I didnt care for this at all. I never made it through the whole book,there was just something so bland and off about the whole book.

Something else that annoyed me was the author cutting to scenes.

The hero is carrying the heroine to her home to get her help,then in the next paragraph some time has passed.

The heroine is waiting for her fiancee to come visit her

Then cut! to the heroine telling her brother "yep my fiancee was here and broke the engagement, because he cant stand to look at my face"

It was like the author was to go to the effort and write those scenes.

Isnt there an useful rule for writing? How does it go again? Oh yes...
show dont tell

And the hero was too arrogant He was a bit too casual about crashing his curricle and nearly killing a small child(heroine was trying to rescue it)

Then the heroines younger brother gets it in his head that since the "hero"(i say hah!) was responsible for his sister scarred face leading to her believe no one will want to marry a woman like that,the brother decides to call on the hero guy.

He is essentially made fun off and sent away.

When I read the blurb I thought it sounded interesting but the characters were so one-dimensional I couldnt finish it.

I wouldnt recommend this at all. :I

( )

Old book. Liked this one well enough that it was a keeper for a while. ( )

While it's no standout for innovation in traditional regencies, it's absolutely perfect as what it is - a light, fun marriage of convenience story with enough wit and drama to stay entertaining from start to finish.

Army Captain Darius St. John is just about to pull even in a carriage race down a narrow country lane when he has to suddenly swerve at the last second to avoid a child in the road. As he does so, a woman dashes in front of him and yanks the boy clear of the road. Everyone survives the accident, although the woman is injured by flying debris in the ensuing collision between the curricles and is left with a jagged scar down her face.

Elizabeth Gainsborough was the shining belle of the London Season and set to marry an equally sought after gentleman at the end of the summer. When she notices how he can no longer bear to look at her marred face, she calls off the engagement, unwilling to marry a man who's disturbed by her appearance. Though she's content to retire to her family's country estate and be a doting aunt, her brother thinks otherwise, and sets off to demand Darius substitute himself for the dismissed fiance.

So, like I said, this book wins no awards for innovation. It's your standard marriage of convenience plot. There's the awkward wedding night (though this book is fade-to-black in the bedroom), the surprising appearance of mutual affection, the misunderstanding that sets them back and the climactic event that brings them back together. Even in 1991, this was old hat.

But, I mean, so what? The characters are all a satisfying mix of motives, quirks and other traits that it's still a fun trip. The flirtatious banter between Beth and Darius sparkles as much as their mixed signals rankles. They both make mistakes, but they do it in ways that are true to their characters, so it's suspenseful rather than exasperating. You know they'll work it out, but you want to stick around and see how, if only to see them giggle to each other about how wrong they'd been.

The only complaints I have for this fun story would be with the uncomplicated supporting characters. The antagonists in particular were too clearly written as bad people. The dismissed suitor, selfish cousin and slutty dowager duchess were almost cartoonish in their actions. They'd have been much more satisfying and effective characters if there had been more ambiguity in their behavior and motivations.

For a fun, light regency, this is a joy to read. So long as you're not expecting a groundbreaking sort of experience, there's a lot to like here. ( )