Cheek to Cheek (Zebra Ballad Romance)

Rating:
Summary: enjoyable read
Review: "Cheek to Cheek" is a rather captivating story about a young English woman's bid for independence and romance in New York City of the 1890s. The characters are all mostly charming and endearing and the romantic relationship that develops between Lady Olivia Marlowe and her employer, businessman Adam Porterfield, is an engaging one as well. However, "Cheek to Cheek" is primarily a feel good romantic novel. So, if you're looking for a historical romance that also takes a hard and gritty look at the early experiences of immigrants, look else where. Nearly everyone is unremittingly cheerful in this novel. The exploitation of the immigrants, the racism and sexism that many faced is only very casually mentioned, as everyone exhalts in the notion that things are definitely better in the 'new country' as opposed to harshness of Europe.

Lady Olivia Marlowe's stepfather has arranged a marriage for her with his old friend, Sir Dudley Cochran. And while Olivia isn't exactly over the moon with this engagement, she's quite resigned to her fate as well. That is until her stepbrother, Jeremy, waves the intoxicating idea that there may be a way out for Olivia. Jeremy is eager to shake the dust of England from his shoes so that he can be his own man and build something of his own. To that end, he has decided to go into business with an American business man, Adam Porterfield. However, Jeremy needs money to invest in this business, and he wants Olivia to sell her valueable jewelry collection, and stake him the money he needs to go into business with Adam. The second part of Jeremy's plan involves Olivia pretending to be in service, so that he can hire her on Adam's behalf to be a companion to Adam's mother. (This is so that Olivia can slip out of England surreptitiously, without her stepfather knowing anything of their plans.) Ever since Adam's father's death, his mother has slipped into a kind of melancholy and has quite lost her zest for life. Adam hopes that an English companion will encourage his mother to take an interest in life again.

Adam is attracted to Olivia almost as soon as he lays eyes on her. However, while Olivia finds that she is also attracted to Adam, she makes it very clear that theirs is to be strictly professional relationship of employer and employee. In the mean time, Olivia is discovering that it is quite an adjustment going from one who is used to being served to being the one that does the serving. But she gallantly makes it stab at it, earning the respect of Adam and the other servants in the Porterfield household. Unfortunately, Adam's mother proves to be a not so easy nut to crack. And it will take all of Olivia's ingenuity and patience to get Mrs. Porterfield to accept her. Can Olivia pull this off? And what of the dangerous attraction that is building up between Olivia and Adam? Should she give in to her desires or maintain her air of reserve and propriety? Also, what will happen when the Porterfields realise that the young woman their have hired to be a companion has a title?

As a novel that details how Olivia comes to realise that she is actually a lot more capable than she had hitherto thought herself to be, and how much she enjoys this new luxury of being her own woman, this book is a standout read. The romance that develops between Olivia and Adam is a rather standard one, even though well done. The ending, however, was really rushed. However, this novel is primarily one about Olivia and how she becomes something quite a bit more than the bored society lady she used to be in England. All in all, a satisfying read.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting but not great.
Review: Plot description on this book's Amazon.com page. You like the characters, but like the reviewer from CA stated, these are not your typical immigrants. Well, I didn't really like Olivia's stepbrother. Also, the book dragged a little as Olivia establishes herself as a dress designer. And the [interlude]in the garden was strange, you don't expect him to just tell her to go. I know this review is lukewarm, but I was expecting something different.