The Marriage Campaign

Rating:
Summary: Not enough romance, too many characters
Review: I really thought that I would like this book better than I did. I enjoyed the author's first book, A Scandalous Journey. This book takes place during the same time of the first book, and that was part of what made it confusing. The hero and the heroine of the first book play a large part, and it is disconcerting for them to be estranged, and not have their issues resolved, since the ending of the first book settled everything "happily ever after." I had a difficult time figuring out where this second book fit into the chronology--finally did, but it wasn't easy,and I felt like we were going over some old ground again. My main problem was that the hero spent a lot of the book travelling around, checking out all the prospective brides on a list that his father had willed to him, and there wasn't enough time spent on developing the romance between the hero and heroine. I actually thought one of the twins on the list, who was very musical, made a good match with him, and I didn't like how the author made her sister turn kind of nasty later, since they had both seemed nice at first. There was a part when the hero overheard another girl from the list talking with a friend, and decided to cross her off the list, based on what she said. Try as I might, I couldn't get the whole jist of the interaction, even though I re-read it. I think better editing would have helped the book, and focusing more on the two main characters would have made it a better love story. As it is, it is an entertaining look at regency society, but it fell a bit flat as a romance. I would still try another of the author's books in the future, as I am sure she is continuing to hone her skills, but I don't think I would re-read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Not enough romance, too many characters
Review: I really thought that I would like this book better than I did. I enjoyed the author's first book, A Scandalous Journey. This book takes place during the same time of the first book, and that was part of what made it confusing. The hero and the heroine of the first book play a large part, and it is disconcerting for them to be estranged, and not have their issues resolved, since the ending of the first book settled everything "happily ever after." I had a difficult time figuring out where this second book fit into the chronology--finally did, but it wasn't easy,and I felt like we were going over some old ground again. My main problem was that the hero spent a lot of the book travelling around, checking out all the prospective brides on a list that his father had willed to him, and there wasn't enough time spent on developing the romance between the hero and heroine. I actually thought one of the twins on the list, who was very musical, made a good match with him, and I didn't like how the author made her sister turn kind of nasty later, since they had both seemed nice at first. There was a part when the hero overheard another girl from the list talking with a friend, and decided to cross her off the list, based on what she said. Try as I might, I couldn't get the whole jist of the interaction, even though I re-read it. I think better editing would have helped the book, and focusing more on the two main characters would have made it a better love story. As it is, it is an entertaining look at regency society, but it fell a bit flat as a romance. I would still try another of the author's books in the future, as I am sure she is continuing to hone her skills, but I don't think I would re-read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Brava!
Review: Robert Symington, Marquess of Elston, MUST choose a bride from a list of twenty names within one year, per a codicil in the will left by his father. He travels and meets each lady listed only to find himself horribly disappointed. That changed when he went to meet Miss Karolina "Karla" Lane, the daughter of the late Lord Padbury who had been a close friend of his own father. However, instead of meeting Karla, Lady Padbury kept pushing her own daughter, Lydia, at Robert. (Lydia is Karla's half-sister.)

Robert soon met "Catherine Lindquist", the governess, never suspecting that Catherine was really Karla. Since the death of Lord Padbury a few years earlier, Lady Padbury had treated Karla awfully. Lady Padbury's only thought was to make a grand match for Lydia. A lavish coming-out was made for Lydia in London and Lady Padbury's sight was set on Robert. However, Lady Jane Blackburn got into the picture to help Robert and Karla along.

I believe this book to be worth the whole five stars! Everyone loves tales like that of Cinderella and this one has all the ingredients of one. We have the wicked step-mother who cares only for her own daughter, the prince (or Marquess in this case) who searches for the perfect lady to be his bride, and the heroine, who is treated like dirt since the father died. See? Perfect!

Author Susannah Carleton has only written one other Regency that I am aware of. (See "A Scandalous Journey") Yet even after only two stories she has won me over as a fan! I can hardly wait for her next release. Readers, keep your eyes on this author. I have no doubt that the name of Susannah Carleton will become very well known to all readers of Regencies!

Rating:
Summary: Lovely traditional Regency romance....
Review: Robert Symington, the new Marquess of Elston, is in a bind. A codicil to his father's will orders Elston to choose a bride from a list of twenty young ladies, within a year's time, or suffer unnamed consequences. As Lord Elston travels from Scotland to England, he stops along the way at several of the aforementioned ladies' homes only to be sadly disappointed in their individual behaviors. The only one on the list that truly intrigues him is Karolina Lane whose father, Lord Padbury, was a close friend of Elston's late father. Lady Padbury, however, is determined to keep "Karla" out of the limelight in favor of her own daughter, Karla's half-sister, Lydia. She thwarts Elston's every attempt to meet the strangely absent Karla.

One night, during his short stay at the Padbury residence, among the shadows of the terrace, Elston meets the governess, Catherine Lindquist. He suspects havey-cavey happenings abound in the Padbury household after his brief chat with Catherine, and is determined to flush out the mysteriously missing Karolina Lane. He enlists the aid of Jane, Lady Blackburn, who quickly takes Karla under her fairy godmother-like wing. Elston, however, has already left for London, and has no knowledge that Karla is now Jane's protege.

Karla is appalled at the possibility that Elston will find out about her true circumstances and treatment by her stepmother since her father's death four years earlier. She immediately regrets hiding her true identity behind that of Catherine Lindquist, and dreads the day that she and Elston will meet in London at her coming-out with Lydia. Will he accept her explanation, or be repelled by what she felt was a necessary deception?

THE MARRIAGE CAMPAIGN has all the ingredients of a Regency era Cinderella story. Ms. Carleton develops a traditional cast of Regency characters from Elston, the epitome of a true gentleman, who will do everything in his power to help Karla escape the clutches of her evil stepmother, to the delightful Jane, Lady Blackburn, who champions Karla at every turn.

A continuation from Ms. Carleton's excellent debut novel, A SCANDALOUS JOURNEY, THE MARRIAGE CAMPAIGN is set more amidst the ton of London during the season, whereas ASJ was an action/adventure road trip story. I highly recommend both novels as exceptional examples of traditional Regency romance. Ms. Carleton's research is impeccable, her voice distinct. I look forward to the next offering, A TWIST OF FATE, being released in September of 2003.