One Night for Love

I'm a sucker for stories like these. ( )

Excellent ( )

I really enjoyed this well developed story - a real keeper!

http://ktleyed.blogspot.com/2009/08/one-night-for-love-by-mary-balogh.html ( )

A silly, trite and oh so predictable regency romance. The story opens as Neville Wyatt Earl of Killbourne is preparing to wed his childhood friend and in walks the bedraggled Lily - the wife he thought dead and no one knew existed. Back flash to a year ago when Neville served in the military and Lily's father died and Neville married her for protection - a bit of a stretch there as her father was a sergeant and Neville heir to an earldom and a major. Oh well. They have "one night of love" and then Lily is believed to have died after suffering from a gunshot wound.

Now flash back to present and Neville's got a sticky wicket on his hands with an illiterate lower class wife, although he is still in love with her. The story continues as Neville's aunt Elizabeth takes Lily in hand to teach her to read, dress and act the part of a lady and of course she's a smash and all the _Ton_ think she's the greatest thing since sliced cheese. There's also a mystery about her true parentage and she has several mysterious accidents -- is someone trying to kill her?

Did I make that sound exciting enough to make you run out and buy this? I hope not, as while reasonably entertaining as a regency romance it's certainly not the best out there either. One dimensional characters (with incredibly silly names at that) and a very very predictable plot (figured most of it out before page 100) all add up to a very average read IMO, although it does well enough for when one is in the mood for a mid-work week non brain taxing read. If you are dead set on reading this, get it from the library first and then buy it if you love it. ( )

not a keeper ( )