Jennie Gallant

Imprudent Lady and Talk of the Town, both by Joan Smith, are the two best Regency Romances I've ever read, and my personal benchmark standard for the genre. I've read both at least twenty times.

It's rare for an author to be able to convey attraction purely through witty dialogue and verbal sparring. Her characters are SO much fun. I'm convinced these are two modern novels Jane Austen herself would enjoy.

Finished this with a sigh and a smile. Such a great duo Prudence and Lord Dammler turned out to be. I had my doubts about him at the beginning, but I was besotted by the end.
A library patron recommended this book to me when we were talking about our shared love of Regency romances, and it’s a winner. I loved the way Prudence and Dammler’s relationship developed from that of colleagues to friendship to love. One of my favorite lines from Dammler came in the last few pages.

What a damned

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fool I’ve been all these months, Prue. Why didn’t you tell me I loved you?

The dialogue was quite funny, and Prudence’s Uncle Clarence was comedy gold. Smith’s bio said she’s an Austen fan, and I saw that influence the most in how she characterized Clarence.

I sort of wish I hadn’t torn through this book so quickly, but I think I always feel that way about books I really enjoy. Stopping and savoring is the last thing I want to do. I guess that’s what re-reads are for. show less

Puella Fairmont has little interest in society after her first Season. With her keen observation powers and her sharp wit, she sees little to admire and much to poke fun at in the young beaus of the ton, and she believes her time would be much better spent working on a novel. But her aunt, Lady Sara Mantel, has a stroke of inspiration - Ella shall become Miss Prattle, a hugely influential gossip columnist who delivers scathing set-downs of those she finds most ridiculous (hidden behind her show more secret identity, of course). And the butt of most of Miss Prattle's columns is the handsome, but insufferably arrogant Duke of Clare.

To escape Prattle's sharp tongue, Clare decides upon a house party in the country and unwittingly invites the columnist - in the form of Ella and Lady Sara - along. As the party goes on, Ella comes more and more out of her reserved shell, entertains the guests, charms Clare's mother, and refuses to give Clare the time of day - and what man could resist that challenge?

Escapade was a fun novel, and perfect for what I had in mind - namely secretly reading it in class when lectures got too terribly dull. Ella comes up with some wonderful schemes - a frog race and a jousting tournament that certainly had me stifling giggles behind my notes. The dialogue was witty, the hero just insufferable enough to be great fun, and Ella certainly had spirit - a quality I was a little hesitant whether I would find in a novel written in the late 70s.

Clare is arrogant, but not horribly overbearing; Ella is a bit of a spitfire when roused, but says nothing completely unforgivable. Though there is a Great Misunderstanding, it isn't drawn out and angsty, and it certainly doesn't dominate the book - that honor falls to Ella's charming escapades.

I was a little annoyed at her 'competition'. It would have been nice if at least one of them hadn't been completely one-dimensional to give Ella a run for her money. Honor, in particular, struck me as implausible. But all told, I enjoyed this one - it was sweet. And while I don't normally like romances without love scenes, this one involves a scene when they finally get together that certainly promises passion. And who can resist a novel with frog races? show less

A young woman awakes in a snow filled ditch with no memory of who she is or how she got there. She walks to a small village vicarage for help. After an unsuccessful week trying to figure out who she is, the vicar tired of her managing ways and afraid she will put a strain on the vicarage funds, palms her off on the local Lord. Lord Ludwig hires her to polish his young sister’s French and art, while helping to solve the mystery. I really liked this romance because of the logical way they show more precede trying to investigate and for the banter and veiled sarcasm that happens between the h/h. He has a dotty aunt and is stuck in a rut. She wheedles, cajoles, and manipulates everyone into better eating habits and updating their clothing and furnishings. Very funny in places. show less