A Love Affair for Lizzie (Zebra Regency Romance)

Rating:
Summary: A really great read, except...
Review: This was an excellent book, very well-written, in fact, I think it would have done better outside of the genre, where the ending could have been more satisfying for the reader. I would have considered this a 4 star book save the wretched ending.

Frankly, I think the "hero" is a cad and a bounder and I predict that this marriage will be happy for about 2 - 3 years, right until she has the requisite heir, and then he will be out philandering with a bit of muslin or willing widow. What Mona Gedney has created here is the backstory for one of those awful marriages that so many Regency heroes are the product of: a love match turned to implacable hatred, where the husband and wife can't be in the same city, much less share a home or a bed. Read through the end of this book, and tell me that you don't see the breakdown of this marriage down the road.

That being said, the characters in the novel, save the hero, are delightful and fully fleshed out. The story is riveting, with lots of twists and turns that keep you reading right up until the end. Once I was down to the last dozen pages or so, I was wondering if there were pages missing - there didn't seem to be any way to clear up all the twists in the story so quickly. The book ended rapidly, with a couple of pages of exposition that were highly unsatisfying and did not live up to the promise of the rest of the book. This is one book that would have ended better if the heroine had ended up alone at the end, as it is rather obvious that the author intends the other gentleman for another lady. All of these issues could have also been resolved (there are circumstances that I might be willing to forgive the cad) in a longer novel. I think the author was truly hampered by having to tell this story in a short form Regency.

Rating:
Summary: A really great read, except...
Review: When Lizzie Lancaster was 15 years old, she was in love with a man she had known her whole life: Matthew Webster. When Matthew leaves for war, they have an understanding. Someday, Lizzie and Matthew will be married.

Three years later, Lizzie receives a heart-renching missive from her beau. Matthew is engaged to another woman--a Miss Teresa Blackwell! Lizzie is determined to show Matthew she is more worldly than he realizes. She decides to take matters into her own hands. With a friend, Lizzie travels to Vienna... where Matthew is.

The back of the book fails to mention the OTHER man who becomes a large part of Lizzie Lancaster's life. Daniel Thoreau, an American, becomes her traveling partner and fast friend.

I enjoyed this book very much. Every character lent something special to the story. I especially enjoy books where the heroine is courted by not one, but two (nearly three, in this book) suitors. It makes the book less predictable. "An Affair for Lizzie" was definitely unpredictable--and it was flavored with sweeping intrigue.

Unpredictable indeed! I was stunned by the last two chapters. Actually, "stunned" isn't the appropriate word. I felt slighted, devastated and heartbroken. I wish I could have sat down with the writer for a few minutes to tell her to CHANGE THE ENDING!!! In my opinion, it was incredibly rushed... and Lizzie wasn't with the right guy (I'm not going to say who I think the "right guy" was. After reading this book, however, I am sure you will agree with me). It seemed so obvious to me. *sigh* Oh well...

Had this book ended in an unhurried, APPROPRIATE way, it would have easily gotten 5 stars from me. It is interesting the whole way through--and it's better than anything I've read from Mona Gedney thus far. I would recommend it... though bear in mind you might be disappointed. Why the author went in the direction she did, I have no idea.

Rating:
Summary: A great, great book... up until the very end
Review: When Lizzie Lancaster was 15 years old, she was in love with a man she had known her whole life: Matthew Webster. When Matthew leaves for war, they have an understanding. Someday, Lizzie and Matthew will be married.

Three years later, Lizzie receives a heart-renching missive from her beau. Matthew is engaged to another woman--a Miss Teresa Blackwell! Lizzie is determined to show Matthew she is more worldly than he realizes. She decides to take matters into her own hands. With a friend, Lizzie travels to Vienna... where Matthew is.

The back of the book fails to mention the OTHER man who becomes a large part of Lizzie Lancaster's life. Daniel Thoreau, an American, becomes her traveling partner and fast friend.

I enjoyed this book very much. Every character lent something special to the story. I especially enjoy books where the heroine is courted by not one, but two (nearly three, in this book) suitors. It makes the book less predictable. "An Affair for Lizzie" was definitely unpredictable--and it was flavored with sweeping intrigue.

Unpredictable indeed! I was stunned by the last two chapters. Actually, "stunned" isn't the appropriate word. I felt slighted, devastated and heartbroken. I wish I could have sat down with the writer for a few minutes to tell her to CHANGE THE ENDING!!! In my opinion, it was incredibly rushed... and Lizzie wasn't with the right guy (I'm not going to say who I think the "right guy" was. After reading this book, however, I am sure you will agree with me). It seemed so obvious to me. *sigh* Oh well...

Had this book ended in an unhurried, APPROPRIATE way, it would have easily gotten 5 stars from me. It is interesting the whole way through--and it's better than anything I've read from Mona Gedney thus far. I would recommend it... though bear in mind you might be disappointed. Why the author went in the direction she did, I have no idea.