Customer Reviews

Notorious Nabob (Signet Regency Romance)

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The previous reviewer has already described the plot so I won't repeat it here. My opinion of this book is that the scenario was descent, but the two main characters were unbelievable and unlikable-- (1)I did not like Damien St. Clair's frequent and stormy temper, eventhough he had reasons for his behavior, but it just made me felt tense from kept reading it; (2)His good fortune in India as a young man was too good to believe, and (3)his bi-racial daughter expected to be accepted in the 19th century English ton was also a wishful thinking. As to Lady Olivia Eagan, although she was portrayed as a honest and out-spoken person, I found she was too direct and sometimes almost non-sensible, which even she often regretted in the book. Another complaint I had was their romance, I felt Ms. Walsh treated it like a mystery plot, and I fail to see the significance of Arabella's role in the book, I guess she was just a convenient character to appear and disappear as writer pleases.

Sorry about all the grumbles, perhaps I was just too practical about these, and perhaps I should lighten up and be more romantic about the whole thing :)

This book is one of just a few Regencies I have liked well enough to keep around and re-read on a regular basis. The writing style is elegant with enough three-dimensional characters to hold the reader's attention. There are, of course, quite a few stock characters (as there are in real life!) but that only adds to the pleasure of the more fully-developed ones. Plot overview is as follows:

Lady Olivia Egan, daughter of the late eighth Duke of Meriton, is finally having her first Season and is looking for an extremely rich husband to save her family from financial ruin. Her choices are, of course, slim and depressing except for.... a man her father had tried to ruin oh-so-many years ago. He is back in town, filthy rich, and harboring a few secrets of his own. They meet, fall in love, and have a few adventures on the path to true love.

Some of the dialogue seemed overly obvious and more at home on the stage than in a book which was supposed to sound more natural but beyond that, it was a delightful book. Pay attention especially to the descriptions as that is where the authoress, Sheila Walsh, really shines. If you are looking for a sweet story which will leave a smile on your face, give this book a try.