.  The conversations are so well written, especially between Deverill and Matthew Standish that it made it a delight to read.

The Christmas Charm

Lynn Collum
Book 1 Addington Trilogy
The Christmas Charm, The Valentine Charm, The Wedding Charm
Regency Romance

"'Women are the most nonsensical creatures' the gentleman muttered..."


Having arrived penniless in England, Adriana Addington intends to resign herself to being a companion to her godmother.  Her godmother, however, has different plans and arranges to throw Adriana together with her bookish grandson - Viscount Borland - commissioning him to bring Adriana up to Scotland with him.  Borland suspects his grandmother's meddling and resents it.  He is fine being a bachelor for life, thank you very much.  However, as the journey continues, he may find that his grandmother might not have been wrong afterall.

My Opinion: I was a little disappointed with this book.  I had expected a bit more.  I enjoyed the intereactions between the main characters, but they seemed to be lacking depth.  There seems to be an attempt to include too much side story and not enough focus on the relationship between the main two who are supposed to be falling in love.  The swiftness of the conclusion seems to leave some loose ends in my mind.  I would read the other ones in the series, but I'm not too sure I'd read this one again.

  

The Nobody

Diane Farr
Regency Romance

"The term 'lovesick' took on a new meaning for Caitlin - as near as she could tell, what she was experiencing had all the symptoms of malaria!"



Though not expecting to make a match, Caitlin expected to enjoy her London season.  The rules of polite society, however, we a bit stifling - especially when you simply have to escape the scathing tongue of Lady Elizabeth.  But when Caitlin dares to walk home - alone! - she is accosted by a man who sweeps her into his arms and kisses her!  He apologizes and lets her on her way, but Caitlin can't seem to shake him from her mind.  When she discovers his identity it is even harder still, especially when the man in question is even better in the daylight (except for his deplorable taste in fiancees).   But fate pulls them together and Lord Kilverton discovers he might have made a mistake after all.

My Opinion: What really makes this book great is all the characters and the details the author uses in every scene.  It's not a lot of filler with a few good scenes - the whole book flows nicely and really gets you caught up in the emotions of everyone.  I found this book very exciting from start to finish.  The lively plot keeps you on your toes and makes you constantly on your toes.  The variety of distinct characters play off each other and complete the story.  Great read - hard to put down.

My Lady Gamester

Cara King
Regency Romance

"That was his great ambition for the family, Edmund - the red griffins that our ancestors carried proudly into battle became nothing more than whimsical decorations on the back of cards that were meant to be used once, then thrown away."


After her father's bankrupcy and death, Atalanta James swears to wreak revenge on the men who cheated her father in his final card game.  To make that revenge all the sweeter, she plans to beat them at their own game.  Having spent her time and money practicing the art of cards, Atalanta is finally in London and ready to set her revenge and redemption in motion.  The only problem is, one of the original players, the Earl of Stoke has passed on, and his son is not the evil old man she has always planned on ruining.  Richard Stanton, the new Earl of Stoke, is intrigued by Miss James, a woman determined to play at a man's game - and win!  Could it be that his own father had played a part in ruining her family?

My Opinion:  This is a really enjoyable read.  Atalanta is a very full character who is determined to do right by her family.  I love her strength and skill.  Stoke is a good example of a moral character faced with a moral dilemma - to help Alalanta right a wrong, or to protect his father's good name.  Atalanta almost must face her own dilemma as she tries to wreak revenge on those she believed to have wronged her family.  The interplay between the two characters is fabulous really enjoyable.  I love the twists and turns that are encountered by the main characters as they fall in love and discover who they are.  I'd highly recommend this one.

The Lady and the Cit

Blair Bancroft
Regency Romance

"Don't forget the chainmail..."




Miss Aurelia Trevor needs a husband in order to escape her uncle and have use of the monies to run her estate.  However, with her uncle bearing down on her, there are precious few candidates to choose from.  Thomas Lanning is well known in the world of commerce.  When confronted with the opportunity with Aurelia Trent, he's disinterested, except that it comes with an opportunity to advance himself in the world.  Perhaps he could stand marriage to a stranger with such an incentive.  But what happens when the two are faced with being married to each other for the rest of their lives?

My Opinion:  I was disappointed in this book.  It had such potential in the story for fun romance but just fell short.  The plot was fine, though a little slow.  I will admit that that there were a few fun surprises and twists, but for the most part it missed a certain something that would have spiced it up and made it wonderful.  The plot was good, though it got a little too into political logistics than I usually like in casual reading, but I can see the appeal of it to some.