Shipped off to England to meet her betrothed, Gabby leaves India in the company of young Miss Phoebe and Prince Kasi Rao. A talented storyteller, Gabby keeps the children busy aboard the vessel with tales of India and her dreams for a happy marriage. But all is not well in England. Gabby has been promised to Peter Dewland, who most assuredly does not look forward to marriage with a backward girl from India. While Peter agonizes over his filial responsibilities, his brother Quill struggles to overcome the shattering migraines that have plagued him for years. Neither brother is prepared for the changes that Gabby’s arrival will signal. When Gabby’s charms prove to be too much for Peter’s fashionable sensibilities, it’s up to Quill to handle the matter, and he’s more than happy to oblige.

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I have to admit that my expectations were not very high for the novel, Quill’s condition is exacerbated by er… sexual congress… so I was expecting a very fanciful plot with lots of gratuitous sex, but this was not the case. The plot was engaging and interesting, some of the elements were fanciful, but it did not detract from the story. At times, Gabby almost reminds me of Catherine Morland, her imagination gets her into all sorts of sticky situations.

Gricel @ things-she-read.org ( )

Lady Wombat says:

Sweet, silly, and charming. I particularly liked the heroine, a plump, talkative girl who appears to be brainless on the surface but who is actually quite canny.

This is one of my favorites by Eloisa James. Quill is a lovable, tortured, injured heroine, and Gabby is fun and rather clueless. Peter, in his own way, is an equally interesting character. As usual, however, a secondary plot tends to get in the way and the times when you most want to find out about Quill and Gabby - I really wish she would just stick to one story per book! I think the end of this book goes a little bit far in the melodrama direction as well, but it's still a fun book and I enjoyed it. ( )