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Escapade
SOARING ACROSS THE CHANNEL WITH A ROGUE? HER ADVENTURES WERE JUST BEGINNING!
Lady Maria Carlton, woefully tired of her insipid life, eagerly followed the exploits of the intrepid lady aeronaut, Madame Blanchard. But when she attended one of Madame's launchings, she never dreamed she'd find herself airborne with a most handsome stranger -- crossing the English Channel!
Her companion was Lord Brett, whose reputation for lovemaking had earned him six pages in an infamous lady's memoirs. Worse, he was hiding from the law. Worse than worse, the press believed Maria was Madame Blanchard!
Quite a muddle indeed. And Lord Brett's intoxicating kiss didn't help matters!
Lady Maria Carlton, woefully tired of her insipid life, eagerly followed the exploits of the intrepid lady aeronaut, Madame Blanchard. But when she attended one of Madame's launchings, she never dreamed she'd find herself airborne with a most handsome stranger -- crossing the English Channel!
Her companion was Lord Brett, whose reputation for lovemaking had earned him six pages in an infamous lady's memoirs. Worse, he was hiding from the law. Worse than worse, the press believed Maria was Madame Blanchard!
Quite a muddle indeed. And Lord Brett's intoxicating kiss didn't help matters!
Mass Market Paperback
First published December 27, 1988
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 11, 2015
Maria, Lady Carlton finds widowhood even more boring than her married life. She's forced to listen to her sister-in-law's complaints and care for Jane's horrid Pekinese, Horatio. She dreams of adventure and attends a balloon launch to see her idol, Madame Blanchard. When some English gentlemen get up to drunken revelry at the launch, it has consequences for Maria. Soon she finds herself in a balloon with the notorious (and drunk) Lord Brett with only Horatio for a chaperone. Lord Brett decides to seize the day when he fears he's about to die and kisses Maria. She is horrified at his actions and even more shocked when an accident forces them to hole up at an inn together with no money and a horrid blackmailer sniffing around for a story. He no more believes she is Madame Blanchard as she claims than Horatio can fly. Lord Brett comes up with an obvious solution, much to Maria's dismay which leads to more unintended consequences.
This is not my favorite Marian Devon book. I couldn't stand the hero. He's a rakehell with few scruples. He stops short of libertine but I disliked his behavior. He's drunk when he meets Maria and takes advantage of her all while claiming he's trying to protect her reputation. Even the obvious at the end doesn't make me like him any better. He's cowardly also and makes light of serious situations. He has a few redeeming qualities but overall I just didn't like him. I did like Maria. She's sensible and puts up with a lot from Lord Brett. The plot moves pretty quickly and has some funny moments and tender moments. I just didn't like Brett enough to buy into the romance. Though he's a rakehell the romance is limited to kisses only and a few mentions of naked bodies and many mentions of "the merchant Venus" and mistresses, illegitimate children. There's a little bit of violence, completely justified and handled with humor.
This is not my favorite Marian Devon book. I couldn't stand the hero. He's a rakehell with few scruples. He stops short of libertine but I disliked his behavior. He's drunk when he meets Maria and takes advantage of her all while claiming he's trying to protect her reputation. Even the obvious at the end doesn't make me like him any better. He's cowardly also and makes light of serious situations. He has a few redeeming qualities but overall I just didn't like him. I did like Maria. She's sensible and puts up with a lot from Lord Brett. The plot moves pretty quickly and has some funny moments and tender moments. I just didn't like Brett enough to buy into the romance. Though he's a rakehell the romance is limited to kisses only and a few mentions of naked bodies and many mentions of "the merchant Venus" and mistresses, illegitimate children. There's a little bit of violence, completely justified and handled with humor.
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March 14, 2025This was the first Ms Devon book I didn't like. The plot was too farfetched. The FMC was too prudish and moralising, which made the banter between the MC not so much fun. I started to skimm the boring dialogues when the other woman entered the scene. Nothing interesting happened whatsoever. I couldn't care less if the MC finally end up together or not. No recommendation.
January 26, 2022
Delightful, light- hearted romp. Widow meets rake, who’s not really a rake, and they embark on an accidental balloon ascension across the channel. I love a book that makes me laugh.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 20, 2015
What nonsense this book. I know we have to give some allowances for period details, but a balloon ascension was even more expensive than it is now. And the not showing up of the balloonist is just too much to believe. From this point on it gets regrettably worse.
July 26, 2011
Not as good as Georgiana, but still a fun quick read
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews