Customer Reviews

Perdita

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Told in Moira's dry first person, this is hands down one of Smith's top 5 Regency romances! Stornaway and Moira make excellent adversaries. I won't spoil the (side-splitting) denouement for you, but the book is worth buying for that alone.

I absolutely LOVE the premise behind this story and the way it is told, in first person, by the chaperon, instead of the young beauty. The heroine is, in fact, the lady behind the scenes who watch as her young, incorrigible charge decides to be as unladylike as she can be! It is refreshing for a romantic heroine to not be the beauty admired by all and sundry, but rather a more subtle one playing second fiddle to a beautiful, interesting, lively and in the end, well-intentioned young lady, not at all the stereotypical cotton-brained cardboard supporting character. A hilarious case of mistaken identities and plot twists brings this amusing, unexpected heroine toe to toe with her hero. Be prepared to be swept away by a touching ending, I quite swooned and such is the power of Joan Smith's pen that she is able to do this via language rather than explicit acts. Don't miss it, my absolute most favorite of her books (and that is saying a lot!)!

One of my favorite regency books, and definitely a favorite heroine. Moira's dry sense of humor enlivens her tale of adventures in fleeing the unwanted interest of Lord Stornaway in her flighty charge Perdita. Stornaway gives as good as he gets in their sparkling interchanges. The side characters in the traveling show hold their own for entertainment. One of Joan Smith's best.

I'm not a fan of first person narrative but after reading the Kindle sample I was hooked and had to read it right there and then. I wasn't disappointed at all. It's an absolutely delicious and ludicrous tale as one could wish for. Perdita really is the horridest charge ever but successfully and enchantingly moves the story forward plunging Molly repeatedly into scrapes. This is an unbelievable tale made believable by the fantastic writing. And somehow, some things like Perdita's courage in a definitive moment and Stornaway's manly weakness are oddly true to life. I loved it and I think you will too. To give away any part of the story would be to rob you of a wonderful reading experience.

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I did not like the early chapters of this book.

The heroine, a governess named Miss Greenwood, seemed to be best categorized as a victim, and the rake was a disgustingly smug fellow who had no qualms about trying to purchase an underage girl to make her his mistress.

Miss Greenwood refused to remain a victim, however. She leaped off the pages of the book and took charge of her unusual situation. As the only child of a military officer, she had learned to be adaptable, resourceful and independent. She can cook for a large, motley group using little money, an iron pot and an open fire. She does not hesitate to smack large men on the head with her reticule when they need it. And she is not above pilfering cigars if she feels overcharged by shopkeepers. Her acerbic wit, determination in the face of adversity and ability to keep an extremely obnoxious teenage girl from social self-destruction are great fun to watch.

This isn't a book I will keep and read again, but it provided a brief, amusing break from daily life.

When Moira Greenwood's charge, Perdita, decides she'll do anything to not marry her father's choice, Miss Greenwood soon finds themselves members of an acting troupe and dressed up like a, ahem, certain class of women. Lord Stornaway, seeing the great beauty of Perdita, becomes obsessed with making her his mistress and chases the women across England to claim her, only to eventually realize it's Moira Greenwood he really wants - but as his mistress or his wife?

Joan Smith writes a comic story of misunderstandings that constantly sees the characters in outrageous scenarios that mostly work. I didn't quite like this story as much as everyone else did, mostly because I was annoyed by Perdita. Smith tries to make her lovable but still strong-willed - I don't think it worked. She just seemed selfish to me, and I had a hard time believing that Miss Greenwood would continue to follow her instead of saying enough and getting the heck out of dodge.

However, the writing was certainly witty, and there is definitely one scene in the book that had me laughing my head off and gasping for air. Moira Greenwood was an enjoyable heroine, one I gladly rooted for throughout. Lord Stornaway was a convincing rake, and although I found it hard to believe in the beginning that I would buy his reformation, I actually did. I wouldn't consider it one of Smith's best books, but it's certainly better than most of the Regency novels written today.

I don't know how I missed the reading of this years ago but better late than never. It may very well be one of my favorite Regency romances now. Rake mistakes 2 ladies of quality (one a teen and the other her 25-year-old companion) for lightskirts and the result is the funniest, most entertaining Regency I've read in years. It has one of the most perfectly written LOL scenes ever. And it manages to be romantic at the same time. Lovely.

There were lots of laugh out loud moments in this book. It held my attention from the first page until the last. Although the leading man seems reprehensible and impossible to like through much of the book, I was pleasently surprised at the affection I held for his character at the end. "Perdita" is a witty and immensely enjoyable read!

This is possibly the funniest Regency I've ever read. Halfway through I hated the hero and wondered how Joan Smith could possibly redeem him. Oh, but she did. The entire last half is so marvelous I had to read the book again immediately.