Customer Reviews

A Thing of Beauty

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

 

 

Casey Claybourne's October release from Berkley is entitled A Thing of Beauty. If you are, as I definitely am, a fan of Casey's humorous Regency-era historical romances, don't miss this one. A Thing of Beauty is a joy forever.

Belinda Croft is approaching spinsterhood without a care in the world, other than how to satisfy her aunt's desire that she participate in her cousin Sissy's debut season when Belinda would just prefer to stay home and work in her laboratory, mixing home remedies for anything that ails those around her. She has never enjoyed going out in society and, fortunately for her, her widowed recluse of a father has never required her to do so.

However, Belinda does not want to offend her aunt or hurt Sissy's feelings, so out into society she goes. And not only does she accompany Sissy, but provides her with a miracle beauty cream that all of the matrons of the ton begin to clamor for.

Marcus Barrow should be an earl, if only his father had not angered King George by choosing to marry a servant girl rather than the woman chosen for him by the King. That choice caused the King to strip Marcus's father of the title and property that had been in his family for generations. Marcus has always made it his personal campaign to win back the earldom. So, when he accepted a secret wager from Prince Regent that forces him to spend time with the bluestocking Belinda Croft, Marcus had no idea he would be so thoroughly bewitched by the brainy miss.

The ensuing romance and comedy of this story are both enjoyable and charming. As in all of Casey's books, the dialogue is engaging and witty. I love an independent and intelligent heroine, especially set in the Regency era, and Belinda certainly delivers. Marcus makes for a delicious hero with enough wit, respect for his heroine, and a touch of the deep dark secret to make things exciting between them.

As always, Casey Claybourne delivers an entertaining and satisfying story for all lovers of romance, especially those of us intrigued with Regency-era England. Don't miss A Thing of Beauty.

It's not that I think romances should be realistic. They shouldn't. However, when a book becomes so unbelievable that it becomes bothersome, well, it's really not a good book. I have to say that the romance was well-written, but the plot was not. Technically, the plot isn't the most important part in a romance book, the romance takes precedence, but at least the author could attempt to make the said plot somewhat believable and orignal.

The plot goes as follows: Bookish scientist heroine wears ugly clothes and tries to blend in, because she despises society functions and prefers to study her medicines. (So far, so good. Typical, but not bad.) When her frilly sister can't go to her coming out ball because of a pimple, Heroine presents frilly sister with a jar of boot polish claiming it to be a cream to make zits go away, frilly sister thinks it actually works and of course introduces it to the ton, which makes her sister the cat's PJs because all the fine ladies would like some boot polish, too.

Enter tortured Hero, who must prove that the magic pimple-fixing cream is really false in order to win back his earldom. Heroine wears uglier clothes to make Hero go away. Hero wooes, romances, and smooches with Heroine until the inevitable conclusion of our story.

Personally, I think it's the silliest thing I've ever read. It's a nice romance, but why can't the author come up with something better than a pimple-fixing cream for a plot? Even the stereotypical hairbrained Ladies and Lords of Regency England aren't that stupid. And no girl without a title or fortune is going to be suddenly accepted into society because of a cream. It's a terrible plot device, and it really doesn't work. On top of that, the characters were a bit hollow and cliche and I found that I really couldn't sympathize with their plights.

I'm afraid that I don't agree with the rest of the people that found this book very enjoyable, and I wouldn't recommend it, espeically if you're bothered by plots like that.

During the Regency, Phoebe Pennington asks her bookish niece Belinda Croft to help with the coming out of her daughter Sissy. Reluctantly, Belinda agrees although she finds the London season boring. She would rather use the time in her lab. Belinda becomes very helpful when mother and daughter panic because Sissy has a microscopic spot on her chin. Belinda provides her cousin with a beauty miracle cream, which is actually boot polish.

Marcus Barrow wants Prinny to return the family title lost when his father married someone unacceptable to the monarch. Prinny constantly asks Marcus for his opinion on fashion because the Ton recognizes the nobleman as the final arbiter. However, Prinny puts Marcus on the spot when he challenges him to investigate the miracle cream that is now the talk of the aristocracy. The stake is the earldom. When Marcus meets Belinda, they fall in love, but he refuses to repeat the "mistakes" his father made when he married his royally unacceptable mother.

A THING OF BEAUTY is an amusing Regency romance starring two likable individuals. The story line moves quickly as Belinda's cream becomes the rage. Belinda is an intelligent, witty character while Marcus struggles between his love for her and regaining his family title. Though stereotyped as inane, the support cast provides much of the silliness that lightens the plot. Casey Claybourne has written a facetious tale that will charm sub-genre fans with its fresh outlook on early nineteenth century aristocratic life.

Harriet Klausner

This is a fun, witty, romp. Ms. Claybourne kept me intrigued with the repartee between Belinda and Marcus. I always enjoy stories where the heroine is not the typical "beauty" but is really beautiful. Belinda is a beauty, especially to Marcus, and he proves it to all in the end. Did LyzThomas actually read the book, or just the cover? Sissy was a silly cousin not sister. Not a big deal you say, but when deciding on whether to read a book, I like the facts in the review to be correct.

I love regency novels because of the restrictions that society put on its members, and how in a romance, the hero and heroine overcome those restrictions to find true love. That is the idea in a romance, to find true love whatever the obstacle. I believe that the "ton" would easily have fallen into the belief that this was a beauty cream and that someone on the fringes of that society would have been welcomed into it, just to get their greedy little hands on the cream. That is the way that society was. Very greedy, very superficial. Knowing that, that is why this plot works. Had it been another point in history, when there was not so much vanity, then it wouldn't have worked as well, but this period in time, makes it believable.

Well done, Ms. Claybourne. You have provided us with another delightful read. A small escape from our everyday lives.

I don't often run into a book that I can't put down..but it happened with Casey Claybourne's latest book, A Thing of Beauty. It's a fantastic book that holds the readers interest until the very end! The heroine is so innocent yet bright-she's entirely herself, which is why the hero finds himself drawn to the plain Miss Cross..a fact he can't understand. It's a great love story that I highly recommend!

Regency England is not my preferred story setting, but I'll be honest - The cover hooked me. It has to be one of the most unique and beautiful covers I've ever seen. I read the back blurb, decided I might enjoy the story, too, and bought it.

Ms. Claybourne writes a light Regency romp that features Belinda Croft (dabbler in potions and such), Marcus Barrow (an earl without a title), Belinda's loving and agoraphobic father, her prone-to-vapors Aunt Phoebe and her air-headed and flighty cousin, Sissy.

When Sissy is horrified to discover a pimple on her face the day of her big debut into society, Belinda quickly 'devises' a beauty cream, which Sissy uses and insists has given her a perfect complexion. Of course, news of this wonderous invention quickly makes the rounds and reaches the ears of the Prince Regent. He, in turn, uses it as a bargaining chip in Marcus' attempt to regain his title. Marcus, guru of good-taste, makes the bargain with Prinny that will bring back family title if successful. Belinda holds the key, but can Marcus go through with it? I was most annoyed with the silliness of Aunt Phoebe and Sissy throughout most of the book, however Sissy develops some spine near the end and raised my opinion of her and, to be fair, they were portrayed no worse than other females of the same period.

A Thing of Beauty was just that: A beautifully covered book with a warm and satisfying love story inside.

I don't like to just recap what you have read about the story line because everyone else has done an outstanding job already. So I'll just cut to the chase and say that this book in no way measures up to the fun and love that was I found when reading "Tiger by the Tale." This one was much to silly, and while most regency romance is implausible, this one is so far out of the box that it was boring. Shoe polish as a pimple cure? Oh Please! "A Thing of Beauty," is a book that you can definitely put down.

Casey Claybourne has made me a true Regency lover! Her skill at combining genuine humor with a real understanding of the period makes A THING OF BEAUTY such an engaging read, I couldn't put it down. Ms. Claybourne really shines and A THING OF BEAUTY is definitely A KEEPER!

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were likeable and the story moved quickly. I will look for more of Ms. Claybourne's books.