Fortune's Lady [Paperback]

Patricia Gaffney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1997

Falling in love with a traitor's daughter, Cassandra Merlin, at first sight, zealous patriot Riordan realizes that she is the key to stopping a plot against the king's life and that she has her own reasons for aiding the cause. Original.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

English supporters of the French Revolution threaten to overthrow their native monarchy in 1792 in this romance by the author of Sweet Treason. After her father is executed for subversion, outcast Cassandra Merlin is coerced into working as a government spy in order to woo a would-be assassin. She falls in love with another informant, Philip Riordan, a member of Parliament reputed to be a drinker and philanderer. They marry to satisfy a wager (Cass wins Philip's hand in a card game), but neither can admit to entertaining genuine ardor for the other. Their mutual distrust is fueled by Philip's "friend" and mentor, a compulsive liar, but the lovers' willingness to believe falsehoods from others who wish to keep them apart is predictable, a hackneyed genre device. A low point is Cass's rapid intellectual growth following her purchase of eyeglasses, although an action-packed sequence near the end offers some surprises.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 441 pages
• Publisher: Leisure Books (Mm) (January 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0843941537
• ISBN-13: 978-0843941531
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,946,891 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Patricia Gaffney began her writing career with the publication of Sweet Treason, a historical romance set in revolutionary Scotland. Eleven romance novels later, she tried something different--The Saving Graces, a story of women's friendships, that ended up spending 17 weeks on the New York Times Bestsellers List.

Circle of Three, Flight Lessons, and The Goodbye Summer followed, all bestsellers that established Gaffney as a premier mainstream fiction writer.

Her new book is Mad Dash, the story of a happy marriage in trouble. It's due out in Spring 2008.

Gaffney, who lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, is currently at work on a novel about a man who changes his life when he finds out he's dying--then finds out he isn't. Working title: On Second Thought.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Recommended for insomniacs., May 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Fortune's Lady (Paperback)

An insipid plot line and sterotypical characters make for a very dull book. The conflict is the overused Great Misunderstanding between hero and heroine, who spends most of the novel assuming the worst behavior of the hero without giving him the opportunity to explain his actions or even understand her accusations. The hero, on the other hand, spends much time rescuing her from her ignorance and poor education. Despite his lessons, the turning point doesn't come until she gets a pair of eyeglasses, and then she is magically transformed into a thoughtful political writer. (Note to author: as character development, eyeglasses leave much to be desired.) The comical minor characters provide the only glimmer of entertainment. Highly recommended reading for insomniacs.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Captivating, January 14, 2002

By 

Chris Cummings (OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fortune's Lady (Mass Market Paperback)

Cassandra Merlin has an unsavory reputation, no money, no "connections," and no family to speak of, save an estranged father who has been accused of treason against his country. Needless to say, her prospects for a happy, comfortable future are, predictably, dim. Such are the circumstances that lead Cassandra to agree to become a spy. Riordan, a man of wealth and station, is Cassandra's "contact" in this spy game, and, of course, believes the worst of her in the beginning, which makes for a somewhat antagonistic relationship between the two, though a growing passion looms beneath the surface.

Cassandra and Riordan take on spy personas of unscrupulous jades, which serves to compound the sexual tension between them.

The romance is exciting and the spy intrigue interesting, but the continuous misunderstandings between Riordan and Cassandra become just a tad overdone, as in one too many. This is my only criticism of an otherwise very satisfying read from, in my opinion, a gifted writer.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible! A page turner, July 4, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Fortune's Lady (Paperback)

This book was not to be put down! I stayed up most of the night and the next day reading. I loved it!