TURKISH DELIGHT

Rating:
Summary: Very good debut Regency
Review: I enjoy just about everything Rosemary Edghill has written (whether under this name, or her nom de plume eluki bes shahar), and "Turkish Delight," a novel I recently bought through [Amazon.com's] used books division, was very tempting indeed.

The basic plot is as follows. Louisa Darwen's family died while overseas in Turkey; a Sultan adopted her (as he liked her and her family). She was raised in the harem, learned Turkish and the religion of the Muslims, and now is returning to England to take up her inheritance (such as it is).

Gervase, Earl of Coldmeece, is an unusual fellow. He's thirty-five, still unwed, has an unusual, strange sense of humor -- and dislikes Louisa without even meeting her, because of her unusual background.

With this sort of set-up, of course sparks are going to fly, and of course these two are going to end up together. Yet the journey here is more important than the outcome; Louisa is very funny, especially when she's chatting with other Darwens, and Gervase is also extremely amusing.

This was Ms. Edghill's debut novel, and it already showed the great promise she had (and still has) as a novelist; the dialogue is crisp and witty, the situations crackle with life and don't seem quite as contrived as other Regencies I've read, and Gervase is a most unusual hero.

I really enjoy Ms. Edghill's Regencies, because they are always amusing, funny, and touching. Still, my favorite of her Regencies remains "Two of a Kind." That one was even more unusual than this, and is even funnier in some ways. I've also read another of her Regencies, "The Ill-Bred Bride," which was also a bit better than this one in some ways.

But this was a debut novel; I doubt I'd have written one half so well, and as it stands, I'm talking about it nearly twenty years after it was released, and after reading nearly all of Ms. Edghill's subsequent output. So, on that basis, I'd say this was a solid four star effort -- and showed much of what would come later.

Buy all the Rosemary Edghill books you can! You won't regret it. :)

Rating:
Summary: Quite Witty
Review: While the plot devices are standard (and, considering how many Regency romances have been written, it is VERY hard not to rehash what has already been written) I enjoyed this book because of the brilliant dialog. Rosemary Edghill spent quite a bit of time keeping the conversations between the various characters witty and interesting. This book is definitely for readers who would enjoy the elegant and refined repartee moreso than a dashing plot and a suspenseful ending. The added bonus of multiple lovestories throughout the book was a nice touch, too. Very predictable plot but I didn't mind too much because it was so much fun getting to a thoroughly delightul ending!