The Count [Mass Market Paperback]

Helena Dela (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2000

They Say Married Life is Full of Surprises...

What a proposal! Marry this fabulously wealthy, totally hunky guy who's a bona fide count in need of an heir. Have his baby. Live in luxury the rest of your life. Well, okay, there's a catch: thanks to a pesky family curse, the marriage is destined to be short-lived. Literally.

Meet Ella, who doesn't believe in silly curses--until she spends a few months living in the ancestral castle, with frequent spectral visits from the lively bunch of former countesses who came before her. When they can tear themselves away from their favorite pastime, watching soap operas, her spirited predecessors convince her that she doesn't stand a ghost of a chance to get out of this marriage alive--and just when she was beginning to actually fall for her husband, too. But, then, what's one little curse in the face of true love?

The Proposal

He hesitated. "I know this must appear unusual to you--Dr. Schuber has explained that my family is regarded as unlucky, yes? It may not matter to you, but the Drachenfels are not without their honor, and I will do everything I can to ensure you are kept well, in a manner of your choosing. You will marry me?"

It was hardly a romantic proposal, but the fact that there was doubt in his voice, that he had not assumed that I would jump at the chance, at the money, won me over.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A wonderful modern fairy story, a romance which keeps you guessing." -- -- Midweek News

"A wonderful modern fairy story, a romance which keeps you guessing." -- Midweek News

"Young, fresh, compulsive, original and fun...A highly enjoyable romp." -- The Bookseller (Great Britain)

"Young, fresh, compulsive, original and fun...A highly enjoyable romp." -- The Bookseller, Great Britain

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (March 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061098841
• ISBN-13: 978-0061098840
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #888,290 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this book!, January 14, 2001

By 

pamela talkovsky (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Count (Mass Market Paperback)

I loved this book! I have been eagerly searching for any other books Helena Dela may have written. I found this wry, funny, and more adult than most Romances.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Whatever . . ., October 25, 2000

By 

kellytwo "kellytwo" (cleveland hts, ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Count (Mass Market Paperback)

"I've always had birds. Much better than husbands. They talk more, make less mess, and are much cheaper to feed. Plus you can keep them even after they're dead." The heroine has been carefully studying the not-too-well-preserved yellow cockatoo named Kiki, that belongs to the aunt of her marriage-of-convenience husband. She then adds, "A victim of gross taxidermal incompetence."

Have you ever read a book that appeared to have been written by a committee? One without too many planning meetings? Actually, I see this as being more of a group writers session. "Let's see how many outlandish things we can think of to put into one book, then we'll draw a name out of the hat to see who gets to actually write it!"

You know how 'they' always say: Don't write in first person? or Don't bother with Gothics - they're dead. or Don't set your story in Germany, it's not romantic. or Don't use more than one point-of-view style? or Don't mix types of books; pick one--ghosts or whatever, and be done with it.

How about a 500 year-old curse that's lasted for 20 generations that causes the mother of the heir to die in childbirth almost immediately afterward? How about our 1990s thirty-something heroine who convinces the ghosts--all twenty of the former countesses, still in residence at the ßchloss--to help her break the curse? You wouldn't believe all the things they do, in addition to watching soap-operas on television. Once they've convinced someone to turn the set on for them, that is. Apparently, it's a bit difficult to manage when you're just an ectoplasm. They seem have no troubles with mobile phones, however.

Well--this mish-mosh of a book does and has all these things. I admit its a more-or-less well-written mish-mosh, but still! And this is the third time around for it! Why? Furthermore, since it's been updated (mentioning the Euro, for instance) since the first time out in 1991, why didn't they at least take out (or fix) the many, many typos in the process?

My advice is read, just don't be mislead by it. It is a mass-market paperback that clearly says 'FICTION' on the spine. It is a sort of love story, but in no way is it a romance. If you read it expecting that, you'll be seriously disappointed. It's almost more of a fantasy than anything. If you can read it with no advance expectations, however, and roll with the many sudden changes, it can be a somewhat enjoyable diversion. If there's nothing else available.

5.0 out of 5 stars A very unique and fun read, July 18, 2003

By 

N. Horner "deepsouthchick" (Vicksburg, MS United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Count (Mass Market Paperback)

...Having read a large number of British novels, I can say this author has a sparkling wit--subtle, yes, but sharp. The writing is excellent, the storyline unique and full of surprises. While I agree that it's a little hard to understand why the heroine would fall in love with a hero whose original intent for their marriage was so sinister, I thought there was ample implication that he came to his senses. It's disappointing that there appear to be no other books by Helena Dela.