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When
Lady Elinor’s Aunt accuses Elinor of being a French spy and begins to
bodily
threaten her, she sees no other solution except to escape. Her father
is of no
help, as he is out of the country. To save herself from her Aunt,
Elinor
assumes the identity of Mrs. Ellie Brown and flees to safety provided
by Mimi, her
former nursery
maid who is now a modiste in London.
Stephen
Chaplin is a rescuer of damsels in distress. When he sees Mrs. Brown on
the
road he comes to her aid, thinking she is an abused wife. What he can’t
figure
out, however, is why he can’t keep the seamstress-to-be out of his mind.
LADY
ELINOR’S ESCAPE was a sweet and pleasant read. The author throws in a
little
heartbreak and a bit of adventure that livens up the story and saves it
from
being overly sweet. The main characters are likeable, especially
Elinor, who
could have easily become an overly tragic character but instead stood
up for
herself and takes control over her own destiny. The minor characters
also add
some entertainment with their efforts to help Stephen and Elinor’s
relationship
bloom. In the end, all of the story’s loose ends are tied up nicely,
and I can
also see a possible sequel based on one of the minor characters.
Reviewed by S. Khaw for The
Road to Romance
August 7, 2004
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