What I Read This Week

What I Read This Week . . .

The Damsels from Derbyshire by Ellen Fitzgerald -- Regency Romance

Lady Tabitha Spencer's first Season is marked by love and tragedy. She falls in love with the handsome, shy Lord Lovell only to be torn away from London when her father is cruelly murdered. Nine years later, Tabitha returns to London in charge of her spoiled, headstrong younger sister Laura. Tabitha's beauty and charm make her a great success in London, especially with Lionel, formerly Lord Lovell, now the Marquis of Ashton, who continually rescues Tabitha and Laura from danger. Tabitha also catches the eye of Lord Marlton, the cousin of the man who killed her father. Tabitha can not like Lord Marlton much and feels pressure to marry him from her spinster aunt who urgers her to choose a husband before the end of the Season. Tabitha can hardly think about herself for worrying what her bold sister might say or do next. The men have their own ideas about who Tabitha should marry and one of them won't take no for an answer! The plot of this book is pretty straightforward and predictable. The romance is fairly simple and sweet. Laura's antics, Aunt Ellen's plight as a spinster and the villain make for more depth in what would otherwise be a boring love story. I liked it quite a lot.

Town Tangle by Margaret Summerville -- Regency Romance
Lord Anthony St. John and his friend, the Honorable Mr. Fitzwalter are stranded overnight during a snowstorm at Selwyn Manor, the home of a curmudgeonly old country gentleman and his family, loquacious sister Lucinda, beautiful niece Camilla and spirited nephew Dick who aspires to Dandyism. While Mr. Fitzwalter is all that is amiable, Lord St. John is bored and annoyed with his hosts and can't wait to be rid of them. Unfortunately, Camilla overhears St. John and Fitzwalter sharing their opinions on her family and lets them know she doesn't appreciate their comments or wish to see them again. When Camilla's brother comes into his inheritance a few months later, she and Aunt Lucinda head to London to keep Dick from squandering his fortune. There Camilla becomes better acquainted with St. John and he even introduces her to his adored younger sister. Camilla begins to think fondly of him until he is frosty to her old friend, Charles MacNeil because Charles is the son of a butler. St. John makes amends to please Camilla until his sister falls in love with Charles and wishes to make an "unsuitable alliance." Nothing much really happens in the plot until the last few chapters. Though St. John bears a striking resemblance to Mr. Darcy (tall, dark, and hansome; friendly best friend; adoring younger sister; , haughty ways and occasional bad temper), he continually apologizes to Camilla and she forgives him. (Where's the fun in that?) Therefore, the story lacks the zinging dialogue that makes Lizzy and Darcy's romance so wonderful. I really liked the characters but I wish the plot followed the more conventional "they hate each other" route. It makes for a more interesting read.

Emily and the Dark Angel by Jo Beverley -- Regency Romance
Emily Grantwich has grown from a quiet, dutiful daughter to a mature and competent woman of 26. With Emily's brother missing in action and her father left invalided after a duel with a neighbor, she has taken on the role of estate manager and relishes it. On one seemingly innocuous Market Day in Melton Mowbry, Emily tries to take care to stay out of the way of the dashing young bucks who come there for hunting but finds herself literally falling into a dark and handsome man and being showered with Poudre de Violettes by a woman of easy virtue! After apologizing, introducing himself and helping Emily with a broken shoe, Piers Verderan goes on his way and Emily, greatly discomposed, both hopes and fears she'll never see him again. She finds herself seeing him sooner than she thinks when she discovers he is the son of the neighbor whom her father dueld over a land dispute! Emily tries to maintain a businesslike relationship with Ver, but she needs him in more ways than she can think, for when she fell into him in the street, she fell in love. Ver needs Emily to help anchor him and conquer past demons but rumors, friends and neighbors get in the way of romance as Emily decides whether she wants to remain the dutiful daughter she once was or live her own life with this dashing, reckless rake. There are several amusing scenes and some quirky characters to make this book delightful. Emily is very likeable and a character I think many women can relate to. I really enjoyed this book!

Warning: Though it was labeled "kisses only" at All About Romance I wouldn't recommend it for those looking for a chaste romance. Much of the plot has to do Ver's past and Emily's growing feelings of sexual awakening. It isn't racy in any way though and not worse than many of Marion Chesney's novels.