A Bicycle Built for Two

Meet Me at the Fair #3

by Alice Duncan

All I Do Is Dream Of You

Born and bred on the mean streets of Chicago, Kate Finney has few illusions about love. A handsome city swell like Alex English sure isn't looking to marry a girl who spends her nights telling fortunes and dancing the hootchy-kootchy at the Fair—and she isn't any man's toy.

And yet, she's never met anyone like Alex before. A man with potent charm and relentless determination, he refuses to be ignored, insulted, or rebuffed by her. In fact, he's pursuing her every chance he gets. Kate knows she had better put him in his place—and quickly—before he melts her icy armor...and steals her lonely heart!

Genres: Historical Romance

347 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 2002

About the author

Also writes as Emma Craig, Rachel Wilson, Anne Robins and wrote two books under the name of Jon Sharpe (Pecos Belle Brigade and California Crusader).

Reviews

[Margaret Watkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in the time of the 1893 World's Fair, this is the third book in the series of books, each one is a standalone although reference is made to characters that appear in previous books. Alex English is successful in every way and most of that success has been achieved by hard work, of which he is very proud. Unfortunately, as with a number of people with his drive and ambition, he has lost some of his humanity along the way and started dividing people into groups of "Them" and "Us". As a result, after being attacked by her drunken father in her booth at the Fair, Alex determines that Kate Finney is guilty of "moral laxity" and wants her to leave. Fortunately, he has one good friend who is not afraid to point out his pomposity and challenges Alex to go and meet Kate before passing judgment. He certainly did not expect to find a modest, fiery, and outspoken young lady who is quite able to challenge him. As Alex becomes embroiled in the difficulties facing Kate, he quickly starts changing his mind about a number of his previously held misconceptions and discovers a new layer of humanity that opens his eyes to the problems being experienced by the less advantaged community in his city. Kate's temper gets the better of her and her pride is every bit as strong as Alex's, making it difficult for them to agree on anything. However, as her mother's condition worsens and her father becomes more aggressive, Kate discovers the relief that comes from having someone in her corner. This novel is well written and depicts the nuances of the era very well. Both Alex and Kate are strong characters and whilst on opposite ends of the spectrum, they truly complement each other well. The book is painful in parts as the divide between rich and poor is highlighted but ultimately the novel comes to a bitter-sweet ending that brought tears to my eyes. I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily post this review. This is my honest review.

[Eva-Lynne Leibman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poor vs rich

I am thoroughly enjoying this historical series. Fact and fiction beautifully woven into a smart and ekegant wardrobe. A delightful read.

[Sharil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each book in the series is progressively a faster read than the first. The words and stories flow better.

It works best to read a series in order, but you wouldn't necessarily have to read this one in order. The characters from the series' prior books only have brief cameos in the consecutive books or appear with cameos as supporting cast in the prior books. I'm glad I read this series in order though as I thought the author's writing became smoother and easier to read in each...and the stories and their details improved as well.

Get out a dictionary online or in paperback for the series. I must have encountered at least 5 words per book that I never heard before. Examples: pedant and dipsomaniacal. Sometimes you can figure out what the words mean by context or leading details. Other times, just look the word up. Trust me.

The heroine is first introduced in the prior book as a friend of a photographer on the Midway of the fair. She tells fortunes on the Midway and dances as a substitute for the popular, Little Egypt, in the Exposition to make money to support herself and her mother. Kate's dad is a "dipsomaniac" or alcoholic that has a history of abusing his wife and children to the point that they are all moving covertly in the slums of Chicago and keeping each other informed of his activities and whereabouts.

The hero, Alex English, is introduced as a wealthy farmer on the board of the Agriculture Exposition who is concerned about activities marring the educational and wholesome aspect of the Columbian Exposition. Hence, he's not fond of the fortune teller's Midway booth and a recent attack there on Kate by her drunken father brings Alex to investigate the incident.

You can take it from there. If I were to give an overall label to each book of the series, I would call it 1893 Chicago "Pride and Prejudice". Each story has a heroine who is a hard worker trying to make a living and support her family in some way. Each hero is from a wealthier, more educated background. The elements of pride and prejudice are the key reasons for chaotic relationships and reluctance to fall in love or marry.

If you want glowing romance building throughout a story or great sex scenes, find something else to read. While there may be some kissing or sex in these books, you will read for hours before hitting upon it and the way it is written into the story and described is average or marginal. I would guess that the author wrote the stories and then went back and modified them to add some additional heat with sex. Because the series is so detailed and seems to really take a reader back to 1893, the sex scenes could have been glossed over more or left out.

In summary, you'll only enjoy these books if you have patience for slow-developing romance, strong historical details and little or no sex in the stories. Also, if you are a fan of historical Chicago-based characters and settings or the Columbian Exposition you may enjoy this series more.

[gina~* · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sweet book, a little slow and not quite enough steam for me but I finished it. I enjoyed the setting in chicago at a fair.