To Tame a Rogue

Rating:
Summary: At times delightful; sometimes unlikable!
Review: Any Time, Any Place is an agency appearing in the French quarter overnight. With its artistically aged sign and poster of the Roman Coliseum and the Acropolis, not as look now, but as they looked when new, Arden St. Clare couldn't resist investigating. The proprietor assures her the time-travel agency will only be there a week, "depending on whether the solar winds stay calm." He recommends the Regency period, a time of romantics and rebels.

Arden has dreamed for years about living out just one of her fantasies. An orphan, her aunt and uncle would not like it if she takes a vacation. They only believe in the pleasure of making more money. St. Claires would never ride in Mardi Gras parades or rub elbows with movie stars. They would behave as tradition behooves. So time-travel offers the perfect solution! She can be carefree and reckless, and the St. Claires will never know. Her antics won't disrupt the New Orleans's upper crust, or her family business.

Unfortunately, solar flares throw the trip off a bit, and she lands in the right time, wrong place.

Dropped off, the proprietor and the time-travel shop disappear before Arden can ask any questions. She walks through the woods, pausing when she hears angry voices. Two men are leaving a young duke, dosed with laudanum to freeze to death in the woods. Rescuing the boy after they leave, Arden takes him to a nearby cottage to spend the night. The next morning, a searching uncle discovers them. Rather than a season among London's high society, Arden finds herself in the company of the young duke and his uncles. Captain Royce Warrick, a hero of the Battle of Waterloo, is terribly suspicious of Arden and how she came to be in the middle of woods. Someone has made several attempts on his nephew's life. Royce can't decide if Arden is friend or foe, yet he can't deny his attraction for this unusual woman.

Arden's struggle with the language and the conventions of the time is humorous, while her cheerful attitude and flair keep the novel moving along quickly. Linda Kay does a remarkable job of making the impossible not only plausible, but also delightful in the plotting of this memorable tale. If you read only one time travel novel this year, make it TO TAME A ROGUE

Rating:
Summary: Any Time, Any Place -- very highly recommended
Review: Any Time, Any Place is an agency appearing in the French quarter overnight. With its artistically aged sign and poster of the Roman Coliseum and the Acropolis, not as look now, but as they looked when new, Arden St. Clare couldn't resist investigating. The proprietor assures her the time-travel agency will only be there a week, "depending on whether the solar winds stay calm." He recommends the Regency period, a time of romantics and rebels.

Arden has dreamed for years about living out just one of her fantasies. An orphan, her aunt and uncle would not like it if she takes a vacation. They only believe in the pleasure of making more money. St. Claires would never ride in Mardi Gras parades or rub elbows with movie stars. They would behave as tradition behooves. So time-travel offers the perfect solution! She can be carefree and reckless, and the St. Claires will never know. Her antics won't disrupt the New Orleans's upper crust, or her family business.

Unfortunately, solar flares throw the trip off a bit, and she lands in the right time, wrong place.

Dropped off, the proprietor and the time-travel shop disappear before Arden can ask any questions. She walks through the woods, pausing when she hears angry voices. Two men are leaving a young duke, dosed with laudanum to freeze to death in the woods. Rescuing the boy after they leave, Arden takes him to a nearby cottage to spend the night. The next morning, a searching uncle discovers them. Rather than a season among London's high society, Arden finds herself in the company of the young duke and his uncles. Captain Royce Warrick, a hero of the Battle of Waterloo, is terribly suspicious of Arden and how she came to be in the middle of woods. Someone has made several attempts on his nephew's life. Royce can't decide if Arden is friend or foe, yet he can't deny his attraction for this unusual woman.

Arden's struggle with the language and the conventions of the time is humorous, while her cheerful attitude and flair keep the novel moving along quickly. Linda Kay does a remarkable job of making the impossible not only plausible, but also delightful in the plotting of this memorable tale. If you read only one time travel novel this year, make it TO TAME A ROGUE

Rating:
Summary: At times delightful; sometimes unlikable!
Review: Unique way to time travel; a time travel agency! I liked much of this story. It involves a very young duke, the nephew of our hero. Someone is trying to kill him and our heroine and hero become involved in trying to find out who that is.

What bothered me was that Arden (our time traveler) felt the only way to make Royce learn to have fun again was to seduce him. I found that thinking flawed and was disappointed when he finally succumbed to her - after all he was trying to be honorable and true to his betrothed. Plus Royce was worried about who was trying to do away with the duke (his 12 year old nephew William). I felt there were other ways to help remember more carefree times... Both Arden and Royce seemed a bit shallow - I found no depth to them!

Other characters in the book were interesting. Giles and the Dowager Duchess, Dora, were well fleshed out and their romance was actually better than the "main" event. Arden's Aunt Lavinia added a nice touch to the story.

All loose ends were tied up much too quickly, plus Arden was too modern throughout the book - I think she would have been rejected by everyone in society for her shocking ways --

Good for a quick read, not a keeper.

Rating:
Summary: A funny, fast-paced read!!!
Review: What a fabulous book! Linda Kay's TO TAME A ROGUE had me laughing out loud and was the perfect way to spend a lazy, rainy afternoon. I can't wait to read more by this writer.