I did like though that toward the end we saw glimpses of another side to Zoe’s sisters and they were shown to have a bit more dimension than Lucien’s thoughts about them had revealed.

I know that it’s not unheard of for one sibling to differ so much from the others but really, no mention of a similar personality in any of the others?

I did like to find out that, unlike people in England initially thought, Zoe hadn’t bolted in Cairo. Good to know she had that much common sense.

Anyway, I think it's really tough to balance comedy with tragedy in a way that allows for the legitimacy of both. Chase missed for me in DTM and NQAL, perhaps because the tragedy parts were not, you know, all that funny in and of themselves.

It is interesting but now that I’ve read DTM, it is up there with NQAL vying for the title of my favorite Chase. I agree that it is tough to balance comedy with tragedy, but I actually notice that problem more in some of Chase’s lighter books. I think the main reason I found DTM so hilarious was that the humor was all about the tragedy, and that made it more cathartic, a release from Lucien’s pain.

Just finished this book. Inhaled it in 36 hours and it's the first m/f non-BDSM romance I've read in probably more than a year. Loved it. Unreservedly. Yes, it had issues and the two halves of the book seem a little disconnected at times. But I'm a sucker for a book about a hero and the theme of this one is about the reclamation of the hero to love, to life, and to his duties, and it was just perfect. For me. :)

I felt a lot like Joan/Sarah did (except for the part about not reading m/f non-BDSM — that’s mostly what I read). This was not a perfect book but I thought it was hilarious, and that Lucien’s arc was wonderful. The last two sentences of Sarah’s post sum it up for me too.

It was a sweet and humerous historical romance and the perfect way to end a crappola work week. I love it when a hero and heroine ‘get’ each other and save each other from a dull future. I love it when I like a hero and heroine and indeed these two characters where very likeable.

Happy Friday!

I loved the humour, and bantering between Zoe and Lucian. I felt that Lucian was flawed enough that his ‘perfection’ didn’t seem ridiculous. Zoe, in retrospect, seems a bit contrary a character–that is some parts of her (re how she was written) didn’t quite jive with other parts, but I still found her engaging and loved her determination and practicality. As for secondary characters on Zoe’s side, only her father felt ‘real’ to me. All the sisters melded into one and the brothers were pretty non-existent.

I also agree with everyone else that the story was pretty much over once they married.

I didn’t think too much about Zoe remaining a virgin in the harem, it worked given her previous husband’s dysfunction. But….I couldn’t help remembering all those Beatrice Small books I read in the past and wondered why some of those infamouse carved ivory dildoes weren’t put to use to rid Zoe of her pesky hymen and “stretch” her (maybe with the aid of a jar of Catherin Coulter’s ‘creme’. lol.)

In the end those, I just really loved Zoe and Lucian, loved their interactions and believe in their HEA.

And…
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…maybe I’m just a bloodthirsty biotch, but I really think Harrison should have been hanged. The man was unhinged. Transportation just wouldn’t have been enough to make me feel safe at night. At the very least he probably offed the poor housekeeper as soon as they got on the ship.

Interesting point of view. I think I disagree. I don’t think their marriage would have made a satisfying ending to the book. While I agree that in general these suspense subplots are superfluous I felt in this case, Zoe’s being threatened was an important bit to help Lucien realize how important she was to him and also to allow Zoe to realize how deeply into himself Lucien had retreated and why.

The only thing that felt off to me was that he said ‘everybody he loved’ had got killed, because I would have thought he didn’t just feel grateful to Lexham, but also loved him.

I liked this one *much* better than YSW.

ETA: I’d give it a B+ at least and I agree with whomever said that Zoe’s PTSD will show up later after their life settles down a bit and the adrenaline wears off. After all book from start to finish covered, what, 8 weeks?

Ok. Redo.

Finally bought this (a rarity for me) last Friday and I read it all in one sitting. I really enjoyed the book, even though it’s not as good as Mr. Impossible or YSW. I loved the humor in this.

The heroine reminded me a bit of Leonie from These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer at times. Her temper. Her innocent spirit contrasted with her worldliness. And These Old Shades is one of my favorite books ever, so this comparison definitely worked in Zoe’s favor for me!

I thought the thing with Harrison at the end was unnecessary, though. It felt tacked on. For me, the book could really have ended with their marriage.

p.s. I loved the mention of Zoe dancing with 3 of Lord Hargate’s 5 sons. I hope for her sake Rupert was one of them, just because I think everyone must love Rupert. :)

Don’t be afraid to speak up if your comments await moderation in the future. That goes for all posters here. Hopefully one of us Ja(y)nes will see the post and fish the comment out.

It used to be the spam filter meant a post just didn’t show up. This time I could see my comment and it had the ‘awaiting moderation’ comment on it. Naturally, my insecure poor little self went ‘oh, noes, what’d I *do*, I’m moderated!??’ wail… smile

ETA: Weird, my last comment in reply to FD is ‘awaiting moderation’. That’s different! BAD GrowlyCub… I guess :)

I love the story of ‘An Unexpected Passion’ because it’s a true HEA after a very inauspicious start. It really happened! I thought the Marshall book had some writing issues, but I’m just tickled pink to think that there really are forever after historical HEAs.

I read it in 93 when I lived in Stirling, Scotland and I saw a picture of Harryo when I visited one of the palaces on the Scottish coast, but I had forgotten both title and author. The Smart Bitches found it for me about a year ago and one very kind lady sent me a copy of it from the UK.

I’ve since read some of the letters Harryo and Granville wrote and it’s clear from them that they were very happy together and if anybody knows differently, please don’t tell me! :)

Re the children being an issue with Your Scandalous Ways There’s only so much authorly hand-waving I can accept, and the whole point of a Regency is that it’s a Regency. Play within the rules, or don’t play at all. These things are do-able, but I’d like to see them done realistically, please.
On that line, one of my favourite old Masquerade Historicals is by Paula Marshall – An Unexpected Passion which is a ‘faction’ and deals with the Devonshire House set. Jiminy cricket – the things they got up to! And yet, they played within the ‘rules’ for their time. I’d like to see more authors take on some of the truly remarkable set-ups that really happened.

This is probably akin to the magical healing properties of a hero's sperm that cures infertility.

*cough*Robyn Carr?*cough*