Reclaiming Lord Rockleigh

Rating:
Summary: Nancy Butler delivers, again!
Review: Mercy Tatlock and her brother Toby are in London to confront Lord Rockleigh Conniston, third son of the Duke of Barrisford, for filing a libel suit against their father -- editor of THE TIPTREE TRUMPET. Mercy finds a nefarious, care-for-none rake who challenges her seventeen year-old brother to a duel. Mercy hides Toby, then sets out to trick and embarrass Rockleigh into giving up the idea of the duel and the libel suit.

Lord Rockleigh Conniston is going through a rough patch. The tenacious Miss Tatlock and her brother have turned his world topsy turvy. An admitted profligate, womanizer and general ne'er do well, Roc hides his true self behind this false facade. However, the editorial in THE TIPTREE TRUMPET portrays him as something evil and Roc will get satisfaction. At first furious at Miss Tatlock's attempts to change his mind about ruining her father, Roc soon finds he is not so much angry as he is intrigued and aroused by the little termagant.

The spats between Mercy and Roc are delicious; dialogue between all of the characters throughout the book sparkles, as does the unusual storyline. A slower pace than what Ms. Butler usually writes only increases the intensity of the telling. I hope, and look forward to stories about Mercy's brother Toby and Roc's second oldest brother -- mere glimpses only whet the reader's appetite for more.

Endearing characters, a solid, original plot and Ms. Butler's talent for creating a few surprises throughout, make RECLAIMING LORD ROCKLEIGH a must read and a definite candidate for the keeper shelf!

Rating:
Summary: Brava, Ms Butler!
Review: Nancy Butler has done it again-refreshing the genre with her fearless exploration of new Regency territory. Lord Rockleigh is not your ordinary romance hero, with darker shades to his character than one usually sees in this often-tame genre, and Mercy Tatlock, although as spunky as any Regency heroine, has subtleties to her nature that remove any hint of stereotype from her character. The plot has a few genuine surprises-and unlike the previous reviewer, I loved those twists at the end. Ms Butler never underestimates her readers, and she deftly handles those scenes with her usual skillful writing, which makes us wonder how we could have missed what was right under our noses the whole time. The book is well paced, its tense scenes skillfully juxtaposed with lighter moments (and of course a few of those tingly romantic encounters at which Ms Butler excels). And as usual, her secondary characters are superb-never mere afterthoughts, but always integral to the tight storyline.

This is a book to savor, to ponder, and to place on the keeper shelf!

Rating:
Summary: Brava, Ms Butler!
Review: The first three-quarters of this book is the usual high-quality stuff I have come to expect from Ms Butler. Rockleigh is an engaging hero - a lost boy looking for purpose. Mercy Tatlock, the heroine, is an idealist, somewhat naive and impetuous but basically sensible and refreshingly straight-forward in her speech and actions.

The style, as ever, is excellent. Ms Butler never allows the prose to sag, and there are plenty of the usual sexy-but-chaste romantic scenes placed throughout. Ms Butler also manages to orchestrate some fine dramatic moments without ever becoming "purple" or ridiculous.

However, the last quarter of the book ruins the rest. Mercy becomes an irrational heroine who can't discuss her doubts about Rockleigh. One of the secondary characters makes a complete and unbelievable turnaround, and we are introduceed to several new and unnecessary characters, whose plot involvement makes what we already know about Rockleigh a lie.

It's a pity that Nancy Butler only seems to produce one book a year, as her fans will need another one soon to wash the taste of this one from their mouths. My advice if you've already bought it: stop reading when Rockleigh and Mercy leave London.

Rating:
Summary: Doesn't make it to the end
Review: The first three-quarters of this book is the usual high-quality stuff I have come to expect from Ms Butler. Rockleigh is an engaging hero - a lost boy looking for purpose. Mercy Tatlock, the heroine, is an idealist, somewhat naive and impetuous but basically sensible and refreshingly straight-forward in her speech and actions.

The style, as ever, is excellent. Ms Butler never allows the prose to sag, and there are plenty of the usual sexy-but-chaste romantic scenes placed throughout. Ms Butler also manages to orchestrate some fine dramatic moments without ever becoming "purple" or ridiculous.

However, the last quarter of the book ruins the rest. Mercy becomes an irrational heroine who can't discuss her doubts about Rockleigh. One of the secondary characters makes a complete and unbelievable turnaround, and we are introduceed to several new and unnecessary characters, whose plot involvement makes what we already know about Rockleigh a lie.

It's a pity that Nancy Butler only seems to produce one book a year, as her fans will need another one soon to wash the taste of this one from their mouths. My advice if you've already bought it: stop reading when Rockleigh and Mercy leave London.