The Wicked Guardian ( A Regency Romance) [Paperback]

Elsie Lee (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Dell Publishing; First Edition edition (July 1, 1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440198011
• ISBN-13: 978-0440198017
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,333,242 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Elsie Lee - Good as Always, April 14, 2007

By 

Virginia Allain "(retired librarian)" (Poinciana, FL) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Wicked Guardian ( A Regency Romance) (Paperback)

From the back cover: Nothing seemed more unpleasant to lovely, dark-haired Miss Araminta Surtaine than a coach journey with her unctuous guardian, Lord Robert Eddystone. Still she had no choice but to accompany him. Her eighteenth birthday, which would entitle her to the extraordinary Surtaine fortune, and freedom, was still two weeks away. But when Araminta realized that Lord Robert planned to force her into marrying his repugnant son, she resolved to risk death to avoid that fate. And so it was that she flung herself from his speeding carriage into darkness and awoke in a camp of gypsies -- her memory gone, her name changed, and her future as mysterious and exciting as the roguishly handsome stranger there whose true identity was as dangerous to reveal as Araminta's own.

I just reread this historical romance and as always with Elsie Lee, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Araminta, although young, is feisty and quick to adapt to her changed circumstances although the gypsy life is foreign to her. The subplot with smugglers along the coast and French emigre spies for Napoleon adds more dimension to the budding romance with the mysterious Giles. Add in the other characters, like the dowager marchioness, some Bow Street Runners, and the lady friend of the odious son to get a more complex plot that will appeal to fans of Georgette Heyer's books.

Just recently I reread Runaway Bride by Jane Aiken Hodge. There were quite a few parallels in the two books (Lee's and Hodge's) but I preferred Elsie Lee's version.