Customer Reviews

The Lady in Question

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Setting - London 1820 --- Barely a wife and now a widow, Philadelphia `Delia' Effington, Lady Wilton, has returned to London from a six month stay in the Lake District hoping that the gossip from her precipitous and scandalous marriage to Charles Wilton had died down - but mostly because she missed her family and wanted nothing more than to have them welcome her back into their fold. What Delia didn't know was that her husband had been working as an agent for the government and her life could be in danger. Consequently, the very dashing bachelor, Viscount Anthony `Tony' St. Stephens, an agent himself, disguised himself as her elderly butler, and was installed in her house, along with a team of agents to protect her.

In a most unusual household, with a bumbling butler, a footman who resembled a linebacker for the Green Bay packers, and a cook whose culinary skills were non-existent, Delia would form a bond of friendship with her elderly butler, never realizing that his bumbling wasn't due to his advanced age - poor dear - but because he'd never been trained as one. Tony was a good listener though, and as Delia poured her heart out, he was losing his - to her! Soon Tony would be playing a dual role, as the butler and himself as a totally smitten suitor.

No matter how the dashing viscount stirred her heart Delia, now independent, and still wanting grand adventures, didn't want to make another mistake. Tony would have to convince her that marrying him would be the grandest of adventures.

This was a charming romance that had me smiling from front to back cover. Though the description speaks of the mystery of a missing notebook, that portion of the plot paled and seemed to fall to the wayside as the romance and seduction took center stage. I didn't find the book to be much of a mystery so much as a lighthearted and sweetly enjoyable regency romance. I will say that what I have experienced while reading this author's work is that she has a way with turning phrases into the most delightful and witty dialogs! Reading her words is like watching a movie with all the pauses for effect a fine actor would incorporate in his delivery. Truly enjoyable and definitely a book I can recommend to warm your heart.

I couldn't get into this book at all.. It just seemed a little far fetched that the "Lady in Question" was around the butler and Sir St. Stephans alot and still didn't see...that must have been a really good disguise or maybe our "Lady in Question" wasn't very perseptive. And really would a lady have such a close relationship with the butler? Just seemed a bit convienent.. I didn't like St. Stephans. He didn't match his profession at all..you'd think he'd be more careful and guarded but he just jumps right in to wanting to get married and forgets about his duties. The whole plot with the notebook...I forgot all about it...what was the point?

This is the fourth novel by VA I have read. I also read, "Until We Meet Again" (good), "The Wedding Bargain" (really good) and "The Husband List" (not bad). I enjoy this author as her books always have strong female leads and solid and strong male leads. No wimpy characters with her. In turn, she always gives you an interesting plot line and witty dialogue that is never boring. And when I say witty I mean it. Many reviewers say a book is "laugh out loud funny" or "characters that will have you howling with laughter" etc...and I NEVER do. This author really does take witty dialogue to new heights. Kind of tongue in cheek laughter that is just right in a romance novel. Her love scenes are never hot and dramatic - they are not the main ingredient to the stories and that is just fine for me. Some other authors give you steamy and hot - VA gives you wit, fun and adventure.

This story as usual had twists and turns to keep you busy. Lead character Delia, ran off with her first steamy lover and married him in haste. Scandal ensued and she was outcast from society. Her husband mysteriously died within a few weeks of marriage and she was left alone to weather the scandal and re-build her life. She came from a large and well known high ranking family - The Effingtons' - and had the support of her twin Cassie and that of her family as time went on. On the side, Viscount St. Stephens is a spy of the crown and is sent to keep an eye on Delia in case someone wants to harm her. Her late husband was a spy unknown to her so, someone could be after her. St. Stephens masquerades as an old butler running her household and befriends her. He then takes on a dual role when he meets her at a ball later on as himself.

Of course as the story progresses, she comes out of mourning, decides to become a woman of adventure and experience and he offers to show her the way. St. Stephens has to hop to and fro as he is a butler one day and the Viscount the next. The story is light and fun and interesting to read. Their relationship develops nicely - both with the butler and with her future lover. The ending works well too. We find out who the killer is of her late husband, how she finds out about St. Stephens dual identities and if their relationship works out and the society accepts them again.

Some readers might not buy the whole premise of a young hot guy being able to pose as an old butler but, he was a top spy and going in disguise and doing it well was part of your job. Same with the other people that staffed Delia's house - they were all spies in disguise too. Let's not get too picky - it's a story after all. Plus...I think you'll get engrossed in all the other characters that are tied to the spying business as well (people in Delia's family, etc.).

It was natural that Delia and the butler learn to take to one another. They are couped up nearly alone at her new estate and spend weeks going over books, estate documents and more putting her life back together again. It's only natural they bond as time went on. Since most of her family and friends abandoned her in the beginning...she had only her new staff to turn to. Why not the butler? Buying into the friendship of an older gentleman and a young widow is not that unlikely.

It is a tad irritating that Delia didn't have the good sense to not sleep with the first guy who showed her serious interest (her first husband) - she was from a top family after all and should have known better. Like another reader said- she was immature to make one mistake and then jump into another relationship with the Viscount only months later. She seemed to always talk about the need for adventure but, I never really felt she was the adventurous type to be honest. I wish her months spent in seclusion made her more wise and wary but...alas, it made her want to seek another adventure. Sigh...will this silly woman never learn? But...St. Stephens making her enjoy the camel adventure in the park helped put her childish ways in perspective. He certainly made her take adventure like an adult finally.

If you can get past a few of these silly things...I think this one will work for you. Whenever I read these books, I try to keep in mind, this is a light love story - not first class literature. If you are looking for a book that is entertaining and light, this is the perfect book for you.

This author writes unlike any other I have read and that's a plus as I have read thousands of love stories over the years. We all have our favorites who write hot, steamy love stories (Nicole Jordan, Gaelen Foley, Sabrina Jefferies) , those that write dark, morose and heavy stories (Katherine Sutcliffe, Megan McKinney, Laura Kinsale), those that write soft, sexy and dreamy love stories (Laura Guhrke, Jacquie D'Alessandro, Patricia Grasso, Brenda Joyce, Mia Ryan, Christina Dodd, Lisa Kleypas, Judith McNaught, Jillian Hunter, Cathy Maxwell,) and so on. Add Ms. Alexander to your library for a good read that always keeps you smiling and interested. Plus...the ending of her books never disappoint.

Though I enjoyed this book, I didn't think it was as entertaining as some of the author's other work. Her Highness, My Wife is still my favorite. Possibly I was preoccupied with Christmas coming, but I began to skim over some pages and reading the other reviews maybe should have slowed down a bit. But it still didn't grab me from the beginning like some of VA's other books have. It's definitely worth the read simply for the author who wrote it. Victoria Alexander is a fun, witty writer and her books rarely disappoint.

The story line has been thoroughly reviewed by others. It is a very different plot and although the premise surrounds the bungling efforts of the "Crown's agents", 90% of the story revolves around the characters relationships and antics. It is a delightful romp. I thoroughly enjoy "twin" switches and that adds a great deal of fun to this tale. The hero is lovable as the old man (of 60) butler and is loved as the sexy viscount. A lot of love "play" and dialogue complete this circuitous story. It's just a fun read. I can't help wondering if there will be a sequel for Cassie, the "troublesome twin".......

In the throes of a 'grand adventure', Delia marries, and a week later (after only one night of prenuptial indescretion) her husband is presumed dead. Six months later the story picks up with Delia's return to London after a self imposed exile. Like the one reviewer, I kept expecting Delia's dead husband to reappear. Unlike that reviewer, however, I didn't feel the book dragged at all. The emotional entanglements were novel, and handled quite intelligently. Delia, while at times rather childish, was nonetheless rather endearing. St. Stephens also generally rang true. I enjoyed the twists and turns, not the least of which were accomplished by learning what had happened in her first marriage via bits and pieces in flashback. The ending left some interesting threads hanging.

I have been a long time fan of this talented author but her Effington Family stories are by far my favorite. This is Philidelphia (Delia to family and friends) story and it was not only romantic but a fun read as well.

Delia has shocked society, family and friends when she secretly marries a very unproper man. Well, her scanadalous marriage is brought to a very short end by the untimely death of said groom. Wed less then a week and already a widow what's a girl to do? Well, she takes a break in the country for six months and then moves back to London of course!

What Delia does not know is that her dead groom was actually an undercover agent for the crown and his death is suspect. The powers that be take measures to protect the unawares Delia and puts agents undercover in her home in the form of servents. Enter Tony St. Stephens. This newly named Viscount realizes that this must be his final assignment. He has a title to worry about now. Problems is that he is disguised as an elderly butler and Delia has taken it upon herself to befriend this man. How can this be a problem? Well, it's great for the investigation. Not so great for the young Viscount that now finds himself attracted to Delia. Delia on the other hand can't explain why she feels so safe with her butler but there you have it. Delia though is now aware that once her period of mourning is over she will be free to live her life as she will. This means searching for and finding great adventure around every corner. This of course sends chills down Tony's back because her few ideas that she has shared with her butler would cause a few eyebrows to be raised. It's also not good news for the Viscount that has finally decided that she is the one for him. Her first foray into living despite what society thinks is switching places with her twin Cassie at the annual family Ride and Ball. Here she meets the handsome and charming Viscount St. Stephens for the first time. Needless to say he makes a rather "grand" impression on her. Now she is in a pickle. He thinks that she is Cassie, or does he???

Before you know it these two are spending time together all the time and Tony is finding it hard to keep his secret self seperate from his normal self (make sense?) and as the danger to Delia gets closer to home the stakes are raised and more secrets are found with surprising results. Soon the mystery of the missing notebook is solved, love has indeed won the day (no not that easily but eventually) and we have had another nice visit with the zany Effington Clan.

This was a fun book to read. Delia was not written as a flibberty-gibbit and she has quite a lot of spunk but not obnoxiously so. Tony is a true romantic hero if a bit misguided at times but that just makes him a little more likeable if you ask me. I can tell Ms. Alexander had fun writing this book and I hope that poor Cassie soon gets her story!

After an impulsive marriage to the mysterious and sexy scoundrel, Lord Charles Wilmont, Delia Effington tragically becomes a widow only days after her wedding. Six months later, after a period of mourning with a distant relative, she is back in London at her late husband's townhouse, trying to make amends with her estranged family and to make sense of his holdings. Enter Anthony, Viscount St. Stephens, who is disguised as Delia's elderly butler, Gordon, but is in truth one of London's most eligible bachelors and a spy for the Crown.

Lord Wilmont's assignment was to uncover the truth regarding papers supposedly linking a scandal back to Delia's uncle, the Duke of Effington -- papers containing information that could threaten the very government itself. Stephens needs to discover if his close friend, Lord Wilmont met his death because he indeed discovered the papers, all the while protecting Delia from any possible danger to her life. Or does Delia know about the papers, and if so, what action will she take?

Lonely and confused, Delia quickly forms an unusual bond with her elderly butler, Gordon. Tony is torn between the necessity of remaining in disguise as Gordon and telling Delia the truth in the hopes that she won't hate him for his deception. Ms. Alexander again creates a cast of sympathetic characters, including visits from Effington family members featured in previous books from this series. Delia's relationship with her supposed elderly butler is both heartwarming and original.

THE LADY IN QUESTION is filled with deception, betrayal, dual identities, and high suspense. I admit Ms. Alexander fooled me this time in regard to the identity of the villain. She is an author with exceptional skill and talent at keeping the reader turning pages.

If you have read the other books in the Effington series, you won't want to miss this latest addition.

Right off, let me say I enjoyed the witty dialog more than the storyline, which was rather thin. The dialog was excellent.

However, there were a few aspects to the story that did kept it from making my list of all-time favorites. First, Delia is rather immature and I could not understand what the hero saw in her. She bedded and wedded a man she barely new and did not love simply in hopes of a Great Adventure. Said man being murdered within days did not bother her too much...now that she was left a wealthy and independant widow....and could get on with another Great Adventure.

Second was the over usage of Delia lamenting her desire for a Great Adventure. If had a dime for every time it was mentioned, I could recoup a large part of the book's cost. It became annoying after a while and only served to reinforce Delia's immaturity.

Even after one disastrous Great Adventure, she wants another. I guess sneaking out of your parents' home to crawl into the bed of a man you hardly know, marrying him to stay the gossip, then finding yourself a widow within days is not enough Great Adventure for some, or even a lesson to learn from.

Therefore, she decides to bed another, in hopes of becoming "experienced". Did I mention she is very immature?

Our hero proves only too willing to oblige. Unfortuneately, he is posing as her best friend, an elderly butler....and she has no clue. Enough said about that.

Really, this is not a bad book- it is pleasantly humorous and takes little effort to read. I loved the rouse she and her sister cooked up- very clever- and there were a few nicely done secondary characters. Overall, it is worth a read.

I just couldn't bring myself to enjoy this book. If the hero and heroine could have just seemed more into each other, then I could have believed their heated exchanges. I didn't like the whole butler disguise and I definately thought that given the fact that she wanted to be an lady of adventure that it could have ended up a lot better than it did. Overall, not the best by victoria Alexander.