Customer Reviews

Mad Maria's Daughter and the Genuine Article (Signet Regency Romance)

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While I didn't read "The Genuine Article", I would like to write a review of "Mad Maria's Daughter," which I give a solid 4-Star rating. Mad Maria's Daughter is fun, exciting--it's Regency with a twist!

Miss Daphne Templeton owes her reputation to her strange mother. Even though she is prone to a few temper tantrums herself, Daphne certainly doesn't deserve to be labeled as eccentric. To flee the stigmas of society, Daphne travels to Devon to live with her aunt. On her way... there is turbulence. She is nabbed by a masked highwayman (who has earned himself the rep of being the local "Robin Hood"). She loses her ring and a few coins--and demands he escort her home!

Later, Miss Templeton meets Lord Griffin, Gordon.. and can't help but think there's something familar about him. Is it the voice? Is it the size of him? Surely this dashing gentleman couldn't be.. the highwayman?! Are they one and the same... or does he have a twin?

Of course, I don't want to spoil it for you. There are many twists and turns in the book, a few laughs, and a whole lot of romance. The characters are loveable, Daphne has a lot of spunk, and the highwayman is very alluring. Rhys, a secondary character, also brought a smile to my face. There is even what I'd call a "surprise ending."

I don't know about the second book, but this Patricia Rice book is a keeper! It would be worth looking into merely for the first 222 pages!

Mad Maria's Daughter
Daphne Templeton's mother was lovely, charming and quite mad. (Maria Templeton seems to have suffered from what we would call bipolar disorder). Several years ago, Daphne's mother drove a carriage off a cliff in a carefully planned suicide. Unfortunately, there was a witness and now the whole of the ton knows about Mad Maria. Daphne has spent the last four years in London, trying to prove she is not like her mother, being dependent on relatives who don't care for her and hoping to find a husband who will love her for herself. After an incident involving throwing a beverage over the head of her unlucky suitor, Daphne is exile from London. She heads to the country to stay with her eccentric old aunt. Along the way, her carriage is held up by a dashing highwayman who kidnaps her. Daphne loses her temper and assaults the kidnapper with her parasol and her tongue! The highwayman is intrigued by this woman who doesn't swoon or run away from him. He leaves her unharmed, taking only a few coins and a valuable ring and helping her find her way to safety. Soon Daphne hears all about the local Robin Hood highwayman and his band of brigands. She's not sure what to think of it all and is even more confused when she meets the handsome viscount Gordon Griffin, who bears a strong resemblance to her highwayman. Daphne becomes involved in a tangle of events involving her highwayman, whom she can't stop thinking about, the viscount, an army captain and a murderous villain. Throw in some family drama and you have one crazy story. My first impression of the book was not favorable, it sounded so silly and I wasn't sure what was going on, but then I got into it. There are a number of twists and turns that I didn't see coming and some I did and a couple of funny scenes too. In the end, I found myself enjoying the story more than I thought I would. Daphne is an all too human heroine. She has her faults and her vulnerabilities but her true self shines through. The gentlemen were rather stereotypical and one was over-the-top annoyingly kind. This is a very modern story with people not behaving according to the proprieties of the day but I like those kinds of stories. My biggest complaint is that there were too many points of view and I kept having to go back and figure out who was thinking. Also the book is too long. The last chapter isn't really necessary. The ending of the previous chapter was cute and made me laugh. This story involves some slightly more than subtle sensuality (make-out scene) but nothing bad and it can be ignored if you really don't like that kind of thing. This is a fun read and worth the effort to unknot the tangle of story lines.

The Genuine Article
Lady Marian and her sister Jessica are headed to London for the Season to find rich husbands or else they and their mother will lose their home. Determined to be the one to sacrifice herself on the matrimonial alter so that young Jessica will have more time to chose, Marian intends to hide her sharp tongue and independent mind under a mask of simpering femininity. Her resolve is tested during a top at an inn when a rude gentleman mistakes her for a servant and she rebounds with some harsh words of her own. In London, Marian makes a conquest of the young Lord Darley who is tired of his mother and sisters controlling him and is in search of a biddable wife. Marian likes him well enough but then Darley's misogynistic best friend comes to Town and Marian discovers that he is none other than the rude man from the inn. She must convince Richard Monatgue that she's the right woman for his best friend. He is determined to prove that she's the wrong woman and willing to use any means necessary to prove his point. Richard becomes involved in Marian's personal family problems which become his own when his roguish valet steals something of value that belongs to Marian and the quest to help Marian's family leads to a trip to a crumbling old estate, a phantom Marquess and lots of passion. This book is steamier than the other and the make out scenes can not be ignored because what follows is part of the plot. There is not relation to any of the characters or events in Mad Maria's Daughter so I am unsure as to why the publisher chose to include them both in one volume. None of the characters in The Genuine Article are likable. I agree with Marian's initial assessment of Richard and they really don't get to know each other except for making out a lot. Marian is not a very likable heroine either. I understand why she had to find a rich husband and why she felt the need to act like an idiot to do it but I don't agree with her methods. Jessica and Darley are too meek and mild to even be remotely interesting. I didn't care for this story and I'll recommend it to those who prefer the emphasis on making out than actual interesting characters and plot.

This book is a reprint of two novels in one by Patricia Rice.

The first is MAD MARIA'S DAUGHTER. Daphne Templeton refused to marry the only gentleman who asked for her hand. This shocked Society, however, they should have known Daphne would. After all, Daphne WAS the daughter of Mad Maria. Daphne decided to retreat to the country and ended up helping a highwayman.

The second is THE GENUINE ARTICLE. Lady Marian Oglethorp needed to wed a fortune to save her family from ruin. She targeted Darley. But his best friend, Reginald Montague, was out to stop her. Problem was that Reginald was falling for her too.

**** Both of these stories are reprints. Both of these stories are VERY good. (Personally, I believe the second tale to be better than the first.) You won't go wrong by purchasing this book! ****