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The Reluctant Lady
Is there such a thing as Platonic friendship? The rakish Earl of Tressilian and virtuous Lady Killeaven are determined to prove it's true--a man and a woman can truly be just friends. In decadent Regency London, of course, their friendship proves more scandalous than any flaming affair.
And Tressilian, after years of "just friends," is starting to wonder if that is, indeed, all he wants to be. So this Royal Navy hero embarks on a campaign as dangerous and complex as any battle at sea, to win the heart and hand of the one woman who knows him too well to be seduced.
The Reluctant Lady is the second in the Regencies by Rasley series, and serves up the traditional Regency with an elegantly lush style and a dash of humor. 95K words, PG rated.
And Tressilian, after years of "just friends," is starting to wonder if that is, indeed, all he wants to be. So this Royal Navy hero embarks on a campaign as dangerous and complex as any battle at sea, to win the heart and hand of the one woman who knows him too well to be seduced.
The Reluctant Lady is the second in the Regencies by Rasley series, and serves up the traditional Regency with an elegantly lush style and a dash of humor. 95K words, PG rated.
319 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 23, 2012
An excellent Regency romance, which posits the question: can a man and a woman be platonic friends in Regency society. The hero is a dashing rake, and the heroine a faultless upper class lady, but the plot is something other than run-of-the-mill "opposites attract." The secondary characters are entertaining, including the lady's irrepressible children.
This is the third Alicia Rasley book that I've read, and they're all excellent. She deserves to be more widely read.
The Kindle version had way too many typos and a glaring error where the wife of an earl is referred to as a duchess.
This is the third Alicia Rasley book that I've read, and they're all excellent. She deserves to be more widely read.
The Kindle version had way too many typos and a glaring error where the wife of an earl is referred to as a duchess.
February 27, 2012
The Reluctant Lady is a worthy relative of Georgette Heyer's Regency novels. Kristin Marlowe is a beautiful widow with two engaging children. The Earl of Tressilian is a dashing naval captain and a rake, famous for his inconstancy and numerous mistresses. Tressilian has various family members and retainers that form the background cast in the novel. There isn't anything new and different in this book, but the author writes well and keeps the story moving along and her situations and characters are interesting and believable.
My main criticism is that so much of the story is told through the characters thoughts -- page after page of them. I longed for some of Georgette Heyer's light dialogue. Either that or have the author do some major trimming in the lengthy prose descriptions of what the characters were seeing, feeling, thinking, wanting, or about to do.
I would also suggest that someone go through the book with a red pencil and correct the spelling, grammatical errors, and words that just don't make sense. At one point the heroine says, "One should always obey the miles". I'm pretty sure she meant "rules", but I had to stop and think about it, and that annoyed me. There are also a few missing periods, missing commas, "isnt" for "isn't", and missing spaces between periods and the beginning of the next sentence. Alicia Rasley is a good writer and I think that these are probably glitches when the manuscript was formatted for Kindle. Nevertheless, they detract from a work that deserves a flawless presentation.
I really enjoyed this book and recommend it highly. I plan on reading the author's other works.
My main criticism is that so much of the story is told through the characters thoughts -- page after page of them. I longed for some of Georgette Heyer's light dialogue. Either that or have the author do some major trimming in the lengthy prose descriptions of what the characters were seeing, feeling, thinking, wanting, or about to do.
I would also suggest that someone go through the book with a red pencil and correct the spelling, grammatical errors, and words that just don't make sense. At one point the heroine says, "One should always obey the miles". I'm pretty sure she meant "rules", but I had to stop and think about it, and that annoyed me. There are also a few missing periods, missing commas, "isnt" for "isn't", and missing spaces between periods and the beginning of the next sentence. Alicia Rasley is a good writer and I think that these are probably glitches when the manuscript was formatted for Kindle. Nevertheless, they detract from a work that deserves a flawless presentation.
I really enjoyed this book and recommend it highly. I plan on reading the author's other works.
November 16, 2013
A delightful traditional (clean) Regency romance by an author whose novella, The Wilder Heart, I really enjoyed. The writing, like the heroine in this case, Kristen, was restrained, deliberate and graceful. I liked the characters and the impossible situation they find themselves in: our hero is a notorious rake and an earl, catnip to women, but in love with a widow above reproach and his touch. A naval captain, our earl's been too naughty a boy to be more than a friend to the upstanding woman. Will she unbend? Will he reform? How things happen takes time, involves missteps, some strategizing and a touch of peril. Personally, I enjoyed the secondary characters and their brangling as much or more than the main pair, but both made this a fun, relaxing read. I'd compare her to Candice Hern, another author for Regency lovers to try.
Note to author: a few odd misspellings to note: an eat not ear was nibbled toward the end and a few others. Damn auto-correct!
Note to author: a few odd misspellings to note: an eat not ear was nibbled toward the end and a few others. Damn auto-correct!
March 22, 2012
For the life of me, I cannot figure out what it is about this book, these characters, this story. I find myself coming back to it over and over again.
June 11, 2020
the ultimate years long friendship with simmering attractions well wrapped and placed in the closet. Tressillian has a platonic friendship with unblemished incorruptible Countess of Killeaven. Finally, like salmon struggling upstream to lay their eggs, and swatted by bears for supper, they come together in straightened circumstances of kidnapping and life and death. Well done but a little long on narrative and short on romance. Forgiven because of the final results that prove the best of all options for her children, and his cousin and best friend. Tresillian is one of those stars in the constellations of regency rakes that you cannot forget.
July 17, 2017
Nice story
Story about growing friendship between two opposites turning into love over five-year,a widow with two children and a restless rake.
Story about growing friendship between two opposites turning into love over five-year,a widow with two children and a restless rake.
April 5, 2012
I've not come across this author before, but I've already bought more of her books on the strength of this one. I found the opening a bit confusing - we meet the hero and some of his friends, most of whom are called both by their title and their actual name, and it was difficult to work out who was who - but once we are introduced to Kristen, and the story begins to shape, things improved greatly.
The heroine is a widow with two young children; the hero is a naval officer who loves his life at sea yet makes the most of his time in port! He wants to make her his mistress, but she refuses and they become firm friends. He's great with her kids (of course!) and they remain friends for some years, until Kristen decides she needs to marry again. Brendan (our hero) isn't having that, especially as the man she's chosen is as dull as dishwater, so he hatches a plot to make the lady jealous.
All ends well, of course, but it was a joy to read and the central relationship is beautifully drawn.
The heroine is a widow with two young children; the hero is a naval officer who loves his life at sea yet makes the most of his time in port! He wants to make her his mistress, but she refuses and they become firm friends. He's great with her kids (of course!) and they remain friends for some years, until Kristen decides she needs to marry again. Brendan (our hero) isn't having that, especially as the man she's chosen is as dull as dishwater, so he hatches a plot to make the lady jealous.
All ends well, of course, but it was a joy to read and the central relationship is beautifully drawn.
February 4, 2012
4.5 Stars. Enjoyed the cast and im glad it was a clean romance. Kindle version had many typos.
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July 27, 2012enjoyable.reading, interesting characters, naval officers and the 16th Hussars cavalry.....Yummy. I want a Captain Tressilian!
August 30, 2015
I have now read every Regency this author has written. I can only wish, she will write more.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews