Practice to Deceive

Rating:
Summary: Veryan fan for last couple of years
Review: Again, like The Dedicated Villain (which I read first, having had access to it first), this Veryan, unlike MOST of her other books, has a really BAD salacious passage in it, with Roland Otton grabbing Penelope's aunt's breast and having at it, which I think Veryan should have a little more sense of delicacy about her Christian readership and think that she could get the sense of seduction, etc across without resorting to graphic detail like most hack authors have to today - the really great authors, like Austen, whom these regency writers purport to look up to, don't resort to such lurid details! Truly, I was disappointed to have to deal with this, and a couple other slightly less salacious passages, though without the graphic details, to deal with - I have been a fan of Veryan because mostly I haven't had to deal with that sort of thing in my reading, which I really don't want to as a Christian. Other than that, the book is up to her usual standards of good writing - this one and the Dedicated Villain of all of hers that I have read so far have been the biggest disappointment to me because of the unnecessarily graphic sexual details - though admittedly she's G rated compared to most authors today!

Rating:
Summary: practice to deceive
Review: In this Georgian romance, Penelope Delavale and Quentin Chandler must evade not only the Duke of Cumberlands vicious men, but her ruthless uncle who is after her brother's title and fortune. They must deliver a cipher to protect the defeated bonny Prince Charles' secret supporters. There's life and death adventure, but humor as well...and of course, romance. Patricia Verlan is a gifted writer and it is evident that she is a first-class researcher..both in history and swordplay. After you've read all six of the Golden Chronicles, please go on the Riddle series. You won't regret one minute.

Rating:
Summary: Veryan fan for last couple of years
Review: Setting - England 1746 - The deciding battle of Culloden has crushed Bonnie Prince Charlie's hopes and now his loyal followers and fellow Jacobite rebels are being hunted down and slaughtered. The treasure of funds that had been collected but never delivered to Prince Charles has been hidden and there are six pieces of a puzzling code that will tell where the treasure is hidden and whom the donors were. At the center of this violent and terrible storm, where greed and power rise above mans humanity towards one another is the very lovely Penelope Montgomery. She lives in the home that would have been her brothers had not he been reported killed as one more casualty of war. She is now a virtual prisoner of her scheming uncle and beautiful but cruel wife and is shocked to discover that her uncle has plotted with one of his cohorts to gift her in marriage to Captain Roland Otton, whose handsome and pleasant countenance could not negate the fact that he was as ruthless as he was handsome.

Quentin Chandler had stolen Penelope's heart years before and she still dreamed he would one day ride up and be her knight in shining armor. Hearing of the betrothal, and rushing into her uncle's study to argue that he could not betroth her to such a villain as Otton, she stumbled upon her uncle and his henchman torturing a man. Though the man was bloodied, bruised, and filthy once he turned to face her, she was shocked to discover that it was Quentin. She knew that she had to save him in order to save herself and with a little bit of help from an unexpected source, would affect an escape. While she was risking her life hiding and nursing him back to health she would be overjoyed to hear him tell her that he loved her --- just like the sister he never had!!!! Well that had to change!

This was an exciting and heart stopping adventure and romance all rolled into one with some of the most original funny dialogs and situations that this talented author can commit to paper. There are just so many wonderful characters that simply spring to life in this marvelous tale along with a `wacky canary' that make this story so good. Penelope is so brave and Quentin is so vastly imaginative when it comes to getting out of tight spots. One of the more amusing dialogs takes place as Quentin, disguised as an old man, explains the `secret' of his young looking hands to a suspicious sergeant - very creative and terribly funny but you have to read it to appreciate it! This is definitely a book for the lover of historical romances. Writing without steamy and explicit love scenes your imagination will soar in this fast paced tale with the writing of this estimable author. I am so looking forward to reading the next books in this early Georgian series of THE GOLDEN CHRONICLES.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Beginning to Golden Chronicle Series
Review: Setting - England 1746 - The deciding battle of Culloden has crushed Bonnie Prince Charlie's hopes and now his loyal followers and fellow Jacobite rebels are being hunted down and slaughtered. The treasure of funds that had been collected but never delivered to Prince Charles has been hidden and there are six pieces of a puzzling code that will tell where the treasure is hidden and whom the donors were. At the center of this violent and terrible storm, where greed and power rise above mans humanity towards one another is the very lovely Penelope Montgomery. She lives in the home that would have been her brothers had not he been reported killed as one more casualty of war. She is now a virtual prisoner of her scheming uncle and beautiful but cruel wife and is shocked to discover that her uncle has plotted with one of his cohorts to gift her in marriage to Captain Roland Otton, whose handsome and pleasant countenance could not negate the fact that he was as ruthless as he was handsome.

Quentin Chandler had stolen Penelope's heart years before and she still dreamed he would one day ride up and be her knight in shining armor. Hearing of the betrothal, and rushing into her uncle's study to argue that he could not betroth her to such a villain as Otton, she stumbled upon her uncle and his henchman torturing a man. Though the man was bloodied, bruised, and filthy once he turned to face her, she was shocked to discover that it was Quentin. She knew that she had to save him in order to save herself and with a little bit of help from an unexpected source, would affect an escape. While she was risking her life hiding and nursing him back to health she would be overjoyed to hear him tell her that he loved her --- just like the sister he never had!!!! Well that had to change!

This was an exciting and heart stopping adventure and romance all rolled into one with some of the most original funny dialogs and situations that this talented author can commit to paper. There are just so many wonderful characters that simply spring to life in this marvelous tale along with a 'wacky canary' that make this story so good. Penelope is so brave and Quentin is so vastly imaginative when it comes to getting out of tight spots. One of the more amusing dialogs takes place as Quentin, disguised as an old man, explains the 'secret' of his young looking hands to a suspicious sergeant - very creative and terribly funny but you have to read it to appreciate it! This is definitely a book for the lover of historical romances. Writing without steamy and explicit love scenes your imagination will soar in this fast paced tale with the writing of this estimable author. I am so looking forward to reading the next books in this early Georgian series of THE GOLDEN CHRONICLES.

Rating:
Summary: practice to deceive
Review: This book is an exciting beginning to an excellent series (The Golden Chronicles). It has it all--mystery, suspense, humor, a sophisticated heroine, a noble hero, and of course, romance. This series takes place in Regency England and surrounding countries. This is a must-read for romance/suspense fans!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent all around!
Review: This book is an exciting beginning to an excellent series (The Golden Chronicles). It has it all--mystery, suspense, humor, a sophisticated heroine, a noble hero, and of course, romance. This series takes place in Regency England and surrounding countries. This is a must-read for romance/suspense fans!

Rating:
Summary: Read this book and the serise!
Review: Wonderful as always! Please do yourself a favour and read this book!