Christmas Quotes: A Paris Christmas

This year I again indulged my love of reading about Paris. Paris in Love by Eloisa James was one of the books that helped me visit Paris because I know that I am not going to actually be able to do so for many years to come!

Today's quote from pages 81-82

And then came December in Paris. Overnight our neighbourhood covered marked, Marche Saint-Quentin, was transformed into the movie set for a Dickens musical, complete with garlands and strings of lights. Our favourite fromagerie put out boxes of tiny quail eggs and three hitherto unfamiliar kinds of chevre, produced only for the Christmas season. I was staggered by a mound of fresh mushrooms, big and ruffled like hats for elderly churchgoing fairies. It was only when the marchand de fruits asked me if I was quite sure I wanted that many that I realized this particular fungus cost the same as our rent.

Paris is always a materialist's playground, but December is in a class by itself. One day I wandered into the gourmet department of Galeries Lafayette to find that it had sprouted tables piled high with decorative flourishes for holiday baking: jars of edible gold leaf, silver stars, candied violets. The display was designed to tempt the unwary shopper not to gluttony per se - but rather to the pure beauty of food, to the ways it can be decorated and dusted and presented, turned into something that can take your breath away. I instantly succumbed to a wild desire for Staub mini-cocottes, enameled in a shiny burnt crimson. I bought eight of them, kissing the dream of an austere kitchen goodbye. Surely antioxidants taste better in cocottes.

This is also a good post for Weekend Cooking so I am going to be a bit cheeky and link up two Weekend Cooking posts this weekend! Consider it my gift!

The Ugly Duchess winner!

Congratulations to

Kristy

who has won a copy of The Ugly Duchess in my giveaway!

I will be emailing to obtain your address details and get your prize on its way to you as soon as we can!

The Ugly Duchess by Eloisa James (includes international giveaway)

Theodora Saxby is a wealthy young woman and so you would have thought that she would have been in demand on the marriage market. She is, though, considered to be quite unattractive and so even with her wealth the pickings on the possible marriage market are slim.

What Theo doesn't know is that her odious guardian has not only managed to run his own estate into the ground, he has also 'borrowed' some of her own money. His handsome and accomplished son James is mortified when he discovers that his father is expecting him to marry Theo, or Daisy as he likes to call her, in order to keep his indiscretions undiscovered. It's not that James is reluctant to marry Theo because of her looks, but rather because she is his closest friends having shared the school room with him. He is also sure that when she finds out that James had to marry him, Theo will be extremely hurt which in due course is exactly what happens. I wasn't quite convinced on the need to hide the truth, or at least why it couldn't be explained to Theo couched in more acceptable terms.

Once they start to think of each other as possible marriage partners, the attraction grows. After being caught in a compromising position, James and Theo are married post haste and initially at least they are both very happy. The newspapers however were having a field day, quickly dubbing Theo the 'Ugly Duchess', however this is nothing compared to the scandal that is caused when Theo throws James and his father out of her life when she finds out the truth about her marriage. The fact that James and Theo were quickly realising that their feelings for each other were much stronger than they initially thought is not enough to save the marriage.

Here the two characters go there separate ways for an extended period of time, perhaps too long in my opinion, but still. Whilst Theo retreats to the country and starts working towards rehabilitating the duchy's financial situation, James takes the one asset that Theo said he could keep, a boat, and withdraws to the sea. Years pass and Theo emerges from her country life now comfortably wealthy and heads to Paris for an extended period and returns to becomes something of a trendsetter - she will never be considered beautiful but she has learned not to dress as per the frills and flounces that her mother chose to dress her in as a debutante and into stylish clothing that is designed to suit her figure and features. The word striking, handsome and spirited would probably be applied

James however has disappeared. When he took the boat, he became a pirate privateer with his cousin, but of course, like most romance hero pirates he is a good pirate privateer. He only kills men who truly deserve it, only has a couple of women in the years he spends apart from his wife, and gets rich from only stealing from other, badder pirates. Along the way he changes his name to a much better pirate privateer name and gains a tattoo and some scars.

Without giving too much away, a series of events finally sends James back to England and back to his wife. Whilst it's not quite an instant romantic reunion it really isn't all that long before we get to the inevitable ending.

I really enjoyed lots of things about this book - I liked Theo, I liked that for once the author made the heroine someone who you could imagine wouldn't be considered beautiful now but wasn't in the past because our definition of beauty has changed. I liked that she was good at business and was able to singlehandedly save the duchy. She possibly took a bit long to get to the point of moving on but this would have been a very different book if she had of moved on sooner.

I liked James both before the whole pirate privateer thing, and even as a pirate but I was kind of shocked that he expected to walk back into his old life with very few repercussions. I was also kind of disappointed that Theo accepted James back as quickly as she did. I think I needed him to grovel more because that man had years of absence to explain!

If I read back through the reviews I have written about Eloisa James books, there is a common theme. I mostly like them... but. Most of the time the but was because I felt as though the author was far cleverer than me and her books reflected back. I have to say though, I have felt that less the further her current Happy Ever After series has gone on, the more I am able to get lost in the book and not worry so much about that.

Now if, like me, the fact that I just said that this book is part of a series - it is in fact the fourth book - makes you instantly think I can't read this book until I have read the previous ones, don't fret. The four books in the series are not linked through the characters or even the story. They are all standalone. What they do have in common is that they are historical romance retelling of fairy tales.


Tour Details

Tour Schedule
Eloisa James' Website
Eloisa James on Facebook
Eloisa James on Twitter

Eloisa James on Pinterest

Rating 4/5

Synopsis

How can she dare to imagine he loves her…when all London calls her The Ugly Duchess?

Theodora Saxby is the last woman anyone expects the gorgeous James Ryburn, heir to the Duchy of Ashbrook, to marry. But after a romantic proposal before the prince himself, even practical Theo finds herself convinced of her soon-to-be duke's passion.

Still, the tabloids give the marriage six months.

Theo would have given it a lifetime…until she discovers that James desired not her heart, and certainly not her countenance, but her dowry. Society was shocked by their wedding; it's scandalized by their separation.

Now James faces the battle of his lifetime, convincing Theo that he loved the duckling who blossomed into the swan.

And Theo will quickly find that for a man with the soul of a pirate, All's Fair in Love—or War.

If this book sounds like something you might like to try, then enter the international giveaway that I am hosting! To enter leave a comment including your email address answering this question:

What is your favourite romance fairy tale retelling, or what would be your favourite fairy tale to be retold?

The giveaway closes on 30 September 2012

Weekend Cooking: Paris moments

Given that it is Bastille Day it seems very fitting to share something French! I also spent the whole day doing something very fitting, and I am hoping to post about that tomorrow!

Yesterday I posted a review of Paris in Love by Eloisa James. Like so many memoirs that are about life in Paris, there is a strong focus on food throughout the book, along with fashion, family, Paris the city and so much more. There were so many food passages that I could have chosen, but I have chosen four that will hopefully whet your appetite for the book. There was another one that I thought I had copied which talked about dreaming of food and the difference between men and women, but apparently I lost it somewhere along the way!

Page 207

After extensive research, I have a blueprint for the perfect tart. It should be very small, hardly more than a bite, and have a buttery, flaky crust, a bit of pastry cream, and a miniature tower raspberries. One or two berries should be topped with edible gold leaf, in order to create the illusion that the eater is Marie Antoinette herself, wearing a spun-sugar wig, nibbling cakes, and handing out dining advice.


Page 147

Today we went to Sunday brunch at one of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants in Versailles, La Veranda. The entrees were fine....but the desserts! I tried nine, determined to learn, through empirical research the very best one. The delicious, chewy passionfruit macaron? The froufrou hot pink marshmallows, the four flavours of creme, the fig tart, the delicate clafoutis? The winner was a dainty cake with a crackling top and luscious mango cream inside, because it was like biting into one of Alice's Wonderland cakes; inside was a voluptuous surprise.

Page 233

Alessandro and I deserted the children for the evening and took ourselves out for dinner at a tiny new restaurant called Saveurs & Concidences, subtitled 'The Cuisine of the Good Senses.' Our waitress was married to the chef; she told us that her husband had long dreamed of opening a restaurant where the food was so fresh that they had no need of a refrigerator. Some of the dishes were good and some were only so-so (Italian men - not to mention names - should just stop ordering risottos in other countries, because it never measures up), but the passion was unmistakable. And while Madame talked, a little boy in and appropriately sized chef's apron poked his head out of the kitchen.

Page 237

Viviane invited us over for dinner last night. The meal began with her rendition of an appetizer she'd recently eaten at a three-star Michelin restaurant (to die for) and ended with a cake that she bought from 'the best patisserie in Paris' - Dalloyau on boulevard Beaumarchais. The inside was in various layers: a tart raspberry mousse, topped with a delicate lemon layer, surrounded by pistachio sponge cake with a gorgeous stenciled pattern in raspberry sugar. The top was glossy with a pale lemon sheen and held a delicate arrangement of berries. The next day we marched to that patisserie, bought the same cake, and took it home to devour.

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. For more information, see the welcome post.   

Paris in Love by Eloisa James

Eloisa James is an author who I have enjoyed a number of times. Her historical romances are clever (sometimes too clever for me) and funny and I look forward to each knew one. When I first heard that this book was coming out, I was kind of surprised because despite the title this is very much not historical romance. James may be a successful author but she is also a university professor, wife and mother

For a woman who might seem to have it all, there were a couple of blows that made her and her family decide that it was time for a change. Her mother died from cancer and then James herself was diagnosed with the dreaded C word. After treatment, the decision was made. The family sold up and moved to Paris for a year. For me, that sounds like an impossible dream!

In some ways, this book is almost a reflection of our modern times. The various chapters start with an essay that is a few pages long, and then the rest of the individual chapters are made up of various small snippets of daily life in Paris, many of them starting out as Facebook and Twitter updates. It does mean that whilst there is a definite beginning and end to the novel, there isn't really a narrative that links. It is rather that the same people appear in the pages - James herself, her Italian husband Alessandro and her children, 15 year old Luca and 10 year old Anna, as well as the in-laws and a revolving circle of friends.

Whilst living in Paris might be one of my dreams, as it was for Eloisa and Alessandro, not everyone was thrilled. Luca and Anna had to leave behind their schools and friends and start afresh at an Italian language school in Paris. To say that there were ups and downs during the year is an understatement. There were difficulties with language, with school and with friends. It might also be a bit confronting for the kids now to realise that some of the things that they said and experienced are now filling the pages of this book! 

This book is primarily about the experience of giving yourself up to living in a new place, but it is also a picture of so much more. It is an inspection on family and marriage (not quite warts and all, but with some disagreements and affection clearly on show), on illness and death, food and fashion (especially lingerie), on love, on bad hair and on the difficulties of putting an overweight chihuahua on a diet. 

The writing is delicious in many ways. There are lots of snippets about sensational (and not so sensational) food, observations about the different pace of French life and family, all of which are filled with humour and just the right note of poignancy. 

James shares some of her favourite Paris experiences, the little out of the way museums that might not be known the world over like The Louvre, but are filled with fascinating treasures, the out of the way restaurants, the amazing little shops. One day, it would be nice to be able to experience some of these sights myself.

Once you get used to the style of the writing, the book flies by, and I most certainly found myself smiling happily to myself as I shared the family's journey, even on a long and crowded train trip home that lasted a lot longer than normal. While everyone around me was getting grumpy, I was happily ensconced in Eloisa James' Paris. 

Rating 4/5

After years of living vicariously for years through her romantic heroines, bestselling novelist Eloisa James takes a leap that most of us can only daydream about. She sells her house, leaves her job as a Shakespeare professor behind, and packs her husband and two protesting children off to the city of her dreams.

Grand plans are abandoned as she falls under the spell of daily life as a Parisienne -- exquisite food, long walks by the Seine, reading in bed, displays of effortless chic around every corner and being reminded of what really matters in a place where people seem to kiss all the time. 

An irresistable love letter to a city that will make you want to run away, PARIS IN LOVE is also a joyful testament to the pleasures of savouring life. ′I never did learn to live in the moment, but I did learn how to waste them. It was a glorious lesson.′

Double Teaser Tuesday

Today, I am bringing you two teasers, just because!

The first teaser comes from page 206 of A Kiss At Midnight by Eloisa James. This is the first book in her newest series which is titled Happily Ever After series, and features fairy tale retellings. This story is a retelling of Cinderella.:

"We kiss as if the bloody room had burst on fire," he interrupted. "We kiss as if making love didn't exist and kissing was all there was."

The second teaser come from Anna by Cynthia Harrod Eagles. This was actually due back at the library yesterday and I really have quite a lot to go, but I am determined to finish it relatively quickly because I am really enjoying it. Cynthia Harrod Eagles is more well known for her Morland Dynasty series of novels. This one is set in Russia in the early 1800s. I d love books that are set in St Petersburg in particular, and so far there has been quite a lot set there. The author can be a bit heavy on the description, but I definitely want to know what happens next! The teaser comes from page 166.

"It does look very exciting," Anne said, "but I don't know if it is quite proper. Do ladies toboggan in public?"

"Now you have said the one thing that would persuade me," he grinned. "Proper? Is that my English Anna, two thousand miles from home, wondering about propriety?"

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading. Head on over to find out all about it, and how to join in!

By the way, check out my blogoversary giveaway! All the details are here, and if you are interested in sharing some of your favourite holiday memories, songs, recipes, books, traditions etc, then please sign up to the Virtual Advent Tour.

Teaser Tuesday: A Duke of Her Own by Eloisa James

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week my teaser comes from page 128 of A Duke of Her Own by Eloisa James. This is the sixth and final book in the Desperate Duchesses series!

The Duke of Villiers. Age thirteen, going on ... forty.

Typical.

And now I am off to finish this book off!

Desperate Duchesses by Eloisa James

Welcome to a world of reckless sensuality and glittering sophistication . . . of dangerously handsome gentlemen and young ladies longing to gain a title . . . of games played for high stakes, including—on occasion—a lady's virtue. A marquess's sheltered only daughter, Lady Roberta St. Giles falls in love with a man she glimpses across a crowded ballroom: a duke, a game player of consummate skill, a notorious rakehell who shows no interest in marriage—until he lays eyes on Roberta. Yet the Earl of Gryffyn knows too well that the price required to gain a coronet is often too high. Damon Reeve, the earl, is determined to protect the exquisite Roberta from chasing after the wrong destiny. Can Damon entice her into a high-stakes game of his own, even if his heart is likely to be lost in the venture?

I struggle with Eloisa James. I know that I should love her books but a lot of the time I just don't. I have commented on this before so I guess the question that needs to be asked is just why do I keep reading her books. The short answer is that there are lots of things I do like about her writing, but then there are times that she just overcomplicates matters and loses me. As a result I hadn't read one of her books for nearly 18 months, but then I was sitting here the other day I was thinking why haven't I read any of the Desperate Duchesses books. Now I remember why!

In this book, the main couple are almost bit players as opposed to the main focus. There seems to be more focus on Jemma, Duchess of Beaumont. She has just returned from a self-imposed exile in France, much to the apprehension of her husband - a hard working politician who cannot afford a whif of scandal. He knows that Jemma lives a life filled with scandal. Also problematic is the fact that Jemma's brother has come to stay, bringing with him his illegitimate child.

With a house filling up rapidly with all sorts of barely acceptable characters, when Roberta turns up to stay uninvited because she wants to come out into society, the Duke warns his wife that there must be no more scandal. Roberta is a cousin to the Duchess and her brother (although somewhat distant! If my cousin five times removed (or seven...whichever it was) turned up and wanted to stay for a while I am not sure that I would be quite so pleased as Jemma appeared to be.

Roberta has decided that she wants to marry, and luckily she already know exactly who she wants to marry - the notorious Duke of Villiers. Much is made about the Duke's detachment so it is likely that Roberta may have chosen a very difficult target indeed. Jemma is though, a master at manipulating, so with her help perhaps it is not unattainable.

What gives this book a point of difference is the use of parlour games like chess and dominoes to help heighten the tension (sexual and otherwise) between our characters. It seems surprising today but in the Georgian era, playing chess was one of few ways for males and females to be together in an intimate setting without causing a scandal. Jemma loves chess and soon finds herself playing games with both her husband and Villiers.

It is obvious that the story of Jemma and her husband is going to be a story that arcs throughout the series in the same way as the story of Sebastian and Esme did in the Duchess Quartet. In that series, Sebastian and Esme's story was the one that I wanted most and the main couples in the books were there, but not as compelling, and so I do wonder though if James will manage to manage the balance between the individual romances in each book and the overarcing storyline.

I guess that part of the reason that this book didn't work as well as I would have liked for me was in the fact that I never felt like I understood exactly when Roberta fell in love with Damon. His attraction was more obvious than hers, but even whilst she is fooling around with Damon, she is still determined that she is in love with Villiers - goodness only knows why, but she had declared this on having spied the man across a crowded room once!

There are definitely some good things about this book - it is funny and there are some great individual scenes, but once again I put down the book thinking that I am not clever enough to GET this author.

Pleasure for Pleasure by Eloisa James

Normally I do try to write my thoughts without too many spoilers (note the way I say try!) but this time I am afraid I am not able! So.........spoilers galore below!

Fueled by the knowledge that notoriety is better than failure, witty, unconventional Josie does what no proper young lady should-she challenges fate. She discards her corset and flirts outrageously. She attends the horse races and allows an arrogant rakehell to whisk her behind the stables for a surreptitious kiss . . . and is caught!

She doesn't want to marry the young hellion-but who's to help? Her chaperone keeps disappearing for mysterious appointments; her guardian is on his wedding trip; and his friend the Earl of Mayne is too busy staring into the eyes of his exquisite French fiancée.

Can a marriage forced by stuffy convention and unwilling desire become the match of the season?

The fourth and final story in the Essex sisters series, following on from The Taming of the Duke. And here I am, saying oh dear, another Eloisa James novel that just didn't quite do it for me, for a few reasons. The thing with her novels is that I feel like I should like them a whole lot more than I do, and I don't know why I don't!

The youngest Essex sister has made her debut into the ton, but it hasn't exactly gone smoothly. She has been christened The Scottish Sausage, and the only people who are willing to dance with her are people who have been coerced into it by her friends and family. Finally convinced to rid herself of the terrible corset contraption that she had been wearing, Josie has decided that the best way to get herself a husband is to do something completely unorthodox, exactly as her sisters have done. With Mayne prepared to teach her how she should walk and talk, how could she go wrong. The fact that Mayne donned her dress in order to do so was somewhat strange, to this reader at least.

Anyhow, after a few different escapades everyone is off to the races, and Josie is waylaid by a scoundrel who really just wants to upset her more than anything. Things don't exactly go as plan and Mayne finds her in a dishevelled state in the stables. Thinking that she has been ravaged there is no option but to find her a husband and quickly, before there is a scandal. As to dealing with the scoundrel, well, Josie has that well in hand herself, but her close knit family also come to her defence.

So, first let's talk about Josie. I did like Josie. I understand her body image issues and her desperation to catch a husband. I liked that in the end she provided Mayne with the means to give his life some depth and meaning, although I do have to say that this story once again had too much horse stuff in it. I think that I said something similar about Much Ado About You. I like horses, but don't love them, and it was too much of a good thing IMO.

And now for Mayne. What to say about Mayne. Well let's start with...I was disappointed for him. Mayne has been a character in at least five of Eloisa James' books. His identity as a disaffected rake has been sculpted over a long period of time. He was also engaged to Josie's sister Tess, her other sister Imogen wanted to have an affaire with him, and there was something about him with Anabelle as well. So basically he has gone through all of the Essex sisters before getting to Josie......ewwww. And then there is the age difference. Josie is barely 18, and Mayne is much, much older. Even that is not an insurmountable obstacle really I guess. What I wanted for Mayne was a grand passion that swept him off of his feet, and I don't think that we really got that. Yes, the author tried to convince us that he did, but I just didn't feel it!

When we first meet Mayne in this book he is engaged to a beautiful French aristocrat, and seemingly madly in love with her. She is a little less besotted, and has some definite ideas of what is expected from the perfect husband. After a huge fight which Josie witnesses, the engagement is off, and that night Mayne marries Josie. Huh? There was very little build up in the relationship between Mayne and Josie, but very, very quickly it is supposed to appear as though Josie and Mayne are in love with each other.

What else? Well, there were some aspects that I did like in this story. I was so pleased that Mayne's sister Griselda finally got some action, and loved the secondary romance between her and Darlington. This isn't the first time that I have preferred the secondary romance in one of James' books, and I suspect it won't be the last time either!

Having said all of that, I was just sitting here flicking through the book to look for something, and I found a scene and read it again, and thought it was just lovely. I hope you aren't reading this wanting to know what I thought about this book because apparently I can't decide myself properly!

Oh, and in the Reader's section on her website, Eloisa James. has just put up an extra chapter to this book. To me it feels more like an epilogue to the whole series, but whatever you want to call it it was really nice. Made me cry my eyes out. And I was so glad that she chose not to make life for the four Essex sisters all sugar coated and perfect.

I do wonder if these extra chapters are a thing that she will continue. I did feel as though the extra chapter for Taming of the Duke should not have been necessary if the book itself had of been clearer about what happened where, but this one didn't feel necessary, just an added extra.

Wow...I've ended up writing quite a bit in this review. Not bad seeing as I am pretty torn between really liking parts of it, and really not feeling other parts!

Rating 3.5/5

The Taming of the Duke by Eloisa James

Eloisa James is Author of the Month in my Historical Romance group on Yahoo. This is the third book in the Essex sisters series following on from James, Eloisa - Kiss Me Annabel.

Imogen, Lady Maitland, has decided to dance on the wild side. After all, she's in the delicious position of being able to take a lover. A discreet male who knows just when to leave in the morning.

But Lady Maitland is still under the watchful eye of her former guardian, the wildly untamed Rafe, the Duke of Holbrook. He believes she is still in need of a "watchdog." She laughs at the idea that someone so insufferably lazy and devoted to drink can demand that she behave with propriety.

It's Rafe's long-lost brother, a man who looks precisely like the duke but with none of his degenerate edge, who interests Imogen. To Imogen, he's the shadow duke...the man who really should hold the title. But when Imogen agrees to accompany Gabe to a masquerade...whose masked eyes watch her with that intense look of desire? Who exactly is she dancing with? The duke or the shadow duke? Rafe...or Gabe?

Whilst I liked this book, I have to admit that I started reading the book with a pretty fixed idea that I wouldn't love it, based on everything that happened when the book came out.

The basic of the story is that Imogen is widowed, living at the home of the Duke of Holbrook who was her protector (she was his ward so I guess that is what you would call him) prior to her marriage. Imogen sets her mind on having an affair with the Dukes illegitimate brother who also lives there. The brother is not interested, but the Duke is so he meets her in disguise.

*****SPOILER******

The issue that came about when the book was released was...when did Imogen know which brother she was canoodling with. On her website the author has a spoiler trail which is supposed to help us see exactly when Imogen knew that it was the Duke, and she also wrote an extra chapter...but to me it wasn't really clear in the book, and it was kind of icky....she's messing around with one man, and thinking it was the other, until the Duke proposes and she says yes.


*****End Spoiler*****

The extra chapter on the author's site really helped, but my question is though - should it have been necessary. Surely the book should stand alone without there needing to be additional explanation on the author website?

The other thing was that there was a completely unnecessary epilogue in this one! Why do so many books have them when it really isn't necessary!

I guess the reason why I think that the epilogue was unnecessary is when you read the first chapter of Pleasure for Pleasure (the next book in this series) that she has up as an excerpt on her site, the first scene in that book is Rafe and Imogen's wedding! Why not just do an epilogue for the whole series at the end of Pleasure for Pleasure!

On the whole I enjoy Eloisa James's writing style, but sometimes she does things that are just not quite right. For example, in the next book, it appears as though Josie (so young she is not even out in society yet) ends up with Mayne. It maybe a few years down the track...or it may not be, but it seems to me that there is going to be quite a large difference in ages between the two of them. I guess I probably should not try to second guess but should just wait and see.

As for the characters, I had a bit of baggage as far as Imogen was concerned...I didn't really like her in the other books in the series, and that carried over into this book. Rafe was okay...a bit too easily in my opinion, but that is probably more about me than the writing.

There were some genuine moments of pleasure in this book - the scenes where Rafe and Imogen were sneaking off to the village to see the baudy singer and a play were extremely entertaining! I also liked the secondary romance between Rafe's brother and Gillian, who was engaged to Imogen's first husband before she eloped with him.

Overall, a patchy read. I know that I went in with preconceptions, and I will probably go into the next one with preconceptions as well, but not too bad in the end!

Rating 3.5/5

Your Wicked Ways by Eloisa James

This is the fourth book in the Duchess quartet following on from A Wild Pursuit.

Helene, the Countess Godwin, knows there is nothing more unbearably tedious than a virtuous woman. After all, she's been one for ten long years while her scoundrel of a husband lives with strumpets and causes scandal after scandal. So she decides it's time for a change -- she styles her hair in the newest, daring mode, puts on a shockingly transparent gown, and goes to a ball like Cinderella, hoping to find a prince charming to sweep her off her feet...and into his bed. But instead of a prince, she finds only her own volatile, infuriatingly handsome...husband, Rees, the Earl Godwin. They'd eloped to Gretna Green in a fiery passion, but passion can sometimes burn too hot to last.

But now, Rees makes her a brazen offer, and Helene decides to become his wife again...but not in name only. No, this time she decides to be very, very wicked indeed.

I think I remember reading somewhere that Eloisa James wrote this book due to popular demand. Now, I am not sure how true that is given that this book was published pretty soon after A Wild Pursuit, but in some ways it does feel a bit disconnected from the other books. In other ways it feels almost as connected to the current series as it was to the other Duchess books. Maybe it really is an in between book!

For me, the biggest down side of this book is that Esme and Sebastian's story that was interwoven within the previous three books was all resolved and so whilst they did make some appearances, they really seemed to me to be just there for the sake of it.

Anyway...about this book. Helene and Rees have been separated for years and she has basically had enough. She has decided that she no longer wants to have a pristine reputation, she is going to take matters into her own hands and find herself a man so that she can have a baby. She decides to revamp her look, and makes an appearance in society with scandalously short hair and dresses. Suddenly, there are suitors, most notably Mayne (who goes on to make a pivotal appearance in Much Ado About You)

All through this series, much has been made of the fact that Helene and Rees can't stand each other. So when Rees decides that if Helene is going to have a baby it might as well be his baby, it was quite surprising. Almost as surprising as the deal that Helene agrees to move back into his home even though his mistress was still going to be there, and slowly the feelings between the two spouses (does that make them spices?) starts to change.

Whereas in the other three books, Esme and Sebastian's story was woven into the background, this time it was the story of Rees' brother Tom and Rees' mistress Lina that provided the alternate story.

I felt that James had to work really hard to redeem Rees from the role that he had in the previous books, and also to suddenly make Helene so completely compelling that she would have two men who both wanted her so badly. She mostly succeeded, but for me the story was not one that captured my imagination in the way that I would have really liked.

Overall I enjoyed these books, and will be reading more by James, but I haven't been completely blown away by the ones in this series. I will need to go back and read the Pleasures trilogy and see how that one links into this series.

Rating 3.5/5

A Wild Pursuit by Eloisa James

The third book in the Duchess quartet, following on from Fool for Love.

It is whispered behind the fans of London's dowagers and in the corners of fashionable ballrooms that scandal follows willfully wild Lady Beatrix Lennox wherever she goes.

Three years before, the debutante created a sensation by being found in a distinctly compromising position. Now, the ton has branded her as unmarriageable, her family has called her a vixen, and Beatrix sees no reason not to go after what and who she wishes.

And she wants Stephen Fairfax-Lacy, the handsome Earl of Spade. Beatrix, with her brazen suggestions and irresistibly sensuous allure, couldn't be more different from the earl's ideal future bride. Yet Beatrix brings out a wildness in the earl he has tried to deny far too long. Still, he's not about to play love's game by Lady Beatrix's rules. She may be used to being on top in affairs of the heart, but that will soon change.

Lady Beatrix Lennox is now the companion to the aunt of Esme Rawlings who we met in the previous two books in this series. When Esme is approaching her time of confinement her aunt descends on her with all her people, and there is aimpromptutu house party. For all that Esme is trying to live a scandal free life for a change, having a house party during confinement is not really the done thing in the ton.

One of the people that Esme's aunt has invited is MP Stephen Fairfax-Lacy, with a view to marrying Esme off to him. There are, however, others who have ideas in relation to Mr Fairfax- Lacy, and before he knows it, he finds himself engaged to one woman, supposedly having an affair with another married woman, and desperately attracted to Beatrix. As for Beatrix, she is willing to have a short fling with him, but when he wants more from her, she is not sure that she can do that.

I had a few issues with this book. The first and most pressing is that I didn't really care about Stephen and Bea. I didn't really get the attraction between them, or feel it when they decided that they could have a HEA only with each other, although I did like the epilogue that had him defending her long lost honour. Strangely enough there were two epilogues in this book...something I don't think I have seen before. Anyway, I digress. The main reason why I didn't really care for Stephen and Bea was that I really wanted to read Esme and Sebastian's story. Their story has been interwoven in the three books of this series so far, and yet it is the story that has most captured my imagination and felt emotionally attached to.

The second issue I had relates to the virginity question.

******SPOILER ALERT******

Beatrix had been compromised at a very young age, and had gone on to be a scandalous persona within the ton, openly flaunting her body, and supposedly her affairs. For all that, she had only had 3 lovers which is fine, and with each of those it only happened once and she had never enjoyed the experience. However, when she finally makes love to Stephen Fairfax-Lacy, his heart sings because she really is a virgin in every sense of the word. HUH? Why would it be so bad for her not to be a virgin. I know that it is important at that time, but he knew that she had been compromised, and this time it was an opportunity for the female equivalent of a rake to be reformed by the love of a good man. Why couldn't it just have been left at that.

******SPOILER OFF******

I would have loved to have a book just for Sebastian and Esme. Sebastian's devotion to Esme was so heart rending, and for me I would have enjoyed this book much more if that had of been the main story. As it is, I have to take marks off because of Stephen and Bea and the virginity thing.

Rating 3.5/5

Fool for Love by Eloisa James

The second book in the Duchess series, following on from Duchess in Love. Due to the way that the stories of several of the characters intertwine their way throughout the first two books this review will include some small spoilers for Duchess in Love, but I have done my best to limit them.

The Woman
Lady Henrietta Maclellan longs for the romantic swirl of a London season. But as a rusticating country maiden, she has always kept her sensuous nature firmly under wraps -- until she meets Simon Darby. Simon makes her want to whisper promises late at night, exchange kisses on a balcony, receive illicit love notes. So Henrietta lets her imagination soar and writes…

The Letter
A very steamy love letter that becomes shockingly public. Everyone supposes that he has written it to her, but the truth hardly matters in the face of the scandal to come if they don't marry at once. But nothing has quite prepared Henrietta for the pure sensuality of…

The Man
Simon has vowed he will never turn himself into a fool over a woman. So, while debutantes swoon as he disdainfully strides past the lovely ladies of the ton, he ignores them all…until Henrietta. Could it be possible that he has been the foolish one all along?

It's interesting to me to see how these first two books link together, and then to wonder how the final two books will link together again as well. In the first book of the series, the main story was that of Gina and Cam, but in the background there were Carola and her husband Tuppy, Helene and her estranged husband and then Esme who during the course of a house party decides to reunite with her husband in order to provide him with an heir. In the meantime though she submits to her desire for Sebastian. When her husband dies, she is left pregnant, but doesn't know which of the two men could be the father, which brings us to the events in this book, and our hero, Esme's husband's heir Simon Darby. It is obvious that Esme is the centrepiece of this series, especially seeing as Gina and Cam barely rate a mention in this book!

Simon is sceptical that Esme and his uncle had reunited and therefore is concerned that if the child is a boy, then the title may be passed onto another man's child. He therefore decides to decamp to Esme's estate to see if he can figure out what went on before his uncle's death. Unfortunately, he has rather recently become the guardian of his two young stepsisters and therefore he has to bring them with them. The two girls are...well...painful. I don't normally mind much when there is kids in a romance but these two are not cute and adorable. The elder girl, Josie, throws tantrums all the time, and her favourite line is that she is a poor, motherless child. Abigail, the younger girl, is apparently less than a year old, makes her presence known by throwing up at the most inopportune moments on a regular basis. The author in her note talks about her own daughter who continued to throw up regularly until she was about twelve months old. Whilst I don't doubt the veracity of the condition, I don't want to read about it!

So anyway, when Simon meets Henrietta he can't believe that no-one else has snapped her up and married her before now, and given the attraction between them, and the fact that his mind has turned to marriage is a bonus. After being caught kissing Henrietta up against a carriage in public, Simon does the honourable thing and proposes marriage to her stepmother. However, she strongly suggests that Henrietta should not get married because with her disability of a weak hip, she would not be able to stand the rigours of the marriage bed, and would likely die from the perils of childbirth, as did her mother who shared her weakness of the hip.

Instead of accepting this as her fate, Henrietta arranges a plan with Esme where a letter that she wrote to herself pretending it was from Simon is read in a public dinner party, meaning that she is thoroughly compromised and there really was no choice but for Simon to marry Henrietta. Esme comes to the rescue with a contraceptive device that means that the lovebirds can have a normal relationship... thank goodness!

In the meantime, Esme has a new gardener who she is more familiar with than she should be, and the next book is set up to be her story. I can't wait to read it!

In terms of the characters, I didn't really feel as though I connected with Simon in particular. He was portrayed as a very fashionable man about town, with lace collars and sleeves, a man who is happy to be seen in salmon coloured breeches. Turns out he is the chief importer of lace into London, and whilst he is a bit of fop, he is also a very manly man! As for Henrietta...well, I am bit in two minds about her as well. Whilst she didn't just accept that she should be an unmarried woman which is admirable, her reaction in a couple of situations was verging on hysterical for want of a better word.

The fact of the matter is, that for me, I suspect that this book really is just the build up to the main course, which is Esme and Sebastian's story!

Rating 3.5/5

Duchess in Love by Eloisa James

The first in the Duchess series of books by Eloisa James.

A Duke in Retreat

Gina was forced into marriage with the Duke of Girton at an age when she'd have been better off in a schoolroom than a ballroom. Directly after the ceremony her handsome spouse promptly fled to the continent, leaving the marriage unconsummated and Gina quite indignant.

A Lady In the Middle

Now, she is one of the most well-known ladies in London... living on the edge of scandal -- desired by many men, but resisting giving herself to any one.

A Duchess in Love

Finally, Camden, the Duke of Girton, has returned home, to discover that his naïve bride has blossomed into the toast of the ton. Which leaves Cam in the most uncomfortable position of discovering that he has the bad manners to be falling in love -- with his own wife!

This book was almost a comedy caper. Gina is married to Cam who has in the past had several mistresses, but she is engaged to Sebastian who may or may not be interested in one of her friends who is married to a man who has a mistress. Passions become ignited as four of our main protaganists find themselves casts in the key roles in Much Ado About Nothing forcing them to spend time together.

Gina and her friends Esme, Carola and Helene are all married ladies, but theirs are no happy marriages. Esme's husband has a long standing mistress that all of the ton knows about, and Esme courts scandal by taking the occasional lover, although she does allow the ton to think that there are more than they are. At this time, Esme is often seen in the complany of a handsome but dim actor. Carola is estranged from her husband, having fled from him after just one month of marriage. She does however realised that she still loves him and she wants to get him back, but she has no idea how to go about this.

As for Gina, she has been married to Camden, Duke of Girton since before she was 12 years old. He scampered out the window minutes after their marriage and they have not seen each other since. She is now engaged to the priggish Sebastian, Marquess of Bonnington, who insists on being VERY proper at all times but now that Cam is back could it be that she is developing feelings for him?

Whilst this book is a lot of fun, there are a couple of things that I wasn't 100% sure about. Right at the end it still seemed as though neither Cam or Gina were aware of what was going on, with it even seeming as though Gina ends up married to someone else at very late points in the book. It also seemed as though there were too many different stories being told in one book. Having said that, I can't wait to read Esme's book which comes in the third book in the series! Can't wait! Can't wait! The strange thing is that this is a four book series with the next book being Cam's cousins story, then Esme's story and then Helene's story. The reason why this is strange is that Helene's link in this book is a bit more tenuous than the others. Maybe it will get stronger in the next two books. It does seem from the author's website that the fourth book was almost an after thought so it will be interesting to see if this is obvious.

Lots of fun, in a house party situation that allows for lots of opportunities for sneaking around.

Rating 4/5

Kiss Me Annabel by Eloisa James

The second book in James's Four Sisters series after Much Ado About You!

The RULES OF MARRIAGE...according to Miss Annabel Essex

A husband must be:

RICH.

Make that very rich. She's had enough of leaky roofs and thread-worn clothing.

ENGLISH.

London is the center of the civilized world, and Annabel has a passion for silk and hot water.

AMIABLE.

Good-looking would be nice, but not necessary. Same for intelligent.

Isn't she lucky? She's found just the man! And her chosen spouse is nothing like the impoverished Scottish Earl of Ardmore, who has nothing but his gorgeous eyes, his brain -- and his kisses -- to recommend him.

So what cruel twist of fate put her in a carriage on her way to Scotland with just that impoverished earl and all the world thinking they're man and wife? Sleeping in the same bed? Not to mention the game of words started by the earl -- in which the prize is a kiss. And the forfeit...

Well. They are almost married, after all!

Annabel Essex has one thing on her mind....marriage, but not just any marriage. She has a list of prerequisites, including that he must be wealthy, English and amiable. For she is determined not to ever have to keep the account books any longer, not to have to figure out how to provide for her family. She wants silk, jewels and more money than she knows what to do with! She is also determined that she will not be returning to Scotland. It doesn't matter to her if there is no passion within her marriage. She will do her duty by providing an heir and then the ever practical Annabel will take her pleasure where she can find it. Annabel has decided who the lucky man is to be. Now it is just a case of getting him to ask the question, so when an impoverished Scottish Earl starts showing an interest in her, she is definitely not interested.

Her sister Imogen, however, all but throws herself at Ewan, despite the fact that he is not interested causing scandal, but when Imogen realises that she may be getting in deeper than she really wants to be, she takes her sister and her chaperone to his hotel to see Ewan to tell him that she is no longer interested. Whilst they are there they are caught up in a robbery, and when Annabel raises the alarm to get assistance she is seen in Ewan's hotel room and thus is compromised. Because Ewan is a gentleman he has no choice but to offer for Annabel's hand in marriage, but instead of getting married that day, he proposes that they let everyone think that they have married, and travel to Scotland where they will be married for real. Along the way they engage in fun word games where the rewards are kisses, until kisses are no longer enough. When their carriage breaks an axle and they find themselves in a tiny village where only two people live, Ewan thinks it will be possible to show Annabel that it is possible to be poor but still happy, things do not exactly go to plan. In fact, in the end it seems that Ewan is the one who struggles most with their situation. Meanwhile, Annabel's sisters are plotting how they can save her from this marriage that she cannot possible want, and when that plan includes kidnapping Garrett Mayne and forcing him to travel to Scotland with them, well, there's nothing wrong with that either.

Annabel does have her moments where she can be a little irritating, but overall she was a pretty strong character who knows what she wants, and when she gets more than she wants, can't believe her luck.

Ewan is a fantastic hero. Whilst he does have some secrets in his past, and he does hold himself somewhat aloof from people, he is not the typical tortured alpha hero who can only be redeemed by the love of Annabel. He is a man who takes care of his own responsibilities, and some that are not his responsibility as well. He is a man of honour, and integrity and I liked him a lot!

I really liked this book, a lot more than Much Ado About You. I think there are a couple of reasons that I liked it so much more, the first being that it was nowhere near as horse oriented as the first book was. Yes, the fact that Annabel's dowry is a horse was mentioned, and yes there were still references to horse racing but it seemed much more balanced within the story this time. The other reason I really liked this book is that, yes, they were compromised and therefore were on their way to Scotland in a carriage to be married, but there was no instant marriage and then getting to know each other here. Yes, Ewan had the special license ready to go, but instead we have a physical journey to Scotland, where they had put in close proximity to each other, and with a period of courting as they get to know each other and build their emotional connection further. I really enjoyed the kissing game that they played and the building of the sexual tension between Ewan and Annabel. It gave a level of innocence and intimacy between the two that developed throughout the book building beautifully to the conclusion of the book.

In the background we have the developing relationship between Annabel's sister Imogen and the worn out rake, Garrett Mayne which would appear to have been intended as building up to the next book in the series (Taming of the Duke). And yet, we know that whilst Imogen does feature in the next book, Garrett is not her hero. Knowing this now, I can see, however, how the groundwork was also being laid for the future relationship between Imogen and her future hero, Rafe, as well. It will be interesting to see what, if anything, the future holds for Garrett.

Can't wait to try and get hold of the third book in the series.

Rating 4.5/5

Much Ado About You by Eloisa James

This is my first full length Eloisa James novel, although I have had her on my TBR list for a while. The only previous work I have read from her is a novella in the anthology The One That Got Away.

When you're the oldest daughter, you don't get to have any fun!

Witty, orphaned Tess Essex faces her duty: marry well and marry quickly, so she can arrange matches for her three sisters -- beautiful Annabel, romantic Imogen and practical Josie. After all, right now they're under the rather awkward guardianship of the perpetually tipsy Duke of Holbrook. But just when she begins to think that all might end well, one of her sisters bolts with a horse-mad young lord, and her own fiance just plain runs away.

Which leaves Tess contemplating marriage to the sort of man she wishes to avoid -- one of London's most infamous rakes. Lucius Felton is a rogue whose own mother considers him irredeemable! He's delicious, Annabel points out. And he's rich, Josie notes. But although Tess finally consents to marry him, it may be for the worst reason of all. Absurd as she knows it to be, she may have fallen utterly in love...

When Tess Essex and her three younger sisters Annabel, Imogen and Josephine are sent to live with their new ward, Rafe, Duke of Holbrook, he has no idea that they are in fact lovely, full grown women who will not need a nursery full of toys and nursemaids, but that they will need to have a chaperone and have husbands found for them. Annabel has set her sights on a title, Imogen is obsessed with the Duke's neighbour Lord Maitland (despite the fact that he is already betrothed to another), and Josie is sitting this season out whilst she is properly schooled by a hastily employed governess, leaving Tess as the first girl to be matched off. Luckily there are two VERY eligible men staying at Holbrook Court Mayne and Lucius Felton. Whilst Garrett Langham, Earl of Mayne is titled and every inch the rake, Lucius is a self made man who made his money gambling on stocks and in horse racing. When it is revealed that the dowry for each of the girls is to be a prime racehorse Mayne jumps at the opportunity to court Tess, and yet it is the stolen kisses with Lucius that make Tess heart pound.

When Imogen rather impulsively elopes with Draven, Lord Maitland, it is agreed that in order to save a scandal and not harm the marriage chances of the other Essex sisters, Tess is going to have to marry and marry quickly. When Mayne appears to do a runner on the morning of the hastily arranged wedding, Lucius calmly steps in and marries Tess, determined that being married will make no difference to his lifestyle particularly after he ensures that Tess knows her place in his home and his affections. Tess is confused by the man who is distant and aloof during the day but then a very attentive husband at night, yet come morning he has always left her side and reverted to his daytime persona.

When a tragedy occurs, it is to Lucius that Tess turns for support and strength and gradually they both begin to realise that they both feel more for each other than they are letting on and have done for quite some time.

Character wise, Tess was an okay heroine, but not spectacular. As for Lucius, it was only after I finished reading the book and I was checking out Eloisa James' website that I realised that I had actually met Lucius previously in the The One That Got Away anthology that I read in February. I have to say that I did not even recognise Lucius as the character from that novella, so much so that I actually went back and read the novella again. Now I am not sure what that says as Ms James as an author, me as a reader or Lucius as a character, but after rereading the novella I thought that there were glimpses of the Lucius in Much Ado About You (mainly in his aloofness and his impeccable breeding) but that is all. Even the type of business that he is involved in didn't sound the same. Only the horseracing connection remained.

It also bothers me that the blurb from the back of the book (above) makes Lucius sound as though he is an irredeemable rake and yet I am not sure that that is the picture that we are presented with in the book. Yes, there is no doubt that he has had improper relationships in the past, but not so many as to have a reputation as a rake. In fact I had the impression that he was completely aloof from most of society, and whilst some mother's might have set their caps on him as a potential son-in-law, most left well enough alone. As for the line about his mother considers him an irredeemable rogue, the whole explanation of why that was left me feeling rather unsatisfied.

Much is made in the afterword about the fact that this series is supposed to be a celebration of the relationships between the sisters. At the beginning of the book I would agree that there is a closeness between them but this seems to have unravelled for me even before the big tragedy that appears to tear two of the sisters apart. Imogen was so fixated on marrying Draven that there appeared to be little else to say about her, and as for Josie, she was relegated to the schoolroom, and to constantly telling the sisters that her governess would not approve of this or that.

Last word goes to the Epilogue....can anyone tell me why it is necessary to have an epilogue to tell us that they had children and still loved each other momentously after several years of marriage.....of course they did! Sometimes it doesn't bother me much, but this time it really did!

There were several amusing episodes in this novel including one of the earliest scenes where Rafe realises that the young ladies he is now ward of are not in fact young children, and theffortsds of Lord Maitland's fiancee to free herself from her betrothal(which gave Ms James opportunity to show her literary background), these were unfortunately voided by long passages relating to horses and their care. Whilst I like horses well enough, this book was way too horsey by far for my liking, and it will affect my enjoyment if this continues throughout the series.

Overall, not great, but with glimpses into why Eloisa James seems to be so popular - enough to have me checking out at least one more book. I already have Duchess in Love here to be read from the library so we will have to wait and see how we go with that one!

Rating 3.5/5

The One That Got Away - Anthology

I originally picked this anthology up for two reasons. The first was that it was part of a three pack that was being sold at a great price and the second was that it included a story by Liz Carlyle. I have really enjoyed just about everything I have read by Carlyle and so I am trying now to get hold of whatever I can of hers. The fact that the anthology included a story by Eloisa James, who I really want to read one of these days, also helped. Other authors included in the anthology are Victoria Alexander and Cathy Maxwell.

The first entry was The Trouble with Charlotte by Victoria Alexander. The story opens with an epilogue in which we have Marcus, Earl of Pennington telling his mate Reggie a story about how he almost had his heart broken. The story that he tells is that involving Charlotte Robb, widow of Captain Hugh Robb. Charlotte and Hugh were married very young, and were very passionate and volatile together. After each accusing the other of cheating, Hugh storms off having purchased himself a commission in the Army. A year later he is dead. During her widowhood Charlotte let it be known that she was indeed a very merry widow, with numerous men friends, when in fact, whilst she had been very chaste (of course!). After 7 years of widowhood she is just getting to the point where she is thinking that maybe being married to Marcus wouldn't be terrible when her dead husband turns up on her doorstep. Having been terribly injured during a battle, he had suffered amnesia (of course!) and had been living a completely different life, where it is assumed that he had not been as chaste (of course!). Now that he is back, he wants to make amends to the ton and recommence his life with his wife who he now values more than life itself (of course!). Marcus finds himself in the middle of the two of them, helping them find out that they still loved each other desperately, and always had done (of course!). Whilst this story was rather uninspired I would like to find and read Marcus' story as I liked him as a character. Rating 3/5.

The first story that I read was Much Ado About Twelfth Night by Liz Carlyle, Edward, the new Marquess of Rythorn is trying to keep the walls from literally falling down around him after inheriting property but not much money from his dead brother. Long before becoming a Marquess he had proposed to the lovely Sophie, but she had turned him down flat, assuming that he had only asked her to marry him out of duty, not out of love and devotion. Sophie has come to ... with a plan of her own, and that is to convince him to sell her Twelfth Night, a champion racehorse. Throw into the mix, Edward's flirty cousin Oliver, and another racing family who are all trying to do the same, overheard conversations about bloodlines and breeding possibilities and misunderstandings abound. I actually quite enjoyed this story. Rating 4/5

Next up was Eloisa James' A Fool Again. Lady Genevieve Mulcaster had rather impetuously run off with Tobias Darby to Gretna Green only 3 hours of meeting him. Fortunately her father had caught up with him before they made it as far as the border, but not before she had been deflowered by Tobias (well, twice actually!). She was promptly married off to Lord Mulcaster, a much older skinflint who was less than generous with his generous young bride. This habit continues after his death, when the terms of his will revealed that his widow must marry one of his two business partners within two years of his death or forfeit her inheritance. One of the two is a doddery old man, the other is Mr Felton, handsome but aloof. Of course, there is no other choice than Mr Felton, until that is Tobias Darby reenters Genevieve's life! Can Tobias convince her that his place is with her, and can he convince Mr Felton to drop his claim to the lovely Genevieve. This was another good read with a nice use of a fair which enabled us to have a change of scenery from the usual ballrooms and grand houses usually associated with romances of this period.

The final story was Nightingale by Cathy Maxwell. We meet Dane Pendleton as he is updating his Last Will and Testament, for the next morning he is to fight to the death with Cris Carson, Lord Whiting, who happen to be the brother of the only woman he had ever loved, Jemma. The Carson family is down on it's luck and is fast losing hold of all it's possession. When Jemma comes to beg for Dane to swear off the duel, the inducement that she gives him is herself - not the first time she has been forced into this kind of situation to save her family from trouble! Dane's heart was broken when she agreed to marry another, and when Jemma confirms that it was her choice, but that she had done it for the good of her family, you know that he will forgive her eventually. I didn't mind Dane as a character but Jemma was amazingly slow in realising that her family constantly just used her to get whatever they wanted. She had even manipulated into this situation, but luckily all's well that ends well! Rating 3/5

Overall, I enjoyed the Carlyle and the James, didn't mind the Alexander, but didn't really like the Maxwell story. I don't recall having read many anthologies, and I must say that this hasn't inspired me to rush out and get more. I think I like the full story to have the drama develop and watch the romance gather pace!

Total rating 3.5/5