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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A regency beauty and the beast, December 9, 2003
This review is from: Beauty and The Baron (Mass Market Paperback)
Miss Angela Lacewood had resigned herself to a quiet, solitary life in the country before Lord Lucius (also known as Lord Lucifer for his quick temper, solitary nature, tendency to stalk around at night, and the black mask that covers most of his face) strikes a deal with her. In exchange for a much-sought after commission for her brother, Angela will pretend to be Lucius' fiancee to please his dying grandfather, of whom Angela is also quite fond. To make the old earl happy in his final months (Angela initially rejects the commission for her brother), Angela agrees to carry off the charade with the intent of breaking off the engagement after the earl has passed on. As Angela and Lucius grow to know one another, however, will they want to break off their engagement? What can I say, I have a suddenly intense weakness for scarred heroes. I therefore liked the character of Lucius, although I wish that he would just tear off his mask once in a while if not for anything more than dramatic effect! Having never seen his wounds, I have no idea how horrible they might be, but as one reviewer mentioned, so many soldiers were returning with scars, missing limbs, etc, and non-combattants also had pock marks, missing teeth, etc. Perhaps the mask was a reflection of his vanity - after all, he had been exceptionally handsome before Waterloo, and perhaps he did not want others to see how much he had changed in regards to looks. Perhaps the mask was a way of escape - perhaps his soul was tortured enough inside to want to block out the world in any way possible, including putting on a mask. I don't know, but the mask thing gave the book a mystery about it that I enjoyed. I, for one, have no qualms about a heroine potentially falling in love with a masked man - it's rather dashing, in my opinion. If the hero is masked, then the heroine has no choice but to fall in love with the person, rather than the looks! :) At any rate, I liked the character of Angela. She was sweet and kind, although a bit too meek for my tastes. Angela and Lucius went well together, sparring and all. In his heart, Lucius wanted Angela to find happiness, even if that meant she didn't end up with him, and that was noble, if not frustrating to some extent. For the last 50 pages, I really just felt like thwacking Lucius on the side of the head. The story could have wrapped up 50 pages or so before it did, and I would have been happy, but there was yet another subplot to rear its not-so-attractive head. Sometimes there felt as if there was too much going on at any particular time, as if additional subplots were thrown in to keep the story going. Nevertheless, I did enjoy this book greatly, so much so in fact that I stayed up late to finish the book because I couldn't bear to put it down! Despite a few minor flaws, the plot was good, and I never get tired of another retelling of the classic Beauty and the Beast story, especially when it involves engaging characters such as Angela and Lucius. This book earned four stars in my opinion, and a place on my "keepers" shelf!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
This Baron is no Beast, May 8, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Beauty and The Baron (Mass Market Paperback)
Lord Lucifer, aka Lucius Daventry, has withdrawn from society because of damage done to his once-devastating face. Believe me. Lucius doesn't need an unmarred face to be devastating, and withdrawing from society only gives him the opportunity to develop his other admirable qualities. Take, for example, this quick-witted response: "Though I have never touched lips with a horse, I believe I can say with some authority that yours are far preferable to kiss." Angela Lacewood agrees to a pretend engagement with Lucius because they both want to make his dying grandfather's final days happy, but Angela is no fortune hunter, the only type of woman Lucius believes he can now attract. Instead, she's warm and tender-hearted, and Lucius would rather have her love than her pity. He's far easier to love than he thinks. With his sense of humour and ability to write love letters, this is a champion any woman would be wise to grab. Needless to say, Angela's no fool and this couple's "happily ever after" is justly deserved.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A definite keeper, and a new author to read!, November 12, 2006
This review is from: Beauty and The Baron (Mass Market Paperback)
I just finished BEAUTY AND THE BARON, and enjoyed it immensely. Deborah Hale has created memorable, realistic characters the reader can relate to... I especially love the heroine, Angela, who is earthy, kind, and generous. I came to love the hero, Lucius, Lord Daventry, little by little. Ms. Hale has given us a very insulated, proud, and vulnerable hero whom Angela grows to love day by day... but for Lord Daventry, the road to loving Angela is fraught with emotional pitfalls. She's wonderful -- there's nothing not to love about her -- but he is scarred in many ways and for many reasons, and he doesn't love anyone easily. He's a great character, dark and intriguing without being annoying, as some of the dark heroes in romances can be!
The Earl of Daventry, grandfather to Lucius and friend to Angela, is a beautifully-drawn secondary character who springs off the page with a life of his own. Ms. Hale has written some other marvelous supporting characters, as well -- Mr. Michaeljohn (the shy vicar), Tibby, Mr. Shaw -- a pivotal character who turns the tide for both Angela and Lucius in a way one would not have foreseen -- and many others.
All in all, it's a great read and I recommend it highly. The author's prose is at times so lovely as to be poetic, but is never cloying. It's just great reading. A cut above. And she writes beautiful/powerful love scenes, as well!
This is a definite keeper, and I will be looking for more of her books!
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