Passing Fancies by Elizabeth Mansfield

Title: Passing Fancies

Author: Elizabeth Mansfield

Genre: Romance/Historical/Regency

Publisher: Berkley

ISBN: 0425063356

Format: Mass Market Paperback, 217 pages

List Price: Out-of-print

Reviewed: July 19, 2009

Rating: 4 stars (4.4)

Warnings: None

Synopsis: Lovely Lady Philippa Wyckfield gets drawn into any number of unfortunate situations due to her generous nature. Staying with friends she'd known since childhood, she manages to catch the eye of two of the brothers. One wrestles with his disgust of her supposed madcap nature while the other wrestles with his invisibility.

What I liked: I loved the characters with their varied idiosyncrasies. There is Lady Philippa (Pippa), whose generous nature lands her in more trouble than any normal human can handle; William, the stiffly proper head of the Sturtevant household and oldest child of Lady Georgina; Lady Georgina, air-headed, well-meaning mother and lady of the house; Simon, a scientist whose head is more often cloudy with his work than not; Sybil, only daughter and incorrigible madcap; and Dolly, the youngest son whose madness for horseflesh leads to at least one of the unfortunate situations I mentioned earlier. These characters are fleshed-out rather well despite the shortness of this book. Even the Oxbroughs, the lady and her son who are more or less the antagonists of the tale, have their quirks, making them more believable.

There was something I noticed with this book that struck me as interesting. It is written in third person omniscient. Perhaps this POV was more acceptable in 1983 when this book was written. From the research I've done in regard to publishing houses, this POV is not acceptable now. However, I feel Elizabeth Mansfield pulled it off rather well. While reading, I knew what was happening in each character's head, the POV switches were graceful and hardly noticeable. Considering this book is not a mystery in any way, I see no reason why we should not know what everyone is thinking.

The story was entertaining, light and fun. Love scenes were limited to kissing and even those were few and far between. I laughed more than once and at one point I thought I might cry. All that aside, this book is a good choice if you want a delightful, light read.

The Desirable Duchess by Marion Chesney

Title: The Desirable Duchess

Author: Marion Chesney

Genre: Romance/Historical/Regency

Publisher: Fawcett Crest

ISBN: 0449221563

Format: Mass Market Paperback, 172 pages

List Price: Out-of-print

Reviewed: December 2, 2008

Rating: 4 stars (4.1)

Warnings: None

Synopsis: Alice is in love with Sir Gerald. Her parents orchestrate a break-up and marry her off to the new peer in town, the Duke of Farrant. A talking bird starts off the controversy. Misunderstandings and general nuttiness ensue.

My opinion: Quite an amusing read...the first time. It's still funny, even six reads later, but if it is re-read too soon, it's just annoying. The talking bird isn't even the funny part. The silliness of the main characters and several supporting characters is what induces chuckling.

The heroine is 18 or so when the story starts and seems in keeping with her age, i.e., naive and trusting. The duke is around 30, a veteran of the Peninsular Campaign, and so a little hardened--something that is not really evidenced in the story except for a very few instances when the duke says/thinks something to that effect. Meanwhile, he has some serious problems with jealousy.

Overall: 4.1 stars because I do really like this very succinct story. I like Marion Chesney's ability to stuff an entertaining story into a very small book... :o)

Tilly by Jennie Tremaine (Marion Chesney)

Title: Tilly

Author: Jennie Tremaine

Genre: Romance/Historical/Edwardian

Publisher: Dell

ISBN: 0440186374

Format: Mass Market Paperback, 254 pages

List Price: Out-of-print

Reviewed: December 16, 2008

Rating: 4 stars (3.8)

Warnings: None

Synopsis: Gauche and chubby Lady Tilly is left destitute when her father dies and ends up working for a neighbor, Lady Aileen, as her companion. Lady Aileen treats her abominably, and the Marquess of Heppleford steps in to rescue her, offering a marriage of convenience. He abandons her on their wedding day and she makes herself over with the help of her maid, Francine, determined to make him fall in love with her.

My opinion: Typical Marion Chesney except Edwardian instead of Regency. Little facts are dropped here and there but nothing too in depth or off topic. The storyline is fairly common but Ms Chesney manages a level of humor that causes the reader to suddenly bust out laughing. I believe Ms Chesney takes great delight in mocking the eccentricities of the upper classes of the time periods she portrays.

I found Tilly's metamorphosis quite believable. Considering she was chubby and made up like a clown before Francine got a hold of her, it makes sense that a simple makeover and diet could transform her into a physical beauty. As for her hoydenish behavior, she has a few relapses, showing that she was still the same underneath despite all the studying of etiquette she was made to do.

Honestly, I don't have much of an opinion of the hero. He was typical, I think, of his upbringing, feeling he had certain rights just because he was born male and wealthy. For all that, he was not too bad. Other than the cheating thing. That was reprehensible.

Overall, it was a light, enjoyable read. Despite the fact that the cover declares this to be a Regency romance, it takes place in Britain, early 1900s, nearly 100 years after the Regency. Just FYI.

Kitty by Jennie Tremaine (Marion Chesney)

Title: Kitty

Author: Jennie Tremaine

Genre: Romance/Historical/Edwardian

Publisher: Dell

ISBN: 0440149819

Format: Mass Market Paperback,

List Price: Out-of-print

Reviewed: December 25, 2008

Rating: 4 stars (3.6)

Warnings: None

Synopsis: Shy, Kitty Harrison's miserly father dies, revealing her to be an heiress. Lord Peter Chesworth needs money to restore his beloved estate and asks for Kitty's hand, professing a love he didn't feel. He believes her to be as pushing as her mother and treats her quite callously after the vows are said. Kitty retreats further into herself, shocked and dismayed by the unlovely turn her life has taken. Then, someone decides she's better off dead.

My Opinion: Typical Marion Chesney, witty and darkly amusing at times, with tidbits of history and mockery of the upper class eccentricities. I didn't find it all that romantic; Peter was a cad at first and it was hard to believe he would fall in love with Kitty. The attempts on Kitty's life were more interesting than anything, really. It took me a little longer than usual to solve the mystery.

Overall, 3.6 stars for wit, historical fact-dropping, and because I like Marion Chesney's often mocking look at the upper classes.

The Devil's Delilah by Loretta Chase

Title: The Devil's Delilah

Author: Loretta Chase

Series: Regency Noblemen, #2

Genre: Regency Romance (traditional)

Publisher: Fawcett Crest

ISBN: 0449218945

Format: Mass Market Paperback, 282 pages

List Price: Out-of-Print

Reviewed: March 20, 2009

Rating: 4 stars (4.4)

Warnings: None

Synopsis: The daughter of a notorious member of Society is determined to stop her father from publishing his scandalous memoirs. To help her in this goal is a bookworm who seems far too muddled to be a proper hero.

My opinion: Not your typical run-of-the-mill romance hero, Jack Langdon is neither dashing nor scandalously improper. Not until he meets Delilah Desmond, that is. She seems to bring out his wild side in a delightfully amusing way. She is the daughter of a man known as Devil Desmond, a man who was scorned by Society for marrying an actress. Having been given the example of two very unconventional parents, she is predictably unconventional herself. And yet, I did not find her to be annoyingly belligerent, or "know-it-all" as so often happens with heroines of her nature. These were two characters I quite liked and found myself rooting for. Delilah's father is one of the best “dark” characters I've ever read.

Overall: 4.4 stars. It is very well-written, with plenty of little historical details. This story is connected to Viscount Vagabond, the heroes being friends, and I found that, while I really enjoyed Jack's story, comparatively it lacked something that I can't quite put my finger on...

Viscount Vagabond by Loretta Chase

Title: Viscount Vagabond

Author: Loretta Chase

Series: Regency Noblemen, #1

Genre: Regency Romance (traditional)

Publisher: Avon

ISBN: 0380708361

Format: Mass Market Paperback, 228 pages

List Price: Out-of-Print

Reviewed: February 22, 2009

Rating: 5 stars (4.8)

Warnings: None

Synopsis: Miss Catherine Pelliston runs away from an unpalatable betrothal and finds herself in a brothel begging a half-naked man for help. He, although being quite drunk and not believing her story, extracts her from the sticky situation she'd managed to land herself in and takes her to his lodgings, later learning of her parentage and offering her marriage to save her reputation.

Characters: Sheesh, Lord Rand made me laugh repeatedly. He was just coming off a 6-month dissipation binge when he met Catherine. For anyone familiar with Chase's Lord of Scoundrels, think Lord Dain but toned-down for a traditionally "sweet" Regency. (Please note, it has been a while since I read LOS, but I remember finding Dain's off-the-wall attitude amusing at times.)

Catherine Pelliston was polar opposite. Cursed with an overactive conscience, she was quite preachy at times. A believable personality, I think.

Together, these two were hilarious. When Catherine preached, Rand always had some odd, quirky response that made me laugh more than once. I have to wonder if two such characters could actually find happiness together, but it is a nice fantasy. :o)

Storyline: The storyline was rather typical, ie, hero proposes to save heroine's reputation, heroine refuses, hero gets to know her better and tries to not fall in love, Happily-Ever-After. The difference is Chase's ability to take this run-of-the-mill storyline and throw in several endearing--and not so endearing--characters with an excellent dose of comedy. A very enjoyable, lighthearted read.

Overall: 4.8 stars

Note: I borrowed the image from Goodreads.com until I get my copy scanned in again...

The Wonderful Demise of Benjamin Arnold Guppy by Gina Collia-Suzuki

Title: The Wonderful Demise of Benjamin Arnold Guppy

Author: Gina Collia-Suzuki

Website: www.ginacolliasuzuki.com

Genre: Satire

Publisher: Nezu Press

ISBN: 0955979617 (ISBN13: 9780955979613)

Format: Trade Paperback, 228 pages

List Price: $14.00US

Rating: 4 stars (4.4)

Warnings: Some language

Synopsis: A tale of nasty neighbors, dark comedy and, ultimately, the perfect murder.

What I liked: Well, it was hilarious. The story offers a glimpse into the mind of an otherwise normal young housewife, driven to murder by circumstances out of her control. I can't begin to imagine the horror described in this book, the lunacy of neighbors trying to extort money and resorting to attacks when none is forthcoming. I found the Guppy's attempts to drive their new neighbors away more funny than anything but that's probably because it wasn't happening to me.

What I disliked: Honestly, for me, it was a little slow-going at first. It picked up pace, however, and was a delightfully dark read after that.

Overall: 4.4 stars. My husband is looking forward to reading this. I may re-read it at a later date. :o)