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Talk of the Town
Daphne Ingleside's visit to her Aunt Effie in London was meant to add a little spark to her placid country life. And it did--once the two women decided to write Effie's memoirs. For Effie, a faded divorcée, had been the beauty of London in her day, and many of the town feared their misbehavior would be disclosed. The Duke of St. Felix, misinterpreting their project as a means of blackmailing his family, antagonized the sharp-witted, beautiful Daphne to his peril.
Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
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258 people want to read
About the author
Joan Smith
359 books155 followersJoan 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
May 19, 2021
What fun this was! Another reviewer likened it to one of my all-time favorite movies, His Girl Friday, where Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant go head to head in a razor-sharp, lightning-paced battle of wits. The hilarious and sharp dialog between the hero and heroine, not to mention the epic battles of wit between the heroine and Beau Brummell make for lively and funny reading. I laughed out loud more than once!
A couple of things stopped me going a full 5 stars. For one, this would have worked so much better if the heroine had been older and more experienced. We're not told how old she is exactly, but she is a country-bred young lady of no more than 20, almost certainly, and it seems unrealistic that she could be quite so confident and quick-tongued upon landing in London on a visit to her divorcee (gasp!) aunt. Her lack of experience and a good guide as she charts the dangerous waters of the Ton actually become a plot point, but her ready wit and her ease in talking about scandals old and new, the hero's mistress, etc., just seem out of keeping with a supposedly innocent young lady (however bright and sharp-tongued she may be).
And the ending is far too abrupt! It's nice to know that he dumped his mistress soon after meeting the heroine but JS could easily have delivered that information at a better time than the ILYs--it was a jarring distraction to an ending that seemed too rushed and rapidly wrapped up as it was.
But that aside, JS's "screwball" Regency is an utter delight, with some of the sharpest and funniest dialog I've read in long time. Sure, our hero, a duke, is overbearing, but he's completely bowled over by the heroine and soon waving the white flag, moving quickly past all his misconceptions about her, and coming to her support when things go south. He's very alpha, but our heroine is used to her equally straightlaced and overbearing father and manages him quite well, and it's pretty clear whose wishes are going to take precedence.
Very light on the explicit romance, with just a few kisses coming at the very very end, but despite that, an amusing romp with engaging characters that I would read again.
A couple of things stopped me going a full 5 stars. For one, this would have worked so much better if the heroine had been older and more experienced. We're not told how old she is exactly, but she is a country-bred young lady of no more than 20, almost certainly, and it seems unrealistic that she could be quite so confident and quick-tongued upon landing in London on a visit to her divorcee (gasp!) aunt. Her lack of experience and a good guide as she charts the dangerous waters of the Ton actually become a plot point, but her ready wit and her ease in talking about scandals old and new, the hero's mistress, etc., just seem out of keeping with a supposedly innocent young lady (however bright and sharp-tongued she may be).
And the ending is far too abrupt! It's nice to know that he dumped his mistress soon after meeting the heroine but JS could easily have delivered that information at a better time than the ILYs--it was a jarring distraction to an ending that seemed too rushed and rapidly wrapped up as it was.
But that aside, JS's "screwball" Regency is an utter delight, with some of the sharpest and funniest dialog I've read in long time. Sure, our hero, a duke, is overbearing, but he's completely bowled over by the heroine and soon waving the white flag, moving quickly past all his misconceptions about her, and coming to her support when things go south. He's very alpha, but our heroine is used to her equally straightlaced and overbearing father and manages him quite well, and it's pretty clear whose wishes are going to take precedence.
Very light on the explicit romance, with just a few kisses coming at the very very end, but despite that, an amusing romp with engaging characters that I would read again.
January 17, 2016
Not a piece of classic literature but it made me laugh out loud three times and kept me up late wanting to finish. So for that this delightful little novella deserves five stars.
February 7, 2014
Called the Canadian Georgette Heyer on the book jacket, I've read a few other Joan Smith novels and not really liked them as much as I had hoped. This is by far her best novel of those I have read so far. A young country gentlewoman goes to visit her impoverished aunt in London on a family visit. Upon hearing her aunt's wild stories of the "old days" as part of the Prince Regent's crowd to the dark days of divorce and other highs and lows, Daphne encourages Aunt Effie to write her memoirs. When word of the book gets out to the ton, Effie's old friends reenter her life. Suspicious that Effie's friends are not truly friends, Daphne uses her wit to scandalize and delight Society. She crosses verbal swords with the overbearing Richard Pervival, Lord St. Felix, who tries to keep the ladies from causing more trouble. It follows the Pride and Prejudice model, which I love and though it is predictable, I enjoyed the story very much. At first I didn't care for the stuffy, proud Baron, but Daphne was more than a match for him and their verbal sword play made me laugh. I am quite satisfied they will be very happy sparring with each other for the rest of their days!
April 25, 2018
What great witty banters, dialogues! Like in the best novels by Heyer.
Headstrong hero and heroine. And good chosen secondary and tertiary characters.
Interesting historical background. E.g. a conflict between Beau Brummell and Prince Regent.
Forcing to think of social rules in Regency era, of their fairness (or lack of it).
Simply, a great example of Regency romance.
Weak points?
I would like the book to be longer.
And... no, no more weak points ;-)
Headstrong hero and heroine. And good chosen secondary and tertiary characters.
Interesting historical background. E.g. a conflict between Beau Brummell and Prince Regent.
Forcing to think of social rules in Regency era, of their fairness (or lack of it).
Simply, a great example of Regency romance.
Weak points?
I would like the book to be longer.
And... no, no more weak points ;-)
January 4, 2013
I love a great bickering romance and this book now shares a place with Faro's Daughter by Georgette Heyer on the top of my regency favourites list by modern authors. While some might find Daphne and Richard really high-handed, their characters and conflicts felt organic and not contrived. The chemistry between the characters just sizzles beneath their flirt fights and the story line is amusing and different, Effie is a hoot!
January 23, 2023
Fantastic from start to finish! The banters were amusing and witty. My only quibble is that I wished that Daphne was a bit older than her 20-odd years (she can hold on her own with Beau Brummell, for god's sake); that would have been more appropriate and probable. The history bit with the Prince Regent and Beau Brummell was nice. A solid 4.5 stars.
November 18, 2021
4.5 I love Joan Smith! She rescued me from a reading slump!
This was so fun and amusing; lighthearted, witty with charming characters, I could not put it down, and I was sad it ended.
I liked the character of the heroine, she was beautiful, smart and could hold her own against the Hero, who could not get the better of her at any time. I liked her aunt who had a wild disreputable past; so unusual 😄
I particularly liked seeing the Hero fall for the heroine against his will. He found all kinds of excuses to just be in her presence. So love a besotted Hero!
♥️
This was so fun and amusing; lighthearted, witty with charming characters, I could not put it down, and I was sad it ended.
I liked the character of the heroine, she was beautiful, smart and could hold her own against the Hero, who could not get the better of her at any time. I liked her aunt who had a wild disreputable past; so unusual 😄
I particularly liked seeing the Hero fall for the heroine against his will. He found all kinds of excuses to just be in her presence. So love a besotted Hero!
♥️
January 1, 2023
I first read this Regency romance years ago in mass market paperback and remember liking it. But when I saw that the author released it on ebook, I found that I didn’t remember the story at all, so I decided to re-read it. It was just as enjoyable the second time around.
This story is full of witty banter and is a light, cute comedy of manners. I like how forthright the heroine is, although her tongue is at times a trifle sharp for my tastes. But her sarcasm, especially with the hero, shows that she doesn’t care what he thinks and won’t bow to any man.
There are a lot of real historical figures in this book, and to be honest, her portrayal of Beau Brummell is exactly how I had pictured him to be—frightfully clever, and almost unbelievably prideful. I’ve read several novels with Beau Brummell as one of the characters, but I think I like her version the best, as it seems close to what I’ve read about the real person. He also has a not-insignificant role in the story, showing a snapshot of the years of his declining popularity in London. In some ways, it’s like the author’s homage to him.
Overall, this was a sparkling Regency with all the balls, haughty society matrons, and lively, tongue-in-cheek dialogue that made me love the genre so much.
This story is full of witty banter and is a light, cute comedy of manners. I like how forthright the heroine is, although her tongue is at times a trifle sharp for my tastes. But her sarcasm, especially with the hero, shows that she doesn’t care what he thinks and won’t bow to any man.
There are a lot of real historical figures in this book, and to be honest, her portrayal of Beau Brummell is exactly how I had pictured him to be—frightfully clever, and almost unbelievably prideful. I’ve read several novels with Beau Brummell as one of the characters, but I think I like her version the best, as it seems close to what I’ve read about the real person. He also has a not-insignificant role in the story, showing a snapshot of the years of his declining popularity in London. In some ways, it’s like the author’s homage to him.
Overall, this was a sparkling Regency with all the balls, haughty society matrons, and lively, tongue-in-cheek dialogue that made me love the genre so much.
July 9, 2023
This was a total riot, good fun from start to finish. It’s very traditional in style, but given its age that’s only to be expected, and unlike some of that vintage, the romance was quite well developed and not bolted on as an afterthought. And there was not a single kidnapping or elopement or other overblown melodrama.
Here’s the premise: Daphne Ingleside lives a quiet, respectable life in the Wiltshire countryside, but when her disreputable Aunt Effie, now a widow for the second time after being scandalously divorced by her first husband, asks for her company in London, she sees an opportunity for a little fun and a somewhat more lively setting. But this isn’t the conventional Regency with balls and routs and the Marriage Mart. Aunt Effie is too poor and disreputable to be invited anywhere. Daphne doesn’t mind. London is exciting enough, and she doesn’t much care to be paraded around anyway. She’ll have a nice quiet time with her aunt, and find something to fill the time. Perhaps her aunt, with her long and unusual history, could write her memoirs?
And all of a sudden, Aunt Effie’s quiet, retired life becomes rather exciting. As soon as the notice appears in the newspaper that she’s writing her memoirs, old friends start appearing and pressing large sums of money into her hands. Some were people she loaned money to, who never paid it back, but some were vaguer about their reasons. Effie thinks they’re just being kind to an old friend, but Daphne realises at once that they all hope to keep their own names out of the book. She finds it all vastly amusing, and of course the money is a great help to Effie.
Into this entertaining situation comes the very unentertaining Richard, the Duke of St Felix, sent by his sister to keep her husband’s name out of the book. But he’s an arrogant so and so, and Daphne can’t resist crossing swords with him, winding him up thoroughly. He leaves believing they are hardened blackmailers, and becomes determined to best the sharp-tongued little termagant. Somehow, he finds reason after reason to return to Aunt Effie’s shabby little apartment to spar with Daphne, and somehow, little by little, Daphne and Effie are edged back into society again, to be befriended by Beau Brummell and the Prince of Wales, no less. Their success is assured… or so it would seem. But their position is precarious, and one slip could see them fall from grace again.
From then onwards, nothing quite goes as expected (at least, not as I expected, anyway). But the romance develops beautifully. It’s always problematic for an author who’s set up the two main characters to be at each other’s throats - enemies to lovers is surely the most difficult trope to pull off, because how can two people who hate each other so much ever end up in love? It defies credibility, yet Joan Smith manages it beautifully, without any trickery, as Daphne and Richard gradually come to realise how things are. Daphne is a little bit too eccentric at times, and perhaps too determined to defy convention just to spite her ‘enemy’, but Richard is steadfast and true, and quite determined to see Daphne and her disreputable aunt restored to society, come what may.
For those who dislike Americanisms, you might want to avoid this one, littered as it is with ‘gotten’ and ‘fall’ and others too numerous to mention, but I was enjoying myself too much to mind. It’s highly recommended for banter aficianados, though, for the spirited exchanges between the two protagonists are glorious. Joan Smith can be a bit variable, but I found this to be one of her more successful efforts. Five stars.
Here’s the premise: Daphne Ingleside lives a quiet, respectable life in the Wiltshire countryside, but when her disreputable Aunt Effie, now a widow for the second time after being scandalously divorced by her first husband, asks for her company in London, she sees an opportunity for a little fun and a somewhat more lively setting. But this isn’t the conventional Regency with balls and routs and the Marriage Mart. Aunt Effie is too poor and disreputable to be invited anywhere. Daphne doesn’t mind. London is exciting enough, and she doesn’t much care to be paraded around anyway. She’ll have a nice quiet time with her aunt, and find something to fill the time. Perhaps her aunt, with her long and unusual history, could write her memoirs?
And all of a sudden, Aunt Effie’s quiet, retired life becomes rather exciting. As soon as the notice appears in the newspaper that she’s writing her memoirs, old friends start appearing and pressing large sums of money into her hands. Some were people she loaned money to, who never paid it back, but some were vaguer about their reasons. Effie thinks they’re just being kind to an old friend, but Daphne realises at once that they all hope to keep their own names out of the book. She finds it all vastly amusing, and of course the money is a great help to Effie.
Into this entertaining situation comes the very unentertaining Richard, the Duke of St Felix, sent by his sister to keep her husband’s name out of the book. But he’s an arrogant so and so, and Daphne can’t resist crossing swords with him, winding him up thoroughly. He leaves believing they are hardened blackmailers, and becomes determined to best the sharp-tongued little termagant. Somehow, he finds reason after reason to return to Aunt Effie’s shabby little apartment to spar with Daphne, and somehow, little by little, Daphne and Effie are edged back into society again, to be befriended by Beau Brummell and the Prince of Wales, no less. Their success is assured… or so it would seem. But their position is precarious, and one slip could see them fall from grace again.
From then onwards, nothing quite goes as expected (at least, not as I expected, anyway). But the romance develops beautifully. It’s always problematic for an author who’s set up the two main characters to be at each other’s throats - enemies to lovers is surely the most difficult trope to pull off, because how can two people who hate each other so much ever end up in love? It defies credibility, yet Joan Smith manages it beautifully, without any trickery, as Daphne and Richard gradually come to realise how things are. Daphne is a little bit too eccentric at times, and perhaps too determined to defy convention just to spite her ‘enemy’, but Richard is steadfast and true, and quite determined to see Daphne and her disreputable aunt restored to society, come what may.
For those who dislike Americanisms, you might want to avoid this one, littered as it is with ‘gotten’ and ‘fall’ and others too numerous to mention, but I was enjoying myself too much to mind. It’s highly recommended for banter aficianados, though, for the spirited exchanges between the two protagonists are glorious. Joan Smith can be a bit variable, but I found this to be one of her more successful efforts. Five stars.
did-not-finish
August 17, 2017Ms. Smith is a good writer, and I have certainly enjoyed several of her books. In this book, I at first enjoyed the repartee between the hero and heroine, as well as all the great secondary characters. The trope appeared to be hate-to-love, so the repartee was pretty biting. However, to score off the hero, the heroine began to do dumber and dumber things, and that really began to irritate me. When she finally did something so stupid to spite him (), I had it. Hence the DNF.
March 23, 2013
This was loads of fun to read. Crackling repartee between the haughty duke hero and the pugnacious and unintimidated heroine. Reminded me of Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant in His Girl Friday.
Why 4 not 5 stars? I find there is more slapstick than development of romance, it happens between the lines with a few, lovely lines here and there and I long for more. I"m simpleminded, I like the evolution a bit more explicit. This is probably my weakness, not the novel's but I am the decider. But take my rating as a personal 4, probably others were more enthusiastic.
Why 4 not 5 stars? I find there is more slapstick than development of romance, it happens between the lines with a few, lovely lines here and there and I long for more. I"m simpleminded, I like the evolution a bit more explicit. This is probably my weakness, not the novel's but I am the decider. But take my rating as a personal 4, probably others were more enthusiastic.
January 15, 2015
Loved the fun, snappy, and sexy dialogue between the uber bossy Duke of Felix and Miss Daphne Ingleside, niece of a scandalous divorcee with many tales to tell about the London establishment. The tone of this older regency romance is quite farcical, but the writing is witty and smart. The sexual tension between the hero and heroine is almost palpable, due almost entirely to their ongoing and heated battle of wits. A very enjoyable read!
August 20, 2018
Very reminiscent of Faro’s Daughter, with less charm. Daphne wasn’t that smart in her behavior, and her aunt was downright stupid. There was comedy through a series of misunderstandings, but not enough to redeem the book. I felt sorry that Effie’s beloved Standington is apparently still an unfaithful lech with an eye for the ladies (which makes their reconciliation that much less believable). Pretty gross that he was after Daphne too...and on his honeymoon?!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 17, 2018
2.45 stars - mild r-lite? (see below)
This was a fast-moving story. Some parts of the book were over-the-top ridiculous and some parts were laugh-out-loud funny. More slapstick and sparring than swoony romance. It had the sparkling, crackling, clever, witty banter that I love. However, I felt that, at times, it went too far and crossed the line from charming, romantic repartee to acerbic, biting, spiteful meanness. It was often fun to watch the main couple spar with one another, but I just wasn’t “invested” in them or rooting for them to fall in love (or in their case crash into love). And the heroine became increasingly annoying as the book went on. Had this book been cleaner and a little more "sparkling" and lot less "acidic", I would have rated it higher.
This would probably be considered a typical “clean” secular traditional regency. But I would call it more of a “tawdry” clean. One of the main storylines revolves around the soon-to-be-released, tell-all diaries from the “wild” younger days of the heroine’s aunt. Therefore, throughout the book, there’s a constant undercurrent (and overcurrent) of seediness. No graphic details, but way too much talk of mistresses, infidelity, lechers, lives of debauchery, etc.
This was a fast-moving story. Some parts of the book were over-the-top ridiculous and some parts were laugh-out-loud funny. More slapstick and sparring than swoony romance. It had the sparkling, crackling, clever, witty banter that I love. However, I felt that, at times, it went too far and crossed the line from charming, romantic repartee to acerbic, biting, spiteful meanness. It was often fun to watch the main couple spar with one another, but I just wasn’t “invested” in them or rooting for them to fall in love (or in their case crash into love). And the heroine became increasingly annoying as the book went on. Had this book been cleaner and a little more "sparkling" and lot less "acidic", I would have rated it higher.
This would probably be considered a typical “clean” secular traditional regency. But I would call it more of a “tawdry” clean. One of the main storylines revolves around the soon-to-be-released, tell-all diaries from the “wild” younger days of the heroine’s aunt. Therefore, throughout the book, there’s a constant undercurrent (and overcurrent) of seediness. No graphic details, but way too much talk of mistresses, infidelity, lechers, lives of debauchery, etc.
January 21, 2025
The first half of the book is wonderful - one of the best repartee and a thoroughly entertaining battle of wits between the MC. I enjoyed that the hero kept ending up meeting the heroine and bested by her, despite his determination not to do so.
The heroine's character is a bit inconsistent - a young, inexperienced, country lady, moving with so much poise and confidence in the London society does not make sense. It would have been better of the author could had defined her personality in a manner that made her interactions with the top elite more believable (fun as they were!).
The second half lets the book down. The characterization of the aunt, Effie - she is supposed to be smart, but her actions contradict this - she lets people take advantage of her so much that she falls from affluence into abject poverty, she refuses to see that her "friends" are self-serving parasites, and also gets back with her unfaithful ex who continues to be a jerk. In the latter part of the book, the heroine starts behaving in an increasingly annoying manner, and the hero makes stupid mistakes, leading to a totally unnecessary misunderstanding (my least-liked trope).
In all, the premise was entertaining, but the characterization was lacking.
The heroine's character is a bit inconsistent - a young, inexperienced, country lady, moving with so much poise and confidence in the London society does not make sense. It would have been better of the author could had defined her personality in a manner that made her interactions with the top elite more believable (fun as they were!).
The second half lets the book down. The characterization of the aunt, Effie - she is supposed to be smart, but her actions contradict this - she lets people take advantage of her so much that she falls from affluence into abject poverty, she refuses to see that her "friends" are self-serving parasites, and also gets back with her unfaithful ex who continues to be a jerk. In the latter part of the book, the heroine starts behaving in an increasingly annoying manner, and the hero makes stupid mistakes, leading to a totally unnecessary misunderstanding (my least-liked trope).
In all, the premise was entertaining, but the characterization was lacking.
September 11, 2016
Another Joan Smith traditional regency. Clean, full of misunderstandings, and with a well wrapped up HEA.
Beautiful Daphne goes to London simply to visit her once-notorious Aunt Effie. To help relieve her Aunt's boredom she agrees it could be fun to turn some of her memoirs into a book (more of a book on her travels), but once society gets a wiff of a book in the works they all assume their dirty laundry is about to be aired. One after another people come to re-pay Effie their debts from years past...in their mind's they're paying Effie a blackmailer's fee to keep their lives out of her book...to Effie her old friends are just being considerate all of a sudden!
Along comes the Duke of St. Felix who sets up Daphne's hackles, and she can't stop herself from antagonizing him. This is all followed by more push-pull bickering between the two, which evolves into attraction.
A fun easy read.
Beautiful Daphne goes to London simply to visit her once-notorious Aunt Effie. To help relieve her Aunt's boredom she agrees it could be fun to turn some of her memoirs into a book (more of a book on her travels), but once society gets a wiff of a book in the works they all assume their dirty laundry is about to be aired. One after another people come to re-pay Effie their debts from years past...in their mind's they're paying Effie a blackmailer's fee to keep their lives out of her book...to Effie her old friends are just being considerate all of a sudden!
Along comes the Duke of St. Felix who sets up Daphne's hackles, and she can't stop herself from antagonizing him. This is all followed by more push-pull bickering between the two, which evolves into attraction.
A fun easy read.
October 5, 2011
I usually like any book by Joan Smith but I couldnt bring myself to do so in this case :/
The hero was repulsive to me,being just so hateful and arrogant towards the heroine. And I cant say I like the heroine much either,she lacked the spirit and personality of Joan Smiths other heroines.
I also didnt care for the misunderstandings between the couple,misunderstandings between JS characters isnt uncommon in her other books. In those the misunderstandings becomes more like a comedy of errors...in this..the lack of communication between them was just painful to read.
If youre a die-hard JS fan and want to read all her works you should read this book...but I dont recommend it at all.
The hero was repulsive to me,being just so hateful and arrogant towards the heroine. And I cant say I like the heroine much either,she lacked the spirit and personality of Joan Smiths other heroines.
I also didnt care for the misunderstandings between the couple,misunderstandings between JS characters isnt uncommon in her other books. In those the misunderstandings becomes more like a comedy of errors...in this..the lack of communication between them was just painful to read.
If youre a die-hard JS fan and want to read all her works you should read this book...but I dont recommend it at all.
September 23, 2015
As this is a romance, the conclusion is practically foregone, so I do not scruple to indicate my opinion of the ending. I did not enjoy the overbearing personality of the Duke of St. Felix and I felt Daphne was uncharacteristically and unpardonably foolish in the matter of the vouchers to Almack's. I guess you could say I wasn't sold on the romance between them ("Oh, he's domineering just like my father! How fun that will be!"--I paraphrase). 3 stars for the writing, 2 for the main characters (the side characters weren't quite as interesting as Joan Smith sometimes manages). So perhaps 2.5 overall.
April 25, 2021
I enjoyed the banters and I love how savage our heroine is. But what I love the best is how she won every argument with her sharp tounge.
I would have liked to read on the Dowager Duchess' reaction on meeting her and the Aunt (I really would have liked it very much to read on that!) but maybe the author deemed it not necessary but how can it not be? /sigh
All in all, enjoyable, fun and delightful read. ❤️
I would have liked to read on the Dowager Duchess' reaction on meeting her and the Aunt (I really would have liked it very much to read on that!) but maybe the author deemed it not necessary but how can it not be? /sigh
All in all, enjoyable, fun and delightful read. ❤️
July 25, 2025
Talk of the Town was my third Joan Smith book, and I'm happy to say I enjoyed it just as much as Imprudent Lady! I truly enjoyed that book as an introduction to Smith's writing, but after following it up with my 1-star experience with Valerie, I was hesitant to try more of her novels. Thank goodness I decided to make that gamble!
Simply put, this book was a fun time. Dual-POV — which is uncommon in my experience with historical romance but HIGHLY appreciated — we follow Daphne Ingleside and the Duke of St. Felix as her aunt's past comes to life after she announces she is going to write and publish her memoirs. Their relationship is antagonistic from the start, and the verbal sparring they engaged in whenever they saw each other was a delight to read. The fact that Daphne always seemed to hold the upper hand in their arguments was the icing on the cake. Their chemistry flew off the page, and I grew to love Richard (St. Felix) despite his pride and at-first stuffy nature. My only complaint is that I wish we could've seen Daphne and Richard happily together longer than the few pages we permitted in the end.
This was a fabulously enjoyable read, and I plan to pick up a physical copy to add to my library ASAP!
Simply put, this book was a fun time. Dual-POV — which is uncommon in my experience with historical romance but HIGHLY appreciated — we follow Daphne Ingleside and the Duke of St. Felix as her aunt's past comes to life after she announces she is going to write and publish her memoirs. Their relationship is antagonistic from the start, and the verbal sparring they engaged in whenever they saw each other was a delight to read. The fact that Daphne always seemed to hold the upper hand in their arguments was the icing on the cake. Their chemistry flew off the page, and I grew to love Richard (St. Felix) despite his pride and at-first stuffy nature. My only complaint is that I wish we could've seen Daphne and Richard happily together longer than the few pages we permitted in the end.
This was a fabulously enjoyable read, and I plan to pick up a physical copy to add to my library ASAP!
January 10, 2025
My second book by Joan Smith, this time a fully-fledged Historial Romance.
The main character, Daphne, is a smart woman with an even smarter mouth. Still, I missed seeing the girl in action. The other characters were okay, I guess. None that really made a deeper impression (or action). Everything felt rather superficial.
There was a lot of dialogue and very little actually happened (at least that's how it felt). From the middle of the book on, it was very much about who turned up to an invitation and who didn't.
Her Beau's change of heart was a bit unbelievable to me. I remember thinking — *When did this happen? —* when his protective streak started to kick in.
Still, it was a quick, pleasant read, and although it didn't inspire any deeper feelings towards the characters or the plot, I look forward to reading more novels by this author.
The main character, Daphne, is a smart woman with an even smarter mouth. Still, I missed seeing the girl in action. The other characters were okay, I guess. None that really made a deeper impression (or action). Everything felt rather superficial.
There was a lot of dialogue and very little actually happened (at least that's how it felt). From the middle of the book on, it was very much about who turned up to an invitation and who didn't.
Her Beau's change of heart was a bit unbelievable to me. I remember thinking — *When did this happen? —* when his protective streak started to kick in.
Still, it was a quick, pleasant read, and although it didn't inspire any deeper feelings towards the characters or the plot, I look forward to reading more novels by this author.
February 29, 2020
One of the better ones by Joan Smith. Still not one of her best. This is simply a novel about a beautiful lady who slept with men other than her husband. A husband who divorced her. Then she remarried and when she became a widow married again and then again. Between marriages she had a number of love affairs. Now she is a widow again and decides to live in London with her niece, an innocent girl, who is very intelligent and will let no one speak badly about her aunt-- and has the sass to argue with everyone, even the Duke of St. Felix. This time Joan Smith makes no mistakes.
December 30, 2025
She lives with a silly but scandalous aunt who is rumoured to be writing her memoirs, and a lot of people with things to hide get spooked. He is a duke who is spooked on his elder relative's behalf, and comes to bluster and bully the women to submission. Only it is not so easy because the FMC is so ready with the sass. This was not a perfect book by any means but I had to give it all the stars because of so much fun banter that made me laugh.
October 8, 2022
another wonderful book by this wonderful author. i loved the vastly entertaining banter between the hero and the heroine, and the eccentric aunt was endearing as well as amusing. i own i did not like this story as much as the two previous ones i read, imprudent lady and escapade, but i think this one a great book regardless. will continue to read more by this writer
May 17, 2021
I enjoy most joan smith books but this one was one of those where I was 60% done and the main love interests were still arguing nonstop. every page was just top to bottom bickering and aggressive banter. I just wasn't in the mood.
March 7, 2022
Just ok. While I liked most of the characters, the chemistry just wasn't there. I also don't particularly enjoy it when an author uses real people (Brummel, Prinny, etc) in such a prominent way in a work if fiction... Seems pretentious.
November 5, 2022
Very Entertaining Read
Lovely book with very intelligent main characters. The dialogue, especially between the hero and heroine, is witty, sophisticated and sparkling, and would make a great stage play or romcom. Practically a dialogue-writing masterclass.
Lovely book with very intelligent main characters. The dialogue, especially between the hero and heroine, is witty, sophisticated and sparkling, and would make a great stage play or romcom. Practically a dialogue-writing masterclass.
December 20, 2022
4.5⭐️ A quick and very enjoyable read. My first book by Joan Smith and will definitely not be the last. I loved the way the author incorporated non fictional characters and real life events in the story without overwhelming the main fictional ones.
July 20, 2023
Witty banter, delightful characters, famous figures, and nonstop miscommunication rule this enemies to lovers romance. A humorous romp from beginning to end, with quite enough attraction between parties to satisfy.
December 19, 2025
Extremely clever dialogue, likable characters. FL is a total paragon of what a heroine in these books should be, personality-wise. I love Arabella and think it's Heyer's best. This book reminds me of that, though the plots veer in different direction. Highly recommend.
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