Rating: 
Summary: This had potential...but didnt live up to it.....
Review: "The Indiscretion" was an ok book...when I first read the back, I was excited to read it..I love a book where two people get stuck together....this story started out well and was fast paced, however, after they got back to civilization, the whole thing just fell flat. The ending was too wordy and I found that there were a few loose ends that could have used tying up..such as Liddy's relationship with Rose. All in all not awful, but not fantastic either.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Ivory Classic!
Review: From the moment sheltered Lydia refuses her maid's help to make her symbolic leap from her carriage, rejoicing in the sense of flying in the seconds before she lands and turns her ankle, I was caught up in The Indiscretion.Judith Ivory writes truly sensuous books in the finest sense of the word: When her characters are on the moor, you can smell the heather and feel the marsh underfoot. Her writing sweeps you along and makes you part of the story, and that's a great thing because her stories are marvelous. The Indiscretion has a wonderful two-part structure--the first part in the wilderness and the second in civilization--and the contrast between these two settings; between the two protagonists, Sam and Lydia; and between the worlds of American new money and British old; all combine to fuel the conflict of the novel. Add to that Ivory's deft hand at characterization and you have a great, great romance novel. Fabulous book!
Rating: 
Summary: A big disappointment.
Review: Having read and enjoyed Ms Ivory's earlier books, I found "The Indiscretion" silly to the point of being completely ridiculous. Fair enough, all romances, particularly historical romances, usually have moments where the reader has to willingly suspend disbelief, but please, a serial-jilting Texas cowboy who potentially is the Ambassador to England? A woman in Victorian England who is almost completely unconcerned about the possibility of being an un-wed mother? These are but two of the blindingly obvious faults in this story. There were certain events in the books which just wouldn't have been permissible in the late 19th Century. Or if they were, they certainly weren't written in a believable way here. Unfortunately I think these are minor gripes when added to the story as a whole. It could have been so much better, the potential was there. I love a heroine who is independent and strong minded. Liddy should have been that heroine but the author didn't fully allow her to be. Sam was quite frankly the most implausible dolt who somehow managed to perform the most incredible feats (how that man could handle a bow and arrow boggles the mind). None of the characters were ever developed to their full potential, all remained one dimensional caricatures who were equally annoying and barely credible. Nothing in the story rang true, I didn't think the descriptions were realistic and I found that the overall story was very disjointed (it sometimes read as if every other paragraph had been removed). Certain events blew up into major problems when there was no need for it, and didn't advance the plot at all. Part One wasn't too bad but by Part Two the story was going downhill so fast it was as if it was being pulled by that (unlikely) runaway coach. If you haven't read anything by this author before, do yourself a favour and try "The Proposition" or "Sleeping Beauty" which in my opinion are superior to this so-so read.
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Summary: A Texan meets up with English Aristocracy!
Review: Historically set at the turn of the 19th century, and the negotiations over the Panama canal this romance will find an audience that loves little tidbits of historical fact thrown in with Ivory's knack for subtle witty dialog as well as rich and interesting characterizations. In a small attempt at asserting some independence, Lydia Bedford-Browne, the delicate daughter of an English viscount, decides to attend her maid's wedding and travel alone across Dartmoor, a vast expanse of barren flatlands, bogs and rocks. Her lone companion on the coach turned out to be a battered and hung-over Texan from America, named Sam Cody. He had, missed his own wedding for the second time to the same woman - although with a perfectly good excuse that the jilted bride would not hear of - and was on his way back home. The eventful ride across the moors became an adventure when somewhere along the way their inebriated driver fells off the coach, sending it careening into a bog. Luckily for Lydia, Sam is able to save her before the bogg completely sucked the coach down. Stranded with no compass to show them the way and fog so thick they could not see an arms length in front of them, they found that aside from their 'cultural' differences (English stuffiness vs. down home folks), and omitting some real facts from their individual backgrounds, they succumb to a physical attraction before they are eventually rescued. Lydia, with her aristocratic stiff upper lip realized that her fling was over, and that her 'duty' would be to conform to what was expected of her for the love of her family - so, when Sam asked if he might call upon her, she said no! Naturally, as romances go, they do meet up again, as the 'job' he glossed over turned into a big surprise for her when he walked into her parents little soiree that was hosting the Prince of England's engagement party! To say Sam was modest about his background, was putting it mildly, and I wavered back and forth as to whether I even liked Lydia once she had returned to her natural habitat, but all and all, I truly enjoyed the story. The romance was sweet, the passion was hot, and the characters richly drawn and compelling. The author, for me so far has seemed to find a niche in the early 1900s with some very interesting stories and I will say I am enjoying her books a lot!
Rating:
Summary: The Indiscretion
Review: I have read all of Judith Ivory's books and have not been able to put them down,all except this one. It is well written and gets off to a good start, but somewhere along the middle of the story I kind of lost interest. The story seemed too predictable, although Sam Cody was a likeable guy.
In my opinion,her previous books, Beast, Sleeping Beauty and The Proposition(my personal favorite) were much better.
Rating:
Summary: The Indiscretion
Review: I loved the hero of this book. He was just so darn nice. He was one of the only heros of a romance novel I have read so far who actually was worried about getting the heroine pregnant. They usually fooling around like crazy and then are shocked when a baby arrives. He was crazy about the heroine and really went for her. The passion was there and the relationship was real. Also, the characters were well protrayed. I could really imagine both of them in my mind, they weren't the usual cookie cutter types. It was my first Judith Ivory and not my last.
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Summary: Great characters - great romantic hero
Review: I loved the hero of this book. He was just so darn nice. He was one of the only heros of a romance novel I have read so far who actually was worried about getting the heroine pregnant. They usually fooling around like crazy and then are shocked when a baby arrives. He was crazy about the heroine and really went for her. The passion was there and the relationship was real. Also, the characters were well protrayed. I could really imagine both of them in my mind, they weren't the usual cookie cutter types. It was my first Judith Ivory and not my last.
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Summary: If you love Julia Quinn, you'll love this book!
Review: I rarely write reviews because others seem to be able to express my opinions better than I can. But this book inspired me...:) The Indiscretion, while not the best title for the book, had me hooked from the beginning. Lydia Bedford-Browne is a wonderful character. She is fun, unpredictable, and when she stands up for herself, you feel like cheering. Sam, the American cowboy, is just yummy and only a bit complex. Sam and Lydia's relationship, especially on the moor, had me sighing and laughing and smiling, and well, not wanting the book to end! This book is full of unpredictable and very humerous moments, but it is the time while Sam and Lydia are lost on the moor that I truly appreciated. So often, authors forget that their characters need to spend time together (outside of ballrooms and other crowded events), before the know they are truly in love. The quiet moments on the moor, reading to one another, discovering one another, made this book for me. Their relationship is steamy, fun and a welcome respite from the tortured relationships in so many other books. If you are a Julia Quinn fan, you will adore Judith Ivory. You will fall in love with Sam and Lydia. You will love this book!
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Summary: Where is Judy C?
Review: I want to say first that I am a big Judith Ivory fan. I can't wait for her books, but the last two have been disappoints for me. Now I just finished Indiscretion and wonder where Judy C is, that incredible woman who wrote Sleeping Beauty and Beast. Ivory is a writer of considerable skills. Her prose is always the best in romance. Her characters live and breathe. There is depth and even poetry. But you won't find that in Indiscretion. Lady Lydia can't speak with the same heart as previous Ivory heroines, and Sam Cody is a ripoff of the now all too common "light hero" who finds himself in a awkward situation. It's light, it's fluff, and at times funny, but it's not Ivory at her best. Oh, how I long for the days of Sleeping Beauty and Beast. Judy C, where are you??????????
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Summary: Frank emotion, frank sensuality, lush in every aspect
Review: I've read all Ivory's books, so I'm a fan. This one, like others, explores the rigidity of Victorian England, and its effect on two people. I love that Ivory goes here so often. The true self vs the "normalizing" insistence of what society wants. The long first section on the English moor is lush and lovely, and also where Lydia and Sam can more easily be true to their natural inclinations, and, oh, yum, some of those inclinations. After the moor, they are never able to embrace what Victorian society demands quite so well again, because they see the hypocrisy more clearly. They know themselves better. Lydia in particular tries to go back to her conventional thinking. But, happily, it proves impossible, even opening her up to privately held unconventional views, for instance a tolerance of homosexuality as old as Greece yet believable in a Victorian heroine, if surprising, because the character is more human than a cardboard cut-out of the time period. Lydia finds a kind of humanity that is wonderful to watch happen. She and Sam find love, Sam not just for her but at long last for his smart aleck, down home Texas self. A very satisfying read with a lot of funny dialog as these two stumble into a better sense of themselves. There is a lot of sensuality and sexuality in this one, for those interested or as a warning for those especially not interested. Ivory takes you into your senses, and this is especially true when she writes about the sexual aspect of love. She covers it without a hint of shame, describing the sex act openly, poetically, even humorously. I highly recommend her work for anyone trying to find a healthy way of looking at sex. For myself, her frank love of the physical attraction between men and women is one of my favorite aspects of her books. In this regard, The Indiscretion is probably the most explicit of hers to date, though very romantic, gently done, and particular to the characters' relationship, nothing bizarre or gratuitous, just right there, as detailed as any other description in the book. Be warned or enticed, as the case may be.
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