Saturday, June 6, 2015

The Unlikely Lady - Valerie Bowman

The Unlikely Lady
Valerie Bowman
St. Martin’s, May 5 2015, $7.99
ISBN: 9781250042095

In 1816 London, to her mother’s chagrin, Jane Lowndes prefers a book to meeting eligible gentlemen.  To attend her friend Cass Monroe wedding to new Earl Julian Swift (see The Accidental Countess) in Surrey without the bothersome of a chaperone, Jane invents Mrs. Bunbury.

Still rebounding from the Napoleonic Wars, Lord Garrett Upton prefers a life of rakish no responsibility except sending money to the mother of a friend who died in combat.  He looks forward to Julian’s party but loathes the bluestocking pain in the butt Miss Jane Lowndes who also will be there.  Having survived war, Garrett figures he could deal with this adversary for a sennight.  At the gala, a kiss stuns Jane and Julian.  However, as each reassesses their new found allure towards their loathsome foe, Garrett learns “no good deed goes unpunished” (Clare Booth Luce).

The third amusing Playful Brides Regency (see The Unexpected Duchess) is another lighthearted madcap romance starring beloved enemies falling in love.  Though their change from arguing like cats and dogs to intense attraction feels abrupt, this is a pleasurable jocular historical. 


Harriet Klausner

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