Customer Reviews

Frost Fair Fiance (Zebra Regency Romance)

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

 

 

Elise, being a sensible young woman, agrees to marry her very proper next door neighbor to put her seriously ill papa at ease. She does not love him, but he is a good man and the match pleases her father, who has been worried about what would become of his two daughters if he should die. When everything is settled, Elise's father sends her and her younger sister, Olivia, to London to buy wedding clothes for Elise and to visit their aunt and cousins.

Elise finds herself dazzled by a dashing young London gentlemen and, fancying herself in love with him, she writes to her father and fiance and calls off her engagement. But then Elise's suitor turns out to be not what he seems and Elise finds her heart leading her in an unexpected direction.

Very unique book. Sequel to An Icy Affair.

Here's what I hope will be two helpful hints that might increase your reading pleasure: 1) don't read the plot synopsis at the back of the book as it gives far too much of the plot away; and 2) don't expect to read the everyday Regency-era romance novel either because "Frost Fair Fiance" reads more like Fanny Burney's "Evelina" in that it is an accounting of a young lady's sojourn in London and how her stay changes and affects her future.

Miss Elsie MacGregor has agreed to marry her neighbour, Robert Westbrook. So what if he's a little older and a rather dour individual? At least her future is assured and she's managed to please her father. In fact her father is so happy about the match that he's decided that Elsie (and her younger sister, Olivia) should go to London so that Elsie can purchase her bridal clothes. The sisters will stay with their paternal aunt, Mrs. Ravinia Longfellow and her family. With their aunt as chaperon, the MacGregor sisters soon begin to enjoy dizzy round of shopping, balls and entertainments. And it doesn't take Elsie too long to realise that she may have been a little too hasty about her decision to marry a man she doesn't love and who she knows does not love her. Especially when the delightful Mr. James Gray is at hand to pay her handsome compliments. Has she fallen for the debanoir and polished James Gray? Why then does the irritating Walter Belvedere so fill her thoughts then?

"Frost Fair Fiance" is a follow-up to "An Icy Affair" and was a rather pleasant read. I thought that Mona Gedney did a really good job showing us how Elsie comes to waiver in her decision to marry Robert Westbrook, and in developing Elsie's character as well. However I did have two little 'niggles' about the book -- 1) I felt somewhat at sea because the authour doesn't really explain why an attractive, intelligent and well to do young lady would decide to marry her neighbour without even considering a London Season. Perhaps this was explained in "An Icy Affair." But because I haven't read that book yet, Elsie's motivations left me feeling quite bewildered! And 2) I thought that the romance that developed between Elsie and the hero was rather hastily done. Suddenly it was there, and everything then proceeded to gallop towards the happily-ever-after ending at a really fast pace. Other than these two issues, I thought that "Frost Fair Fiance" was a rather good read, and one worth recommending for it's a-little-out-of-the-ordinary quality.

This is a book tied tentatively to Gedney's previous title "An Icy Affair". There, the hero, Robert Westbrook was travelling to London to discover why his betrothed had jilted him. This now is the other half of the broken betrothal - the tale of Miss Elise MacGregor.
Elise had become engaged to Westbrook for a marriage of convenience to please her father and for many common sense reasons. None of which impressed her very romantic sister, Olivia, who strenuously objected at length.
The sisters travel to London for pleasure and purchase a wardrobe for Elise, while staying with their aunt, Ravinia Longfellow. Whilst there, Elise soon decides she does not want a marriage of convenience and common sense after all. She meets a very charming, flirtatious young man, James Gray, and writes to break the engagement. However, all is not well for this affair of the heart. Confusion reigns when her sister appears to be similarly smitten.
The mix is highly flavoured by Aunt Ravinia's family, all in the house for the Christmas holidays, and the said aunt's managing proclivities. They are particularly evident in relation to the son of a friend, Walter Belvedere, devoted to scholarship and very unsociable.
Walter and Elise become involved in a false betrothal and here the plot runs off the rails. This was really quite unnecessary and never at all convincing - even to the other characters.
The best part of the story was the family interactions - although the author seems to have changed her mind mid-way about which set of siblings are to be the disruptives.
As a result it is more a family tale than a romance. Sibling squabbles and childish pranks abound with two sets of children involved.
Elise had good points, but she suddenly turned into a frothy, fool with the arrival in London and never really recovered. Walter was far more interesting and I pitied him sincerely in the toils of Aunt Ravinia (teeth grittingly bossy of her whole family). His explanations of his understandable attitudes to so-called manners in social situations are priceless. Elise enjoys her offence at them and labels them rude, principally as they ignore her own right to attention.
Enjoyable, better than the Icy predecessor. A slight charmer, with faults.

This book started out well, but soon I found myself skimming large sections, which I never do unless I am REALLY bored. I enjoy family interaction in a romance, but this book actually had TOO much of a good thing. The romance came out of left field; no buildup at all. But there's no rapport, no sizzle, no nothing between our h/h. And the romance was so brief, this book can NOT, in all honesty, even be called a romance. I had read two previous titles by Mona Gedney that I had thoroughly enjoyed, which made my disappointment with this one even more frustrating.

This is an excellent book and one of the most enjoyable Regency Romances I have recently read. I laughed aloud several times. I can only recommend it! If you can, you should try reading it while there is a snowstorm outside, if none is available, any cold weather will do.
The novel is quite unique in that it is set during the Twelve Days of Christmas and a few weeks after that, but there is no single description of Christmas decorations. In addition, the family assembled for the holidays is both very charming and more realistically depicted than usual for this genre: Everybody tries for their best, but there are squabbles, and the children are naughty and develop colds, and their parents try to catch a few minutes of peace and quiet.
As far as the characters are concerned, both Monty and Walter are among the more delightful Regency young men I have come across. The heroine, Elise, is convincingly depicted as a young girl who must come to make her own decisions, and her sister Olivia is a delightful, believable teenager.
I would like to repeat the warning made by another reviewer below: If you can, avoid reading the plot synopsis at the back of the book. It gives away too much information and is partly misleading.