All a Woman Wants

Rating:
Summary: A definite treat
Review: American Lachlan McTavish arrives in London on business, but looks forward to also seeing his younger sister, a local resident married to a viscount. Lachlan has not heard from Marilee in about eight years, but is stunned to learn Lady Simmons, as the servant call his sibling, has been dead for almost a year. Even more shocking is that her children are neglected and abused, and her husband is a twenty-four-hour drunk. Unable to idly ignore what is happening to his nephews, Lachlan abducts the two kids.

Beatrice Cavendish quickly learns she has no experience or training in managing the family estate that she recently inherited with the death of her father. Worse yet, her father left the estate in near bankruptcy. Mac arrives seeking Nanny Marrow to help him with two children in town, only to learn she died just last week. However, he and Bea strike a deal. He teaches her how to run an estate and she insures the children receive proper nurturing. Neither one expected to fall in love and his nephews to blossom, but it explodes amidst all four of them.

ALL A WOMAN WANTS is an entertaining nineteenth century romance that showcases the talent of Patricia Rice. The story line is poignant as it highlights the impact of neglect on several levels (not just the children) and quite amusing especially with the interaction between the key cast members. This ultra-talented author's novels are not just a steamy bowl of rice; her works are a gourmet delight.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: A worthwhile read.
Review: Lachlan MacTavish is a man with two very small problems, his niece and nephew. He kidnaps them when a visit to his sister reveals her untimely death and the mistreatment of her children. He very quickly finds himself in over his head and hiding from his brother-in-law the viscount. Beatrice Cavendish is also in too deep. Her father passed away, leaving her a bankrupt estate and no experience managing the property while the town depends on the estate for its existence. When Lachlan shows up at her door in search of her former governess, the two quickly strike a mutually beneficial deal. When Beatrice's aunt arrives for a visit, she quickly connives to force a wedding. Now Lachlan and Beatrice must face the reality of a marriage neither intended but are not opposed to. Patricia Rice has woven a compelling character driven novel that is captivating until the very end. Her characters remain true to themselves as they grow to face the task of surrendering their hard won freedom and independence for love. The supporting cast of secondary characters is enjoyable without distracting from the main story. This book is a very worthwhile read!

Rating:
Summary: A worthwhile read.
Review: Lachlan MacTavish is a man with two very small problems, his niece and nephew. He kidnaps them when a visit to his sister reveals her untimely death and the mistreatment of her children. He very quickly finds himself in over his head and hiding from his brother-in-law the viscount. Beatrice Cavendish is also in too deep. Her father passed away, leaving her a bankrupt estate and no experience managing the property while the town depends on the estate for its existence. When Lachlan shows up at her door in search of her former governess, the two quickly strike a mutually beneficial deal. When Beatrice's aunt arrives for a visit, she quickly connives to force a wedding. Now Lachlan and Beatrice must face the reality of a marriage neither intended but are not opposed to. Patricia Rice has woven a compelling character driven novel that is captivating until the very end. Her characters remain true to themselves as they grow to face the task of surrendering their hard won freedom and independence for love. The supporting cast of secondary characters is enjoyable without distracting from the main story. This book is a very worthwhile read!

Rating:
Summary: Enchanting Historical Romance
Review: Lachlan MacTavish is an American in London on business and decides to visit his younger sister. Unfortunately, he reaches his sister's home to find that she has died, and her children are being severely neglected. Mac's brother-in-law is none other than a drunken Viscount Simmons, and Mac decides that his niece and nephew would be safest while in the care of their uncle.

Mac kidnaps the children and flees to the country only to discover that the woman recommended for the position of nanny is no longer alive. His quest for a nanny leads him to the home of Beatrice Cavendish, a long Meg of a spinster trying desperately to run the estate she inherited from her father. Bea agrees to let Mac stay at her home until his ship is ready to sail, though she is under the misapprehension that he is a widower and father to the children. In exchange, Mac agrees to teach Bea about the running of the estate. Lady Taubee, Bea's eccentric aunt, visits Bea's home and manages to get Mac to admit his true identity which is soon revealed to Bea. Mutual attraction leads Bea and Mac to marry, though she wants no man to control her future and convinces herself and him that she would be better off remaining to run her estate while he sails his ship and the children back to Virginia.

Richly entertaining and frequently laced with humor, this novel sets a pace that will hold the reader's interest. Bea and Mac are the perfect example of the phrase 'opposites attract'. She epitomizes the straight-laced English spinster, while he is the gruff American. Though the children are instrumental in bringing this unlikely pair together, their admiration for one another, both physical and intellectual, gives their relationship sticking power.

The supporting players make this book worthwhile, too. They create a sub-plot of their own, especially James, the over-dressed distant cousin of a footman. One can't help but wonder how his relationship to Bea really fits into the storyline. This is definitely a novel worth exploring.

Rating:
Summary: A Reasonable Tale
Review: Lachlan MacTavish, ship's captain, arrives in London and drops in on his sister, who has not been in contact with her family in months. To his sorrow, he discovers that she died of childbed fever, and her husband, Viscount Simmons, has been awash in alcohol since, leaving his children in the care of an abusive nanny. Obtaining consent from his brother in law, he takes the children to the home of Nanny Morrow, only to discover that she, too, has died. Beatrice Cavendish, overly sheltered, has never left her home village. Her father has died, and she must take up the reins of the estate, which to her shock is deeply mortaged due to her late father's incompetance and penchant for borrowing his way out of financial crises. When the overpowering Lachlan lands on her doorstep desperate for help with his niece and nephew, a bargain is struck; he'll school her in estate management and she'll deal with the children. This is an interesting study of two intelligent and very different people. Bea learns that she is a capable woman. Lachlan and his nephew are intriguing portraits of attention deficit disorder. Somehow, though well written and enjoyable, this story failed to grasp my attention as fully as anticipated, perhaps because the suspense in the plot was, well, not very suspenseful. Certainly worth a read though, you won't waste your money on this one.

Rating:
Summary: Good plot idea, lousy writing
Review: This book has a good plot idea, but the writing is so jerky, that I gave up on page 45 and just trahsed the book. There are no transitions from one plot line to the next. The hero arrives in London and offends the daughter of his shipping agent. Next he is on the steps of his sister's house who died a year ago and he had no idea? then the story jumps to some village in the north of england to a spinster's house. She is too stupid to figure out anything at all after her father dies leaving her alone with her estate. Hero arrives with sister's 2 toddler children, moves in, and on it goes. I got exhausted trying to jump my thought process through all jumps in plot lines. Oh yes, the spinster has a cousin who is her footman who is grandly dressed while she is deeply in debt. I could only guess this was Victorian times by the mention of a train and also clipper ships, which I think put it about 1850. It took me a long time to figure that out from description of dress, etc.