The Last Leprechaun (Signet Regency Romance) [Paperback]

June Calvin (Author)

Book Description

Series: Signet Regency Romance | Publication Date: July 6, 2004

John Blayne wants nothing to do with marriage-and certainly nothing to do with Beth Longford. But despite his efforts to remain indifferent, he finds himself coming to her aid. Will he decide to reform his ways...before it costs him the love of his life?

Editorial Reviews

Review

A first-class talent. (Romantic Times)

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Signet (July 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451210107
• ISBN-13: 978-0451210104
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,813,652 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars More save the leprechaun than love, August 6, 2004

By 

Woodbuckley (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last Leprechaun (Signet Regency Romance) (Paperback)

This is a mixed tale. Not at all the usual Regency tale of romance in a social setting of the town or country. The love story very much took a back seat to the story of the Leprechaun, as I suppose was indicated by the title itself.
Beth Longford forces herself into the house of her cousin John, the Earl of Wayneathe to try and obtain his help to save her beloved forest, the Heartwood, at the family estate. Her father the Baron is ruthlessly chopping the ancient forest down for the money and out of revenge on John, who is his heir following the death of his son Terence.
John is holding a riotous orgy and is not pleased to have to see Beth at all, indeed he takes a few minutes to even recognize her. He has been pursuing this hedonistic existence to blot out the pain of losing his family. A soldier he had already fought at Waterloo and there had his cousin Terence shot beside him and his mother and brothers were soon after killed in a fire. He wants to escape and have no more of love or responsibility.
Beth of course wants him to act to the contrary. She tries to persuade him, and eventually leaves in despair of the fate of her woods. For not only are they in danger, but also the leprecaun, Shawn.
He is a secret she shared with John and her grandparents. John now does not believe in him.
John eventually finds he cannot forget his duties after all, nor the lovely cousin. He travels to the family seat to confront the Baron.
The bad Baron father is all that and more, vicious, drunk, despises his wife, a gamester who has tried to sell his daughter twice. Very unpleasant.
Shawn is an interesting creature, with a tragic tale of his own lost love that is a thread running through the story.
The stage is set.
Very dramatic and very much a story with a strong environmental message. This was done well, but it stuck out as an extremely modern take on the subject. I almost expected Beth to set up a protest tent or chain herself to a tree.
Unfortunately this is why the love story suffers. It is more a case of he falls in love with Beth and we do not see how or why.
Oh they are both good characters, convincingly drawn, sympathetic, believable.
An enjoyable tale - just more love would have been better.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sweet, Fantasy-Filled Regency, July 6, 2004

By 

sciekza (So. Cal., USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last Leprechaun (Signet Regency Romance) (Paperback)

I was lucky enough to read this book before it was released. It's a sweet, fantasy-filled Regency romance with an endearing hero and heroine. John Blayne, Earl of Somewhere, wants nothing more than to lose himself in pleasure after the tragic deaths of his cousin, brothers and mother. However, Beth Longford, a widow, forces him out of his mindless pusuit of pleasure when she brings him the news that her father is cutting down the forest on the estate they both played on as children. He forces her to leave but she leaves behind a portfolio of drawings and letters that make him reconsider his position. He journeys to the estate and proceeds to put things to right.

The leprechaun of the title doesn't appear until about half way through the book, although he is repeatedly discussed. He is well-rounded and less stereotypical than I would have expected. He has his own love story and it plays out alongside Beth's and John's in the last part of the book. Other Faeries appear briefly towards the end and help resolve the conflict.

The main villian is Beth's father. He is a womanizer, gambler and a drunk. He is thoroughly selfish, but makes a nice foil to show John what he might turn into if he pursues his current path. Beth's treatment of him is realistic--she resents and hates him for everything he put his wife and daughter through. Unlike many romance heroines, she feels no need to rescue him or feel any responsibility for his behavior.

If I had one quibble, it is that the fantasy plot took up too much time, leaving the romance part a little hurried. The relationship between Beth and John could have used a little more depth. This isn't a sensual book, with little more than passionate kisses being exchanged between the heroine and hero. This is my preference, but others may find it a bit tame.

Readers may have two problems with this book: the fantasy elements and the fact that the hero and heroine are second-cousins. It was quite common to for second-cousins to marry in Regency England, but modern day readers may have a cousin "hot button" and may not like the closeness of the genetic relationship. Neither the cousin love or fantasy elements disturbed my enjoyment of this book, though. I enjoyed it greatly and will be buying the paperback when it is released in July.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting., January 9, 2006

By 

Detra Fitch (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Last Leprechaun (Signet Regency Romance) (Paperback)

Elizabeth Longford knew that her childhood friend, John Blayne, thought of nothing now except his own sensual pleasures. He was no longer the wonderful lad she had grown up with. But John is now the Earl of Wayneathe, and only he has the power to help her save the cherished forest in which they played as children - and where she once caught sight of a leprechaun, even though they lived in London instead of Ireland. Beth's father has let his anger overwhelm all reasoning. He insists that he lost everything due to a curse by the leprechaun. The only thing he does blame the leprechaun for is the death of his only son, Terry. Terry's death he blames on John.

John used to believe in leprechauns, but now he believes in nothing and no one. When Beth arrives for help, John had no intention of assisting her or anyone else. But Beth is more than John's match and it does not take her long to persuade him to come see the woods and all that her father is doing to destroy them. John sees not only the devastation of his childhood playgrounds, but also the madness within Beth's father. John is wise enough to fear for Beth and her mother's very lives!

Still believing his childhood glimpse of a leprechaun had been nothing but his youthful imagination, John returns to the woods where Beth insists the little man still roams. Beth told John clearly that Shamus, the leprechaun, would not show himself to a human, especially a male human. Since acorns do not naturally fall sideways to hit people, John must admit that the woods still hold magic. As time goes by and John actually meets and visits with Shamus, John is left with several problems to solve. What can John do to protect Beth and her mother? How can he save the woods that mean so much to Beth? How can he stop a madman from destroying the area? How can he get Shamus back to Ireland safely? And most importantly, how can he convince Beth to marry him when she has vowed never to marry again?

***** I was not sure if I would like a Regency Romance with a leprechaun in it. They just do not seem as magical to me as faeries and water sprites do. (Must be due to all those horrid Lucky Charms cereal commercials.) But this enchanting tale of romance hooked me within the first few pages and I SO wanted to believe. Shamus's story on why he is stuck in the human realm, banished from the land of the faery, is very well done. I even caught a glimpse of water sprites and of the queen herself! This story will remain with me for a long time to come. I simply must hunt up more novels by this talented author. Outstanding! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.