The Incomparable Cassandra [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Laura Paquet (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2006

Forced together by a season-long round of matchmaking, a bookish biologist and a boisterous belle of the "ton" find there's no arguing with a basic principle of biology: opposites attract. Original.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 300 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press (May 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786284129
• ISBN-13: 978-0786284122
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,726,877 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a pleasant 3 1/2 star read, December 24, 2004

By 

tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Incomparable Cassandra (Zebra Regency Romance) (Paperback)

Laura Paquet's latest Regency-era offering is a nice, no surprises read about two people who are seemingly opposite in nature, and who yet turn out to be soul mates. It is a pleasant, well written novel, the charm of which lies in how both the hero and heroine learn to like and appreciate each other, and how, the heroine especially, changes (slightly) for the better.

Lady Cassandra Blythe is feeling a bit restless. Feted as an "incomparable" for the past few years, mixing with the same people (and avoiding the same people), and having come no nearer to finding her ideal mate, has left her feeling a bit jaded. The truth, though, is that Lady Cassandra has a distinct partiality for Mr. Peregrine Russell, except that while the gentleman enjoys her company and seeks her out constantly, he seems in no hurry to be married! So perhaps the unlooked for visit by her brother-in-law by marriage, Lord Benjamin Rowland, the Earl of Winchfield, should provide some amusement? Benjamin has been estranged from his sister, Elinor (and Cassandra's sister-in-law), ever since Elinor eloped in order to marry Richard Blythe. And Benjamin has been slow to bend the breach between them. Now, however, Benjamin has decided to marry, and hopes that Elinor will help him find a meek, biddable wife. For Benjamin is of a scholarly bent, and would like to spend all his time at his estate in the country, studying, rather squiring some demanding beauty about town. Elinor is aghast! She wants her brother to marry for love; but Cassandra, who despises the earl for all the pain he has cost Elinor privately believes that a meek, biddable wife is exactly what he deserves and is determined to help him find such a mate. That is until she begins to get to know Benjamin and realises that there is more to the man that meets the eye. Slowly she begins to rethink some of the things she has long taken for granted, and even her feelings for the earl. Could the bookish, quiet and stiff Benjamin embody all those qualities in a husband she has been looking for? But does he think the same way of her? And what of the other ladies she has been throwing at Benjamin ever since he arrived in town?

If you're looking for a nice, uncomplicated read with no surprises, then you will enjoy "The Incomparable Cassandra." The book was well written, nicely paced and unfolded at a smooth and brisk pace. Focusing both on how Cassandra's character changes a little and the developing attraction between the two principals, "The Incomparable Cassandra" was an enjoyable read mostly because both Cassandra and Benjamin were easy to like. For while Cassandra is a bit superficial, she's not all that bad and is very good and loyal to her friends. So that, when through Benjamin's influence, she learns a little kindness, one feels good about the potential match between the two. Benjamin, apparently has already had his epiphany before the book starts, and fully cognizant about the wrong he has done his sister and her husband, so that we don't really see his character change all that much -- he's a nice but reserved gentleman when we first meet him, and he's still a nice but reserved gentleman at the book's close. So that while "The Incomparable Cassandra" is not a very complex book, it still makes for a nice 3 1/2 star read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sweet and Well-Written, July 15, 2010

By 

AUPoohBear "aupoohbear" (New England, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Incomparable Cassandra (Zebra Regency Romance) (Paperback)

Lady Cassandra Blythe is an Incomparable but she's also intelligent and a playwright, which is why she remains unwed at the advanced age of 24. She enjoys the social activities of London and her witty friends and isn't too concerned with finding a mate for herself. In contrast, her older brother has been happily wed for ten years to the lovely Elinor. Sadly, Elinor has been estranged from her only brother Benjamin Rowland, Earl of Winchfield, since her elopement with Cassandra's brother. Elinor has extended an olive branch to her brother and he has finally decided to come to London in search of a wife. Recently recovered from a broken heart, Benjamin Rowland, Earl of Winchfield is in search of a wife. The Earl's duties were thrust on him at a young age and he would like nothing better than to stay in the country and study ants, however, he is an Earl and knows his duty. He is in search of a quiet, biddable wife, certainly not an Incomparable like Lady Cassandra. At first Cassandra and Ben don't get along; he thinks she's sharp-tongued and she finds him boring and stuffy. As they come to know each other better, Cassandra and Ben learn that each has hidden qualities and deeper emotions than what is present on the surface. This is a quiet, sweet romance that is quite different from the typical Regency plot. It could be described as a reverse Pride and Prejudice with a dash of Emma. It's a refreshing change to read about a hero who is not a rake. At first, like Cassandra, I found Ben boring and too mild but the character development in this novel is so good that I learned to appreciate his good qualities just as Cassandra does. The plot develops nicely at a good pace to make the story realistic and a very good read. I enjoyed this one quite a lot.