The Lord & the Wayward Lady (Louise Allen)

Title: The Lord and the Wayward Lady
Author: Louise Allen
Copyright: 2010 (Harlequin); 283 pgs.
ISBN: 978-0-373-29596-8
Series: Harlequin Historical #996; Regency Silk & Scandal #1
Sensuality: Warm
Genre: Historical Romance

The Lord and the Wayward Lady is the first book in a multi-authored, Regency series from Harlequin. Two of my favorite Harlequin Historical authors, Louise Allen and Christine Merrill, wrote books for this series. The over-arching plot deals with uncovering the truth behind the murder of a nobleman, and whether or not the man hanged for the crime was actually guilty — and who was the true murderer if he was innocent.

The long-buried scandal comes to forefront again when Nell Latham delivers a package meant for the Earl of Narborough. The earl was a friend to both the victim and the man who was accused. Since the murder took place in his garden, and he saw one friend standing over the body of the other, the earl’s testimony helped seal his fate. Even so, he has had to live with the possibility that he may have sent an innocent man to the gallows.

Nell had no idea what was in the package, nor did she know the identity of the earl. More precisely, she didn’t know the family name. Her mother had long taught her to hate the name of Carlow. Marcus Carlow, Viscount Stanegate, blames Nell for his father’s turn of health. He knows she’s hiding something, even if she’s as innocent as she claims to be. Nell can’t tell him the truth because he’ll never believe she was an unwitting pawn in the intrigue.

Comments:
A good start to the series. Ms. Allen sets the stage with Marcus and Nell. Because of the number of players and story lines this series will have, if you plan to it, it would be a good a idea to keep track of who’s who and how they’re related.

Though Ms. Allen is one of my favorite Harlequin Historical authors, I haven’t read one of her books since 2007. I’ve liked her heroines because she usually writes strong, rational females. Nell is no exception. She’s a survivor, in a sense. Both her parents are dead, the family disgraced and what money they had ran out. Nell has no idea what happened to her brother and sister — Nathan disappeared and they lost with Rosalind. Nell has to make her way as best she can. She has no illusions that she’ll have to work for a living for the rest of her life.

Marcus was a little frustrating. Wants her to trust him, but wont give her the same courtesy. Plus, he’s a bit of a bully at first– used to getting his own way and refused nothing. He gets along well with his younger siblings, cares deeply for his parents, and has a friendly relationship with his sisters’ companion, Diana Price — his ally when it comes to the management of Lady Honoria and Lady Verity. His declaration of love to Nell is reminiscent of Darcy’s initial confession to Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice — and goes just as badly.

I want to comment on the series North American covers: I love what Harlequin has done with this mini-series. I really like how Nell’s yellow gown stands out against the purple background.

Start: 25 January 2011
Finished: 30 January 2011

Rating:

Enjoyed it!

Disclaimer: I purchased this book.

This is the first time I’m participating in this meme. Really, I was just looking for an excuse to post the book cover! I haven’t started reading this multi-author series, Silk and Scandal, but I love what Harlequin has done with the covers. His coat really stands out. Looking at the covers, I almost believe I could reach out and touch the fabric and it would feel like silk. The author is also one of my favorite Harlequin Historical writers.

The Officer and the Proper Lady (Louise Allen)

Title: The Officer and the Proper Lady
Author: Louise Allen
Release Date: December 2010 (Harlequin)
ISBN: 978-0-373-29620-0
Series: Harlequin Historical #1020
Genre: Historical Romance — Regency

From the Back: Major Hal Carlow was a fine soldier, but he was also a flirt, a rake and a scoundrel! In general, he tried to steer clear of proper young ladies—no fun at all—and spend time with the sort of women who appreciated his finer qualities….

Miss Julia Tresilian’s duty was to find a husband, but her prospective suitors bored her to tears. Yet even talking to the incorrigible Hal Carlow was dangerous to her marriage prospects, let alone anything more….

What book are you eagerly waiting for?

Moonlight and Mistletoe

Where & When: Regency England; December 1814
Who: Hester Lattimer and Guy Westrope, Earl of Buckland

Summary (back blurb): Local ghost stories would not scare Hester from her new house —- especially not at Christmas! Though her heart told her to trust the mysterious earl, she knew she had to be wary. Even if Guy as not behind the strange events, letting him get too close would inevitably reveal her scandalous past!

Comments: I chose this book because I had enjoyed two other books written by Ms. Allen. Her heroines are usually rational women and her heroes are usually strong without being too Alpha: they aren’t afraid to admit they’ve made a mistake.

Hester is impetuous and kind-hearted young woman. She bought Moon House after seeing it only once, when she passed through the village of Winterbourne St. Swithin. She is determined to make it a home and establish herself respectfully in the neighborhood. Her household consists of Susan, her housemaid; Miss Maria Prudhome, her companion/chaperone; and Jethro Ackland, her teenage butler/groom. They no sooner arrive at their new home when Hester is called upon by the Earl of Buckland

Guy is interested in Moon House. He learned, too late, that it was on the market. He has come to Winterbourne St. Swithin with the hope of persuading the new owner to sell it to him. Hester refuses, of course. Guy won’t tell her why he’s interested in the house, and he is not discouraged by her answer either. He doesn’t get far into his campaign to change her mind when strange things begin to happen at Moon House. Before long, Guy, Hester, and her household are working together to solve the mystery and expose the guilty party. Guy also comes to realize that he’s more interested in courting Hester than trying to persuade her to sell the house. He’s falling in love.

Hester is also attracted to him but is hesitant to encourage it, due to the undeserved smear on her reputation. Guy’s initial reaction to the rumors regarding her past gives her the impression that he believes them instead of trusting in her. Hester refuses to explain the situation to a man who claims to love her one moment, but then doesn’t trust her the next. Guy quickly realizes that he blundered and must convince her he loves her, despite the rumors.

Though the story is set in December, the primary focus is on the mystery and not the holiday season. I thought it was obvious who the guilty party was and how the culprit was getting into the house to cause mischief. The “why” of Guy’s interest in the house, and the motive for “ghostly” activity were easy to guess if you paid attention to the clues. I enjoyed the book. There were some cute moments and Guy could be witty at times.

Favorite Quotes:
“Your clothes must be filthy.”
“My valet sent me out in my second-best housebreaking outfit.”
– Hester, Guy

Guy suppressed a smile. The automatic reaction of the household to any emergency appeared to be to put the kettle on.
– Guy’s observation of Hester’s staff

“I must win some sort of prize for the most wretchedly timed proposal ever. You are cold, shaken, hurt and we are standing in a filthy barn at midnight. I think I must take you home, call again and attempt to do this once more in form.”
– Guy

Started: 13 November 2007
Finished: 30 November 2007

Enjoyed it!

Rating:

The Society Catch

Author: Louise Allen
ISBN: 0-373-29409-3 (Harlequin Historical – Regency)
Finished: 1 April 2007
Who: Miss Joanna Fulgrave and Colonel Gregory Giles

From the back: Miss Joanna Fulgrave has turned herself into the perfect society catch to be worthy of dashing Colonel Giles Gregory. But all her hard effort to improve herself comes to nothing when it looks as if Giles is about to propose to someone else. Deciding that bad behavior is infinitely more attractive than perfection, Joanna flees her shocked family. Giles is hot on her trail, determined to catch her and bring her safely home.

I enjoyed Ms. Allen’s previous Harlequin Historical, The Earl’s Intended Wife (793), very much and I hoped this one would be just as enjoyable. Though there where a few things I thought were far-fetched, I could easy overlook them because the over all story held my interest.

Joanna’s best-laid plans fall apart when she believes the man she’s in love with is going to propose to another woman. The shock is so great that Joanna throws away her status as the perfect debutante and behaves recklessly, much to the consternation of her parents. For nearly two Seasons, they’ve stood by as Joanna rejected suitors with very little explanation. Rufus Carstairs, Earl of Clifton, has expressed his desire to court Joanna and is even willing to overlook her behavior. Joanna won’t have him. Her parents, pushed to the end of their patience, decide to pack her off to Bath and elderly relative — instead of joining the family in Brighton — until she comes to her senses and agrees to marry Clifton. So Joanna does the only thing she thinks she can do: she runs away.

Colonel Gregory has a lot on his mind and is completely unaware that he’s the man who broke Joanna’s heart. He’s in London with plans to cash out of the army and return to his family estate to help his father, who’s health isn’t as good as it should be. The woman Joanna thinks he’s in love with is an old family friend. And though he does love her, it’s platonic. He’s trusted by her family and it’s understood that there is nothing serious between the pair. However, to a causal and uninformed observer, it appears that there is an understanding between them. Giles is visiting Alex and Hebe (the couple from The Earl’s Intended Wife) when Mrs. Fulgrave comes to the earl for help in locating Joanna. Since Hebe is very pregnant, Giles is dispatched to retrieve the runaway.

I liked Joanna and Giles. Though she ran away, she wasn’t a flighty character; just a heartbroken girl needing some time to think without pressure from her parents to marry. Giles was a nice guy, trustworthy, kind, and the perfect hero who rides to the rescue. I was disappointed with the author for including a scene almost similar to the one in The Earl’s Intended Wife, where the hero takes unwitting advantage of the heroine. The reader already knows that Giles has fallen for Joanna and we also know that Joanna thinks that Giles desires Lady Suzanne, so the scene was unnecessary. Fortunately, the scene did not go as far as the scene between the delirious Alex and Hebe.

Liked A Lot

The Earl's Intended Wife

ISBN: 0-373-29393-3 (Harlequin Historical – Regency)
Finished: 13 September 2006
Who: Hebe Carlton and Major Alex Beresford, 4th Earl of Tasborough

From the back: Hebe Carlton had little idea of her own charm until Major Alex Beresford arrived on the island of Malta. She made no attempt to cast out lures and treated him with warm practicality, showing an insight and ability to read him that few others had managed. His attentions made Hebe blossom, and her stepmother began to entertain hopes of a wedding. Then a letter arrived for Alex. The proposal of marriage he’d made to another before ever meeting Hebe had been accepted at last. He should be happy. . . But now Alex could only contemplate marrying one person — and it wasn’t his betrothed.

Hebe is no diamond of the first water. Orphaned and living with her widowed stepmother on Malta, Hebe is everyone’s friend. She isn’t out to snare a husband and she doesn’t excite the interest of the officers of the Royal Navy or Army. That is, until she meets Major the Honorable Alex Beresford, second son of the 3rd Earl of Tasborough.

Alex is no rake. An Army intelligence officer, he makes his first appearance in Hebe’s home bone weary, having just arrived from a mission. He isn’t in the mood to be charming to a young, and he assumes, marriage-minded miss. He is surprised, therefore when Hebe arranges for him to have an afternoon nap in the garden.

The author packs a lot in a short book. She tries to make every scene count. When Hebe and Alex are tossed overboard and washed ashore in France, she prudently decides not to make their trip one near miss after another and fraught with danger. Instead, she develops the characters. Hebe is resourceful in a crisis. She dresses Alex’s saber wound, and the author ups the stakes by making Alex susceptible to a marsh fever when exposed to prolong cold or wet. He gets them to a shepherd’s hut before succumbing.

A delirious Alex takes advantage of Hebe while they are hiding from the French. Hebe believes Alex thinks she’s Clarrisa, the woman he’s betrothed to. Though the experience is painful, Hebe is quick to realize that part of her didn’t want him to stop. She loves him. As for Alex, he awakes from his fever with a vague memory of the incident, but she convinces him that he was dreaming. Since neither has revealed their loved to the other, more misunderstandings ensue. However, the truth finally comes to light and they have their happily ever after.

I like how the author decided not to make Anna a former lover or mistress of Alex’s. She makes it very clear that Anna and Alex are friends because of Anna’s late husband, and there was never anything between the major and his sergeant’s wife.

Shout out to Jane Austen: Hebe is seen reading both Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice.

One pet peeve: Anna, a Spanish lady who confesses that she doesn’t read English very well, points out the newspaper’s death notice of the Earl Tasborough to Hebe.

The book also introduces, very briefly, the couple of the author’s next book. Hebe’s cousin, Joanna Fulgrave and Major Gregory, friend and groomsman of Alex.

Liked A Lot