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Rating: 
Summary: Good, but lacking in certain areas
Review: Penelope Harwood has spent six years putting up walls around her emotions. After having been jilted by a lover in her youth, she has resigned herself to the role of dutiful daughter, protective sister & spinster. She always knows what's best for her younger sisters--much to their dismay. She certainly doesn't want to see Celia, her flightier sister, with one of the rascal Winslow brothers. Lord Nevin, a half-gyspy upstart, travels to Harwood in hopes of putting aside the bad blood between his family and the Harwoods. He comes with a business proposition--one that surely won't fail. (The Harwood father has a knack for picking bad business ventures). Nevin and his cousin, Bryn Dawes (who always quotes poetry), find themselves caught up in the lives of the Harwood sisters. Many elements of this book made it quite enjoyable. Nevin was very alluring. He was a quiet, handsome, renegade type. The secondary characters were very well-developed, and I was just as intrigued by them as I was the leads. There were several twists in the novel, which made it enjoyable the whole way through. Bryn was an endearing character as well, and provided the means for an interesting secondary romance. Some aspects of the novel left me a little crabby, however. Celia seemed a bit silly for her age (my age as well), and her ongoing relationship with Theo Winslow was rather annoying. At times, Penelope seemed a bit TOO cold and TOO reserved. I really wanted her to open up (which she finally did--5 pages until the novel's end!) Also, the book seemed to be a bit longer than necessary. But don't get me wrong, it is good. More than likely, you'll enjoy it the whole way through. Shannon Donnelly should be commended on a solid effort. One can only hope the youngest sister, Sylvain (the shy, animal lover) will be featured in her own romantic tale!
Rating: 
Summary: Take one independant lady, add one fiery lord, simmer...
Review: The recipe for a successful romance is, of course, chemistry between the hero and heroine...and this book aced its chemistry test! Penelope is at her wits end. Her father means well and his business ventures are meant to benefit the family, but, instead, he has brought them to the brinks of finacial ruin and is about to plunge them into poverty with his latest scheme. He has no head for business, but instead of learning from his mistakes, he takes risk after risk, trying to restore the family fortune. Penelope does not mind so much being poor, but she knows she must convince her father to give up his mad schemes for the sake of her invalid mother and two younger sisters. To further complicate Penelope's life, her father has just spent a fortune on a horse with good bloodlines and a dangerous wild streak, her sister fancies herself in love with a well-known rogue, and the relatives of the man who tricked her father into his first investment have come to make amends...with a new investment that could not fail. Penelope is determined not to trust the new Lord Nevin and is trying her hardest to keep her father from investing with the rogue. But then her father cuts up her peace by inviting the lord and his cousin to stay, so that Lord Nevin can work with the untamed stallion. It would not be so bad if Nevin was not so dashed handsome, so blasted charming, and so confounded intent on becoming her friend. She is drawn to him, but how can she give her heart to a man she fears to trust? Penelope is familiar with the pain of a broken heart, and she knows better than to make the same mistake twice...doesn't she? The plot is good, but it's the conversations and tension between the main couple that makes the story worth five stars. A secondary romance in the book made it all the more charming. Be sure to check out A Much Compromised Lady, which is the story of Lord Nevin's sister, Glynis.
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