Customer Reviews

Smuggler's Summer

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

 

 

I thought this book was quite enjoyable. Julia and Octavia are cousins, Julia being tall, rich, slender and beautiful while Octavia is plump, poor, and somewhat homely. But the two cousins have huge hearts and they are wonderful. Julia is ready to accept the marriage proposal of a wealthy and suitable caring, young man until she falls in love with Octavia's best friend, a poor young man with not much to offer but his love. Well, when Julia's parents find out how she feels, they forbid her to see him and send her off to stay at a house far away and they send Octavia with her. From there, the light romance starts as they run into smugglers and have an adventure of their own. All the while, Julia is striving to push away the feelings she has for her beloved but she is just too true to her heart. Octavia comes out of her shell and starts to be the charming young woman she has kept hidden. But soon, things will start to fall into place. I recommend this book as a great vacation read. It is quite unlike any book I think I have ever read and I loved every minute of it.

The romance aspect of this book is a bit slim, because most of the story involves intrigue about smugglers, and it isn't until the last few pages that the hero and heroine figure out they love each other. There are two other secondary romances--one between the heroine's cousin Julia and a political activist, and one between the housekeeper and a smuggler. By the way, in this book, the smugglers are neither bad, nor dangerous, and the main characters are actually cheering for the, which made for an interesting perspective. What made the book most enjoyable was the gradual revealing of the characters' personalities, the fun dialogue, and the playing out of the plot. I laughed out loud when the heroine, Octavia, accidentally becomes "foxed" by drinking spiked cider. There was humor and mystery in this novel, combined in an effective way. It isn't so much a "romance" novel as it is a novel with a bit of romance. A great light read to entertain for several hours. It is long enough to allow for good development of character and plot, but not weighty at all. Highly recommended! I wish the author would write more like this one.

Despite having very little romance this is a very enjoyable read for any fan of the Regency Romance genre. The author's style of writing reminds me of Georgette Heyer - the characters act and talk within the confines of the Regency period as created by the aforementioned authoress. It's not simply a bunch of 21st century characters placed in Regency England. The book is a pleasure to read. My apologies for not providing plot details other reviewer's have done a far better job than I could.

"Exile!" Julia was despondent. Her disapproving father was seding her to the family castle on the Cornish coast, far from the man she loved.

"Adventure!" her cousin Octavia rejoiced, when Julia invited her for a visit. Here she would enjoy picnics and boat rides and perhaps daring escapades, far from the cares and responsibilities of her father's household. But Octavia discovers that adventures can be dangerous as well as thrilling when she helps Julia smuggle her suitor into the castle. For what's a girl to do when she finds a den of real smugglers? And how can she heal her heart when the dashing gentleman she chooses to protect her chooses to court someone else?