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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining Madcap and Zany Characters, April 4, 2005
This review is from: The Butler Did It (Hqn Books) (Mass Market Paperback)
When Lord Drummond, the Marquis of Westham, left London five years before, he expected that when he did decide to return, his unflappable butler and staff would have the property in tiptop condition. What he hadn't expected was that his butler, would have decided to rent out said property as both a way to keep busy and make a few extra pounds on the side by renting to an impoverished genteel family, a con man, and a wealthy ex-seamstress with a formidable appetite. The last thing the butler expected was to see the Marquis quit his rusticating in the country and come back to town without warning to take in the season.
Emma Clifford knew she had to find a wealthy husband, and in order to do that she and her madcap family needed a respectable address to stay at during the season. The residence of the Marquis of Westham was perfect. As Morgan attempts to regain his house to himself, he finds himself mire deep in mayhem and wacky people. Before he knows it, he is black-mailed into escort duty, hosting a ball, and a series of madcap adventures. To top it all off he is doing his best to deny an irresistible attraction to the very lovely Miss Clifford even if it means embracing her madcap relatives.
*** This was an amusing and often times ridiculous yet funny regency tale. The plethora of zany characters and their madcap antics from the lowest maid to the once unflappable butler, who met his match, were highly amusing as well as the witty dialogs that will have you chuckling right out loud. The romance between Morgan and Emma was lovely. Of all of these players, though one must give a prize to Fanny Clifford, as one of the most outrageous grandmother's of all time. I can't say it is a keeper, but will certainly provide you with a very entertaining read! --- Marilyn, for www.romancedesigns.com ---
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
a wonderfully entertaining frolic, September 9, 2004
This review is from: The Butler Did It (Hqn Books) (Mass Market Paperback)
After 5 years of self imposed exile, Morgan Drummond, the Marquis of Westham, has decided to leave his country estate and return to London for the season so that he can find a suitably demure and even tempered wife. By now, he's sure that 1) the scandal that he had precipitated by challenging his best friend to a duel while drunk would have been forgotten, and 2) that he is able to control his easily raised short temper. But when he arrives at his London house, he discovers that his enterprising butler, Thornley, has for the past two years, been leasing rooms to those who want to partake in the season. And currently, the marquis is (unknowingly) 'hosting' a colourful group of people from a con artist out to pull his last con, to a might be murderess, to the almost penniless Clifford family that's come to London in order to net the beautiful and fiery Emma Clifford a rich husband. When Morgan discovers what's going on, he doesn't know if he should murder his butler or throw out his 'guests' first. That is until he meets Emma who tries (and fails) to blackmail him; and grandmother Clifford (Fanny), a woman with a highly colourful past who successfully blackmails him into letting them all stay on, and into squiring Emma about town. Soon Morgan finds himself at every fashionable do with Emma on his arm, only to make the startling discovery that he's more occupied with keeping an eye on the infuriating termagant instead of finding a proper wife for himself! Could Morgan (horror of horrors) be falling in love with Emma?
"The Butler Did It" definitely can be classified as a Regency-era romp, and what a fun read it was too. Kasey Michaels was one of the first authours I started off with when I discovered Regency-era romance novels -- light, funny and fast paced, her early books were a joy to me back then. And "The Butler Did It" really fits into this mold of her earlier works. I finished the book before I even knew it. Morgan and Emma were a joy to read about: their interaction was witty, humorous and fiery -- definitely a pair that was meant for each other. And I rather enjoyed Emma's mother (who tends to think in Capital Letters) and her romance with the butler, Thornley as well. However, I did think that Ms Michaels may have gone overboard with her quirky characters and funny incidents. Even though they contributed magnificently to the confusion and profusion of goings-on, I really didn't think that Cliff (Emma's idiot brother), Riley (the rascally footman), Claramae (the somewhat simpleminded housemaid with big breasts whom Riley lusts after) or Mrs. Olive Norbet (the might-be murderess) was all that essential to the story (ditto the entire subplot where grandmother Clifford, Fanny decides to join the con-artist in his con). Since I was enjoying Morgan and Emma and Daphne and Thornley, these other characters and the things they got up to were real distractions at times. However, that is just my opinion. All I'll note is that if you're looking for a funny, light read which possesses an intelligent and quick witted heroine and a plain speaking and masterful (but not stuffy) hero, and lots of hilarious goings-on, this is definitely the book for you. Also, I forgot to note: the funny introduction and the neat epilogue in themselves make for fantastic reading, and sets the tone and mood of "The Butler Did It" wonderfully.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointed, January 30, 2005
This review is from: The Butler Did It (Hqn Books) (Mass Market Paperback)
I liked the title, I liked the blurb, I liked the premise, I like Kasey Michaels, I love historical romances, but I hated this book.
The premise was wonderful - a butler realizes his master, the Marquis of Westham, isn't going to be in London indefinitely, so why not trade on his master's name and the location of the townhouse, and let it out like a hotel for the season? The staff gets some extra money, and the guests get to say they're staying at an exclusive location, with a marquis. What a story to sink one's teeth into!
The book starts when the marquis decides he needs to find a wife and makes the trip to London, just after an assortment of eccentrics settle into his house. There're the impoverished Cliffords, including heroine Emma, her mother who Speaks in Capitals, her wastrel brother, and a sly grandmother; there's a newly-rich seamstress, out to enjoy her money, and a conman itching to dupe Londoners.
That's seven main characters, just way too many for an enjoyable romance, and that's without counting the marquis' valet, the butler and the rest of his staff, the marquis' friends, the suitors for Emma, as well as the people everyone meets in the course of the season - all of whom seem to have their own completely independent subplots.
First off, the story would have worked better if Ms Michaels had included fewer major characters, or concentrated more on the plot of boy-meets-girl, relegating the other characters to much more minor roles. It might also have worked better if there was more synergy across characters.
With almost everyone in a major role, there seemed to be extraneous dialog and unnecessary introspection, and a lot of jarring shifts between plots, which had me skipping pages from the 2nd third of the book. Worse, the choice of words didn't seem to set the proper mood. Typical is "Morgan felt about as welcome in his own house as a rat catcher showing up with his sack at the front door.."
I found it impossible to finish the book, even skipping pages just to read what happened to Morgan and Emma. The problem was that the plot was completely unbelievable. You have grandmother Clifford who is completely amoral. The hero's staff seem utterly uninterested in doing a good job, and Morgan just sighs and lives with it.
There are successful historicals with the craziest premises, but they have fewer characters and better writing. Ms Michaels might be able to get away with making this a screenplay for a TV movie, but it didn't work as a book.
This is the second recent Kasey Michaels which I've not liked, the other being one of the Maggie books. Her older historicals are nice reading, but "Butler" just didn't cut it for me.
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