Whirlwind Affair [Mass Market Paperback]

Jacquie D'Alessandro (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 29, 2002

Can an unconventional liaison turn into the love match of the season?

After the scandalous duel that made her a widow, Alberta Brown was left destitute--and in possession of a cache of ill-gotten goods. Determined to right the wrongs of her thieving husband, she sailed to England to locate the owner of a gentleman’s ring bearing an intriguing coat of arms. But a series of mishaps on- board soon convinced Allie that she was enmeshed in a perilous game. Yet none was more dangerous--or irresistibly tempting--than the dashing stranger waiting on the dock.

The marriage-minded Lord Robert Jamison was searching for a woman who aroused that certain something. He never expected to find her in this uncommonly pretty, fiercely independent American he’d been asked to escort back to a splendid country estate. Allie was in grave danger--worse, she vowed never to marry again. Yet Lord Robert’s will was just as strong--and he planned to make this maddening creature his wife, even as passion drove them into each other’s arms...and a reckless liaison flamed into the season’s most indiscreet and irresistible affair of the heart.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

D'Alessandro adds another engaging, well-wrought adventure to her Regency-era Jamison family saga (Whirlwind Wedding, etc.). Still wearing her mourning clothes after three years because her efforts to repay the victims of her late husband's schemes have left her penniless, American Allie Brown arrives in England to visit her best friend and return a mysterious ring. En route, however, she begins to suspect that someone may be trying to harm her. Lord Robert Jamison has a sketch of the laughing lady he's to escort to his sister-in-law's home, but the solemn-eyed woman who steps off the ship hardly matches her portrait. Robert's quest to coax her into smiling, an attempted abduction and a pair of burglaries rattle Allie to the core, though in very different ways. Allie is determined to keep her heart safe from another charming man with secrets, but when she impetuously decides to begin an affair with Robert, their physical attraction inevitably gives way to love. A few too many coincidences undercut the suspense, but D'Alessandro's prose and plotting is surefooted. With its sympathetic protagonists and generous applications of humor, this witty escapade will give those searching for another excellent Regency author plenty of reasons to believe they've found her.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

After her husband is killed in a duel, Alberta "Allie" Brown discovers that not only was he unfaithful, he was also a common criminal. Selling everything to repay those her husband cheated, Allie is left with one last task: find the owner of a signet ring stolen by the deceitful cad. Learning that the ring is British in origin, Allie leaves America for England intent on visiting her old friend, Elizabeth, and restoring the ring to its rightful owner. But along the way Allie is plagued by strange "accidents." In London she meets Elizabeth's brother-in-law, Robert Jamieson, whose romantic interests are immediately captured by the quietly beautiful American widow. Discovering that she is in danger, Robert promptly sets out to protect her, and to convince her to become his wife. D'Alessandro expertly matches up her superbly nuanced characters, including a heroine whose best friend found romance in Whirlwind Wedding (2000), with delightfully witty writing and a plot deftly laced with danger to create a deliciously sensual literary treat. John Charles
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Dell (October 29, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440237130
• ISBN-13: 978-0440237136
• Product Dimensions: 4.1 x 1 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #885,695 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Am giving this 5 stars because I really really really liked Robert!, January 7, 2006

By 

Sandra J Smith "reader of passionate books" (Beaverton, Oregon United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Whirlwind Affair (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Witty and Entertaining, August 23, 2004

By 

Karen Mercury (Green River, UT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Whirlwind Affair (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Follow Up To Whirlwind Wedding, January 9, 2003

By 

Kristi Ahlers (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Whirlwind Affair (Mass Market Paperback)

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.