Secrets Of A Summer Night

Rating:
Summary: I've found a new favorite author
Review: I already devour far more romance novels that I have time for - plenty of late nights! So I've tried to stick to just the few select authors who I love to follow. However I was stuck at a small midwest airport recently and book was the only light reading they had on hand. So... it was good. Not amazing, I'll admit, but enough that it kept my interest and intrigued enough to check out other works. I'll write separate review for them, but for this one I'll say the text and dialogue are refreshing and intelligent. I like that her characters aren't the usual dukes and high aristocracy but rather upper-middle class. Wealthy enough to give it fantasy but real enough to make the story relatable.

Rating:
Summary: An Exciting Read
Review: I am simply not giving this book five stars because it is not as good as my ALL time favourite ' Lady Sophia's Lover'.

I enjoyed reading this first installment of the wallflower series. I love Annabelle and her Simon. Both are strong three dimensional characters.

I don't have a problem with Annabelle knowing what she wants and being brave enough to pursue it... even if she was little short sighted.It is preposterous, to believe that she is cold and selfish.... far from it. Her determination to MARRY and to MARRY WELL denotes her committment to her family. Indeed, she was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for her family. Is that selfish? Her desire to marry a peer was simply common sense when one takes into consideration the era in which she lived.
(This technique is called... making it real)

Lisa Kleypas did a marvelous job with the character Simon. I admire the fact that she didn't attempt to make him a carbon copy of any of her other characters but made him Strong and Manly without being harsh and mean.... just the way I like them. His consant pursuit of Annabelle and his compassionate promises to her were compelling and moving. I just loved the man.

I totally disagree with the myopic view that the love scenes seemed 'forced'... not on your life. They were hot,steamy and sweet. I loved the openess the couple shared.It is this openess between the hero and heroine, which sets this book a part from the rest. The lack of tension made this book such a pleasurable read.

To sum it all up, I have never read any of Lisa's books that I did not Love!The stage has been set and I can't wait to read each scene as it plays out. Excellent Work Lisa!! You Go Girl!!!

Rating:
Summary: I loved it! More Wallflowers PLEASE!
Review: I decided this year to start reviewing the books that I've read, but only to publish the review when I can make a heartfelt positive recommendation (I have to LOVE the book.) Secrets of a Summer Night is a book I can recommend. In fact, I give it 5 stars.

Secrets begins a new series by Lisa Kleypas about a group of four wallflowers in England in the early Victorian era I would guess. The story revolves around Annabelle Peyton, an wealthy lady who after the death of her father becomes strapped for money. She has tried unsuccessfully for several seasons to find the right husband but her lack of a dowry has her at a disadvantage. She meets her match in Simon Hunt, a butcher's son, who recently has made his fortune in the railroads. He has had an attraction to Annabelle for years.

As ususual, Lisa Kleypas digs deep into the heroine and hero and makes them suffer before they can come together and deserve the love they receive from each other (did I mention HOT?)

Another 5 Stars for Lisa Kleypas. But I never expect anything less from her.

My highest recommendation. I look forward to the next in wallflowers series.

Brava!

Rating:
Summary: read it in The Bahamas
Review: I love all of the novels by this author. I ordered this for my Christmas present to me and it was worth it.
Delice Lynch, Nassau

Rating:
Summary: Not her best, but it's right up there
Review: I thought the heroine was completely believable. Those who paid more attention to the book would recognize what happened when she married Simon and not a peer. Money was high on the priority list for a groom, but being a peer was not even an option---it was a must. I thought Lisa did a wonderful job conveying how the London Ton would have viewed this couple. Unlike other historical romances where daughters of dukes marry horsetrainers and are welcomed into societey with open arms, this one is realistic and all the better for it. I loved the other three wallflowers and can't wait to read the next books to see what's in store for them. Love to be sure.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely delightful
Review: I've read a lot of Kleypas, but I wasn't expecting much of her new "Wallflowers" series. After reading this one, though, I'm chomping at the bit for the second installment.

What won me completely over were the central characters, the wallflower girls. This is Annabelle's story, and I absolutely loved her as a heroine. She was smart and hysterically funny, and I enjoyed that she and Simon (her eventual husband) had more in common than just sex appeal. Both had similar senses of humor, and neither was an idealistic featherbrain.

A lot of the reviews are lukewarm because Annabelle is materialistic, and makes no pretense about the fact that she needs to marry a wealthy man. I thought that Kleypas actually did a good job with this character trait, because it made Annabelle more understandable and whole. No one is perfect, and she read as more realistic (as well as representative of her era in history). Better yet, it even gave her a character arc as she adjusted to her new place in society -- instead of the usual "magic-wand" approach to happiness ("Oh, golly, getting married sure solved every one of my problems! And it even cleared up my acne!") Annabelle actually had to spend some time working toward her good ending. And certainly there was enough detail on her family situation to give any character good reason to be a bit concerned with where their next meal (and meals for their family) is coming from.

Rating:
Summary: Better than Lady Sophia's Lover
Review: It started out as a fun read. Four young women of marriageable age join in a plot to trap a husband, no matter what it takes. Of course, morality, integrity, and most importantly, love, win out in the end. You have to read through 3/4 of the book to get to the first sex scene, and it was worth the wait. However, the last 1/4 consisted of several anti-climatic scenes, with no apparent build-up to them. The author just throws them at you. I found them completely unnecessary and suddenly got bored and just skimmed quickly to the end. For that reason, I give it 3 stars instead of 4.

Rating:
Summary: Different; ending wonderful
Review: This is an interesting beginning to the "Wallflowers" series. As you will read much of the plot in others reviews, I will not re-hash it again. There were so many good scenes in this novel, the best being the times spent with the other wallflowers. Yes, like other reviewers I found the romance rather lukewarm until the end. Not that there wasn't the usual Kleypas sizzling episodes between Simon and Annabelle but they kept their feelings well under wraps. I totally understood Annabelle marrying for money - as she had NONE left so that even her mother took to "sleeping with the enemy" so to say. I was not sure why Simon waited so long for Annabelle considering the snubs she gave him for years. But I feel the main characters grew during the book and in the end, I was satisfied. The developing secondary characters - the wallflowers, Annabelle's mother and brother, and the assorted bachelors were all wonderful to meet. I look forward to the other books.

My favorite quote is near the end of the book after Annabelle and Simon are almost killed in a foundry fire. Annabelle says to Simon -- "I realized something ...I would rather have died in your arms, Simon, then face a lifetime without you."

Perhaps this is not quite as soul stirring as other Kleypas books but I would not have missed it.

Rating:
Summary: A Grand Beginning
Review: This is how to properly introduce a new series.
Simon Hunt is positively delicious. He's charming, handsome, wealthy, powerful, a little too dangerous, and a little too arrogant. Everything a romance novel reader likes to see in her hero.
Annabelle is not my favorite heroine to date, but she's intelligent - consistently so, which is far, far too rare in these books. She's also witty, resourceful, loyal and loving. She was easy enough to like.
The secondary characters were absolutely wonderful. Always present in a way that enhanced the story, without ever taking the focus off the main characters.
My only complaint, and it's a minor one, is the heroine's rather unattractive dislike for the hero's common origins, which was difficult to reconcile with her obvious respect for her three new friends, all of whom were clearly "new money."
All in all, a delightful read. I will certainly be keeping an eye out for the next installment.


Rating:
Summary: You cant put it down..
Review: While I will agree with most, its not like her other books...BUT....I will say for a fact, she hasn't lost her magic.

I think this is a great beginning, and the rest of this series will get even better. The other girls in the series will have more depth, Annabelle was the one with the looks, so her story is not as deep. The American girls, will be hell on wheels, when their story comes out..I cant wait for the next book. I see Ms Kleypas reaching out.... and trying something new..and I say...you go girl...she never uses fluff ***Ever*** so she can take me with her anywhere..I love her writings....and all her books, including this one...were keepers..and read in one sitting. You just cant put her books down. They are ALL wonderful...

Dont hurry and write the next one Ms Kleypas....but hurry OK *wink* You will always be on the top of my favorite authors list.
*tips her hat*