A Matter Of Honour

A Matter Of Honour
Anne Herries
The Regency Lords & Ladies Collection
Harlequin Mills & Boon
ISBN 978-0-263-21046-0
Hardback £13.99

Cassandra has recently become an heiress but she has no one to share her wealth. Her beloved brother was killed in France and she is fighting her grief. Now, she is determined to have a season in town so that she can find a man she can marry and have a family life to fill the empty place in her heart. She misses Jack so very much.

Unknown to Cassie, Jack asked five of his friends to look after her, begging that one of them should marry her if he was killed. It is a matter of honour that his last wish be fulfilled. Lord Vincent Carlton drew the short straw – on purpose. He alone of the five knew Cassie as a girl, when they met and it turned out to be embarrassing for Vinnie. However, he is weighed down by guilt and feels unable to approach her for some months. By the time he does, Cassie has already become an heiress.

Cassie is a determined young woman, forever in some scrape. Can Vinnie persuade her to marry him – and can he conquer her heart?

This is an amusing regency more in the style of those written by the great Georgette Heyer. While not quite in her class, it has the fun and frolic of the original regency romances and if you like that you will enjoy this one very much. Morna

4.5 red roses

Scarlet Wind

Scarlet Wind
Frances Burke
Robert Hale Ltd
ISBN 9-780709088059
Hardback £18.99
Blurb
Liberty, fraternity and death to the aristocrats! In Paris 1792 this is the cry of a downtrodden people who have risen against their oppressors. Doctor Juliette Rousel agrees. Yet, could she save some of the imprisoned children and use their blood money to help other innocents?

Juliette is now alone in the world and must earn her living as a doctor. Her father trained her himself and she is competent but in a world dominated by men she can only practice by pretending to be a man. She secures a post in the most dreaded prison in Paris, but then she begins to pity the children, and sometimes their poor parents. Dare she attempt to smuggle them to safety?

Only one man at the prison has guessed her true identity. The brilliant surgeon Armand Dumouriez tries to stop her risking her life but does not betray her. Will Juliette be unmasked and arrested in these dangerous times – and will she fall in love?

This is an intelligent, interesting and well-researched story. As a piece of historical fiction it works very well and the author has a strong style. However, although there is a love story at the heart it did not quite deliver on the emotional level we expect of this kind of fiction. It is certainly not a romance in the accepted sense but still an enjoyable read.

Four red roses. Morna

His Forbidden Liasion

His Forbidden Liaison
Joanna Maitland
Harlequin Mills & Boon ltd
ISBN 978-0-263-867898-5
£3.95

Regency Historical
Blurb.
Only she could tame him!
Lord Jack Aikenhead’s notorious exploits have finally caught up with him and now he must restore his reputation – by undertaking a covert intelligence operation in war-torn France.

In this latest episode of the Aikenhead Honours, Jack is in France with his friend, known as a German because he cannot speak French. The utmost secrecy needs to be applied to this mission but almost immediately Jack risks it to help a beautiful woman, which results in him being chased, Ben badly wounded and a total misunderstanding with Marguerite Grollier. She believes he is a Bonapartiste rather than an English gentleman here to gather information about the Emperor’s impending return.

Full of adventure and sensual attraction, this book entertains from start to finish. I haven’t read the others in the series but I imagine fans will have been eagerly awaiting the latest.

4.5 red roses. RS