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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a tale of tangles and fun!, April 28, 2000
This review is from: Counterfeit Kisses (Paperback)
When Sandra Heath set out to weave a tale of tangled tiaras, she let her splendid imagination have free rein, and we're the winners! COUNTERFEIT KISSES is a delightful romp with an assortment of characters -- and animals -- playing, tiara, tiara - who's got the tiara? Twins Stephen and Susannah Holland arrive in London to prepare Susannah for her wedding. Stephen unfortunately falls under the spell of card-games, and loses their heirloom, the ruby-encrusted Holland tiara. Of course, the doyenne of the stage, Fleur Fitzgerald thinks it should be really be hers, although no one in her family has ever been able to prove legal possession. The Duke of Exton wants the tiara because he wants Fleur, in spite of the fact that he is shortly to be married to the plain Jane. Sir Gareth Carew is in London from his home in Wales waiting for his next assignment as an under-cover man. Several years later, Susannah is a widow and returns to England from India, along with her ayah, Anjuli, and a small monkey. Chatterji is one of the more delightful characters to be found in this season's Regency novels, and the charming scamp finds a friend in Minette, a poodle belonging to the Duchess. It is impossible to summarize the plot without giving it all away. The story is good clean fun, full of laughs and even a few chills here and there. You'll laugh out loud at the antics of the myriad inhabitants of the London scene, as well as the those at Exton Park. Don't let the echo get you!
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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An enchanting regency romance!, July 10, 2000
This review is from: Counterfeit Kisses (Paperback)
It's the closing eve of 1803. Duke Richard Exton, Sir Gareth Carew, and Squire Stephen Holland's futures will reluctantly be tied together once the events involving a card game, a tiara, and Stephen's sister draw to a final close. Stephen blames Gareth for the loss of his fortune and the famous tiara to Duke Exton. The tiara, with its 25 perfect rubies, has been an object of conflict between the Holland and Fitzgerald families for over a hundred years. The Duke of Exton is planning to take advantage and cash in on this dispute, but not the way one would think. Now penniless, Stephen heads off the America; his sister marries well and leaves for Bengal; the Duke cashes in, and Sir Gareth goes on with his intelligence efforts for the Secretary of State for the Foreign Affairs, Lord Howesbury. It's now 1807. Widowed, Mrs. Richard Leighton moves back to England. She is invited by the Duchess of Exton to join her in her purchased box for a recently popular type of play, Pantomiming. Once there, she can't believe her luck when not only Duke Exton, but also Sir Gareth arrives. Fortune has delivered both the men that played a part in taking her tiara, her brother, and his fortune from her. In taking the stage to play revenge, Suzanne finds she isn't the only one performing. One woman's thirst for vengeance leads her into a maze of jealousy, lies, and intrigue, but most of all it gets her a handful of counterfeit kisses. Counterfeit Kisses is an enjoyable story carried by two delightful leading characters that capture their audiences' hearts. It's a romantic story of London nobility, misunderstandings, revenge, pretending, romance, mystery and intrigue. Sandra Heath has successfully caught all the charm and character of regency England.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
middle of the road regency romance, September 11, 2010
This review is from: Counterfeit Kisses (Paperback)
Susannah Holland, lost her family tiara when her brother Stephen bet it while in a drunken stupor. For some reason she blamed Sir Gareth Carew, a stranger who was in attendance when Stephen was betting. She is unaware that Stephen was warned to stop by Carew and her brother is lying to save face. Never showing her face, while not listening to the good Samaritan who assisted his brother home, she calls the gentleman a rude name. They end their brief meeting with bitterness.
Three years later, Susannah is widowed and returns home from India. An unhappy marriage is behind her and who should she bump into but the mysterious gentleman from the past. Determined to make things right she uses Gareth while he is unaware of who she really is. Falsehoods abound and even though Susannah is given the chance to redeem herself on several occasions she continues to avoid the truth.
A monkey, poodle and mystery are part of the plot but if you read closely you can guess who the 'unknowns' are. For some reason the lead characters were on first-name basis early in the story. This did not ring true for this time period. The romance was clean but some of the comments about 'bedding' sounded contemporary. It just didn't sound like the language you would hear if you could go back to the time when the events took place. It was OK and I'll try Sandra Heath again, I just can't give the story more then three stars.
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