Blast it, men rode astride all the time.

-
Surprising Lord Jack by Sally MacKenzie

Excellent! Here’s a further treat for those of us who are Regency Romance aficionados. ‘Surprising Lord Jack,’ is from Sally MacKenzie’s ‘Duchess of Love’ trilogy. Once again Venus, the Duchess of Greycliffe, attempts her matchmaking skills out on her sons. This time the chosen one, or rather, hounded progeny is Lord Jack Valentine, her third son.
A racy, endearing novel with rather more twists in the story line than I’d expected.
Jack, our rattled rake, is not all he appears on the surface.                  
Frances Hadley, our feisty heroine falls from one scrape into another.
The opening scene of the book with Francis’ internal dialogue is a delight, which includes her, ‘Blast it, men rode astride all the time’, complaint.
Disguised as a stripling, she flees an unpleasant situation brought about by her aunt.
Lord Jack is fleeing a determined debutante, one of many, compliments of hi mother, the Duchess.
Their destinies collide at a local inn.
And then there is the mongrel dog who called to mind Ulysses in ‘Arabella’ by Georgette Heyer.
Shakespeare doesn't develop in quite the same humorous way but he is amusing and he too plays his part!
I do so like the character of the Duke of Greycliffe, Jack’s father, and his understated ability to take control of a situation if he wants to.
Entertaining, although a tad predictable, it’s well worth the hour or so it takes to read. And you will smile!


A Netgalley ARC

Sally MacKenzie website

Georgette Heyer novels expolored


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Things aren’t as they seem!

-
Image
A Murderous Tryst  (Beatrice Hyde-Care Mystery #11) by Lynn Messina    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Oh my! Bea certainly has a lot to contend with. Bea’s rattled! The Duke has been missing from their bed for a night. When a distraught Bea come downstairs the next morning she finds her beloved husband Damien clasped in the arms of a glamorous female. A female who turns out to be Kesgrave’s first mistress, Mrs. Penelope Taylor! What?! Of course Bea’s heart sinks and she falls back on her painful memories of Aunt Vera’s responses to such a situation. Bea is both shaken and traumatised, but determined not to show it.  It seems Penny has been accused of murder. Actually  Penny’s desperately trying to avoid Newgate.    As a former mistress Penny does the unthinkable thing in society’s eyes. She asks for help from Bea. Bea’s response is just as shocking. She says yes. Kesgrave is as usual inscrutable. Of course this is the beginning of a harebrained chase, complications between Bea  and Amien,  and an investiga
Read more

Women in war—Internment by the Japanese 1942-45.

-
Image
Sisters Under the Rising Sun  by Heather Morris    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A fitting tribute to the women interred by the Japanese in Indonesia and Malaya during 1942 until liberation in 1945. Amongst the internees are a group of Australian Army nurses who were not given recognition by the Japanese as members of the armed forces and therefore not prisoners of war according to the Conventions of war.  Sister Vivian Bullwinkle is the only survivor of the massacre of a group of soldiers and nurses on Radji Beach, Bangka Island near Sumatra  in 1942, after the sinking of  HMS Vyner Brooke. There are a number of civilian prisoners in the camps like Norah Chambers and her sister Ena.  Combined, the story of these women interred under terrible conditions, their struggles and achievements are monumental.  Their gifts to their fellows beyond speech. Music plays an important part in uplifting the prisoners’ spirits. It’s truly a privilege to read about their plight, their vows to each other, and their braver
Read more

The Three Muscateers—three widows, three sets of different circumstances

-
Image
The Widows' Wine Club  by Julia Jarman    ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Different enough to be interesting but I kept losing which character was which. I almost feel I need to read it again to follow who’s who. I do know that three women came together to form a support group, going to the pub for lunch etc. Better than the local widow’s group in the church hall.  All three had recently lost their husbands and now had to find a way to face their new lives. Viv Halliday is a knowledgeable gardener. Zelda Fielding is setting herself up with internet dates and searching the web for her unknown father. Janet had a controlling husband who it turned out was having affairs, and their son is just as controlling. How their lives unfold is the new challenge. A Boldwood Books ARC via NetGalley.                                               Many thanks to the author and publisher.
Read more