Customer Reviews

My Fair Quiggley (Zebra Book)

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

 

 

When the Marquis of Daxonbury is told by his fiance that she longer wishes to be engaged to him because he is far too 'adventurous' for her, he decides to shake the dust of London, off his elegant boots, and makes for Lavender Hill, where his aunt, Lady Miranda, currently resides. No one has heard a word from Lady Miranda for about six months, and Daxonbury is curious as to her welfare. What he finds however beggars all belief: apparently, his aunt, and her two companions, Miss Markham, and Miss Desdemona Quiggley have gone into business together, and have been successfully running the Lucy Lavender Enterprises for quite a while now. However not too long ago, disaster struck. First Lady Miranda's house burnt down, and then the shed that the ladies used to dry the lavender flowers was destroyed in a storm, and if that was not enough, their latest shipment of lavender pillows was stolen while en route to London. The ladies face bankruptcy, and are at their wits end as to how to recoup. Always resourceful, and completely determined not to ask any of their male relatives for any kind of help, the ladies had finally hit on a plan to capture a notorious highwayman, Dandy Dan, for the reward money. However this plan goes completely awry when instead of the highwayman, the ladies net Daxonbury instead!

Now, that he is in their midst, Daxonbury finds his feeling of malaise (at being rejected by his onetime fiance) lifting completely. To begin with there is the incredibly charming Miss Desdemona Quiggley. If anyone can make his forget the debacle of his engagement, certainly witty, clever and irrepressibly plucky Desdemona can. And then there is the lure of trying to discover who exactly is out to ruin his aunt. For unlike the ladies, Daxonbury doesn't believe that everything that befell them were accidents, and is determined to get to the root of the matter. In this he is ably assisted by Desdemona, and in no time at all, the pair are busy investigating. Daxonbury is completely thrilled to have an adventure at hand to distract him, however he soon finds that the charming Miss Quiggley could be too much of a distraction, as he finds himself paying more and more attention to the lady than to the mystery of who is behind the plot to destroy the Lucy Lavender Enterprises, and why. And for Daxonbury, the burning question soon becomes that of whether or not the incredibly independent Desdemona returns his feelings...

I had to read "My Fair Quiggley" twice. The thing is there are two romance subplots --
the subplot involving Daxonbury and Desdemona Qiggley, and the subplot involving Lady Miranda and Dandy Dan -- and I was completely hooked on the latter romance subplot! Which isn't really fair to the book because the Daxonbury-Desdemona subplot is a really good one. When we are first introduced to Daxonbury, he is full of wonderful little preconceptions about women and marriage. However, once he meets Desdemona, and realises her mettle, he comes to see that women too can want adventure and excitement, and that they also can be competent and self sufficient. Judith Lansdowne does a wonderful job of bringing the pair together. And I absolutely loved Desdemona Quiggley! Quick witted, clever, independent and forthright, and yet quite vulnerable too, esp once she realised that she was beginning to fall for a London gentleman of all things! However, while the Daxonbury-Quiggley subplot was fun to read, and the whole mystery subplot was interesting, I was hooked on the Lady Miranda-Dandy Dan subplot. Esp with all the mystery attached to Dandy Dan's intriguing past (which was never really resolved or revealed). There has to be a follow up to "My Fair Qiggley!"

All in all "My Fair Quiggley" is an entertaining read. A great deal occurs in this novel; however Judith Lansdowne, in my opinion, did a wonderful job in maintaining my interest, and dealing with all the various subplots and characters. I especially liked the manner in which the subplot involving Lady Miranda's neighbours, Lord and Lady Hartshorn was handled. And if I did feel a little shortchanged at the ending, because the entire Dandy Dan subplot was never really resolved, I'm clinging to the hope that a sequel to this novel is in the offing and soon!

If you want some really fascinating reading, just look up all the books by Judith A. Lansdowne and read the reviews! My word. All over the map, they are. It's not at all uncommon to find 5 reviews, with each one having a different rating. Obviously, many readers will come to the same book, but with varying expectations.

This may not be quite the best Lansdowne book I've read, but it is still so much better than entirely too many of the other so-called Regency novels being published. The research is always impeccable; you'll never find the hero or heroine thinking like folks who really live in 2001 and are merely costumed for the sake of the book. Her plots are sometimes a tad 'out-there' but never so far as to be impossible.

To me, her greatest strength is her characterization. Every person in her books-toddler to grand-parent-is real with the normal ambiguities that inhabit normal people. They may occasionally say or do silly things, but don't we all? And no one I've ever read does animals any better, whether cat, dog, horse, parrot or any other species. She is a wonderful writer who is gifted with a 'humor bump' that translates to the written word with great ease. If you need to laugh, you can do no better for yourself than to read a Lansdowne book.

All that said, MY FAIR QUIGGLEY was very solid entertainment and enjoyment for me. Dax and Dessie were well-matched to each other, and I'm really looking forward to the Miranda/Dan adventure, as I'm sure that's just what it'll be. The only let-down for me in this story was the somewhat sudden and almost improbable rehabilitation of Lord Hartshorn. Not unbelievable, by any means, just a bit too rushed to be entirely accepted on such short notice.

I think the previous reviewers have described the story in great detail so I won't go into that again. I give the story 2 stars (really 1 1/2) for a few reasons. First, I generally enjoy Ms. Lansdowne's books. I find her writing charming. I am not a huge fan of historicals that have tons of sex in it. However, sex in a regency still can be done tastefully and alluded to. That was not necessary in this story as no one was married. But to say, as one reviewer put it, to say there was any hot sexual tension in this story is going way to far. Both the Marquis of Daxonbury (Dax) and Miss Desdemona Quiggley really are rather immature and seem quite young. There are no real sexually charged moments with them. It is obvious they like aech other, but they reminded me of high school dating romances. The more interesting romance was Lady Miranda, Dax's "elderly" aunt, and Dandy Dan. I have an issue with Miranda's age - how old was she? Obviously not 20 but 35? 40? 45? I do not mind an older woman and romance, but at least let us know it. And why exactly is Desdemona Quiggley living in Lavender Hill? That is never really explained. I am sure a sequel is coming about Dan. Obviously, he is of the Nobility and will end up being restored to whatever place he lost. And Lady Miranda, a Duke's daughter and sister, lives on her own and no one comes to vist - like ever? Weird. I also did not Desdemona's name as it is too cartoonish.

I was disappointed with this story. The real romance was between Lady Miranda and Dandy Dan. That story/romance had sparks and was interesting. Dessi and Dax? Pure teen romance.

Desdemona Quiggley is a free spirit determined to be mistress of her own fate. Together with two close female companions, she forms Lucy Lavender Enterprises. Unfortunately, the business falls into debt, and the ladies are in danger of losing everything they've worked so hard to gain. But Desdemona refuses to give up. In order to keep them all from debtor's prison, she conceives a wild plot to capture a highwayman in order to collect the large reward on his head.

Arriving at Yorkshire to visit his aunt, the Marquis of Daxonbury is knocked off his feet by a deadly accurate slingshot wielded by an irrepressible young female who has confused his noble person with a common footpad! Immediately caught in the delightful snare of the most fascinating woman he has ever met, Dax finds himself up to his ears in solving a villainous plot, the plucky Desdemona by his side, every step of the way. And to think Dax assumed his visit to dear old auntie's would be a dead bore!

This lively novel is full of wit and charm in the form of clever dialogue, quirky characters with sparkling personalities, and many hilariously outrageous situations. The hero and heroine are a wonderfully balanced match, both of them intelligent, stubborn, and dynamic with a shared sense of the ridiculous. If you like a book with lots of laughs along with warm affection and hot sexuality, you'll really enjoy this treasure!

I just wanted to say I really found this book boring. Judith Lansdowne failed me this time out!

This book actually contains TWO romances, although one is left incomplete. And it bothers me that I might actually MISS the next installment...either it doesn't get written and my curiosity is never satisfied or that the next installment comes too late to make a difference to me. As I recall, that was a major annoyance with Ms. Landsdowne's Nightingale series as well. As desirable as it may seem to authors and publishers to whet the reader's appetite with hints of what is to come, they may want to think twice about deliberately antagonizing readers by pulling too many tricks like this. The witty dialogue and the zany characters kept my eyes glued to the pages; what a disappointment to get to the end and discover that I have to wait for ANOTHER book to find out what happens with the romance between the duke's daughter and the failed highwayman with the mysterious past.

That said, I have to admit that my journey to a certain cottage in the vicinity of a village with the unpretentious name of Toadscuttle was truly delightful. The character of Desdemona Quiggley was a breath of fresh air. Her first contact with the eligible young marquis was a direct hit in the head from a stone that came from her slingshot. Although THAT was a case of mistaken identity, Dessie's subsequent threats to cut off his finger and kill him might have frightened off most prospective beaux. But her honesty, sincerity, and enthusiasm--in contrast to the deceit and pretense of most young ladies he has met--are irresistible to our sharp young hero, who doesn't waste any time disproving her first impression of him as staid and boring. Once he sees how the three ladies are determined to reform the dog-napping highwayman. he jumps right into the fray and proves himself invaluable in getting down to the bottom of the mysterious "ill-fate" that has dogged the ladies' business venture.

Although Desdemona is herself a very independent and determined young lady, she cannot hold a candle to Lady Miranda. (A previous reviewer seems to have confused these two characters.) The unmarried Lady Miranda left her family twenty-odd years ago to set up her own household in the wilderness without even a companion to keep her company, a shocking state of affairs that alienated her from her aristocratic family. Determined to prove that she can succeed on her own, Lady Miranda will go to any lengths to avoid having to ask her family for help--even going after a dastardly highwayman with a price on his head!

As to how Desdemona got there, well, that's a bit unclear. What brother in his right mind would pack her off to the wilderness to live with a woman as eccentric as Miranda? Dessie, however, has a way of getting what she wants, so I had little trouble suspending judgment on THAT matter.

But, for heaven's sake, no more torturing readers with unsolved mysteries that we must wait weeks and months to understand! Because if it happens again, this is one reader who will think twice before plunking down more good money for stories by this author.

The sequel to this book is SHALL WE DANCE?

This was, quite possibly, the slowest and most boring book I have ever read. The most interesting character in the book was Elizabeth - and she didn't utter one word. The others were stiff and wooden and not one of them caught my fancy. No real storyline was ever developed - I kept reading because I could see several possibilities, but the author left everything hanging. My best advice in this one is - don't waste your time or money.