Customer Reviews

Jack of Clubs (The House of Cards Trilogy, Book 2)

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

 

 

JACK OF CLUBS by Barbara Metzger
April 15, 2006

Amazon Rating: 4/5 Stars


I am really enjoying Barbara Metzger's historical romances. JACK OF CLUBS was just as fun as the previous one I read, RAKE'S RANSOM and A LOYAL COMPANION. In JACK OF CLUBS, Captain Jack Endicott is the focus, a rake who is running a gambling operation. (His brother Ace was the focus of the previous book). In the meantime, 8-year old Harriet is told that she has a new guardian, Jack Endicott, who was a friend of her grandfather's. With nowhere else to go, Harriet is taken to Jack's residence by her instructor the prudish Allie. Thus starts the story of how Jack Endicott becomes a father over-night, dealing with a precocious child who would rather be climbing trees than having tea, and a young woman, Allie, who is beyond the age of the marriage mart, but he for some reason finds desirable.

I chuckled while reading about their adventures, as poor Allie tries to deal with a man who gambles for a living and has a reputation with the ladies. While her own reputation is now on the line, she finds herself attracted to him, but she knows being associated with him will ruin her future, as she has no money and must find employment soon before it's too late. Harriet, on the other hand, loves her new "Papa Jack" and never wants to leave. He's certainly not the best influence on this very young and impressionable girl, and Allie is certain this is not the lifestyle Harriet should be exposed to.

I loved this book, and recommend it to all lovers of regencies and romances of all types. Barbara Metzger writes her stories with tongue in cheek, all well written and enjoyable. I have become a fan of this author and now will always pick up a book if her name is on it. JACK OF CLUBS is yet another romance that didn't want to end.

Overall I enjoyed the book. It was funny, and the chemistry between the characters was steamy without being trashy. I like a regency romances that expand my vocabulary- it makes me feel like reading romances isn't totally wasting my brain. I did feel that the story dragged a little in the middle, and based on other regencies I've read, I think they didn't emphasize enough how beyond the pale it would have been for him to open the Red and Black and at the same time they over emphasized her expectation of still being treated like a lady after becoming a governess. Also some of the exchanges felt too modern.
Still the pluses out numbered the minuses.

is still my idea of a wonderful time.

The only thing that might keep it from my keeper shelf was the heroine. I got tired of her harping about her Good Name and not being seen with the hero so that her reputation might be preserved. She came across as a ninny. I didn't see what Jack found attractive....She did redeem herself slightly by dealing well with Harriet the demon child and later on, she's less of a pill. I almost put it down, which never happens with Metzger.

But the hero, the secondary characters the fun of the Metzger style make it worth the money.

Maybe it's because I've read so much pap lately, but when I chanced upon this book, I was delighted. Bright, literate dialogue laced with laugh-out-loud humor, a heroine who stayed in character and was not prototypically gorgeous, and lots of side characters with personality plus - including a child patterned after several I recall from my teaching days. The story line stands alone just fine; I have not read the book's predecessor. Metzger is an author who "gets" the difference between sex and sexy, too, and that fact alone should propel her to the top of the contemporary historical romance list. Check out my Amazon list of favorite historical romance novels and you'll find I just added this book to it.

After reading Ace's tale (well, actually halfway through Ace's book) I bought the rest of the series and I'm not disappointed. Jack is very lovable and a nice change from the titled lords we usually read about. Allie is a bit over-concerned with her reputation after having stayed at the House of Carde for so long, but she's not the type to give up easily so it's believeable. I can't wait to start Queen of Diamonds!

Of course everything that Barbara Metzger has written has been a favorite of mine. I could hardly wait for this to come out on Kindle as I had read the previews of this Trilogy and wanted it for my own. Barbara truely writes wonderful books about the early Regency era and this is no different. I check at least once a week and see if anything new has been published of hers on Kindle. This is a great story and well written.

I ENJOYED THE BOOK VERY MUCH AND I HOPE THE READ MORE BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR.

The book is lighthearted and a slightly humorous regency.
Although the writing and storyline had me reminiscing about the kind of books that I would have found very interesting when I was in middle school, I still enjoyed the lightness of it.
No strong plot, most of the storyline was dealing with the reputation of a gentle bred woman and her relationship with a debaucher.
Don't expect any hidden secrets or dark past.
There were neither intriguing aspects in the novel nor emotional palpitations to make you not want to put the book down. As a matter of fact it was needlessly easy for me to skim through pages at a time because the same thoughts were repeated over and over again from chapter to chapter. I didn't know how many times or in how many ways one could lament about a soiled reputation.
All in all, because I have enjoyed Ms Metzger's work in the past and I'm a little partial to her I'll rate this book 3 stars. I'm also in no hurry nor do I care to read about the lost Endicott Sister in the last book of the trilogy. But since I do own the book in my library, hopefully when I have no other choice I just might oblige myself.

Makes sense without having read the first book of the trilogy, Ace of Hearts. Not as strong as that book, but highly readable, exhibiting Metzger's usual humor.