Customer Reviews

WHIRLWIND AFFAIR

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I read the prequel "Whirlwind Wedding", I really got interesed in Robert, Austin's brother. Robert is witty, funny, charming, but he also had a secret from his past.

Allie also has a secret, and between these 2 & their secrets, it takes awhile to get hers out into the open & solved, then, in the last 50 pages or so, his secret is revealed & solved.

Robert & Allie were cute together, but I especially adored him.
She was fine, but he was great! My only regret is that because this fun loving couple had such a serious relationship, that playful lovemaking just was not on their agenda, though you get the idea that had the story continued, we would have seen Robert's playful nature come out during their intimate moments.

On the 1-10 scale, I'd give this a 9.9, the only thing holding it back was taking so long for their secrets to be revealed & dealt with, and Robert being so serious during their intimacy.

I too found fault with Allie's refusal to love Robert for what he presents to her--a noble, caring, and brave man. His "secret" was fairly stupid (why didn't he just tell Allie? the "honor and vow" excuse didn't really fly) and therefore their "reasons" for allowing themselves to separate seemed contrived. However, the dialogue between them was so sparkling and their chemistry so great I ultimately overlooked that.

It was also annoying how people kept "fisting their hands," having "eyebrows that shot upwards," and kept "capturing each other's mouths." Towards the end, the exact same sentence appeared twice! "He erased the distance between them with three long strides." A few pages later, the Evil Villain did the exact same thing! Still, the story was so engaging it really overrode these objections instead of being mired under by them.

This is the story of Robert Jamison the brother of the hero of Whirlwind Wedding. This was a nice story and knowing who played what part in the story early was a nice surprise. Although this story was not as tender or as thrilling for me as Whirlwind Wedding it was still nice to read a story about characters that I came to like from the previous book.

Alberta has come to England to pay back a debt of her dead husband. Alberta is the childhood friend of Elizabeth (W.W.) and she is planning on seeing Elizabeth as well. Elizabeth is unable to meet the boat when it arrives due to the fact that she is due to have a baby at anytime so she sends her brother-in-law Robert to meet the ship instead.

Robert is looking to get married but he wants "it". That special something that his brother Austin has with Elizabeth, the same thing his parents had and the the same thing that his sister has. Robert has had no luck in finding this until a drab dressed widow leaves the ship in the form of Alberta (Allie)

Allie does not understand why someone is trying to kill her and I must admit that she does appear clueless in many different situations but I could still not help liking her.

This was a fun story and it was nice to re-visit some old friends.

Whirlwind Affair is another charming Jacquie D'Alessandro novel filled with secrets, fun, passion and heartbreak.

American Alberta Brown (mentioned as heroine Elizabeth's best friend in Whirlwind Wedding) sails to England to visit her childhood friend Elizabeth, the Duchess of Bradford, and to perform the final deed that will right the wrongs of her thieving and now dead husband. Having previously given her heart to a charming and handsome man who turned out to be a criminal and philanderer, Allie is determined never again to trust a man and certainly never to marry again.

But she doesn't count on meeting the charming and handsome Lord Robert Jamison, Elizabeth's husband's younger brother. Robert collects Allie when her boat docks in London while Elizabeth is about to deliver her second child at Bradford Hall in Kent. It is isn't long before Robert, who has been looking for a bride, realizes that Allie is the woman he's been searching for all his life. Unfortunately Allie, who finally gives into their mutual physical passion, is determined to never again risk her heart.

The developing relationship between Robert and Allie is beautiful, fun and heartbreaking. Soon they are both endangered by the man who repeatedly seeks to murder Allie because of the dangerous information she possesses. The plot takes off and-though the mystery is easy to unravel-keeps the reader on the edge of her seat with its fast-paced action.

The characters are intelligent, warm and delightful-even the secondary characters like the hilarious Baroness Gaddlestone and her rambunctious dog "boys" Teddy, Eddie and Freddie. Scenes between Allie and Robert sparkle with fun and passion. The happy, closely knit family at Bradford Hall is so feisty and fun that the reader wishes she could be a part of it.

This is an utterly enjoyable Regency romance (brimming with the love of life, spouse and children) that should not be missed!

Fans of Ms. D'Alessandro will recognize Lord Robert Jamison as the younger brother of Austin, the Duke of Bradford, and the hero in a previous novel, THE WHIRLWIND WEDDING. Lord Robert's assignment is to escort the lovely American widow, Mrs. Alberta, "Allie" Brown, to Bradford Hall to visit her childhood friend Elizabeth, Austin's very pregnant wife. Unbeknownst to Robert, Allie sailed to England to return the last of her lying deceased husband's ill-gotten gains, namely an old ring engraved with a family crest.

The cool composed widow informs Robert that she needs to attend to some business in London before journeying to Bradford Hall but fails to disclose the nature of the business. While her secretive nature is intended to put an emotional roadblock between Robert and herself, the two are nevertheless, drawn to one another, amidst some rather dangerous London encounters. And when impending danger to those around her forces Mrs. Brown to disclose to Robert the true purpose of her London journey, their emotional bond becomes stronger, even though Allie is resistant to ever trusting a man again. But Robert is not without secrets of his own. Will his failure to disclose his past prevent the two from forming a bond in the future?

Ms. D'Alessandro's unique style encompasses passionate romance with light-hearted humor, enthralling the reader to the very last page. Believable characters with flaws and scars make this novel a true winner, not to be missed.

A destitute American widow, Alberta Brown sails on the Seaward Lady to England to rectify some of the misdeeds caused by her late scandalous husband to include the return of a ring to its rightful owner. On the sea voyage, several accidents occur to Alberta that makes her wonder if someone wants her dead. Only luck and her reactions save her life as unbeknownst to her someone hired Lester Redfern to kill her. At the English dock, Lord Robert Jamison awaits Alberta's arrival, having promised their mutual friend Lady Elizabeth that he would escort the American widow to her country home.

As the attempts to kill Alberta continue, Robert saves her life several times. They begin to fall in love, but she has been burned once in marriage and vowed never again. He knows that he first must uncover the identity of her enemy, not just the thug carrying out orders, to keep her safe before he can plead his loving appeal that they belong together forever.

WHIRLWIND AFFAIR is an exhilarating historical romance starring two delightful lead characters. The story line is typical of the Anglo-oceanic romance, but freshens that theme through several character revealing traits to include the immediate identity of the hit man and the twist that the male aristocrat seeks marriage and not to beget an heir. Though Alberta seems dumb at times as she ignores danger from a wannabe killer and a wannabe lover, readers will admire her all the more for her ethics as she stars in a strong tale that the audience will appreciate.

Harriet Klausner

Fans of Jacquie D'Alessandro novels were first introduced to Lord Robert Jamison in Ms. D'Alessandro's novel, WHIRLWIND WEDDING, when his older brother Austin, the Duke of Bradford, married the American Elizabeth Matthews. WHIRLWIND AFFAIR features Lord Robert Jamison as the hero and Elizabeth's childhood friend, Alberta (Allie) as the heroine in a humorous romantic mystery of the first order!

We first encounter the widow, Mrs. Alberta Brown, as her ship the Seaward Lady is docking in London after a three-month voyage from America. During the voyage, Allie experienced a number of "accidents", and although she doesn't know why anyone would want to harm her, she has some suspicions that they were not accidents but that she was deliberately pushed down the stairs, pushed overboard and poisoned.

Allie made the trip to England for a six week visit at Bradford Hall the home of her friend, Elizabeth, who is expecting her second child. But before Allie goes to Bradford Hall she plans to conclude personal business that involves her deceased husband's hidden life of crime, blackmail and thievery. She discovered her late husband's criminal deeds only after he was killed in a duel three years before. By selling everything she owned and living in near poverty she repaid all the people her husband had robbed. There remains one item to return to its rightful owner and that is a coat of arms ring, which she believes is from England.

Elizabeth gave Lord Robert a sketch of her friend and asked that he meet her at the dock and escort her to Bradford Hall. Lord Robert is quite taken with the beautiful laughing woman in the sketch, but when he meets Mrs. Alberta Brown she bears little resemblance to that woman. While in London, and staying at the Duke's townhouse, Alberta is abducted, the townhouse is burglarized several times and Lord Robert, Alberta and the Duke's household staff are in danger. Lord Robert, who is completely enchanted by the beautiful widow, vows to protect her and see her safely to Bradford Hall. However, he is quite sure that Mrs. Brown knows more then she is telling him about the series of crimes that have taken place since she arrived in London. Although he suspects there are secrets in her past, it does not stop him from being passionately attracted to her and aware of her attraction toward him. Alberta continues to wear black mourning dresses three years after the death of her husband. Lord Robert, of course, believes the reason for her extended mourning is her great love for her deceased husband, David, when in reality Alberta continues to wear black to keep away prospective suitors. Alberta has sworn she will never marry again and does not trust any man. But the passionate tension and attraction continues to build between them and as they finally arrive at Bradford Hall, Alberta suggests to Lord Robert that perhaps they might have an affair rather then plan on anything more "permanent".

The combination of mystery, danger, humor and blossoming romance (to say nothing of the heated passion between these two characters) keeps the reader riveted until the last page. This is Regency Romance at it's very best and I highly recommend WHIRLWIND AFFAIR to anyone who enjoys historical romances.

It was just boring. It lacked the usual suspense and passion in her other books. Also, nothing romantic really happens until too late. By the time she actually admits her feelings, I was already skimming to the end. Alberta was hard to like. Skip this.

I was somewhat disappointed with this sequel to "Whirlwind Wedding." Whereas the previous novel was vivid and compelling, I felt this one lacked passion and intensity. While I was captivated with Lord Robert as the hero, I found myself thoroughly annoyed with the heroine, Allie. While I could sympathize and understand her decision to not risk her heart again after the deceits of her first husband, I felt her continued decision to reject Robert and continually compare him with her criminal late husband seemed petulant and churlish. I found myself wishing for some harm to befall Allie, maybe even amneisia, just to stop her broken record train of feelings. Though I had issues with 75 percent of the book, the story ended on a high,

Oh goodness...this one was just an okay read for me. I found myself bored several times throughout the book, especially the first half. I also struggled to feel the chemistry between the h/h and the emotion of the story. I loved the humor this author does so well, but the story itself was so predictable and the character musings were quite "cliche-ish." Those are the times I found myself bored. There were good parts and bad parts, hence 3 stars.