Seducing Sybilla

Rating:
Summary: supposedly sensible heroine too emotional for my tastes
Review: For me, "Seducing Sybilla" turned out to be a disappointing read. And that was because I couldn't understand how any romantic hero could fall for so hysterical, immature and hot-tempered a heroine as Sybilla Smethwick.

After so many years of being ignored by her in-laws, the long widowed Lady Honoria Ampthill is greeted with the news that her brother-in-law, Augustus Swaffam, the ninth Earl of Ampthill, wants to reestablish ties with her and her son, George. Both Honoria and Sybilla, Honoria's younger sister, are natural wary about Augustus's sudden interest in them, but because George is Augustus's heir, Honoria decides to concede to Augustus's expectations. Sybilla however is determined not to be won over easily and to protect her sister and her nephew from the high-handed Ampthills. That is until a string of almost fatal accidents begin to dog George's footsteps. Now Sybilla must put aside her reservations about Augustus and work with him in order to protect George. And the more time she spends with Augustus, the more she comes to like and esteem him. But Sybilla has privately resolved that her happiness and that of Honoria's and George's can only be assured if the Ampthills keep their distance. How then is she to reconcile her growing attraction for Augustus with her need to remove her family from the Ampthills's sphere?

From the blurb at the back of the dustjacket, I was led to believe that Sybilla was the more sensible, practical and intelligent of the Smethwick sisters, and that she spent a lot of her time taking care of her sister and her nephew. This, proved not to be not completely true. Honoria is actually the more sensible, intelligent and practical sister. And both sisters are suspicious and wary about the Swaffhams sudden interest in Honoria and George -- not just Sybilla. Sybilla in reality was quick to judge, fly of the handle and blame the hero, Augutus Swaffham, for every unfortunate incident that befell her, Honoria and her nephew George. Her apologies, once she had realized just how much she had erred left a lot to be desired as well. I suspect that the blurb at the back of the book was the reason why I was so disappointed with Sybilla. Whether the fault was mine for misinterpreting the plot synopsis, or how the plot synopsis was written, I was just unable to cope with the very often angry, suspicious and hysterical Sybilla. Which brings me to the other thing I found sadly lacking in "Seducing Sybilla" -- the utter lack of any kind of romantic spark between Sybilla and Augustus. Very quickly we come to realize that Augustus is drawn to Sybilla's beauty and her intelligence. I was never quite sure what Sybilla found attractive about Augustus save that he was, like her, interested in engineering. I probably missed something somewhere since I spent a lot of time wondering why Augustus persisted in his pursuit of this tiresome heroine!

Storywise, however, "Seducing Sybilla" is a rather good one even if you can guess the identity of the villain from the very beginning. And I thought that Madeline Conway did a really good job of establishing the characters of Honoria, Sybilla, Augustus and the Dowager Lady Ampthill. Although, I know that I would have liked it better if Ms Conway had spent more time on reestablishing the relationship between Augustus and his mother than on the who-is-out-to-murder-George subplot. But that is just a personal observation on my part. All in all, if I had had more sympathy for Sybilla, "Seducing Sybilla" would have rated a good 3 star read; but because I truly had no patience for this overly emotional heroine, I've had to reluctantly give "Seducing Sybilla" a 2 star rating.

Rating:
Summary: Mellowing
Review: I both read and write novels. If I enjoy a writer's style, I will read three chapters, regardless, but SEDUCING SYBILLA drew me on, entertaining but with no sense of urgency. Madeleine Conway has a marvelous vocabulary and uses it boldly. The only improvement I might suggest is breaking chapters at plot turns rather than allowing a reader to drift. I saved the last 30 pages to read as I soaked tonight, then inadvertently flipped the book into the bath. After a blow dry, the pages fanned fatter, but the content held true. I look forward to Conway's next effort.

Rating:
Summary: Mellowing
Review: I both read and write novels. If I enjoy a writer's style, I will read three chapters, regardless, but SEDUCING SYBILLA drew me on, entertaining but with no sense of urgency. Madeleine Conway has a marvelous vocabulary and uses it boldly. The only improvement I might suggest is breaking chapters at plot turns rather than allowing a reader to drift. I saved the last 30 pages to read as I soaked tonight, then inadvertently flipped the book into the bath. After a blow dry, the pages fanned fatter, but the content held true. I look forward to Conway's next effort.

Rating:
Summary: Seductive and Surprising
Review: Seducing Sybilla is fun and a little out of the ordinary for a Regency romance. The heroine and her sister are scientific and, unlike many bluestocking ladies, seem to be genuinely capable, rather than ivory tower intellectuals. The hero is a combination of alpha and beta male characteristics, and there is a range of interesting secondary characters who have a role in the central romance. Unlike many Regency writers, Ms Conway has researched her settings carefully and has a good grasp of the history and manners of Regency England.

The writing is engaging and the story powers along. This isn't great literature, but it's pleasantly seductive and is told with more flair than many of its genre.

Rating:
Summary: The Consummate Bedtime Companion
Review: This cracking read had me up all night. The characters are skillfully portrayed and the plot riveting. The mounting tension in the character of Sybilla is matched only by the depiction of her inner passion for Augustus. Ms. Conway is a mistress of her genre. My only reservation is the impatience at having to wait for her next offering.

Rating:
Summary: The Consummate Bedtime Companion
Review: This cracking read had me up all night. The characters are skillfully portrayed and the plot riveting. The mounting tension in the character of Sybilla is matched only by the depiction of her inner passion for Augustus. Ms. Conway is a mistress of her genre. My only reservation is the impatience at having to wait for her next offering.