22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A romance you won't forget soon...., April 30, 2000
Damon Ryder felt the magic of Miss Gillian Giles from the first time he saw her. He didn't care that because of her humble beginnings she was ineligible to become a nobleman's wife. She was his soulmate, his other half. But he was beginning to despair that he would ever convince HER of that!
Gilly wanted desperately to believe him. But it was obvious that she was a disappointment to his family. Although she had learned to look and act like a lady, she was afraid she would never truly belong in that world. And she worried that she would never love Damon as truly as he deserved to be loved...because her first love would always take first place in her heart, even though he didn't reciprocate.
Or did he? The Earl of Drummond never expected Gilly to turn into such a desirable woman. How could he let her marry Damon Ryder when there was just a chance that she might be the one for HIM?
A poignant tale of a woman learning about love in its many forms, as well as her own value and purpose in life. And a man who learns to fight for the desire of his heart. A real winner!
And, considering the existence of several luscious potential heroes in this book, I am eagerly looking foward to hearing more about these fascinating characters in future sequels.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Feisty lady meets her match., July 23, 1999
By A Customer
When I read The Cad, I was bowled over by the depth of the characters created by Edith Layton. The story itself was complex and well constructed. As I closed the book, I wondered at the fate of Gilly and Bridget. Now, in The Choice we know.
The erstwhile street urchin has made good and become a feisty lady. Who better to pursue her than Damon Ryder, the Season's most eligible bachelor? But there are two other suitors hovering in the wings. Who will Gilly choose? Will her past get in the way of true love?
Edith Layton in the tradition of classic regency romance writers such as Georgette Heyer has succeeded where others have failed, in producing a sequel that stands on its own merit. Again the characters are well drawn, and given during the course of the book space to develop and reveal the many facets that make a person whole. These are definitely no cardboard cutouts, but characters that you can identify with. A spellbinding story.
Well done. I can't wait to read her next book!
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful sequel to The Cad!, May 25, 2001
Enjoyed The Cad by Edith Layton? Wondered what happened to the urchin Gilly who masqueraded as a boy to protect herself? Well, The Choice is her story.
It's set four years after The Cad; Ewen and Bridget have made Gilly and her little sister their wards, and are bringing them up as educated young ladies. (No-one claims that they are in fact 'eligible' by birth, and rumours circulate that they aren't of good family).
At a ball one night, Gilly is attacked by a young aristocrat who, having heard the rumours, assumes that she's fair game. As he's standing nearby, Damon Ryder prepares to come to the rescue; but instead he finds himself having to pull Gilly off the young man! Just who is this young woman who can fight as well as any man?
In revenge, Gilly's attacker tries to ruin her reputation, but Damon again comes to her rescue by claiming that they are long-standing acquaintances and are actually engaged. Thus begins what to Gilly is a pretend betrothal; Damon very quickly realises that he'd like nothing more than for it to be real, and sets about persuading Gilly of his intentions.
But there are several things he doesn't know about Gilly. Readers of The Cad will be aware of her origins in the slums of London; to Gilly's surprise, Damon isn't at all bothered by that discovery. So she reveals her deepest secret to him: as we know from The Cad again, it is that she was raped as a very young child. Again, Damon is only sympathetic, not disgusted as she expected.
So she agrees to marry him. But at the same time there are other complications. Drum, Ewen's cousin (minor character from The Cad), with whom Gilly has been in love ever since she met him, returns and, as the book jacket informs us, seems to see Gilly in a new light. Could he be in love with her after all?
And what about the disreputable Hathaway Wycoff? A married man legendary for his affairs, he treats Gilly as a friend - and she returns the compliment - but he makes no secret of the fact that he would like her to be his lover. And that he is aware that being somebody's mistress might be the only option open to someone of her background.
Three delicious men - all of whom will, I hope, eventually get their own stories: which one will Gilly choose?
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