What I Read This Weekend

What I Read This Weekend . . .

Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me? (Final Confessions of Georgia Nicholson) by Louise Rennison -- YA Contemporary Fiction

Georgia is on the rack of love once again. Massimo and Dave the Laugh are fighting over her and Georgia isn't sure what to do. She tries to impress Massimo with her "maturiosity" which causes problems when the Ace Gang get up to their old tricks. Meanwhile, her parents are acting even more mad than usual and the school is putting on an all girl production of Romeo and Juliet (or Rom and Jul as Georgia calls it) with Jas as Juliet. When the Stiff Dylans get some great news, Georgia must decide where her heart lies, whether she's ready to face a future with Massimo or just have fun with her mates. This is a funny but slightly bittersweet end to Georgia's confessions. I admit that I grew tired of her immaturity after awhile but in this final confession, she finally gains some "wisdomosity" and "maturiosity" which bring the story to a close.

The Devil's Delilah by Loretta Chase -- Regency Romance
This is a companion to Viscount Vagabond, which I did not read. Delilah Desmond is the daughter of the devil, or more precisely, a man the ton call Devil Desmond for his wild and wicked ways. Devil Desmond has written his memoirs which the publisher eagerly anticipates to keep him from ruin. Delilah accompanies her father to meet with the publisher at a country inn. She is determined to stop the publication of the memoirs before it has a chance to ruin her reputation and keep her from finding a husband. However, Delilah's reputation is already on the way to being ruined when the bookish Jack Langdon arrives at the inn and discovers Delilah holding a pistol to a man's head. In the ensuing tussle, Jack realizes he has improper feelings towards Delilah and that she's just assaulted his best friend's father. When Jack discovers that the Earl of Streetham mistook Delilah for a lightskirt, and the lady was defending herself, Jack is mortified and decides to take himself off to his uncle's to nurse his broken heart, as had been his intentions all along, but when the Earl discovers that Devil Desmond has written a memoir, he invites the Desmonds and Jack to his home. The Earl then sets his rakeish son to seduce Delilah into giving up the manuscript. Delilah decides she's going to allow herself to be caught by Lord Berne and make him marry her. Fearing for Delilah's reputation at the hands of his friend, Jack seeks to protect Delilah, which causes her to lose her temper at poor Jack. Jack retreats to the library where he accidentally happens upon Devil Desmond's manuscript hidden between the pages of a tome on Greek horticulture! Upon discovering Jack has the manuscript, Delilah sets herself to flirting with and annoying Jack to keep him from blurting out any secrets he may have learned. Delilah's father then realizes that Jack is the key to keeping the manuscript safe. Jack departs for his uncle's with the manuscript in tow and Delilah and her father head to her great-aunt's so Delilah can learn to be a proper lady before her first Season. Soon Jack is entangled in the Desmonds' affairs and lusting after Delilah, as is his best friend Tony, Lord Berne. The manuscript becomes lost and the entire cast of characters head to London to find it, or keep it from being found. There, Delilah is shunned by the ton for her parents' unconventionality, but soon finds an ally in Catherine Pelliston, Lady Rand, the wife of Jack's best friend. Jack, too, is willing to look up from his books long enough to realize he loves Delilah and needs to help her but Lord Berne's desires may trump Jack's good intentions. This is long, crazy complicated story filled with unsavory characters involved in trying to protect themselves. It's not a traditional Regency though it does have sort of a mystery plot. The author devotes a lot of time to Jack's baser instincts and Delilah's feelings, which isn't necessary. I have read plenty of excellent novels where the author manages to convey sexual tension without mentioning deeper feelings or emotions at all. It is unfortunate that the author chose to ruin her novel by dumbing down the plot that way. I really liked Jack when he was lost in his books but when he started thinking about Delilah as a woman, I didn't like him as much. Some of his actions seemed rather out of character for such a mild-mannered man. Delilah was an interesting character. She is strong-willed, hot-tempered and able to take care of herself, all qualities I admired. I did not like her when she felt remorseful and cried. That also seemed out of character. Overall, the plot was interesting, especially the twist at the end, but it would have been a lot better if the author could have written the book without describing the lesser feelings of men. Read this if you like romance novels but not if you prefer quality historic details over romance.