#103 (#39) - Last Night's Scandal ~ Loretta Chase

ISBN: 978-0-06-163267-9

There is a very good reason this book was awarded the top slot in 4 categories in All About Romance 2010 Reader Poll .... simply because it is completely and utterly amazing.

The story of two characters that appeared in Lord Perfect, Olivia Wingate-Carsington and Peregrine Dalmay, Earl of Lisle - the step-daughter and ward of Viscount Rathbourne.  Olivia was wild and could scheme, cheat and charm her way along and Peregrine quiet, orderly and determined to live his life hunting antiquities in Egypt.

Years later he has been called by to England on family business and gets re-acquainted to the whirlwind that is  Olivia.  Their adventures take them off to Scotland under the not very watchful eye of some of the Dowager Lady Hargate's cronies, where they find ghosts.  Do they find romance though, or does Olivia prove too much to handle for Lisle?

A 5 ***** Star read all round.  Loretta has now also written about three of the Dreadful DeLucey cousins ... which is sure to e another winner.  Plus, I've just read on her site that they digitalising the out-of-print books ....phew what a relief as I haven't managed to track them down yet.

Next book on my list is one by Evelyn Hood, from the preface it seems to be about a Scottish Fishing Village ... not my type of thing, but I've been pleasantly surprised in the past by Audrey Howard, so I will give it a go.

Kay

#88 (#24) - Mr Impossible ~ Loretta Chase

ISBN: 0-7499-3711-4

Right, lets just get right to a rating a big fat 5+ *****+ Stars from me - I love, love, love, LOVE Loretta Chase and the story of the Carsington boys.

Who could fail to fall in love with Rupert Carsington .... I couldn't and ultimately neither could Mrs Daphne Pembroke.

It was a set up, of course, but then so were the marriages of Alistair and Darius too.  Only Mr Perfect seemed to find his own lady love.

Lord Hargate is fed up with the amount of money his 5 sons are costing him, so Rupert was dispatched off to Egypt to work for the Consul .... there he is thrown into jail for assisting a beggar.  Simultaneously, Daphne Pembroke's brother is kidnapped and it's suggested that she let Rupert assist her with finding him.

Assist probably seems to strong a word, as she finds him a great lumbering ox with not a brain in his head.  Unlike her .... she has an enormous brain ... .but has had to try and cover it up using her brother as camouflage.

They set out on a journey down the Nile to find her brother .... but they also find each other along the way.

Hop and skip to the book shop to get this one (don't run it will alert others to the fact that they books are really rather, lovely, entertaining, funny and great to read, you don't want anyone getting them before you do!)

By my count I just have one further brother to go, Geoffrey Carsington story but I don't think she has actually written it yet.

There is Last Night's Scandal to read though, which features Olivia Wingate-Carsington the step-daughter of Lord Robert and Peregrine Lisle, his nephew.  I need to score that one soon as reading a Loretta Chase book makes my impossibly happy.

Happy reading.

Kay

#78 (#14) - Lord Perfect ~ Loretta Chase

ISBN: 0-7499-3728-9

It was so nice to read another Loretta Chase work ........... sheer genius ............ I love her style.

Although I have only read two others before, both of which were stories of this hero's brothers.

This time it was the turn of the "Perfect" (and so different from his brothers) Lord Benedict Carsington, heir to the Earl of Hargate and beautiful widow Bathsheba Wingate.

Bathsheba is determined to provide a worthy upbringing for her daughter, but the hoyden Olivia has other ideas.

Bathsheba's first meeting with Benedict is at the British Museum where Olivia lays about his young Nephew, Lord Lisle, with a sketchbook.  Things go from bad to worse when the young pair then strike up a clandestine correspondence and run away to find the Disgraceful DeLecey family treasure.

It falls to Benedict and Bathsheba to bring them back without falling into the trap of their own utter attraction to one another, and causing a scandal ......... as if!!!

A wroth 5 ***** Star read as always with this author.  I need more of her books, but sadly some of them are out of print and not available at the library, so fingers crossed I can track them down - I especially don't want to miss the stories of the other remaining brothers.

Happy reading - next on my list is a Julia Quinn ....... always a happy event.

Kay

#38 - Not Quite a Lady ~ Loretta Chase

ISBN:  0-7499-3795-5

This one followed on - although I am not sure sequentially in her writing - from the 'Miss Wonderful' book earlier this month.

The story of one of the younger brothers of Alistair Carsington, Darius and the already deflowered and dishonoured Lady Charlotte Hayward.

Darius is told by his Father, Lord Hargate, that he is a drain on not only the family resources, but the family honour and must take a property just out of Chancery and make a profit in a year or find and marry an heiress.  The property next door is owned by Lady Charlotte's Father, Lord Lithby.  Charlotte had spent the last 11 years after the cover up of her predicament by becoming very accomplished at not being put in a position where she would have to marry somebody, and they dreadful secret would be out, amd her Father would find out that her Stepmother played a big hand in helping her, not to mention how betrayed her Father would feel.

Splendidly humorous,  with fabulous scenes and characters in it, and a nice subject usually not covered by an author, i.e. what happens when a young innocent is actually deflowered by an utter rouge and the cover up behind it ...... which in this case eventually turned out just fine.

A 4 star **** read. The cover on the other hand was naff as a cheap shell suit, and would not lead anyone to believe such a good book lay beneath.