2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Delightful., March 7, 2005
This review is from: Lady Fiasco (Zebra Regency Romance) (Paperback)
Tyrell, Earl of Wesmont, believed his heart stopped working in Spain on the battlefields of Badajoz. So he is surprised when his heart keeps getting in the way when it comes to Fiona Hawthorn. Everyone, including Fiona, believes the lady to be jinxed. A few of her more famous nicknames are "Lady Fiasco", "the Duchess of Doom", and "the Countess of Calamity". Tyrell believes it is all superstitious nonsense. Yet he refuses to ever marry, especially her. This determination, along with his attraction to Fiona, causes him to act out at the lake and humiliate Fiona. When he goes to her home the next day to apologize, Tyrell learns from Lady Hawthorn (Fiona's stepmother) that the jinx left with her unpredictable Aunt Honore.
Honore, Countess Alameda, takes Fiona to Brighton for a brief visit with Prinny, the Prince Regent. From there they plan to go to London where Fiona will reside with Aunt Honore. Honore tell everyone that Fiona is being groomed as her protégée. She is delighted at the chaos that surrounds Fiona. Even better, Tyrell has arrived to make everything even more chaotic! What Aunt Honore did NOT foresee was her stepson, Lord Marcus, getting jealous of Fiona and deciding to get rid of the little chit.
**** Aunt Honore stole the scene very often. I fell in love with the impish countess. Tyrell came across as too cruel once or twice, but seemed to get over his cowardice pretty fast. Once chasing Fiona and her aunt, he became simply hard headed and stubborn. I found this tale to be extremely amusing. The character of Fiona is a complex one. She is feisty, brave, but definitely has a run of bad luck. This book will please all Regency fans and often bring a smile to your face. Delightful. ****
Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Delightful Gift, October 14, 2004
This review is from: Lady Fiasco (Zebra Regency Romance) (Paperback)
Lady Fiasco was a gift and what a charming one it was! I don't typically read historical novels but the details of the era were skillfully drawn and set such an authentic feel to the story that it was easy to feel at home. Fiona's 'curse' made for some delightful situations which she over came with spirit. And Tyrell...he may have seemed a bit stuffy but when it came to Fiona he was truly a champion.
Ms. Baldwin's debut Regency is a promising start. I do hope we get to see what Lady Alameda does with all those other nieces and nephews of her.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Pleasant read--I expect good things from this new author, September 7, 2004
This review is from: Lady Fiasco (Zebra Regency Romance) (Paperback)
This book was an enjoyable story, but not that memorable story. Since it is the author's debut novel, I am sure that books to follow will be even better. I liked the clever chapter titles, and the writing moved along smoothly. The only thing that kept me from rating it higher were some "quibbles" with a few character and plot issues. Fiona and Tyrell were likable enough, but I expected more to be made of Tyrell's hellish war-time experiences, and how Fiona was able to help him heal from them. Fiona was a spunky girl, but she seemed to fall into the trap of believing in her so-called curse too easily. I just didn't believe the way that the townspeople shunned her and it didn't seem in character for her to go along with the idea of the curse. There could have been more development of why the hero and heroine fell for each other, and less focus on some of the rather cliched plot twists and turns. One character that was pretty likable was the eccentric aunt, but at one point she was displaying exhibitionism, and it wasn't explained well why she was doing so. The villain was so dastardly he was almost a caricature. I think the book is pleasant enough, but could have been even better if some of the uneven edges were smoothed out. I guess that I had expectations about having the hero deal with his past and start healing with the heroine's help, and while he did get over his not wanting to marry anyone, it didn't seem like there was enough time spent on his emotional issues,given that so much was made of them in the beginning. I do think that the author shows a lot of promise, and I look forward to watching her writing grow in the future.
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