The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown
Avon, December, 2002.
Paperback, 400 pages.
ISBN: 0060508108
The irrepressible Lady Whistledown, gossip columnist
to the ton, is back in this wonderfully entertaining
anthology from several of today's best Regency
romance authors: Julia Quinn, Suzanne Enoch, Karen Hawkins
and newcomer Mia Ryan. Each story is introduced by
Lady Whistledown, and concerns events occurring before
Valentine's Day, 1814. In an especially clever twist,
all four stories include the same skating party, providing
a multiple viewpoint of the events from each of the featured
couples. The books opens with "One True Love" by
Suzanne Enoch, a wonderful story of a woman who has
been betrothed since childhood, but resists going through
with the wedding. But when her errant fiance learns he
has a rival, he rushes to her side for some long-overdue
wooing. Next up is "Two Hearts" by Karen Hawkins,
a traditional Regency tale of a woman who is very much on the
shelf and the charming rake who is determined to win her
affections. The third story is from newcomer Mia Ryan,
"A Dozen Kisses," a very funny and passionate story of
a woman who meets a handsome lord. The only problem is that
he is the man who has just evicted her and her mother from her
lifelong home. The last story is from the talented Julia
Quinn, and is entitled "Thirty-six Valentines." Miss
Susannah Ballister's reputation is in shreds when she is unceremoniously
dumped by the man that the ton thought was
going to be
her husband, after a very public courtship. But then his dashing older brother
steps in to save the day, with very entertaining results.
Anthologies are sometimes uneven in quality, but happily, that is not the case here. All four stories are absolute charmers, with enough wit, style and romance to thrill any historical romance fan.
The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown is available for purchase on Amazon.com
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This review was published in the March, 2003 of The Internet Writing Journal.
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