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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An extraordinary writer, November 16, 2000
This review is from: Fair Game (Signet Regency Romance) (Paperback)
I was, to use a cliche, blown away by Diane Farr's FAIR GAME. When I picked it up in the bookstore, I had no idea it would prove more than an average Regency novel (and that is quite a good recommendation in itself). But as I began to read, I found myself being greatly impressed by Farr's skill as a writer. Early in the book, I found myself delighted by the way she showed the hero's personality. For example, when he's pacing a room waiting for the heroine to get ready: "If he had a tail, he would have lashed it." Is that not a vivid, realistic image? And then she describes his view of women: ". . . women, far more than men, seemed to conduct their conversations in a kind of code, a code that was all the more deceptive because it resembled ordinary English. Beneath the surface of their elliptical discourse lurked messages and meanings outside the hearing of a plainspoken man." And then: ". . .women . . . invariably held him accountable for crimes he had no idea he had committed." Is this not the way females seem to males? These comments are so universal that I knew I was in for a good read. Trevor Whitlatch, the hero, is a fascinating character. He has many admirable qualities, yet he is so locked into his culture's view of what a woman should be that he has to be knocked upside the head to finally "get it." He is also very human in the way he keeps squelching the pangs of conscience because he knows that if he pays attention to it, it will interfere with his pleasure. I found him a well-rounded character despite his trappings of the typical Regency hero: devastating looks and great wealth. At least he isn't an aristocrat; as I read I was thinking that the members of the ton would be astonished to realize that people lived and loved and pursued their life's goals and became happy totally without any reference to them and their limited circle. I also like the heroine a great deal. She tends to perceive the world as it ought to be rather than as it is, which makes her refreshing and delightful. It also helps her to drive the hero crazy, because she does not see why she should accept a categorization of herself that she neither wants nor deserves. In fact, I would have liked to see Trevor squirm and suffer even more, even though he was a likable guy, just because he took so long to see her as a person rather than as a convenience for the male. The emotional power of the novel truly impressed me. There are few physical expressions of the love between Trevor and Clarissa, but I felt the underlying current of her love for him and the feelings that he was too male to admit to. No wonder the novel got a Mary Jo Putney blurb--it's the sort of thing she does so well! Farr was not well served by the cover. The woman was pretty homely, not at all like the heroine, who could not find a position because she was too beautiful. And the man looks more boyish and besotted than the hero looks in my mind. This is a real case of "Do not judge a book by its cover"! After reading this book, I looked for Farr's first novel, THE NOBODY, and enjoyed it every bit as much. Farr is an extraordinary writer, and I expect to see her become one of the best in the business.
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An intimate look at two people & their relationship, January 8, 2000
This review is from: Fair Game (Signet Regency Romance) (Paperback)
When Trevor Whitlach calls in an old debt owed to him by the infamous courtesan La Gianetta, she offers as payment a beautiful young woman who she claims is her innocent daughter. Mr. Whitlach would normally have nothing to do with such an arrangement, but he is so stuck by the girl's incredible lovliness that he agrees, thinking to make her his mistress. After all, no daughter of La Gianetta could actually be an innocent! Clarissa's married nobleman father had at least arranged for her the best education money could buy, at Bathhurst Ladies' Academy. In the very short time she has been in her mother's household, it has been so horrid that she has no doubts that going willingly with Mr. Whitlach will be her best chance to escape and find a post as a governess somewhere. Trevor is a plain-spoken man, but not without honor. Clarissa is intelligent but an idealist. They are together most of the 214 pages of this book, talking, debating, getting to know each other, and becoming friends. The story is not overburdened with adventure, suspense, and wild plot twists, but an is intimate look at two people and how their relationship grows. FAIR GAME doesn't need any fancy frills to make it an enjoyable read--Ms. Farr's solid, superb craftmanship stands on its own. Kimberly Borrowdale Under the Covers Book Reviews
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hero and Heroine Help Each Other Know True Selves..and Love!, December 7, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Fair Game (Signet Regency Romance) (Paperback)
VERY well-written Regency. Excellent characterization of both principals. For a novel that is mostly conversation (little action), it didn't bore me once. The conversation had a naturalness and sparkle, and I wished that it were a BBC production so that I could see skilled actors in luscious costumes in an elegant manse emoting subtly over their well-crafted dialogue.At first, I thought I would dislike the plot --and Trevor. But it quickly became apparent that this guy was a good soul trapped in his role and in the ideas of what society approves/disapproves. He was a man who did not know his own soul as well as, eventually, the heroine does. He THINKS he's this brazen fellow who can just take what he wants, but what we see and what is confirmed is this industrious, generous, sort of mushy idealist. Yes, idealist: This is a man who actually believes in love and wants to MARRY for love, and plans firmly to be a devout and faithful husband. Talk about bucking Regency male ideas of sexuality even while married!Trevor doesn't know himself; neither does Clarissa. She isn't aware of just WHAT she really wants in life--she thinks that respectability and children will be enough, or a governess position and a quiet dutiful life. But WHAM!--Trevor's presence and coming to know him over several weeks show her that she has passion as well as virtue, that she has a longing for good things, and genteel poverty isn't to her taste. She wants the lovely clothes,the beautiful house, the passionate embraces, the companionship of a kindred soul. The wonderful thing Farr does is show the development of both Clarissa and Trevor as they come to that marvelous climactic scene in the snowdrift stranded carriage. He wants her, loves her so totally, that he'll cast aside his ideal of who is suitable wife material and propose. Clarissa acknowledges that her wants have gone beyond her previous notions, and she's willing to sacrifice virtue for happiness. And Farr handles it so well that we readers CAN believe they have genuinely turned those corners in self-awareness.An excellent Regency novel in terms of prose, characterization, dialogue and structure. The ending--where he plans La Gianetta's comeuppance via granchildren--brings us back to the beginning with a humorous twist. The book also has many small touches of intimacy between Trevor and Clarissa that drew me in, made me feel like a hovering spirit watching their interplay, and it felt cozy and warm.Most satisfying. : ) My only regret is poor Mr. Henry. But he'll recover. ; )Strong A-.**Mir***
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