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Rating: 
Summary: Good but slow...
Review: This book by Laura Matthews (who has recently published A RIVAL HEIR by the same publisher) was her third or fourth title. She is one of those authors who has published steadily over the last two decades, but has never achieved the name-recognition of a Mary Balogh, or even a Carla Kelly. Laura Matthews will appeal to those preferring a slow read, filled with architectural, landscaping and gastronomic details. This is not filled with fast action and adventure, and it is definitely a book to sit down with cosily, expecting to linger over a sentence here, a paragraph there just for the images created. Lady Amelia is in her third season as a debutante; she is pretty with gold or bronzed hair and violet eyes, and the sister of a fifth Earl. Her parents unfortunately died in internment (having been caught in France after the collapse of the Peace of Amiens). Therefore, Amelia is both subtly anti-French, and also determined to avenge her parents' death by procuring information from tipsy or susceptible young gentlemen. To wit, she lures successive men whom she suspects of Bonapartist sympathies onto the balcony or elsewhere for a private cose, perhaps with the aid of a kiss or two. Hardly a demure heroine, then. And one who is acquiring a bit of a reputation - thus catching the eye of a Lord Verwood. Amelia has a problem with this peer - firstly, he is not known to anyone (apart from her brother) and she suspects him of being a French spy (an imposter placed by the French in place of the real Verwood), and secondly, she is somewhat interested in him. [Well, her nose twitches whenever *he* is around, you see..]. So Verwood is "spying" on Amelia, wondering what she is up to in her efforts to obtain information for the war effort - she is his friend's sister, and she has been linked to a certain Frenchman who has raised suspicions in Verwood. Amelia is trying to spy on Verwood. And both are keeping an eye on that certain Frenchman who has awakened suspicions in both, since he knows no one in the emigre French community and his actions in London are somewhat suspicious. And lo - the Frenchman brings his sister to London, and the sister Veronique Chartier catches the eye of Peter, Amelia's brother and Verwood's friend. Quite a problem, one would say. Amelia conceives of the happy idea of taking one of the families she has helped down to their country place, with the aim of separating Peter from Veronique. She is double-crossed in this, with her brother inviting the Chartiers (brother and sister) and her aunt (and chaperone) inviting Verwood himself. Amelia, by now, is convinced again that Verwood must be a spy since he has abandoned her in the middle of a ball [well, there is more to *that* story]. Besides the double romance of Amelia and Verwood, and Peter and Veronique, there is the hint of a romance between a local smuggler and Amelia's aunt. There is Verwood's questionable actions in London (especially when he claims to have met an old friend). There is Amelia's unquestionably ardent response to his kisses, which surprises them both. [Verwood begins to wonder how ardent Amelia has been exactly with the other men!]. There is the smuggling theme. And there is the shrew. What shrew? Well, that is tied up with Amelia's charitable work. This was a very pleasant read, if a bit slow. There was nothing seriously wrong, except perhaps the fact that Amelia seemed to get by without being labelled fast, and the fact that her brother and his friend did not take Amelia's suspicions seriously. [Well, our heroine *is* inclined to be suspicious]. While there is plenty happening, nothing dangerous happens to the heroine, even when she interrupts a smuggling operation (created for her benefit, I should add!). If you want a pleasant read with a bit of humor and with lyrical desciptions of an English country estate, try this book. Despite Amelia's ardency, the "action" does not get beyond PG-13. A very nice traditional Regency read. Grade = 4.4
Rating:
Summary: Good but slow...
Review: This book by Laura Matthews (who has recently published A RIVAL HEIR by the same publisher) was her third or fourth title. She is one of those authors who has published steadily over the last two decades, but has never achieved the name-recognition of a Mary Balogh, or even a Carla Kelly. Laura Matthews will appeal to those preferring a slow read, filled with architectural, landscaping and gastronomic details. This is not filled with fast action and adventure, and it is definitely a book to sit down with cosily, expecting to linger over a sentence here, a paragraph there just for the images created. Lady Amelia is in her third season as a debutante; she is pretty with gold or bronzed hair and violet eyes, and the sister of a fifth Earl. Her parents unfortunately died in internment (having been caught in France after the collapse of the Peace of Amiens). Therefore, Amelia is both subtly anti-French, and also determined to avenge her parents' death by procuring information from tipsy or susceptible young gentlemen. To wit, she lures successive men whom she suspects of Bonapartist sympathies onto the balcony or elsewhere for a private cose, perhaps with the aid of a kiss or two. Hardly a demure heroine, then. And one who is acquiring a bit of a reputation - thus catching the eye of a Lord Verwood. Amelia has a problem with this peer - firstly, he is not known to anyone (apart from her brother) and she suspects him of being a French spy (an imposter placed by the French in place of the real Verwood), and secondly, she is somewhat interested in him. [Well, her nose twitches whenever *he* is around, you see..]. So Verwood is "spying" on Amelia, wondering what she is up to in her efforts to obtain information for the war effort - she is his friend's sister, and she has been linked to a certain Frenchman who has raised suspicions in Verwood. Amelia is trying to spy on Verwood. And both are keeping an eye on that certain Frenchman who has awakened suspicions in both, since he knows no one in the emigre French community and his actions in London are somewhat suspicious. And lo - the Frenchman brings his sister to London, and the sister Veronique Chartier catches the eye of Peter, Amelia's brother and Verwood's friend. Quite a problem, one would say. Amelia conceives of the happy idea of taking one of the families she has helped down to their country place, with the aim of separating Peter from Veronique. She is double-crossed in this, with her brother inviting the Chartiers (brother and sister) and her aunt (and chaperone) inviting Verwood himself. Amelia, by now, is convinced again that Verwood must be a spy since he has abandoned her in the middle of a ball [well, there is more to *that* story]. Besides the double romance of Amelia and Verwood, and Peter and Veronique, there is the hint of a romance between a local smuggler and Amelia's aunt. There is Verwood's questionable actions in London (especially when he claims to have met an old friend). There is Amelia's unquestionably ardent response to his kisses, which surprises them both. [Verwood begins to wonder how ardent Amelia has been exactly with the other men!]. There is the smuggling theme. And there is the shrew. What shrew? Well, that is tied up with Amelia's charitable work. This was a very pleasant read, if a bit slow. There was nothing seriously wrong, except perhaps the fact that Amelia seemed to get by without being labelled fast, and the fact that her brother and his friend did not take Amelia's suspicions seriously. [Well, our heroine *is* inclined to be suspicious]. While there is plenty happening, nothing dangerous happens to the heroine, even when she interrupts a smuggling operation (created for her benefit, I should add!). If you want a pleasant read with a bit of humor and with lyrical desciptions of an English country estate, try this book. Despite Amelia's ardency, the "action" does not get beyond PG-13. A very nice traditional Regency read. Grade = 4.4
Rating: 
Summary: Amelia loved a mystery
Review: While most young ladies hunted the safe haven of marriage, Lady Amelia Cameron passionately pursued danger. She was determined that her elder brother, Peter, should not be the only one to have the fun of battling a network of French spies and their English sympathizers-and Amelia set about capturing them with her dazzling beauty and promises she never meant to keep. But when Amelia launched her campaign to unmask the handsome, mocking, and most certainly suspect Lord Verwood, so ridiculously trusted by every man and so foolishly adored by every woman, she found that two could play at the game of tantalizing temptation. For instead of turning the head of this man of mystery and menace, Amelia was losing her heart.... I enjoyed this book. Was a great read.
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