Capriccio

by Joan Smith

She was a Seductress! Jewels glittering at her throat and hands, "Lovely Laura" was the personification of glamour and desirability—or so thought Richard Bowden's younger brother. But Richard, scion of British nobility, had other plans that didn't include marriage to a nightclub entertainer. He moved quickly to get rid of her…only to fall victim to her spell himself.

No one who looked like Laura could possibly be a music student and the sister of a minister—she was simply too good to be true. Should he listen to his head or his heart—or would the truth be revealed too late?

Genres: Mystery

Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 1983

About the author

Joan Smith is a graduate of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, and the Ontario College of Education. She has taught French and English in high school and English in college. When she began writing, her interest in Jane Austen and Lord Byron led to her first choice of genre, the Regency, which she especially liked for its wit and humor.
Her favorite travel destination is England, where she researches her books. Her hobbies are gardening, painting, sculpture and reading. She is married and has three children. A prolific writer, she is currently working on Regencies and various mysteries at her home in Georgetown, Ontario.
She is also known as Jennie Gallant

Reviews

[Grace*dnfing books since 2022* · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is really not historical as it is dated, b/c I believe this was written in the 70s. However, my main dislike of the book is my dislike of the main character. I didn't dislike her immediately, but as the book unfolded, I started to despise her more and more, even though I wanted to finish the book. She was snooty (without reason), and despite the fact that she wasn't herself of great background, she seemed to look down on people with lesser occupations (although she was a museum guide). I mean, seriously. I don't know if it reflects upon the mores of the time, but that was so annoying that I ended up hating the book. She also made comments on various people's appearances as well as judged people based on what they wore. Basically, the book was in first person and maybe the author was trying to give a description of the other characters, but it made the main character come off superficial and money-grubbing. In the end, she ends up with one of the guys, and her comment was somewhere along the lines of "well, at least he's not just a Joe Blow so that I can live out the life that I dreamed of and can rub shoulders with the elite." SERIOUSLY??? UGH. If this reflects upon the attitude of the author, then this is one person that I do NOT want to befriend.

I read a lot of her other historicals prior to this book, but this one annoyed me so much that it will be the last one.

[MB (What she read) · Rating 2 out of 5]

A nice old-fashioned romantic mystery. 2.5 stars for me. Would have been higher but I found the plot improbable and the heroine old-fashioned and dippy. This was an older book and you could tell in the supposedly modern heroine who kept needing to be rescued and/or taken care of by men.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars