Customer Reviews

Smuggler's Lady

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

 

 

The title of this one is a bit deceiving as the heroine is really the smuggler instead of the hero. Even though it was written in 1986, the heroine is enough of a match for the hero that his tendency towards being overbearing is pretty much balanced out at the start. It's in the second half that the book falters.

Our heroine, Meredith Trelawney, has had to resort to smuggling in order to pay off the debts of her deceased, spendthrift husband and restore the family estate. But

she also relishes the challenge and excitement it brings her. Something that

Damien, Lord Rutherford notices when he spies an encounter between Merrie's

band of smugglers and the Crown revenuers. He's come to Cornwall to look

over an estate left to him by a distant relative and to try to relieve the boredom

into which his life has sunk since his involuntary retirement from soldiering in

the Peninsula.

When he meets Merrie in company, he first thinks she's a dowdy widow then

begins to see the game she plays with her neighbors to throw them off the

scent of what she really does. He's not stupid and quickly puts the pieces

together as he begins to fall in love with this unusual and delightful woman.

Merrie quickly starts to return his affections even if she resists the idea

of anything permanent between them. After all, he is the heir of a Duke

and her lineage can't begin to match his. Damien refuses to give up and

plots her downfall into matrimony. Sparks fly, wills collide, and the

action moves to London as Damien and Merrie battle each other on the

path to a HEA.

The first half of the story works better for me as the two are fairly well

matched and the strengths of one balance the weaknesses of the other.

I enjoyed watching them match wits and spar with each other while the

action kept things lively. Merrie has three younger brothers who add

to the story and give her even more reasons to risk smuggling. I liked

them quite as much as the leads. One false note was the portrayal

of the smugglers and smuggling as more Disney-like than the true

thuggishness of the trade.

Then the scene shifts to London where Damien

has the upper hand and Feather has to keep repeating Merrie's

increasingly lame reasons for refusing his suit. She won't fit into his

world, she won't be accepted by his family, he'll eventually fall out

of love with her....all are laid to rest by his clever plans and Merrie

only makes herself look stupid for turning him down. Plus her

attempts to convince Damien of her unsuitability end up making

her seem childish and petulant while his actions to counter them

make him seem highhanded and ignoring of her wishes. This drags

on for far too long before suddenly the story is wrapped up leaving

me still wondering if these two have really worked out their differences.

There is much I liked about Smuggler's Lady. If you ignore the weak

reasoning behind Merrie's resistance, their interactions, taken singly,

were clever as they countered and parried each other. It is just the

repetition of them that paled. If the action had stayed in Cornwall,

Merrie would have stayed as strong a character as she starts out

and the story would have retained it's initial drive and excitement.

The first half gets a strong B+ from me but the second half lowers

the final grade to a B-/C+.

This is one of my favorite books ever. I've read it countless times and still adore it. Who would have thought that a respectable young widow is actually a smuggler to make ends meet ? Merrie and Damian knew that they're destined for each other, but Merrie needed more convincing about marriage. The playful banter, adventures, and love scenes will definitely satisfy romance fans everywhere. Go grab this one and be impressed !!!

I have read almost every book she has written and this is one of my favorites. Merrie Trelawney reminded me of a milder female version of "The Scarlet Pimpernel" and I loved her. As the back cover said, he considered her an insipid church mouse and that is exactly what she wanted all to think, while she was busy as a smuggler. They are a great pair and the story will keep your interest all the way. I loved it and definitely recommend it for a great read.

I normally like Jane Feather's books. The "V" books were great. This book, however, seemed to go on and on and on. It seemed to me that Lady Meredith had very little reason to say no to Lord Rutherford's proposal. The reasons given were a little forced, if you ask me.

I agree with previous posts that the book could have been shorter.

OK, i am a fan of Jane Feather books, read alot of them and i also read other romance books. The Smugglers Lady had a good concept, but it was to long. I really liked the beginning, but after about the 300th page, i wish it had ended then. Not gone on for another 100+ pages. If you want to try it, borrow it from the libary, DO NOT buy it, it is not worth it at all...

This is my first Jane Feather book and I was very excited to read it based on the reviews and the back of the book. I am only at the 300 page mark and finding it hard to believe that I still have 150 pages left to read. I am forcing myself to finish it but I feel almost no desire to find out what happens. I was dissapointed when Lord Rutherford discovered who the smuggler was in the first quarter of the book. The book holds very little suspense and I might just skim to the end.

This was a tedious and torturous read. I have not read something this boring since Mrs. Smith's 6th grade introduction to Science booklet. I am not one who usually rates any book under a three star rating, but I felt compelled to warn my fellow readers of this one. I found myself wanting to walk away from the book several times, but I pride myself in never doing that. Now, I truly wish that I had stopped after the first chapter.

It was an interesting story - way too long, but my problem with the book is that Mrs. Feather used too many words that are not used in today's language. I don't mean in the dialogue, I mean in descriptions.

A unique take on the usual British romance novel. Merrie has resorted to leading a small band of Cornish smugglers to earn the money needed to redeem her home in Cornwall after her now deceased husband left her a legacy of gambling debts. Damian, Lord Rutherford, takes up residence in the godforsaken and unkempt country home of his deceased cousin Lord Mallory. Things at that estate are in a serious state of squalor. What ensues is the romance between an unsuited pair.

I found the story interesting on many levels. It was quite evident to me that Ms. Feather has done her research on the varying aspects of Cornish smuggling and London society. However, I was a bit put off by the use of 'period vocabulary'; while necessary to a certain point, too much of it can be a bit confusing for the average reader.

Overall, the story moved along at a steady pace. The characters were quite complex. And I found myself trying to figure out what conflict could come next before the two decided to yield to their common interest: love.

Readers of this genre will not be disappointed.

The heroine was frustrating -- she loves the hero, he loves her, he wants to marry her, and she looks for reasons to turn him down. Then, she does some really moronic things to try to convince the hero that she's not worthy of him. She really is an immature brat a lot of the time.

This book is 460 pages long -- there are a lot of unnecessary scenes and details throughout the book, but amazingly enough, there are a lot of loose ends, too. And then there are "jumps" in logic that are unexplained and make no sense.

One thing I will say is that this book was originally published in 1986, and it was one of the author's earlier books.

I also think that the title could have been better.

It was entertaining for a weekend read, but definitely not one that I feel comfortable recommending.