Rating: 
Summary: Not Up To Dodd's Par
Review: As a fervent fan of Christina Dodd, I was heartily disappointed with the pacing and storyline here.The plot points are a bit thin, and for the first time in my recollection, so are the characters. Maddie is stumbling around being pompous and self-righteous, refusing to use common sense logic in the listening to the reason's behind his gambling, much less bothering to take note that he's stopped... *Yawn*. The usual humor and candor of the characters was missing, and frankly, the love scenes were dry. But MOST of all, the abrupt ending was irritating, and though I can only assume that this is a launch to a sequel, I felt jilted at the end with relatively little closure of the situation/adventure. Read as if Ms. Dodd churned this out in an afternoon, leaving open threadlines, mistaken clues, and diluted dialogue. Boo. Still a fan to the end, but truly was disappointed in this unmemorable adventure.
Rating:
Summary: What a disappointment!
Review: As a HUGE fan of Christina's books, I was very disappointed with this one. It was the first Christina Dodd book which took an effort to finish (usually I gobble them up in one sitting). All of the wit and charm of the "Governess" series was missing here. I found the main characters unlikeable (except perhaps to each other), and the plot line was ludicrous and unbelievable even by the standards of romance fiction. Like the reader above, I thought the quality of the editing was lacking as well. I actually checked the publishing date to see if it was perhaps a reissue of an early book, as the writing seemed very amateurish in comparison to her other books. On the plus side, the love scenes were fun to read, though it's not enough to allow me to recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: A diverting read with 2 excellent secondary characters
Review: Both characters have a lot of leftover pain from their broken engagement; that drives much of their interaction and, therefore, some of the plot. Madeline doesn't trust Gabriel, thinks he's too much like her gambling, undependable father. He wants to make her admit that, make her admit the pain her father has caused her, admit her love for him, and gain her trust. He doesn't always do that well as he uses her attrraction for him against her. Madeline wants to control him, so Gabriel keeps trying to control her, to force her to give up control. Thus, their interaction is not always pretty. They are two very strong personalities who have to find a way to trust each other and to form a partnership, a give-and-take relationship. The young but wise Thomasin and the misogynistic valet MacAllister are superb secondary characters and are often the ones to get through Madeline's thick skull. Rumbelow is your usual brilliant-but-slimy villain who finally fails due to his own hubris. The Game of the Century was not particularly exciting; only the question of whether Madeline would finally trust Gabriel made it truly interesting. Warning: This book ends with a cliff-hanger, setting up the sequel, One Kiss From You.
Rating:
Summary: The stars are for Gabriel!!
Review: Christina Dodd is an automatic buy for me, but I have to say I was disappointed with this book. I just didn't like the heroine, Madeline. I never warmed up to her. She seemed spoiled and shrewish and I don't think she deserved the hero. Dodd's characters are usually so likable and really pull you into the book. I enjoyed all of her books that I have read, especially the anthology Once Upon a Pillow. I will read Dodd again and am looking forward to the next book with Eleanor and Mr. Knight. I just hope she is more likable than Madeline de Lacy!
Rating:
Summary: Novelty--a disappointing Dodd
Review: Dodd's 'Rules of...' series was my introduction to this author. They were so good I got a couple other of her books. Scandalous Again does not live up to this author's output. Three stars is because I expected more of her. If this were her first book, it would be a 4-star effort. It has characters and plot with potential, but is not as entertaining,well paced, or well written as her usual output. The plot has some serpentine twists, including the final twist, which seemed unnecessary. It ends abruptly, with promise of a sequel, but I question whether the sweet cousin is a strong enough character to warrant a story of her own. Her sudden, brief transformation in the short excerpt where she plays the part of the duchess is not particularly credible. To be fair, authors who put out as many stories as Dodd, and write around a host of similarly prolific romance writers must find it frustrating to come up with something new for each 'blolckbuster', or 'new' treatments of old story lines (a favored Dodd technique). But this book with its overblown title promises more than it delivers.
Rating: 
Summary: engaging regency romance
Review: engaging regency romance
In 1806 Madeline de Lacey returns to England after four years overseas to escape what she perceived was the betrayal of the man she loved, Gabriel Ansell. When Madeline learned Gabriel gambled, something she abhors due to her chronically playing father, she felt her fiancé stabbed her in the back. Now she is back, but learns her dad did it again. He lost the estate and her playing piquet. She is stunned to find out she is the fiancée of Remington Knight. Instead of meeting with Remington, Madeline has to keep her father from joining the game of the century. She pretends to be her companion Eleanor, who she sends to London as her to meet with Remington. At Mr. Rumbelow's estate where the game will be held, Madeline runs into Gabriel, who treats her with disdain even though he knows he still loves her and she loves him too, but his gambling remains a wedge between them. This is an engaging regency romance that works on several levels as reader obtain a taste of an era in which women are "assets" of a man and gambling can ruin a family. The story line is action packed and the tension between the lead couple is taut though why she slept with him after she dropped him four years ago lessens Madeline, a strong protagonist otherwise. Christina Dodd provides an insightful tale that fans will enjoy as it showcases social issues of then and now. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Is Dodd forgetting how to write?
Review: For some reason, I continue to buy Dodd's new books, even though lately her heros are so dark and brooding that they rival the villian in terms of who I dislike more. There was no romance between Gabriel and Maddie, only arguments and one very harsh sexual encounter. I never developed any sentiment for either of them, and the supporting characters were more annoying than supportive. Also, there didn't seem to be an editor for the book; the dialogue was choppy and there were many typos and grammatical errors that were very distracting. I sincerely doubt I'll buy Eleanor's story when it's released despite the fact that I own almost all Dodd's other works.
Rating: 
Summary: Like a good wine - great start, smooth with a good finish!
Review: From the first page, very entertaining with characters that you'll never forget. Madeline is absolutely hilarious as she tries to fix everybody's life when she can't even control her own. Gabriel is the prerequisite arrogant male who lost Madeline once through his own pride and lack of foresight, and now that she's back he doesn't intend to lose her again. Steamy, of course, with great love scenes between Madeline and Gabriel. The cliffhanger at the end makes me wish the second book was out now. Very good!
Rating:
Summary: Such a disappointment...
Review: I always await Christina Dodd's books with great anticipation. For the first time I can say I was sorry that I even read one. The behavious of both of the main characters left a lot to be desired - but the repeated humiliation and put downs of Madeline by Gabriel and his manservant left a bad taste in the mouth. Not only did she accept everything at the hands of Gabriel - she accepted it as her due which came across as warped. Well - she wasn't perfect, but neither was his behaviour - yet somehow all of his atrocious behavious was ok because she LOOVED him. YUCK. Unlike other books by Christina Dodd there was no balance in this book at all. The ending seemed to be put together in haste, ending the story in a very unsatisfactory way. I would recommend giving this one a pass. I will think twice before rushing out to get the next in this series.
Rating:
Summary: PLEASANTLY SURPRISED
Review: I am not a huge fan normally of historical romances but this one I could not put it down. I read the other reviews and don't see the same issues. I only wanted to explore the Eleanor issue more and I found out that her story is coming in November. I will definitely read more Dodd stories and recommend them to my friends.
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