Customer Reviews

Courting Trouble (Zebra Regency Romance)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I absolutely loved this book. Other reviewers seem disturbed by how unrealistic it is, but that's the whole point. This is a book for people who have read lots of Regencies, know all the conventions, and can appreciate their being affectionately made fun of. This book is delightful parody from start to finish--the dead giveaway being when the hero's rival is introduced as Blade Masterson. The hero is appalled and says, "You can't be serious." The heroine later tries to remember his name and can only come up with Blake Masterful. Anyone who's read enough romances knows how funny that is.

I guess I'm in the minority when I say that I think I liked this book better than the author's highly touted first THE IDEAL BRIDE. And I think what I liked best about it was what many others didn't - our hero, August Warburton, Duke of St Fell. I found him to be intelligent, witty, sly, irreverent, arrogant, sarcastic and mischievous and I thoroughly understood why Arabella was in love with him (`cause I was, too!). Oh yes, he is totally full of himself, supremely self-confident and often aggravating, but I couldn't seem to stop liking him - the same problem Arabella has!

Arabella Swann is the daughter of a filthy rich merchant who wants to choose her own husband and marry for love; St Fell is an impoverish duke who needs to marry a fortune. Unbeknownst to Arabella, St Fell and her father have made a deal for St Fell and Arabella to wed, but St Fell knows that Arabella must at least think it is her choice - and naturally, she'll choose him! He's handsome, he's witty, he's a duke - what more could the girl want? And when they meet, he is sure that she is smitten and just needs time to get used to the idea (he's not unaffected himself, but he'd never admit it!). All goes well until St Fell unexpectedly finds himself with a rival for her hand, war hero and poet Lord Stonecroft. Will all his machinations finally win her in the end?

OK, there were some unrealistic aspects to the story, but I still found it fun. And, though it may not have come across as well as it should have, I felt that St Fell was playing his games not only for his own amusement, but because he really did care for her. Afterall, she came to London for adventure and excitement, balls and parties and stolen kisses in "dark corners". How could she be expected to just settle for the first man her father threw at her? He wanted to make sure she had choices (though he's infuriatingly sure she'll eventually choose him!) and that she won't some day regret her choice. Though he takes a bit too long to declare his true feelings, I still preferred him to Gabriel Carr from TIB. While Gabriel was a bit of a lovable dunderhead, St Fell was sophisticated, sexy and charming. Arabella was a fun heroine who wanted to experience all that London life had to offer. Though she tries hard to meet other eligible young men, she can't seem to ignore her reluctant, strong attraction to St Fell. They are really two of a kind and very well suited for one another and St Fell seemed to realize this almost from the start. If you don't like arrogant and cocky leading men, this is likely not a story you'll enjoy, but I did. Not as LOL silly as TIB, nor is it without flaws, but still lots of fun!

Arabella and Diana Swann are the daughters of a wealthy merchant... very wealthy. Wealthy enough to snare them just about any title they could want. But Arabella doesn't give a fig about titles, she just wants someone who can love her for herself and not her hefty dowry. When her father practically shoves Duke St. Fell, a fortune-hunting rogue, into Arabella's lap, she is furious. All she wants is the freedom to choose her own husband...and she'll do it, no matter what her father says. The only problem is, even though Arabella has found a romantic war hero who is a published poet and is willing to marry her dowry or no, aka her ideal, all she can think about is the infuriating, deceitful rake, St. Fell.

I found this book to be laugh out loud funny. The dialogue is witty and sarcastic... a nice change from some of the dull as dishwater romances I've had the misfortune to read. I loved the tipsy maiden aunt, the foul mouthed Duchess, the crying Baron, the sexy hero, the father who carries a big stick, and the heroine who is not afraid to say what she means... no matter how shocking. Also, Diana and her earl, who appeared so painfully shy and backwards in company, slipping off to have make out sessions...LOL.

What can I say, this is a slightly naughty Regency that is not afraid to laugh at itself or its genre. Regency fans that are able to understand some of the double meanings and inside jokes about the Regency period and romance novels in general will find the book to be a delicious treat.

You'll love or hate it... just like sugared almonds and apricot nougets...read it and you'll know what I mean.

This was the funniest book! I laughed and giggled my way through. A great love story told through Ms. St. George's unique comedienne's eye. You've got to love her books, I do!

Nonnie St. George's second book gives proof to the fact that Ms. St. George is not a 'one horse wonder'.

Ms. George takes a simple regency plot, commoner father wants title for daughter, and makes it sparkle! Her attention to detail is great, bringing the regency period to life. Not just the settings and trappings of the times but the whole aspect of living in those times. The mores and morals come through and Ms. George makes them part of her characters giving them life and breath.

Her attention doesn't wane when it comes to secondary characters either. In a similar(but all her own)fashion to Patricia Veryan Ms. George makes these characters an interesting and integral part of the story. The Duchess of St. Fell and Aunt Ophelia separately are great characters. Together, they are priceless!

But what draws me most to Ms. George's books is her use of dialogue. Down right laugh out loud! And the misunderstandings of those characters who are listening to the main characters conversations is too funny to tell!

Courting Trouble is a great read as is The Ideal Bride, Ms. George's first novel. Don't miss these!

I saw that the author of this book was a fellow fan of Patricia Veryan on some site or other, and that she listed her as one of her influences. So I was looking forward to reading this, and her previous book, The Ideal Bride. Unfortunately, this book didn't live up to it's promise.

For one thing, it might as well be taking place in modern times, since there's nothing "Regency" about it other than the fact that the author tells us it is set then. Arabella acts nothing like a Regency girl would behave, and St Fell is just...annoying. The plot is shallow, the minor characters are more interesting than the main ones, and there's no real climax to the story, just a lot of confusion. Overall, that's the impression I was left with--confusion. Heavily edited, this might be a decent book, but as is, it isn't worth the money.

As in her previous book, Nonnie St. George has created a hero who is at the same time supremely arrogant and devastatingly lovable. He is the hero that all young girls dream of--handsome, self-assured, attentive, willing to commit. . . and a duke, to boot! Most girls (especially if they were Cit's daughters) would fall at his feet; clearly that's what he expects her to do.

But Arabella isn't most girls. She's a Cit with virtually no social position, but she's got unusual beauty and her father is one of the richest men in England and she expects to shop around a bit before committing herself. Well, a handsome duke is a promising start, but how does she know if her feelings are true if she's never given a chance to get to know other men?

This book is a breath of fresh air from other Regencies I have read lately. Oh, it's not perfect (and not as good as the previous one), and I have to agree that it's not terribly realistic. The dialogue doesn't match the period, and there seems to be far too little concern about her lack of social status, especially on the part of the duke's mother. And it's FAR too long; about 40-50 pages could have easily been eliminated with no ill-effects.

But I have to say it was a pleasure to find a book where the hero finds himself trying to persuade the heroine that she loves him all the way through the book. No reluctant hero here!

Truly a charming story!

Holy moly. . .I like it even more than the Ideal Book also known as Ms. St. George's first book. Why? The characters, the dialogue, the fact that the sparks were even hotter. I don't mean the sexual sparks, though they weren't bad either. I mean the interactions between the St. Fell and Arabella seemed like Astaire and Rogers dancing (or more likely Grant and Russell exchanging lines in His Girl Friday, or Grant and Hepburn in anything) Together they are flawless fun. Everything - the situation, the primary and secondary characters, the writing, the one-liners -- it's all perfect for the genre. St George is more than an autobuy. She's won a permanent spot on my Shelf of Humor Gods and Goddesses.

I loved The Ideal Bride (Ms. St. George's debut novel), but I found myself sadly disappointed in Courting Trouble.

All the characters in The Ideal Bride were basically normal except for the fact that each had a quirk that made him/her special and memorable. In Courting Trouble, the quirks were taken to such an extreme that they eventually overpowered the characters. I didn't see real people or events but rather exaggerated clichés. For example, every time the Dowager Duchess St. Fell came into the scene she stabbed someone with her lorgnette. The first time it was funny, the second time amusing, but by the 100th time it just got annoying.

That brings other points: the story had very little plot or conflict. The hero/heroine essentially fall in love at first sight and there is nothing truly keeping them apart. To fill the pages, the same information is rehashed over and over again. St. Fell is a fortune hunter, a smirking rake. The Swann sisters are "green girls" who eat Apricot Bonbons at every opportunity. Bellcraven (sp?) is a bumbling idiot. Arabelle doesn't love St. Fell, but she "pants" every time he comes near. Read Courting Trouble was like riding a slow moving merry-go-round. It had a beginning and an end, but during the journey you see the same things over and over again.

I sincerely hope Ms. St. George's next novel can recapture the quirky realism that made The Ideal Bride so much fun to read.

I agree totally with the earlier reviewer wildsofwisconsin. I was most disappointed since I had read St. George's first book, THE IDEAL BRIDE, and enjoyed it (I didn't do an Amazon review but mentally I had given it 4 to 4.5 stars). COURTING TROUBLE proved to be rather shoddy IMHO. The vocabulary was too modern and casual and the heroine just irritated me. I do not mind a little more modern Regencies but this one was over the line.