Customer Reviews

Lord Heartless (Regency Romance)

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

 

 

I just moved house. I just finished Edith Layton's deep and somewhat dark "The Devil's Bargain". Ergo, I needed some light relief! Bingo - Barbara to the rescue!

This author produces some very light, frothy but excellently written and tightly constructed regencies. They say it is harder to be a comedian than a tragedian and I think Metzger demonstrates this. Lord Heartless is one of my favourite examples of this.

The story strains credibility and is certainly told with tongue firmly in cheek. Just allow yourself to be swept up into the nonsensical story of Viscount Hartleigh and his prim, proper and titled housekeeper, Mrs Carissa Kane. There is an abandoned wife, a rake, a foundling, an enchanting child, assorted silly and profane animals and a supporting cast of weird and wonderful servants.

Take it at face value and give yourself a laugh - a farcical tour de force which gave me a moment's amusement whilst unpacking too many boxes off the moving van!

This book was absolutely delightful. I found Viscount Hartleigh to be an original, and Carissa, thankfully, not one of those ridiculous missish women regency books seem to favor. The dialogue was wonderful and witty. This is the book that should have won the 1998 RITA award.

Viscount Hartleigh, Lesley,is one of the sexiest, funniest, endearing men I have read in a regency to date. He is an adonis and the poor housekeeper (really, a daughter of an earl) and a widow with a small daughter, ends up being crazy about him and his baby daughter, who is left on his front steps. It was a great story and a fun romance. I did not really like the bit with the ex-husband, whom Carissa thought was dead. It went on too long. Also, the night when Carissa approaches Lesley to sleep with him, he says no, was silly. He was obsessed with her, he desperately wanted to sleep with her; he should not have turned her down. He already wanted to marry her. It really is okay for a regency to have a couple share a night of passion!

As Regencies go, this one was pretty good. Lord Heartless isn't really heartless, in much of ANY sense. Really, it wasn't clear at all why he'd received that appellation. Only the author said so. But Hartleigh is quite amusing, sweet, and kind. And Carissa is a very strong heroine. Male cluelessness is the most common target for fun here. It's sweet with a bit of mystery, though the return of the husband was assured early on. Not particularly realistic, this story, but then I don't read for realism. Could have had more romance, in my opinion. I rate it somewhere around 3 & 1/2 stars.

This is another wonderful Metzger romp that I thoroughly enjoyed. Charming and funny, with a wonderfully human hero, a totally sympathetic heroine, suspense and laughter, cats and dogs and babies...Delicious!

I have this and about 30 other Metzgers in paperback. A favorite of hers. Thank you Ms Metzger for keeping the "pornography" out of our regencys!

As always Barbara has insight of writing a good book. This particular story was fun, light and witty. Barbara is one of my favorite authors who I enjoy reading very much. This in another one of her great books.