One True
Love – by Suzanne Enoch
Lady Anne Bishop is more than happy
to keep her independence, despite the fact she is a tad put out that her betrothed, the
Marquis of Halfurst, has not ever bothered to contact her. But when an article appears in
Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers, suggesting that a) she’s having way too much
fun and/or b) that the Marquis could care less. Lady Whistledown is wrong on both cases.
The Marquis, Maximilian Trent, does care, and he hies himself to London ASAP to
claim his errant, headstrong and thoroughly delightful bride-to-be.
Anne, on the other hand, is loath to
make the acquaintance of her betrothed, ensuring an end to her life in London to be
dragged into the countryside beside an ugly, bald and short sheep farmer. Anne, however,
is wrong on all three counts. Maximilian is a sheep farmer, and a very rich man
– he’s also handsome, tall and sports a full head of hair – and he’s young!
But can these two put their
differences, prejudices and expectations aside long enough to discover that they are truly
meant to be together? The situation comes to a head at Lady Shelbourne’s
Valentine’s Day Ball, which also plays a focal point in the next novella, Two Hearts. As it turns out, the frozen Thames, a skating party
and Lady Shelbourne’s ball play major roles in each of these delightful novellas.
Two
Hearts – by Karen Hawkins
Lady
Shelbourne unwittingly precipitates a romance between her very best friend and eccentric
extraordinaire, Elizabeth Pritchard, and her brother, Royce Pemberton. Of course,
Royce’s own relationship with Liza is one of brotherly affection until he discovers
that Liza is actually contemplating marriage – an unheard of, and completely
unacceptable concept. Oddly enough, jealousy, confusion and uncertainty plague both Liza
and Royce as they reluctantly and privately contemplate their emotions for one another.
Wickedly
humorous and intriguing characters will enrapture the reader in this tale of affection and
loyalty, causing the reader to yearn for more.
A
Dozen Kisses – by Mia Ryan
The third
novella of this utterly fantastic book revolves around Lady Caroline Starling, a woman who
more often than not manages to put her foot in her mouth. At the Theatre Royal to see
Edmund Kean’s portrayal of Shylock, she hides herself in a corner to cry in self-pity
because she is destined to marry the Earl of Pellering – but the mere thought
continually reduces her to tears. It wasn’t bad enough that Terrance Greyson, the
Marquis of Darington, evicted her and her mother from their home two years prior, after
returning wounded from the war. Now she has to deal with this, too.
A man she calls Lord Gorgeous comes
to her aid, able it seems, to connect with her on a deeply personal level – until,
with horror, Linny discovers that her handsome Lord is the same man who evicted her from
her home!
Lord Darington is also a bit
fumble-tongued, though not through flights of fancy, but a rather severe brain injury he
received during the war. Unable to voice his thoughts adequately, his words, like
Linny’s, seem to always come out wrong.
The fun is watching the emotions
develop between these two, while each is constantly regretting the words that come out of
their mouths.
36 Valentines – by
Julia Quinn
Miss Susannah Ballister is still
reeling from being humiliated by Clive Mann-Formsby, who, though he courted her for an
entire season, abruptly offered marriage to someone else. Just trying to retain the
slightest modicum of dignity, Susannah is somewhat startled when Clive’s older
brother, David, Earl of Renminster, shows an interest in her. And while his initial
interest is prompted by pity, he soon falls in love with Susannah. Ill equipped to profess
his emotions, misunderstandings and confusion abound. Can he overcome his stiff, unbending
demeanor long enough to win the treasure within his grasp?
The Further Observations of Lady
Whistledown is a rare treat that comes around once in a great while. These four
wonderful authors have penned cohesive, yet thoroughly independent stories that all blend
wit, romance and wicked prose to delight any taste. If you pick up one book this summer,
make this the one!
Reviewed by Denise Clark for The
Road to Romance
June 17, 2003 |
