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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I couldn't put this book down -- kudos to Diane Gaston, December 24, 2007
This review is from: The Vanishing Viscountess (Harlequin Historical) (Mass Market Paperback)
"The Vanishing Viscountess" grabbed me from the first paragraph -- actually, from the first sentence! I was swept up into the drama and urgency of this love story as surely as if I was there. Tanner (Adam Vickery, Marquess of Tannerton), is every woman's dream of the ideal man -- kind, handsome, strong, brave, at times quite funny, and oh so romantic! -- but not once does he become a cliched Regency hero. I admire Marlena from the first scene (unknown to Tanner, she is actually a viscountess, wrongly accused of murder, and a fugitive), and I long for them to fall in love. Their path to love is fraught with peril, and I couldn't put the book down until I reached the end... it was more than worth losing sleep for!
Diane Gaston employs her wonderful narrative skills once again, weaving a story both compelling and believable, in a book that's one of her very best (IMHO) since 'The Improper Wife' and 'The Mysterious Miss M.' She is a master at conveying the spirit of Regency England -- its mores and manners and turns of phrase -- and her research into the details of the actual route that Tanner and Marlena use to escape the law (and the man who wants her very much dead) add even more to the story's realism. This realism is one of Gaston's hallmarks.
Best of all is the relationship between Tanner and Marlena, both of whom have known great loneliness in their lives and who have despaired of finding anything like real love. In scene after scene, as they are forced into flight, they are also becoming closer and closer, and when the love scenes come, are they EVER *great*. There are quite a few gorgeous, steamy love scenes - the kind you re-read immediately, they're so good...
This is a book to be treasured again and again, and I cannot wait for Gaston's next one. I always know her stories will be satisfying, real, and beautiful.
Happy reading, romance lovers!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Topnotch Road Romance!, January 12, 2008
This review is from: The Vanishing Viscountess (Harlequin Historical) (Mass Market Paperback)
Until now, Adam Vickery, the Marquess of Tannerton (Tanner) led a life filled with gaming, sport, and loose women, but now another woman intrigued him. A proud, defiant woman and he cared not what crime warranted her to wear leather shackles! In part, saving her life had vindicated his tormented past and he vowed he would see her safe.
Marlena Parronley had once idolized the Marquess of Tannerton. During her London season, the foolish, young baron's daughter from Scotland had experienced an innocent obsession for the dashing marquess. Now, she lay naked beside him. The Marquess of Tannerton, the man with the tousled brown hair and soft green eyes had become her rescuer! She owed him her life! The warm, friendly, flirtatious marquess had plucked her from the hands of death and now she would grant him this brief time!
She was a fugitive! An accused murderess! Marlena Parronley, the baron's daughter from Scotland, had become Viscountess Corland and Viscountess Corland had been found standing over the body of her dead husband! And neither Tanner's money nor his influence could aid her. Soon they would part . . . forever! So for now . . . this time was his!
Reviewer's Comments:
In THE MYSTERIOUS MISS M, Diane Gaston showed great poignancy. In THE IMPROPER WIFE, written under the pseudonym Diane Perkins, the author displayed humor and sensitivity. In her latest release, Ms. Gaston decides to try her hand at a road romance and success is THE VANISHING VISCOUNTESS!
This reader has long enjoyed road romance, simply because the hero and heroine spend a significant amount of time together. En route from one locale to another, the couple is forced to work on a relationship through danger and isolation. If done properly, the hero and heroine appear to be the only ones on the page. In THE VANISHING VISCOUNTESS, Diane Gaston sticks to this formula, yet quietly attaches sub-plots and the entire package ties together beautifully.
From any author, my single request may seem selfish, but I want entertainment! In THE VANISHING VISCOUNTESS, Diane Gaston entertained me!
Grade: A-
MaryGrace Meloche.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
All I hoped it would be!, December 24, 2007
This review is from: The Vanishing Viscountess (Harlequin Historical) (Mass Market Paperback)
I've been impatiently awaiting this book, and at last it is here and definitely did not disappoint.
Diane Gaston possesses a rare gift for creating believable characters. The "good guys" (not only the hero and heroine but secondaries as well) have wonderful qualities but are blessedly flawed. I was impressed by how she was able to reveal the similarities and differences between the peerage and working class. The villains also demonstrated the same depth of personality. And I was delighted by several of the unexpected turns and chilled by others.
I know when I curl up with one of Diane's books it will be a thoroughly satisfying read from first page to the last. This one lived up to my expectations and then some. There where moments when I felt the discomfort of the journey through her incredible details. The romance throughout warmed my heart. I think I'll go read it again.
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