What I've Read This Week . . .
Allegra by Clare Darcy -- Regency Romance
Allegra Harrington, spinster, age 29 has had it with living with her crotchety old aunt. The only other place for her is to join her younger sister Hilary as an unpaid servant in another aunt's household. Allie's godmother presents the perfect solution: marry Sir Derek Harrington, the cousin who has inherited Allegra's father's title and estate. Allegra remembers Derek as an arrogant boy but agrees to give him a chance, until local gossip turns her mind against him. Too proud to marry out of charity and still half in love with her late fiance, Allegra takes Hilary off to Brussels to a girls' school run by their former governess, Mlle. Jusseau. Mlle. Jusseau encourages the sisters to take part in the whirlwind of English Society. When the find themselves in a jam, they must turn to Sir Derek and ask for help. Allegra begrudgingly realizes that perhaps she made a grave mistake in refusing him. Now he's courting another woman who will take over Allie's beloved home. Once again the sisters find themselves in need of help and Sir Derek to the rescue.Allegra is convinced it is because Sir Derek shares their family name and refuses to allow a scandal to be attached, but young Hilary sees a different motivation for Sir Derek's kindness but her sister may be too proud to see it and they will be back to where they started. What ever shall they do? This is a lighthearted take on Pride & Prejudice. There isn't a whole lot of substance to the story or even much of a romance. It reads a lot like a Georgette Heyer novel but not quite as well written. That being said, I liked Allegra and found her to be a realistic and engaging heroine. I especially liked her silly little sister even though I normally hate silly teenagers in this genre. The story is fun and I like Pride and Prejudice copy cats as long as the hero isn't too overbearing. Sir Derek is masterful at times but not too high-handed. He knows just how to deal with his cousins and does it well. I recommend this book for fans of the traditional Georgette Heyer style Regency. For those who are looking for a romance (Regency Historical) do not read this author.
Miss Aurelia Sinclair has been waiting her entire 23 years for her neighbor and best friend Lord Justin Spencer to finally propose. The arrangement has been of long standing between their families and Justin feels so comfortable around Aurelia that he completely forgets to employ any romantic charms when proposing. His friend Everard Ramsey, a noted London dandy is horrified. How could his friend be so gauche? Sure Miss Sinclair is a bit plain and plump but she is intriguing just the same. When Justin dashes off to London to play the bachelor for awhile, Everard wages that he can turn Aurelia into a belle who will charm Justin. Aurelia then begins a diet and exercise regime to help her lose weight and Everard helps her learn to carry herself with grace. Soon though Everard begins to think Aurelia is too good for Justin. He promised to be there whenever Aurelia needed him but he begins to wonder if he was wrong to become involved with his friend's fiance. When Aurelia finally is reunited with Justin, his response is everything she could have hoped for, but she wonders why it doesn't feel the way she hoped it would. Aurelia must decide if she should stay with the comfortable life she's always known. She may not have a choice though, for another lady is out to claim Justin as her own while one of Aurelia's rejected suitors (Mr. Snape!) is bent on revenge. This story is a different sort of plot from the tried and true (and sometimes hackneyed) plots of most Regencies. It's a take on Pygmalion and I quite enjoyed the unique plot. There's more depth to the plot than it seems at first glance. The hero has quite an interesting backstory that I would have liked to see developed more. Aurelia also has a backstory but hers is a bit more common. Their stories help the reader understand why they behave as they do. The relationships develop nicely. There's a solid friendship between the hero and heroine before romance blossoms, which I really appreciated. I think many people will be able to relate to Aurelia. She's an emotional eater and as he begins to feel better about herself, she learns self-control. However, the writing is merely average. The author tries to hard to mimic the style of writing at the time with lots of " 'Tis" and " 'Twas" which is a little irritating. I really like light, fluffy romances with well-developed characters and relationships so this one fit the bill despite the average writing. I would definitely recommend it to fans of "sweet" Regencies (kisses only).
The Sugar Rose by Susan Carroll --Regency Romance
Miss Aurelia Sinclair has been waiting her entire 23 years for her neighbor and best friend Lord Justin Spencer to finally propose. The arrangement has been of long standing between their families and Justin feels so comfortable around Aurelia that he completely forgets to employ any romantic charms when proposing. His friend Everard Ramsey, a noted London dandy is horrified. How could his friend be so gauche? Sure Miss Sinclair is a bit plain and plump but she is intriguing just the same. When Justin dashes off to London to play the bachelor for awhile, Everard wages that he can turn Aurelia into a belle who will charm Justin. Aurelia then begins a diet and exercise regime to help her lose weight and Everard helps her learn to carry herself with grace. Soon though Everard begins to think Aurelia is too good for Justin. He promised to be there whenever Aurelia needed him but he begins to wonder if he was wrong to become involved with his friend's fiance. When Aurelia finally is reunited with Justin, his response is everything she could have hoped for, but she wonders why it doesn't feel the way she hoped it would. Aurelia must decide if she should stay with the comfortable life she's always known. She may not have a choice though, for another lady is out to claim Justin as her own while one of Aurelia's rejected suitors (Mr. Snape!) is bent on revenge. This story is a different sort of plot from the tried and true (and sometimes hackneyed) plots of most Regencies. It's a take on Pygmalion and I quite enjoyed the unique plot. There's more depth to the plot than it seems at first glance. The hero has quite an interesting backstory that I would have liked to see developed more. Aurelia also has a backstory but hers is a bit more common. Their stories help the reader understand why they behave as they do. The relationships develop nicely. There's a solid friendship between the hero and heroine before romance blossoms, which I really appreciated. I think many people will be able to relate to Aurelia. She's an emotional eater and as he begins to feel better about herself, she learns self-control. However, the writing is merely average. The author tries to hard to mimic the style of writing at the time with lots of " 'Tis" and " 'Twas" which is a little irritating. I really like light, fluffy romances with well-developed characters and relationships so this one fit the bill despite the average writing. I would definitely recommend it to fans of "sweet" Regencies (kisses only).
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