Not Quite a Lady (Carsington Quartet 4) [Paperback]

Loretta Chase (Author)

Book Description

Series: Carsington Quartet 4 | Publication Date: June 7, 2007

Darius Carrington is a spectacularly handsome rake with a rare intelligence and no heart. A man of science, he divides his time between bedding loose-moralled women and writing scholarly papers about livestock breeding. He finds the eligible ladies of the ton thoroughly dull. That is until he meets Lady Charlotte Hayward...Lady Charlotte is so beautiful, charming, and gracious that no one has noticed what an expert she is at Not Getting Married. Early on, she learned a hard and painful lesson about trust...and temptation. In the years since, she's built impentrable defences that no man has overcome. She's devoted to life to being everything she ought to be- and she's not about to let a man like Carsington entice her to anything she shouldn't. But the rules of attraction can easily overpower the rules of manners and morals, and sometimes even the best behaved girl has to follow her instincts, even if it does mean risking everything.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In her latest Regency romance, Chase deftly weaves a tale of passion, sacrifice and growth with humor and charm to spare. Handsome, charming and an intellectual of the first order, Darius Carsington, fifth son of the earl of Hargate, spends his life in two pursuits: "(1) studying animal behavior, especially breeding and mating behavior, and (2) devoting his leisure hours to emulating this behavior"—with women. But his demanding father finds Darius's interests worthless and gives him a choice: either marry or go to work renovating his father's recently acquired countryside estate. Darius chooses the latter, making him neighbors with Lady Charlotte Hayward, a beautiful woman who's vowed never to marry, and the young pair's clumsy, comical first meeting does nothing to diminish the immediate chemistry between them. Behind her vow, though, Charlotte hides a shameful 10-year-old secret that she's loathe to reveal—and which a marriage would surely uncover—but nonetheless finds herself falling hard for Darius. Meanwhile, Darius is struggling to maintain his longstanding belief that there's no such thing as love. Amid all the reluctance, trysts and unexpected devotion, a hidden rival steps up to capture Charlotte and threaten to expose her. Chase knows what her fans want—strong characters, a swift pace and plenty of heated encounters—and once again she delivers, with considerable wit. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

From Booklist

After a rake ruined her life, Charlotte has perfected the art of dismissing unwanted suitors. So when Charlotte stumbles into her new neighbor, the annoyingly handsome Darius, she immediately begins thinking of ways to keep him away. As a scientist Darius relies on reason and logic, and up until now, love has had no place in his orderly world. But when he meets the bewildering, beguiling, and utterly bedazzling Charlotte, he discovers that love has rules of its own. Chase expertly pairs up another of her smart, stubborn heroines with an irresistibly sexy hero, and deftly combines deliciously clever dialogue and superbly nuanced secondary characters to create another wickedly witty, lusciously romantic, and sublimely sensual tale. Charles, John
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Portrait (June 7, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0749937955
• ISBN-13: 978-0749937959
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 7.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,361,232 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Loretta Chase holds a B.A. from Clark University, where she majored in English and minored unofficially in visual art. Her past lives include clerical, administrative, and part-time teaching at Clark and a Dickensian six-month experience as a meter maid. In the course of moonlighting as a corporate video scriptwriter, she fell under the spell of a producer who lured her into writing novels... and marrying him. The union has resulted in more than a dozen books and a number of awards, including the Romance Writers of America's RITA® Award.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Loretta Chase's only real competition is herself, August 27, 2007

By 

mlle. x (California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Not Quite A Lady (Mass Market Paperback)

Loretta Chase never disappoints. This isn't my favorite book by her, but it is worthy of her - it steers clear of the worst romance cliches, because it doesn't need them in order to build tension or generate heat. The writing is smooth and rich, characters are complex, there's a dose of fierce passion and of humor, too. A relationship between equals, a strong female lead, a good supporting cast.

That being said, it's not Loretta Chase's most powerful book - it doesn't have the sturm und drang of Lord of Scoundrels, or the hijinx and unexpected pathos of Mr. Impossible. It's a romance, not an adventure or a mystery - it takes place almost entirely over a period of a few weeks spent calmly in the country, and the two leads are mature, self-aware people who behave as such. There are complications, lives are changed, but even these earth-shattering events are rather domestic.

But one thing I like about Loretta Chase is that she tries new things. Among books of this kind, the ones that revolve around house parties and match making and the profitiability of country estates, with occasional references to pig breeding and wall hangings, this one is head and shoulders above the rest.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ms. Chase is sublime...a joy from beginning to end, May 15, 2007

By 

statengirl (Massachusetts, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Not Quite A Lady (Mass Market Paperback)

A most deserving heroine haunted by a painful secret from her past is given a second chance at happiness in this outstanding romance by Loretta Chase. Forced at barely seventeen to give up her illegitimate baby - fathered by a scoundrel who deserted her and then died - Lady Charlotte Hayward in reality gave up her self. She has never recovered from the shame and the loss, which have haunted her these past ten years. Although beautiful and highly prized, she has never married. She knows she is not a virgin, and is unwilling to deal with the attendant lies and deceptions. She is wary of men and lives a scrupulously proper and chaste life. Long buried is the passionate and playful girl of her youth.

Charlotte's father (who never knew of the child) feels it is long past time his beloved daughter marries. He arranges a house party filled with eligible bachelors for one month hence, and asks that Charlotte select a husband from among the group. Totally panicked, Charlotte runs to collect her thoughts and bumps into her new neighbor, Darius Carrington. Darius, a resolute bachelor and expert on animal husbandry (!), is trying to restore his newly acquired, but long abandoned, property. Charlotte is exceptionally rude to him, pegging him just another profligate playboy, and he in turn mercilessly teases and torments her for her frills and propriety. But they are acutely aware of each other as well. For the first time in forever Charlotte feels alive - and hungers for a man's touch. And for the first time EVER, Darius yearns for the comfort of a marriageable miss. But with marriage NOT on the menu (or so they both think), what is this couple in lust to do?

I don't usually gush, but I LOVE THIS BOOK! It's the kind I can read over and over as the years pass and never tire of it. Perfectly put together from beginning to end, it is a superb blend of sentimental and sassy, sexy and sweet - and it is so infinitely satisfying. Loretta Chase is such a unique voice in historical romance. Her sly humor is her stock-in-trade and it is sublime, but she also hits all the right emotional notes: Charlotte's grief and longing for the son she held for only moments is palpable; her joy infectious; her newfound ardor so touchingly sweet. And Darius is a romantic hero to be cherished. Laugh-out-loud funny and wise one moment, he is achingly gentle the next. I literally choked up at one point - as did Charlotte - at his tender assurances. It is a rare author who moves so seamlessly between laughter and tears, joy and despair, all while creating a loving romance. But Ms. Chase has done it. This book is a treasure.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful read avoiding romance novel cliches, June 14, 2007

By 

Bronwyn - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Not Quite A Lady (Mass Market Paperback)

I feel compelled to share how delighted I was with Ms. Chase's novel. There was no 'misunderstanding' interlude where the protagonists believe the worst of each other ; there was no hero lashing out at his lady (or vice versa) because s/he was afraid to love and then some unfortunate circumstance had to bring them back together.

The book wonderfully shows their relationship unfolding, and the 'impediment' as it were - the Colonel- was nicely sidestepped, but there was enough building up to where I was worried what would happen.

An enjoyable and refreshing read!