From Publishers Weekly
A strong and charming encore to The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown, this superb Regency-era novella collection is punctuated by gossip columnist Lady Whistledown's witty comments and penned by the same authors who contributed to the previous book. A disastrous dinner party during which a ruby bracelet goes missing-and four couples discover or rediscover their soul mates-sparks the collection. Each tale follows one pair as they tackle the obstacles to love, but the stories are skillfully interwoven to the point where they present the same encounters and relay the same dialogue from different points of view. At times, references to the other couples can feel forced, but the authors are largely successful in piecing their hilarious and sometimes touching stories together into a delightful romantic quilt. Similarities abound: the heroines are unwed virgins, the heroes unwed but not virginal, and all are filled with gratitude that they found each other. Only Hawkins's story, featuring a wedded couple estranged for 12 years, stands strangely apart, as it explores the darker issues of pride, betrayal and forgiveness. Sure to be as popular-if not more so-than the previous Whistledown, this winsome collection is a cut above most romance anthologies. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Lady Whistledown Strikes Back FROM OUR EDITORS
The Barnes & Noble Review
Society reporter and gossip Lady Whistledown, created by Julia Quinn in her novel The Duke and I, resurfaces in this delightful anthology of Regency romances by four different authors: Julia Quinn, Mia Ryan, Suzanne Enoch, and Karen Hawkins. Each story focuses on a single couple (Tillie Howard and Peter Thompson; Bella Martin and Anthony, Lord Roxbury; Charlotte Birling and Xavier Matson; and the estranged Easterlys) and their diverse paths to love. Charmingly executed, the four stories are set against the background of Lady Neeley's dinner party, where a ruby bracelet is stolen, casting suspicion first on one gentleman, then another. Readers will feast on the disorderly dinner party hijinks and relish the graceful cameo appearances of the various couples in each other's stories. Ginger Curwen
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Who Stole Lady Neeley’s Bracelet?
Was it the fortune hunter, the gambler, the servant, or the rogue? All of London is abuzz with speculation, but it is clear that one of four couples is connected to the crime.
Lady Whistledown's Society Papers, May 1816
Julia Quinn enchants: A dashing fortune hunter is captivated by the Season's most desired debutante...and must prove he is out to steal the lady's heart, not her dowry.
Suzanne Enoch tantalizes: An innocent miss who has spent her life scrupulously avoiding scandal is suddenly — and secretly — courted by London's most notorious rogue.
Karen Hawkins seduces: A roving viscount comes home to rekindle the passionate fires of his marriage...only to discover that his beautiful, headstrong bride will not be so easily won.
Mia Ryan delights: A lovely, free-spirited servant is dazzled by the romantic attentions of a charming earl...sparking a scandalous affair that could ruin them both.
You'll hear it first from Lady Whistledown
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
A strong and charming encore to The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown, this superb Regency-era novella collection is punctuated by gossip columnist Lady Whistledown's witty comments and penned by the same authors who contributed to the previous book. A disastrous dinner party during which a ruby bracelet goes missing-and four couples discover or rediscover their soul mates-sparks the collection. Each tale follows one pair as they tackle the obstacles to love, but the stories are skillfully interwoven to the point where they present the same encounters and relay the same dialogue from different points of view. At times, references to the other couples can feel forced, but the authors are largely successful in piecing their hilarious and sometimes touching stories together into a delightful romantic quilt. Similarities abound: the heroines are unwed virgins, the heroes unwed but not virginal, and all are filled with gratitude that they found each other. Only Hawkins's story, featuring a wedded couple estranged for 12 years, stands strangely apart, as it explores the darker issues of pride, betrayal and forgiveness. Sure to be as popular-if not more so-than the previous Whistledown, this winsome collection is a cut above most romance anthologies. (May) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
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