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An Easter Courtship
Lady Jane Ashley is shocked to discover that the handsome man who almost runs her down and carries her home in his arms has the same name as the marquess she believes is responsible for her fiancé's death. Original.
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 28, 2022
It's interesting that the other reviewer thought that the book reminded her of Black Sheep. I thought the beginning was way too similar to Heyer's Lady of Quality, which is thought to be a variation of Black Sheep (also Heyer's). It even has a similar quote related to both guardian and ward behaving childish but only one having the excuse to do so. The h also constantly uses the expression "The devil fly away with you" which is something that Annis from Lady of Quality says when she's distracted from her task by thoughts of the H. That are other similarities as well but, suffice it to say, I was very distracted by it.
The plot is basically that the h helps the H's ward and his cousin from a curricle accident and, when the H arrives following them, they realize he's her deceased fiance's good friend who's thought to have contributed to his death. The H believes she's wasting her time in the country and convinces her to go to London to launch his ward. They're both attracted to each other but the past keeps them apart.
It seem like the author did a lot of research on Easter traditions but, instead of adding to the story, it just feels like she's trying to fit in all the knowledge she has. The book also felt too long and I skimmed through a lot of the middle when the H was gone and his ward took up a lot of the plot. There's nothing inherently wrong with the book but it just felt like the author was trying too hard. I liked the H and h but the constant inner thought of the h became annoying after a while (the author does give us the POV of the H in the beginning, which was nice, but then seems to abandon it).
The ending was also not very satisfying to me with the h forgiving the H's misunderstanding a bit too quickly. It didn't help that one of the plot points came straight from another of Heyer's books (Arabella).
I can see others enjoying this book more than I did, but I much rather read something original and imperfect than something so derivative that it distracts you from the story.
Edit: The whole Lady Jane vs Miss Ashely was bizarre. At first I thought the h had lied to the H about her status when they first meet since he was a stranger, and he kept on calling her Miss as an inside joke between them. But he started referring to her as Miss to other characters and, eventually, others also referred to her as Miss.
The plot is basically that the h helps the H's ward and his cousin from a curricle accident and, when the H arrives following them, they realize he's her deceased fiance's good friend who's thought to have contributed to his death. The H believes she's wasting her time in the country and convinces her to go to London to launch his ward. They're both attracted to each other but the past keeps them apart.
It seem like the author did a lot of research on Easter traditions but, instead of adding to the story, it just feels like she's trying to fit in all the knowledge she has. The book also felt too long and I skimmed through a lot of the middle when the H was gone and his ward took up a lot of the plot. There's nothing inherently wrong with the book but it just felt like the author was trying too hard. I liked the H and h but the constant inner thought of the h became annoying after a while (the author does give us the POV of the H in the beginning, which was nice, but then seems to abandon it).
The ending was also not very satisfying to me with the h forgiving the H's misunderstanding a bit too quickly. It didn't help that one of the plot points came straight from another of Heyer's books (Arabella).
I can see others enjoying this book more than I did, but I much rather read something original and imperfect than something so derivative that it distracts you from the story.
Edit: The whole Lady Jane vs Miss Ashely was bizarre. At first I thought the h had lied to the H about her status when they first meet since he was a stranger, and he kept on calling her Miss as an inside joke between them. But he started referring to her as Miss to other characters and, eventually, others also referred to her as Miss.
June 5, 2021
I was reminded of the Black Sheep a bit (in a nice way) and learned some interesting Easter customs.
The heroine was called Lady Jane, or Lady Jane Ashley in some instances (she is a daughter and a sister of an earl, so this seems right) but in others she is called Miss Jane Ashley and this bothered me a bit.
The heroine was called Lady Jane, or Lady Jane Ashley in some instances (she is a daughter and a sister of an earl, so this seems right) but in others she is called Miss Jane Ashley and this bothered me a bit.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews