Customer Reviews

Talk of the Town

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

 

 

Spunky, intelligent Daphne has always harbored an intense curiosity about the "black ewe" of the family--her mother's sister, Aunt Effie. Her father consents to Daphne paying a visit to this scandalous relation, a notorious divorcee. Mind you, the visit is intended to keep Aunt Effie from visiting her sister's home. Daphne discovers that Aunt Effie is far from what society believes her to be, and their attempts to quietly amuse themselves inadvertently become the talk of the town. Enter one of the best heroes of all Regency novels, the imperious, arrogant Duke of St. Felix. Convinced that Daphne and Effie are devious upstarts bent upon bilking society of as much money as they can get, he threatens and attempts to intimidate Daphne to keep his exalted family name unblemished. Of course he has met his match in our heroine, who shocks and fascinates him. Daphne is in for a shock herself when she finds herself in trouble, and the Duke comes to the rescue.

I don't want to give away too many details; the plot that unfolds is deliciously funny as the Duke learns that there is a great deal more to upholding his family name than he ever realized. Like most of Ms. Smith's novels, Talk of the Town is a humorous tale balanced by an undercurrent of misfortune and heartbreak. If you're looking for an unrealistic Regency with an improbable heroine, a blatant disregard for historical detail, and stock characters, look elsewhere. This is no bodice ripper; the sexual tension in these tales comes from the witty dialogue between the principals. Depth and interest come from fully realized supporting characters and the wonderful intricacies of the plot. Lurking always in the background is that evil demon, Society. It's minions, some historical (the Almack's patronesses, Beau Brummell, the Prince Regent and his mistresses) and some fictional (the hilarious family members of the hero and heroine), are there to set up a high wire and exult in the downfall of those walking the societal tight-rope.

Joan Smith is the incomparable author of many a Regency novel for thinking women. This is one of the best of many wonderful efforts. Over 30 years ago, I found myself in a race with another fan to grab the last copy of one of her novels from the local bookstore. I won, and that book, along with most of her other Regencies is still sitting in my library, cracked, worn, and tattered. Oh, that some wise publisher would re-release her books in hardback!

Escape waits in my bookshelf. Escape from workplace drama and financial woes. Escape from temporary disappointments and heartbreaks. When times are rough, there's nothing like an old friend pulled from my bookshelf.
Joan Smith didn't survive the transition from Regency Romance to Sexy Regency Romance but since I didn't make the transition either that didn't bother me much other than the fact that there were no new books. Her older books stayed on my shelves. Joan Smith wrote funny, no-sex romance, her heroines were mostly smart-mouthed and sometimes a little know-it-all but they never failed to amuse me. My favorites, Talk of the Town and Country Flirt. (review by my sister, Shannon Hyle)

I like Joan Smith's books, even this one was well worth the read...but it's not her best. Some of the characters were not as well developed as usual. It's almost as if she were in a hurry with this story. Not as polished as most and I wasn't convinced of the "fit" in this story of Beau Brummel and the Prince Regent, but a fun romp none-the-less.

Basically the storyline is that Daphne comes to town to visit her aunt, who has a scandalous past, and to pass the time they decide to write her memoirs. When the ton finds out, they begin paying old debts to the aunt to prevent any of their personal stories making it to press. The Duke St. Felix is determined to stop these women from leaking his family's scandals, but finds that he is mistaken in both Daphne and her aunt.

I enjoyed reading this book, but I felt that the main romance storyline took a back seat to the secondary characters and anecdotes from the regency period of the time. It wasn't bad, I just wish that the interaction between the hero and heroine was developed a bit more. It felt to me that he just decides one day that he's in love with her without showing us really any reason why. But I think the portrayal of the regency time period is very accurate.