Customer Reviews

Birds of a Feather (Signet Regency Romance)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

An enjoyable story. I liked Joanna because she was not one of your run of the mill simpering schoolgirl miss ! She was strong, intelligent, independent, likeable and she spoke her mind. Lord Sedgewick, or Sedge was a dandy in disguise who's heroism and true good nature was notable. They were an interesting and unlikely couple which made it all the more fun :) Love can surpass even the separation of 'classes' in the Haute Ton of Regency England. *** The only thing that i would like to see happen is a change in the fate or story of Lord Ellisham aka Reggie ...Sedge's older brother. He was such a nice and sweet guy and its so unfair about his um 'condition'. I hope Allison Lane writes another story about him and how he finds love and happiness and a cure for his condition in America...that would be great :). Overall a good book tho :)

This is a great book as funny as it is romantic and it is very romantic...... He is Lord Sedgewick Wylie, a seemingly careless and carefree arbiter of London fashions and more's ala Beau Brummel. She is Joanna Patterson, bespectacled and plainly dressed, careful and caring of others feelings. As similar as sand and sequins, they nonetheless keep meeting( tripping, bumping and falling) and soon the physical body scars are replaced by indelible markings on each heart. A remarkable romance that neither realize exists until yet another clumsy meeting renders them a Scandalous couple. I have always enjoyed Ms. Lane's books and this book is definitely one of her best- Read it and laugh, wince, Enjoy!!!

Joanna takes her responsibilities as chaperone to her cousin Harriet very seriously indeed, and she needs a friend like Reggie to help her vet Harriet's suitors in order to find the best candidate. Reggie's arrogant younger brother, Lord Sedgewick Wylie, believes her to be a scheming fortune hunter pursuing Reggie's title and riches. How ironic, then, when Sedge is the one who ends up marrying Joanna after his clumsy attempt to foil a tete-a-tete backfires and her reputation is compromised. Not only do Joanna and Sedge have to work very hard to combat the rumor-mongers-his parents among them-but they must find a way to make something of their mesalliance of a marriage.

The biggest problem with this book is the hero. He has a cruel tongue and a temper, and although he tries to control himself at the end of the book, I still cannot believe a "happy ever after" ending for this couple. The love he proclaims for Joanna seems more like lust than anything else. And the problems with the parents just makes the situation more hopeless. No, Joanna should have run back home to the vicarage when she had the chance!

Actually, Reggie would have been a marvelous hero. What a shame that the author didn't go that way instead of turning to the dandy-brother! He obviously loves her and appreciates her a lot more than Sedge does! As for his problem, well, I am a great believer in the healing power of true love!

but I'll give that Ms. Lane does create a highly unlikely heroine and a rather unusual hero. Joanna is the sort of bespectacled plain chaperon that seem to pupulate the Regency period in romance novels; Lord Sedgewick Wylie, on the other hand, is not your typical rake--Behind his fastidiously groomed appearances and haughty demeanor hides a gentleman who cares deepy about the well-being of other people. However, this is not to say Sedge, as he's called, is a likeable character.

For one thing, he assumes the worst of Joanna throughout their acquaintance--he either considers her a dim-witted woman far beneath his social class or accuses her of being a scheming fortune-hunter who is set out to marry his older brother for the title & fortune. In fact, Sedge appears paled when compared to his brother Reggie, who quickly sees past Joanna's unflattering clothing and realizes how intelligent, witty and precious she is. And I still can't be sure if Sedge truly loves Joanna even after I turn the last page, for it seems that his feelings for her are mainly physical....

BIRDS OF A FEATHER has so many (sometimes tiring)plot twists and villainous characters (Praise the Lord my parents do not even remotely resemble Sedge's)that readers who like their Regencies light and fast-paced probably should look elsewhere. To me, it is not so much about two people falling in love as it is about how one man's attempt to rescue his brother from a schemer/fortuen hunter ends up awry.

First, a word about the publishers. . . Somewhere it is decreed, I suppose in the Regency genre publishing house, that all "Regency Romance" books must be exactly 218 pages, no more and no less, so that if one author writes less, they make the letters nice and big, three paragraphs to a page. . . And if another author has a longer story, the publishers will squeeze ten paragraphs, in tiny letters, onto one page. . . This is one of the books where you have ten paragraphs (or more) per page, plus there is so much going on in the story that the plotline is constantly changing . . . for me, this made for some frustrating reading.

But as for the story itself - this is my first by Allison Lane, and what I see, I like. I was pre-warned that she is a "darker" Regency author, so that I did not find the issues explored in this story shocking. Yes, it's sad, but, unfortunately, there really are parents like that. (Today, since arranged marriages are not really "done" it will play out in the form of career, or how their children should live their lives. . .) As for the character of Reggie - he's a really nice, sympathetic character, but I'm afraid that his problem was a real one. Maybe it's uncommon, and he seems to have had an unusually bad case of it, but it is only today that they have medication for these problems (those who have read the story know which medication I mean).

I loved the heroine! I hate to say this, but she sounds so exactly like me, that how can I not have loved this story?

Miss Joanna Patterson was hired as a sort-of companion to Lady Harriet, to launch her into society - and to find her a husband, perferably a rich one. Being rather plain, awkward, and bespecled besides, Joanna has no such hopes for herself.

Lord Sedgewick Wylie is not only a dandy, but he is the biggest dandy of them all - actually, he is a social leader. Always, always, impeccably dressed, always with perfect manners, Lord Sedgewick is as different from Joanna as could possibly be. But what society does not know, and would possibly ridicule if they did, is that under that dandified clothing is a smart and educated man - and he is starting to get bored with the society role that he is playing.

In short, this is a couple that is different as could possibly be, and would never have even looked at each other, if fate had not intervened, in not one, not two, but three separate "accidents" involving each other, the last one culminating in their forced marriage - although "marriage" for show, and "marriage" for real are two separate things entirely. . .

Quite early on in the book, I recognized the plot. Yes, I was right. This book has a similar plot to "The Viscount who Loved me" by Julia Quinn. I checked the publishing dates to see "who cheated" but they were published quite closely together, actually this book was first. . . Maybe this is a fairly common Regency plot device, I haven't read enough Regency books to know if this is so or not.

And unlike some previous reviewers, I really liked the character of Lord Sedgewick. He is a refreshing change from the rakes, and more rakes, that seem to populate all the Regency fare that I have read so far. Although a dandy, he is responsible, and uses his position in society wisely - he actually tries to help people. He is not a rake, nor does he gamble in excess, or drink etc. etc. In short, in many ways a paragon. And although he does treat the heroine badly at some point in the book, his reasons are very clear, and believable, to me. Besides, once he gets over his initial reaction, he does apologize, and he even comes to an understanding within himself as to why he treated her this way, and how he will change in the future. Hey, you can't ask for much better than that. Even if I am the only one, I do see a very nice future for the rest of their lives together.

I like Allison Lane's style. I like her complicated plots, I liked her *very" complex characters, and I especially liker her *very* realistic portrayal of the issues she has chosen to deal with in this Regency novel. This is one smart lady, and I really enjoyed her writing.

I recommend this book for anyone who likes Regencies a bit *darker*, but more realistic, and especially for those who like complicated plots with full-fleshed characters, created by an extremely intelligent author.

Did you know that Sedge first appears in "A Bird in Hand" by Allison Lane? Perhaps having the background which that book provides would help in getting a handle on Lord Sedgewick's character in this one. I think the books work great as a pair.

Joanna Patterson, a homely vicar's daughter, has been hired as companion to Miss Harriet Wicksfield to act as chaperon for Harriet's first season, screen Harriet's suitors and keep Lady Wicksfield from over-spending her budget. All this is a tall order for a daydreamer like Joanna, but she prides herself on her intelligence and interest in helping others. Joanna's interests lead her into disaster as she continually crashes into Lord Sedgewick Wylie. Sedge is a dandy and a leader of the ton who prides himself on his perfect public appearance. Whenever he encounters Joanna, he meets with disaster. Joanna becomes tongue-tied around the arrogant lord and he believes her to be a brainless idiot. Joanna strikes up a friendship with Sedge's brother Reggie, Lord Ellisham and work together to find Harriet the perfect husband. Sedge is certain that Joanna is a desperate fortune hunter out to ruin his brother and their family. Sedge is determined to separate them, yet can't help but be attracted to Joanna's womanly figure. A public scandal and unhealthy family relationships create a lot of drama and nearly prevent these birds of a feather from realizing they belong together. The hero and heroine of this novel are truly not birds of a feather. Sedge is a rude, arrogant, selfish, snobby, pig who is nothing but cruel to Joanna. Joanna begins to understand that Sedge has a hidden side to him that's vastly different from his public persona but the story from his point of view does not develop his character sufficiently to really understand him or like him.