by Elizabeth Boyle
Series: Bachelor Chronicles #8.5
Pub. Date: June 2, 2015
Publisher: Avon Impulse
Pages: 100
Format: eARC
Source: Edelweiss
My Rating:
Sultry Scale:
The pampered daughter of a duke…
Lady Arabella Tremont has spent her entire life protected and overshadowed by her restrictive father. But she is a Tremont, after all, and the morning after she is nearly ruined at a ball by a handsome stranger, Arabella's father demands she make an arranged match with the heir to a dukedom. In desperation, Arabella takes matters into her own hands.
Takes a London holiday with the most unsuitable of chaperones…
Major Kingsley is in London to avoid his parents' dreadful house party. To his surprise he runs into the enticing—and unforgettable—minx he met at a ball the previous night. Arabella, or Birdie, as he knows her, insists he owes her three favors—for he's put her in a terrible pinch. Kingsley agrees, if only to delay his trip home and because the notion of spending the day with this enchanting bit of muslin is too tempting to resist. But all too quickly he discovers Arabella's requests are hardly what he expected…
This was a quick fun read set in the Regency era not long after the Battle of Waterloo. Elizabeth Boyle did an excellent job of packing a complete story into only 100 pages - a very difficult thing to do. I usually feel a bit unsatisfied with short stories or novellas, but I didn't get that feeling with this book.
Our heroine, Arabella ("Birdie"), daughter of a duke but feeling the pressure of her societal status, longs for the freedom to fly. Birdie was a likable character, and her wanting to travel and explore the world was something most readers would relate to. That is why we read after all, yes?
Our hero, Kingsley, opted not to dash home after Waterloo and take up his commitments to his family and title, but instead traveled the continent in a grand adventure. This makes him the envy of Birdie, and causes him to rail against the marriage his family is trying to saddle him with. Kingsley was a typical historical hero, a bit of a rake, but an honorable one.
In a bit of fate, the two end up on their own mini-adventure, which was quite scandalous for the time. But what kind of trouble will their adventure cause? Read and find out! This story was a fun way to pass the time with genial leads, amusing diversions, sweet romance, and quirky secondary characters.
I was provided an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I have not read the rest of the series (yet) but I didn't feel like I was missing out on too much. I enjoyed this book quite a bit so I will be moving the series up my queue this year.
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Author Info
Elizabeth Boyle was an antipiracy paralegal for Microsoft before
settling down to write full-time. Her first novel, Brazen Angel, which won
Dell's Diamond Debut Award in 1996, also won the Romance Writers of America's
RITA Award for Best First Book, and was a finalist for Best Long Historical
Romance. She lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington. She is also the
author of Brazen Heiress.
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