Customer Reviews

The Purloined Papers (Signet Regency Romance)

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

 

 

Chloe Field's father gambled away his fortune and planned to marry her off to pay the debts. Instead, Chloe left and found employment with her childhood friend, William Seabrook. William hired her to be a companion to his hateful sister, Laura. Chloe needed to save enough money to allow her to purchase a modest cottage for herself, so she stuck it out no matter what Laura did.

When news of her father's death arrived, Chloe could not help but feel guilty, especially since foul play was suspected. If she had let her father marry her off (basically SELL her) he might still be alive. She had hoped to someday reconcile with him. Laura continued to be someone I, as the Reader, loved to hate. Enter the hero of the story!

Captain Andrew Seabrook had known Chloe since childhood. Eleven years before, he had almost seduced her! This was something he had never forgiven himself for. He had been sent home to recover from a leg wound received at Waterloo. Quietly, he was also to investigate the murder of Chloe's father. He did not know Chloe had been in love with him all these years, but felt the passion from eleven years ago return in full force!

***** Delightful! I feel this to be the best work of the author, Allison Lane, thus far! The author seems to get better with each novel that is published! I highly recommend this one! A KEEPER! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch.

"The Purloined Papers" is another installation in the Seabrook saga, and this time the focal point of the novel is that of the complicated relationship between Chloe Fields and Captain Andrew Seabrook. Laura Seabrook's (also seen in "The Notorious Widow" & "The Rake and the Wallflower") crazed machinations to stop her brother's marriage to Martha Truitt (the daughter of a prosperous merchant), and the mysterious death of Chloe's estranged father also features into this interesting and compelling novel.

When Chloe Field's father (Sir Nigel Fields) lost his fortune at the gambling table, rather than allow him to marry her off so that he could pay off his debts, Chloe left home in order to find employment. Luckily for her, her childhood friend, William Seabrook, was in desperate need of someone competent to be a companion to his somewhat crazed and unlikeable sister, Laura. And while life with Laura has been no picnic, Chloe has managed to save quite a bit of money (mostly bribes from Laura's brothers-in-law so that she will not leave her post), so that her dream of being able to live peacefully in a small cottage one day has almost become a reality. And then two things happen that changes the course her life seems to be set on: her father dies suddenly and under suspicious circumstances; and Captain Andrew Seabrook, her childhood friend with whom she has been in love with for years, but with whom she parted badly, returns to Exeter. Now, Chloe must somehow not only cope with Laura's obnoxious shenanigans and the loss of a father with whom she never reconciled with, but also maintain a cool facade so that Andrew never learns that she is still in love with him...

Andrew has returned home in order to recover from a leg wound he sustained at Waterloo. A career soldier, he is weary of war and would dearly love to sell out, except that he isn't equipped to be anything else but a soldier. And if that's not depressing enough, watching Chole working as his nasty sister's companion is definitely enough to bring on a case of the megrims! And then there is also the guilt he feels for having almost seduced Chloe 11 years ago, and the horrid manner in which they parted. Now, however seeing Chloe everyday (esp since he is investigating her father's death), Andrew comes to the realisation that he has never stopped loving Chloe. But can he get Chloe to forgive him for past misdeeds, and to open her heart to him again?

"The Purloined Papers" was a truly engrossing read -- such a lot happens in this 200 odd page romance novel. And eventhough the romance subplot was a little marginalised in favour of exploring the relationships that other characters had with each other in this novel (not to mention the murder subplot), I didn't feel this to be a flaw at all. Andrew and Chloe have quite a lot to work out, and I liked that Allison Lane allowed for their relationship to develop slowly, giving them time to become close friends again, before broaching the romance that fairly simmers between them. Chloe and Andrew complement each other very well, and one cannot but help admiring Chloe for making a stab at independence, no matter how unpalatable the course. I'm not sure if there will be any more Seabrook novels, Ms Lane has managed to tie up everything neatly and satisfactorily (esp where nasty Laura is concerned). "The Purloined Papers" falls more into the 'dark' Regency category than the light hearted drawing room one, but it is an engrossing and compelling nonetheless. A truly enjoyable read!

The romance took a back seat in this story and it did not work for me. The author relied to much on the h/h already having a history together when they were younger that she didnt explore further into their relationship after 11 years of being apart. People change in that time and even if the love is still there, it might change once you realize that the person you once loved has also changed. I felt they didnt really knew the people they have become, instead they just held on to that childhood love and there was no tension for me between them. The author spent way to much time on the other characters and the mystery. This is a romance novel and i want to see the romance be the central story and the mystery or secondary characters a nice subtle touch but that was not the case here. The h/h hardly spent any time together (the story time frame is only a week and i'd say out of 200 pages only 10% concentrated on alone time with the h/h) and it got really annoying that I did start to skim towards the end just to finally get to the conclusion. Overall just an ok read for me and not a story i can recommend. Sorry to say, I wont be picking up the other books in the series, just not interested.

I'll just say that if you enjoyed the first two books of the Seabrook Trilogy, you will love this book. This book is a combination of the first two. The intrigue of "The Notorious Widow" with the romance of "The Rake and the Wallflower".