Shall We Dance?

Rating:
Summary: an enchanting read
Review: "Shall We Dance?" carries on where "My Fair Quiggley" left off, and focuses on Josiah Elliot's efforts to uncover evidence of his pedigree that would make him eligible to ask for Lady Miranda Westley's hand in marriage. Added to this hunt is also Josiah's search for his missing nephews, as well as his attempts to discover what really became of his brother and the fortune that the Elliot family once possessed, and how it all ended up in the hands of the family's enemy. And since this is a romance novel by Judith Lansdowne, you can be sure that there will also be another romance subplot (in this case involving Miss Eleanor Feebes, a fledgling reformer, and the Earl of Blazingame) and a couple of animals (a cow named Susan, in particular). All in all, while this plethora of subplots does make for some entertaining reading, I must admit that it also added to quite a bit of confusion, as it was only after the first three chapters or so, that everything came together, and made sense. The novel became smooth reading after that, so if like me you were a little at sea after the first few chapters, take heart and stick it out -- the effort pays off.

Josiah Elliot wants to marry the woman he's desperately in love with, Lady Miranda Wesley. Unfortunately, she the daughter of a duke, so Josiah, who actually does possess some claim to aristocratic blood, must prove that he is worthy in order to ask for Miranda's hand in marriage (the fact that Miranda couldn't really care less what her family thinks or desires, somehow doesn't really dawn on our worthy hero, but never mind). This task however proves more difficult than it seems as Josiah cannot find the proof (a family bible with his lineage neatly mapped out) now that his brother has mysteriously died; add to that the disappearance of his two nephews and the fact that the family home and all it's contents seems to be in the hands of a childhood enemy, and Josiah's hopes of winning Miranda's brother's approval seems moot. And this is where the Earl of Blazingame comes into the picture. Seemingly a dilettante, Blazingame is actually a very intelligent young man who is very good at ferreting out bits of information and solving puzzles. Josiah's friend, Daxonberry (and Miranda's nephew) hopes that Blazingame will be able to help Josiah discover where his nephews could have disappeared to, and why Josiah's brother left things so badly settled. Will Josiah and Blazingame find what they are looking for? The game grows even more difficult, when the two men discover that there are those who would do anything to stop them to discovering what really happened to the Elliot family and fortune.

While the many subplots made this novel a more 'meaty' read, the novel really only came alive for me (anyway) when it dealt with the romance between Josiah and Miranda. Theirs is the kind of romance one usually hopes to read about -- deep and abiding and passionate as well. (And with none of those embarrassingly graphic sex scenes.) Compared to that, the romance between Blazingame and Eleanor comes across as being a little bland. And while the subplot dealing with the missing nephews and the loss of the Elliot home and fortune, was interesting, it also was a little too convoluted. On the plus side however, this subplot did yield the only other interesting character, apart from Josiah and Miranda that is -- the Duke of Berinwick. Wouldn't it be great to team Berinwick up with Celeste and Davis (two other intriguing characters from "The Mysterious Kiss")?

All in all, this was a fun read. I enjoyed reading this Regency romance novel that featured an older than usual hero and heroine. And I do hope that there will be more Regencies like this one in the future.

Rating:
Summary: Shall We Dance
Review: I have to admit that I usually don't write reviews but this book took all I had not to put it away unfinished. The story is confusing till you are almost through with the book. The characters are so hard to follow that you find yourself spending your time leafing back trying to find out who the author is talking about. I think the story was to be a light easy romance but the complications of the story and characters took away from any enjoyment I had in reading it. I know I will think twice before I read this authors books again.

Rating:
Summary: Judith's done it again
Review: I truly enjoyed this book.Judith has proved that the lon-
ger Regency based historical formatted book can be written and
made interesting without any graphic and or gratuitous love
scenes.I loved the mystery in this book,and as always she adds
her usual,but unsusal Hero&Heroine,plus a child or two&an ani-
mal,in this case a Dexter cow named Susan.

Rating:
Summary: A great read!
Review: I'm a longtime Lansdowne fan and it's difficult to say how much I enjoyed reading SHALL WE DANCE? Let's just say, I hugged the book when I was done, I kid you not, and sighed. It was a wonderful read, with lovable, eccentric characters, witty, quirky dialogue, a bit of mystery and suspense - and, of course, romance - bravo!!!

I can't agree with the previous reviews - I buy these books, and love them, for some of the very reasons others panned them. (Note: reading MY FAIR QUIGGLEY prior to reading this one will help the reader appreciate who everyone is.) I love the richness of the characters, and the many secondary characters, to me, just show off Lansdowne's talent for "quirky and funny". I read to be entertained, to be taken away to another place, and to fall in love with the characters... all my expectations were fulfilled when I read this book. Thanks, Ms. Lansdowne!

Rating:
Summary: Too many characters and romances to easily keep track of
Review: Lansdowne's books--even the shorter Regencies--have a tendency to confuse and frustrate the reader, even one who has read all of the "prequels" which introduced some of the characters.

In this one:

(1) There are FAR too many characters, all of whom appear to be falling in love with each other--even the servants! I confess that I like happy endings, but there were so many in this book that it began to resemble a fairy story. All of these romances--mostly "love at first sight" --took away from the intensity of the primary romance between Lady Miranda and Josiah Elliot. There were so many switches in point of view that I often had to go back and reread certain passages in order to keep up with the story. Often I got so confused I wanted to throw the book against the wall! Truly, I thought I'd never finish it, and when I did, I felt a bit let down. I mean, after all that work trying to keep up with the plot, the ordinary ending hardly seemed worth it.

(2) Lansdowne's books are far too dependent on each other. I had the same problem with her Nightingale series, and in both cases, I had read all of the prequels. I can't imagine how a reader who hadn't read the previous books would fare! My problem is that I read several books a week, and when the sequel comes a month or two later, I can't begin to remember the details of the previous ones, especially when there are SO MANY minor characters to keep track of! If I still have the previous book I can reread parts of it to stimulate my memory, but many times I no longer have it. Besides, having to reread a previous book just to understand a new one is a real downer for me. I might do it for a book by Jo Beverley or Stephanie Laurens--who write intense romances that keep you glued to the pages--but not for a Lansdowne book that gives me headaches trying to keep track of all the characters and the plot twists.

My Fair Quigley--the prequel to this book--was much more enjoyable to me, although I was annoyed by the way the Miranda-Josiah romance was left up in the air. Nevertheless, it was good enough to persuade me to fork over the money to buy the sequel. I have to say, however, that I will take care to avoid Lansdowne books in the future. There are too many really good authors out there to waste more time and money on this one!

Rating:
Summary: disappointing yet again...
Review: Sad for me to say, but there was a time when a Lansdowne book was a must have. I would run out and buy them as soon as they were released. With the start of her Nightingale series (which I hated), and continuing on, I have been consistently disappointed. Her stories now seem to be a mish-mash of characters, most of whom fall in love immediately but then little time is spent on their romantic development. Her romances are too sweet valley high. No, I am not looking for erotic stories, but the cloying "sweetness" of all her characters, males and females, the ever present animals, crazy relatives, nutty servants, have been overplayed for me. I guess it is time for me to move on...

Rating:
Summary: Not great...okay
Review: This novel was an okay kind of read but I've been finding that the theme of late with Ms. Lansdowne's stories. I'll admit that I don't read a great many romance novels, however, when I initially stumbled upon her novel "Amelia's Intrigue" I was enchanted and blown away by her characterizations of the men of the ton, especially the two brothers, one of whom suffered from a brain injury as a result of a childhood accident. I can't tell you how many times I've read that novel. Simply stunning. I've recommended it other friends who loved it as well. Another novel that made me laugh out loud and go "ahh!!" is her "Legion's Ladies." Again, this novel was filled with caring, witty characters and the writing was superb. The novels lately, especially the Nightingale series, were just carbon copies of the typical romance - nothing special; no lovely friendships I so loved about her earlier novels. I think I'll go read my poor, dog-earred copy of Amelia's Intrigue yet again.

Rating:
Summary: Too confusing to follow
Review: While this was charming and there were several characters to like, this book definitely became too confusing to follow. There were too many references to earlier books, without enough back ground to really refresh a reader's memory. Also, there were too many characters playing roles in this story, and they all seemed to be falling in love with each other (and not for any reason other than being of an appropriate rank/age).

In short, while mildly entertaining, keeping track of the plot twists was confusing and made the book difficult to enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Too confusing to follow
Review: While this was charming and there were several characters to like, this book definitely became too confusing to follow. There were too many references to earlier books, without enough back ground to really refresh a reader's memory. Also, there were too many characters playing roles in this story, and they all seemed to be falling in love with each other (and not for any reason other than being of an appropriate rank/age).

In short, while mildly entertaining, keeping track of the plot twists was confusing and made the book difficult to enjoy.