Customer Reviews

Shady Lady (Princess)

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

 

 

Setting - England, 1817 --- Jo Chesney, editor of the Avon Journal has enough on her mind trying to put her latest issue `to bed' but when an infuriated Waldo Bowman, war hero and purported rake starts in attacking her and her paper for discussing him in the paper's gossip column - she fights back. Naturally, he was stunned to discover that the editor, J.S. Chesney is a woman. A widow no less who has kept the paper going as a tribute to her late husband, and in spite of her shrewish tongue, he secretly admires the termagant and is determined to discover the identity of the gossip columist, Lady Tellall.

Lady Tellall, is actually Jo's best friend, Lady Chloe Webberly, who unbeknownst to Jo has run into trouble. Two weeks have elapsed before a mysterious message from Chloe arrives telling Jo to be careful, that they could both be in mortal danger and to look for Chloe's diary for answers. With no further word from Chloe, Jo receives a letter from another acquaintance who has noticed the disappearance and is worried. After a mysterious break-in occurs at the newspaper (which Jo attributes to Waldo trying to ferret out the identity of Lady Tellall) Jo and her aunt travel to London to discover what they can from the people who last saw Chloe.

Along the way, Jo and her aunt, get caught up in another adventure culminating in Jo's arrest for kidnapping, assault and resisting arrest. With nowhere else to turn she engages the assistance of Waldo whom she knows has connections to the Special Branch. Now, Waldo has the task of not only keeping her out of trouble but of guarding her from her own follies. When she turns around and uses her paper to set a trap for the killer Waldo realizes that she is unlike any woman he has ever known and he cannot lose her before he can convince her that they belong together.

This is a wonderful regency romantic intrigue in which the mysteries, twists and turns will keep you turning the pages well into the night. Subtle hints throughout will give you your own ideas of what prompts the villain, but I am also sure that the ending will be as much of a surprise to you as it was to me. Thornton has always done character development extremely well and this is no exception with interesting and varied secondary characters enhancing the story. As expected, this book will grab the reader right from the start and keep you in suspense right to the very end in this, Thornton's latest extremely entertaining romantic intrigue. --- Marilyn Rondeau, Official Reviewer for www.historicromancewriters.com

I've read almost everything by this author and liked them all. So, I was surprised that I lost patience with the heroine. Her animosity towards Waldo wasn't believable or sympathetically written. This did improve in the latter half of the story but it's a shame that you have to wait that long.

Terribly disappointed in one of my top 5 authors (Thornton, Hunter, Balogh, Kleypas, Feather)! This is NOT on par, or close to it, with the "Bride's Bodyguard", "The Pefect Princess", et al!
The hero was a totally MINOR character in a previous book. The heroine did not engender any interest from me in any way. Will Elizabeth Thornton recover from her attack of megrims? I hope so!

I happen to *love* most of Elizabeth Thornton's Regencies, but I have to admit that I found "Shady Lady" a little bit lacking in.....something....mostly in the romance department, I suppose.
Jo Chesney is a respectable widow, devoted to the memory of her husband and to running the regional newspaper that he once owned. She meets Waldo Bowman, a popular war hero and rake about town, when he comes into her office to complain about about an article published about him in the newpaper's gossip column (written by Lady Tellall, who is actually Jo's friend, Lady Chloe Webberly.) Jo and Waldo feel an instant attraction that they both try to deny--Jo because Waldo is a known rake and she hates rakes because her father was one (yeah, I know, you've heard that one before), and Waldo because he *likes* being a rake and wisely perceives Jo as a threat to his bachelorhood.
The hero and heroine are thrown together as they investigate the mystery of Chloe's disappearance and attempt to help an abused orphan from Jo's town. Although both the heroine and hero are interesting and attractive, their characters seem a little bit underdeveloped to me (particularly Waldo) and I think that this adversely affects the romance in the story. The plot was interesting and the mystery was reasonally good. I liked the development of Jo's deceased husband, was a little bit baffled as to why Jo and Waldo were fighting over the orphan, Eric (lucky kid, most penniless orphans don't have people who are essentially strangers fighting to take care of them) and found the villain suitably villainous (although for someone trying to uphold the family honor at all costs, his behavior was misguided at the very least.)
All that said, "Shady Lady" is still a very well-written, enjoyable romantic suspense novel. It is just not as good as most of Elizabeth Thornton's other books.

This was my first Thornton and it was great. I love mysteries and this was a very good one. I could not put the book down and was not tempted to miss a page. The romance was a great bonus, the chemistry between the main characters was great!

I am definitely a fan!

Jo searches for her best friend who has disappeared. Meanwhile waldo searches for a way to get Jo to marry him. A romantic adventure that emphises the search for chloe. Bed room scenes are kept as tactful as possible while being powerful. A theme of womens place in society is in place. Also a touch of how family secrets can end up destroying a family. A very good read.

This novel was all over the place and in sorely need of editing. Some nice interepersonal twists but jeez, having to wade through so many irrelevant scenes and story lines...I skipped much of it. This was my first experience with this author and, frankly, I'm surprised about the raves from Linda Howard and Mary Balogh, two ladies that really know how to keep a story moving. This book needs major surgery - there is a story here, but getting to it is *work*.

I KNOW Elizabeth Thornton is capable if more than this. This was very...not written well.

First of all, I liked the characters, they were fine, in fact I loved Jo. She deserved a great love story. Unfortunately, it took forever. The romance went sooooooooooooo slow. After one kiss, they didn't do anything at all, until the last third of the book. Nothing. No touching, no kissing, no little sensual gaze from across the room where the author takes a few pages to write what the other one is thinking about the other, making the moment so intense, none of that. The mystery could have been good, except this was supposed to be a romance novel, so whether or not it was good should never make up for a disassociated romance.

Toward the end, when she has that realization about John, she FINALLY goes to Waldo and initiates intimacy. Unfortunately, Waldo stupidly says no, thinking she's just using him. Where did that come from? Why in the world would he think that?

When I found myself skipping pages by the second quarter of the book, I knew I was not going to be pleased with the story. I thought Jo deserved a lot better, she was such an interesting and passionate character, and this story was just...slow and flat. It was hardly a romance story. There's no tension to make their first deeply intimate scene seem explosive. At that point, I thought, Oh, they're gonna do it NOW? They've barely touched each other or kissed.

Thornton can do better than this.

Jo Chesney, the publisher of the Avon Journal is worried: her good friend, Lady Chloe Webberly, who also happens to pen the journal's society column as Lady Tellall, is missing. If that's not enough, Waldo Bowman, a gentleman who's sexual and romantic exploits is being broadcasted by Lady Tellall via the journal for all to read, visits the Journal to demand 1) the identity of Lady Tellall, and 2) that Jo stops publishing his affairs. Incensed at the man's effrontery and at his attempts to intimidate her, Jo sends Waldo off with a flea in his ear. And when, later that night, Jo discovers that her office at the Journal has been broken into, she cannot help but wonder if Waldo was involved. Did Waldo break into her office in order to discover who Lady Tellall is? For while Jo is doing her best to ignore the powerful feelings and sensations that Waldo arouses in her, the one thing she cannot ignore is the feeling disappointment that Waldo would have stooped so low...

Waldo Bowman, a war hero and man about town, never expected the publisher of the Avon Journal to be a woman, and an extremely attractive one at that. And he never expected said woman to be one of the few who would actually look her nose down at him either. But Waldo firmly intends to discover who Lady Tellall is, and to stop her from publishing further anecdotes about his doings. Waldo's plan is to sweet-talk his way into Jo's good graces. Instead he finds himself becoming deeply involved in Jo's affairs and in her attempts to find her missing friend. And in the process finds himself falling quite desperately in love with Jo. But Jo seems to be still clinging to her dead husband's memory -- and she also seems to have a truly bad opinion of him. Can Waldo impress on Jo that he's not the useless fribble she seems to think he is? And can he persuade her to let go of her husband's memory and to love him instead?

While there are really few surprises in "Shady Lady" -- the authour uses all the stock devices of the genre -- the novel still ends up being an above average read because of the authour's wonderful portrayal of the heroine and because of the compelling manner in which she charts the growing attraction that Jo and Waldo feel for each other. These two factors alone make "Shady Lady" a 4 star read. (Jo is clever, determined and courageous -- definitely not one of those too silly for words strong minded feisty heroines who's survival you really being to wonder about!) So, that even though for a novel with a small mystery subplot (where is Chloe and why is she being hunted?) the identity of the villain is revealed somewhere in the first few chapters, I still found myself happily engrossed with this novel. All in all, a good read.

In 1817, irate Waldo Bowman visits the printing office of the Avon Journal to confront J.S. Chesney for the comments on his being a rake by her columnist the unknown Lady Tellall. Waldo is stunned that J.S. is a widow Jo, who keeps the paper going as a tribute to her late husband.

Lady Tellall who is actually Chloe Webberly sends a letter to Jo warning her to be careful. Not long afterward, Chloe comes up missing. Jo seeks her best friend's diary hoping there may be clues to her disappearance. At the same time, her aunt involves her in a "criminal" incident with a young lad at a boarding school. Jo heads to London with Waldo following her because he believes she is in over her head and insanely feels he needs to protect her. After bailing her out of jail, Waldo shadows Jo and soon becomes deeply involved in the search for Chloe, but also needs to keep his now beloved Jo safe as someone believes she has the infamous diary.

SHADY LADY is an exhilarating Regency romantic suspense that takes off from the moment J.S. tells Waldo to leave until the final moment when he knows he must face danger to try to keep his beloved widow safe. The lead couple is a delightful duo and his friends provide insight into both stars. Fans also get a sense of Chloe through the words of others. Though the villain's motive to protect his family name from scandal at any cost seems off kilter (why cause the problem in the first place), fans will gain plenty of pleasure from this fine historical.

Harriet Klausner