Rating: 
Summary: A Romantic Gem!
Review: Candice Hern has an extraordinary appreciation and understanding of the fine points of the Regency Period. She absolutely transports the reader to this very mannered time and place. Add to that the sizzling chemistry of a feisty heroine who's out to get what's coming to her from a hero with a very unexpected secret identity, and you have one of the best historical page-turners to come along in recent memory! Thank you for your talent, Ms. Hern, and for this wonderful keeper!
Rating:
Summary: A Compelling and Utterly Romantic Story
Review: Eleanor Tennant is steaming mad. Her eighteen year old niece, Belinda, has been given some really bad advice to follow her heart, and pursue her relationship with the scoundrel she's infatuated with. Belinda's father has been at sea for the majority of her childhood, and for the last several years her upbringing has been the sole responsibility of Eleanor. She just won't stand for that misguided lady columnist, the Busybody from the Ladies' Fashionable Cabinet, handing out damaging advice to young girls, especially her niece. After putting forth much effort, she finally uncovers the Busybody's residence, only to unwittingly discover the lady is actually a man, Simon Westover.Simon must keep his columnist identity secret at all costs, so he's forced to do as Eleanor wishes. So he'll return to her home, speak with her niece, and set everything straight. Except when they reach Eleanor's home, Belinda has run off with her beau to supposedly get married. Eleanor believes there will be no marriage, and Belinda will be ruined. Eleanor is determined to find the duo and rescue her niece at all costs. She insists Simon accompany her on the trip. Left with no choice, Simon escorts the lovely, fiery, and tempting Eleanor across the country. However, on the way, Eleanor begins to change her opinion about Simon, and it becomes more and more difficult to deny the strong attraction between them. But will Simon, a hopeless romantic, breach the heart of the cold, cynical, and closed off Eleanor? After reading a string of forgettable books lately, this novel was a welcome breath of fresh air. I found the writing smart and witty. The characters were well developed, and I really felt as if I knew them. Simon has to be one of the most wonderful and original heroes I've had the pleasure of spending time with. He's gentle, compassionate, honorable, a hopeless romantic, and he actually blushes when he's embarrassed. How adorable! But even though he's described as bookish, he's still quite handsome with the muscular physique of the typical romance hero. I know there is some controversy over Eleanor's character, but I have to say I understood the reasons she had become the person she was. And I did like her most of the time, because she was such a perfect counterpart to Simon. Their interactions and heated discussions were interesting. The only time I didn't like Eleanor was toward the end, when she said some really nasty things to sweet Simon, who didn't deserve to be treated in such a manner. And while I got over it, and she did redeem herself, I would have enjoyed a little more graveling on her part to regain Simon's good favor. But don't let those few pages keep you from reading a superbly written and most enjoyable story. This was my first Candice Hern novel, but I can't wait to read ONCE A SCOUNDREL, the follow-up to this.
Rating: 
Summary: Horrid Heroine
Review: I bought this book because of the great reviews it received. I have to admit the hero, Simon, is a great guy, sensitive, romantic (sigh), kind, generous, etc who happens to love beautiful women. He wrote for a ladies magazine and didn't want anybody to know his secret identity. The heroine, Eleanor, who is of course beautiful (surprise, surprise), is the complete opposite. She's very cynical about love and thought Simon was a stupid and irresponsible fool. I understand her being upset and angry about her runaway niece, I even cheered her for having the guts to resort to blackmail. But the more I read the more I don't understand how he can stomach her. She blamed him for everything and even after he apologised, paid for the whole trip to find the niece, she kept throwing it on his face that it was his fault and would not let go. He tried to cheer her up but she kept going back to the same subject over and over again. She started to admire him when he succesfully lifted a turned over carriage (talk about being shallow) and got into a bar room brawl over her. I got so bored with all her harping I scanned most of the pages trying to find what happened with the niece, and finally found Eleanor calling Simon an idiot right on his face, accidentally announced his secret for all to hear, and had the gall to be angry at him for getting into a duel. I still don't know why he forgave her in the end. What rubbish!!! This is the worst heroine ever. She's stubborn as a mule, hard to please, demanding, and absolutely ungrateful. The 2stars I gave is all for Simon who definitely has a nerve of iron.
Rating:
Summary: A real page turner!
Review: I could not put this book down! Candice Hern knows her stuff and writes with much period detail. I loved this book and also another of hers I just read MISS LACEY'S LAST FLING. Her heroes and heroines are fresh and exciting. 5 stars!
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous!!!!!!!!
Review: I have to say wow! She has totally done a 180 on how she writes her characters! I mean The Bride Sale was good, and it had to do with love healing pain, but this new book has a strong female lead. I love it! Candice has got some wonderful character development of both the male and female leads, and you really get into their roles. She also is wonderfully descriptive about the little things, how each little thing makes a person fall just a bit more in love. I think doing a trillogy is a wonderful idea. People love following characters/family/ or things through a series of books. Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: The most adorable hero ever!!!
Review: I loved this book. But if you're looking for a burly, brawny, dark, and dangerous alpha hero, you won't find it here. You will, though, find something much better. Simon Westover is sweet and adorable. He even blushes! And he has a romantic soul -- he writes sentimental verse and waxes poetic about the importance of following your dreams. However, Eleanor Tennant doesn't believe in dreams. Hers were shattered years ago. These two opposites definitely attract in this classic chase story. It's fun and sexy, and includes a few wonderfully funny secondary characters, including a Bow Street runner with a unique sort of eloquence. The insight into some of the lady's magazines of the time is also interesting. But this is Simon's and Eleanor's story, and it is a winner. Thumbs way up!
Rating: 
Summary: 3 1/2 starts: heroine's behaviour not always palatable
Review: I started out Candice Hern's "Once a Dreamer" being firmly on the heroine's, Eleanor Tennant, side. But a little less than halfway through the book, I was ready for some other heroine to turn up and win the hero's, Simon Westover, heart! Eleanor is a practical and sensible widow who is currently shepherding her flighty neice, Belinda, though this, her first Season. What Eleanor had rather hoped would happen was that Belinda would allow herself to be guided by Eleanor's wiser counsel when it came to the matter of choosing a husband and settling down. Instead, Belinda has fallen in love with a profligate gambler and wants to marry him, and refuses to listen to reason. In fact Belinda has gone so far as to write to an agony aunt, the Busybody, at THE LADIES' FASHIONABLE CABINET, begging for advice on her plight. And while Eleanor is appalled at Belinda's indiscreet behaviour, she's even more furious when she discovers that the Busybody has advised Belinda to stand her ground and to follow the dictates of her heart. And so Eleanor sets out to discover who this busybody is and to demand that the demented twit put things right before disaster strikes. Imagine Eleanor's surprise then when she discovers that the Busybody is not some fatuous and romantic minded middle-aged woman but is actually a young gentleman with a a pair of striking blue eyes and a distracting set of dimples! Simon Westover is a rather romantic minded young man who writes poetry (bad) and who believes in true love and a woman's right to marry where her heart is. Simon's father, however, is a very conservative politician who would be deeply embarrassed if word of his elder son's activities ever got out. So that when Eleanor marches into the Westover residence and demands that the Busybody/Simon put things right, Simon allows himself to be blackmailed into doing the "right " thing. However, when Eleanor and Simon return to Eleanor's residence it is to be greeted with the news that Belinda has eloped. Now, Eleanor and Simon must put their differences behind them in order to seek out the eloping pair and hopely save Belinda from a lifetime of pain and heartache. Will Eleanor and Simon find Belinda before it's too late? And will they be able to keep their differing beliefs and opinions from making an already difficult trip even more acrimonious? Or will opposites attract afterall? For Eleanor has to keep reminding herself that aside from a pair of striking blue eyes and a distracting set of dimples, Simon Westover is a rather useless and romantic fool, while Simon is beginning to find that Eleanor's fiery temper and flashing green eyes can be an intoxicating mix... As I noted earlier, I started out the novel being totally on Eleanor's side. Unfortunately, Eleanor turned out to be quite the shrew, and took to constantly belittling and haranguing Simon, for quite a bit of the book. So that, while I totally understood both Eleanor's anger at Simon's reckless behaviour in giving advice and not really thinking about the consequences of his advice, as well as her reluctance to give him any quarter given what she had suffered in the past because of a betrayal that she herself had suffered, her rude and horrid behaviour was still a turn off. On the other hand, I really enjoyed Simon as a hero. What a wonderful change of pace -- a hero that believes in romance, who is bookish, who writes bad poetry, and who blushes when he's embarrassed. Simon was a joy to read, and I really wished that Eleanor had been portrayed in a more balanced manner. Storywise, I liked "Once a Dreamer" a whole better than I did "The Bride Sale." The plot unfolded smoothly and evenly; and the both Simon and Eleanor's characters were properly and sympathetically 'fleshed' out. Something else about "Once a Dreamer" that I really liked were the conversations that Simon and Eleanor shared while they were on the road chasing Belinda. Candice Hern did a truly wonderful job of stating both Simon's and Eleanor's differing points of view, without taking sides, as well as showing us how these conversations were instrumental in changing Eleanor's opinion about Simon. And if only Eleanor had held on to this new opinion about Simon, what a different novel this would have been! And how much more I would have enjoyed this book! My final comment is to note that while, on the whole, "Once a Dreamer" turned out to be a truly enjoyable and fun read, be fully aware that the heroine's behaviour and actions may be a turn off!
Rating:
Summary: 3 1/2 starts: heroine's behaviour not always palatable
Review: I started out Candice Hern's "Once a Dreamer" being firmly on the heroine's, Eleanor Tennant, side. But a little less than halfway through the book, I was ready for some other heroine to turn up and win the hero's, Simon Westover, heart! Eleanor is a practical and sensible widow who is currently shepherding her flighty neice, Belinda, though this, her first Season. What Eleanor had rather hoped would happen was that Belinda would allow herself to be guided by Eleanor's wiser counsel when it came to the matter of choosing a husband and settling down. Instead, Belinda has fallen in love with a profligate gambler and wants to marry him, and refuses to listen to reason. In fact Belinda has gone so far as to write to an agony aunt, the Busybody, at THE LADIES' FASHIONABLE CABINET, begging for advice on her plight. And while Eleanor is appalled at Belinda's indiscreet behaviour, she's even more furious when she discovers that the Busybody has advised Belinda to stand her ground and to follow the dictates of her heart. And so Eleanor sets out to discover who this busybody is and to demand that the demented twit put things right before disaster strikes. Imagine Eleanor's surprise then when she discovers that the Busybody is not some fatuous and romantic minded middle-aged woman but is actually a young gentleman with a a pair of striking blue eyes and a distracting set of dimples! Simon Westover is a rather romantic minded young man who writes poetry (bad) and who believes in true love and a woman's right to marry where her heart is. Simon's father, however, is a very conservative politician who would be deeply embarrassed if word of his elder son's activities ever got out. So that when Eleanor marches into the Westover residence and demands that the Busybody/Simon put things right, Simon allows himself to be blackmailed into doing the "right " thing. However, when Eleanor and Simon return to Eleanor's residence it is to be greeted with the news that Belinda has eloped. Now, Eleanor and Simon must put their differences behind them in order to seek out the eloping pair and hopely save Belinda from a lifetime of pain and heartache. Will Eleanor and Simon find Belinda before it's too late? And will they be able to keep their differing beliefs and opinions from making an already difficult trip even more acrimonious? Or will opposites attract afterall? For Eleanor has to keep reminding herself that aside from a pair of striking blue eyes and a distracting set of dimples, Simon Westover is a rather useless and romantic fool, while Simon is beginning to find that Eleanor's fiery temper and flashing green eyes can be an intoxicating mix... As I noted earlier, I started out the novel being totally on Eleanor's side. Unfortunately, Eleanor turned out to be quite the shrew, and took to constantly belittling and haranguing Simon, for quite a bit of the book. So that, while I totally understood both Eleanor's anger at Simon's reckless behaviour in giving advice and not really thinking about the consequences of his advice, as well as her reluctance to give him any quarter given what she had suffered in the past because of a betrayal that she herself had suffered, her rude and horrid behaviour was still a turn off. On the other hand, I really enjoyed Simon as a hero. What a wonderful change of pace -- a hero that believes in romance, who is bookish, who writes bad poetry, and who blushes when he's embarrassed. Simon was a joy to read, and I really wished that Eleanor had been portrayed in a more balanced manner. Storywise, I liked "Once a Dreamer" a whole better than I did "The Bride Sale." The plot unfolded smoothly and evenly; and the both Simon and Eleanor's characters were properly and sympathetically 'fleshed' out. Something else about "Once a Dreamer" that I really liked were the conversations that Simon and Eleanor shared while they were on the road chasing Belinda. Candice Hern did a truly wonderful job of stating both Simon's and Eleanor's differing points of view, without taking sides, as well as showing us how these conversations were instrumental in changing Eleanor's opinion about Simon. And if only Eleanor had held on to this new opinion about Simon, what a different novel this would have been! And how much more I would have enjoyed this book! My final comment is to note that while, on the whole, "Once a Dreamer" turned out to be a truly enjoyable and fun read, be fully aware that the heroine's behaviour and actions may be a turn off!
Rating:
Summary: A Delightful Encounter
Review: I'm a sucker for road stories -- I love all that forced seclusion in an enclosed vehicle, especially if the two secluded souls aren't sure whether they find each other irresistable or unbearable. In "Almost a Dreamer," the growing attraction between Simon and Eleanor isn't simply a coming together of two charmingly disparate personalities -- it's a delightfully feisty encounter between prudence and exuberance, experience and innocence, and (dare I add) sense and sensibility. Galloping through a lovingly envisioned English Regency countryside that's rich in historical detail, this story is a thoughtful and honest portrayal of the dangers imperilling a woman in pursuit of her own desires. Candice Hern's passionate sympathy for her subject -- lovers and setting both -- demands to be shared and savored.
Rating: 
Summary: enjoyable gender bending Regency
Review: In 1801 London, teenager Belinda Chadwick informs her Aunt Eleanor Tennant that she loves Geoffrey Barkwith, a notorious rake. Eleanor tries to persuade Belinda to forget Geoffrey, but the niece quotes popular advice columnist Busybody to go after love. Eleanor confronts Busybody, but is stunned that the columnist is a man. Eleanor blackmails Simon Westover to talk with her niece as he fears her revealing his identity plus she shows him the stupidity of concentrating on only love and not the relationship. The couple finds a note that says Belinda eloped with Geoffrey. Eleanor forces Simon to accompany her to rescue Belinda from a man she believes will ruin her niece. As they ride in his coach in pursuit of the eloping pair, they debate whether love exists. Though Simon believes that his companion needs a hero he works on an ode to her kissable lips. As they chase after the runaways and now argue the role of women in society, they fall in love, but when he turns swashbuckling he angers Eleanor who demands pragmatism not romanticism in her ideal relationship. Though the plot repeats itself several times as Simon the romantic and Eleanor the pragmatic debate life while chasing after Belinda, the story is an enjoyable gender bending Regency that sub-genre fans will relish. The key to the tale is how opposite the lead couple appear yet somehow the audience feels that opposites not only attract but also belong together. Candice Hern writes a wonderful charmer that focuses on a witty debate that leads to not compromise but consensus between the dueling duet. Harriet Klausner
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