Gallant Waif

Kate Farleigh's father and brothers all died in the Napoleonic Wars in Spain so she's left penniless and with no relations. She's used to deprivations as she followed her family about the Peninsula tending wounded and helping keep her brothers comfortable, and she's not afraid of work. She offers to take a job as a servant, but her great-godmother has other plans for her.

Major Jack Carstairs has sunk into despair because he was badly wounded in Spain, disinherited by his father, and jilted by his shallow fiancee. But when his grandmother kidnaps Kate and foists her upon him as a temporary housekeeper/guest, the sparks fly. His protective instincts are aroused, and he attempts to order her about so she won't do work he considers beneath show more her. But unlike even the staunchest man of his acquaintance, the small Kate not only refuses to obey orders, she downright defies him with humor and a rousing temper. Not to mention the exasperating girl may be able to help him with his wounds.

The sparks definitely did fly. Both the main characters have incurable tempers, but their fights usually give way to witty banter and/or sexual tension. It was hilarious - you could really feel the passion sizzle, and their exasperation mount... Unlike most stories with wounded heroes who are 'saved' or 'cured' by love, this one seems very realistic. There is no saving here, simply sensibility, practicality and a great deal of feistiness that first distracts him from his depression, then shows him a different way of addressing his injury. The novel was touching without being sappy and very funny, too. I loved it, and highly recommend it. Great fun. show less

It's fluff, of course, but very _good_ fluff. Some of Anne Gracie's books leave me cold, but the good ones are excellent and this is one of them. A wounded soldier - physically and emotionally - and a woman who knows that by the dictates of her culture she's a permanent outcast. Both fiery-tempered, both certain that the other could and will do better; complications of money, friends, and enemies. A few misunderstandings (which I tend to dislike), but more silence than misconstrued words. It had me crying at several points, including the end - and laughing at several others. His grandmother's flat out lies are only a minor distraction from an excellent story. I'll have to try more Gracies, and see if I can figure out a pattern to find show more the good ones. show less

Gallant Waif ended up being one of those books that I had a somewhat difficult time rating. The writing itself is excellent and well-deserving of having been a finalist for the Rita Award, but the push-and-pull relationship wasn't entirely to my liking. The hero and heroine of Gallant Waif have a love/hate romancethat is about as tempestuous as I've read to date. This is something that I usually don't care for, but somehow it didn't annoy me in quite the way that most stories of this type would. I think this had a lot to do with both characters still being very sympathetic underneath the armor of their obstinacy. The author gives a lot of insights into why they think the things they do about each other, which in context, made a lot of show more sense to me. I still felt like shaking both of them on occasion though, because most their problems boiled down to a lack of communication and sheer stubbornness on both their parts. The softer moments are rather few and far between and didn't last long enough for me, but are very romantic when they happen. The vast majority of Jack and Kate's interactions are spent arguing. Sometimes their quarrels are laugh-out-loud funny, sometimes they are merely heated disagreements, and still other times they actually say things that are emotionally hurtful, occasionally deliberately although usually not. Whatever they happened to be wrangling over though, it all seemed to be a carefully choreographed dance to keep each other close while still holding each other at arms length and stubbornly denying their feelings. Although there were times that I wished that one or the other would lighten up a little, I strangely still understood them for the most part which is how I know that this novel was so well-written.

Jack isn't quite as intensely tortured as some heroes I've read, but he does have a tendency to brood a lot and drink too much. He was severely wounded during the Peninsular Wars and came home with his once handsome face now seriously scarred and a bum leg that prevents him from dancing or riding. Jack's father died just before his return having disinherited him for his choice of fiance, leaving Jack with only a run-down country estate and 500 pounds to his name. Then his shallow fiance broke off their engagement because of his scars and near-penniless state. All of this has left him understandably cynical, so when Jack's grandmother brings Kate to his home, he is trying to hide away from the world and drink himself into oblivion.

Kate is orphaned and penniless herself, with her father having been a poor vicar. He and her brothers were all killed in the war. Kate is considered by society to be a gently bred lady, but having traveled with the army on the Peninsula, she has seen and experienced the darker side of life. In fact, some unfortunate things happened to her during that time which make her believe that she is un-marriageable and have made her prefer a reclusive life away from society as well. I liked the dichotomy of her struggling to face what she believed was the reality of her future and still dreaming of getting a Cinderella-style HEA. Her father had also resented her, because of her mother dying while giving birth to her, so Kate never had her father's love, nor was she as well-educated as most ladies would have been. Her education was more one of experience, but she was a strong young woman who didn't shy away from hard or difficult work. When Jack's grandmother, who was godmother to Kate's mother, hears of her plight and comes to whisk her away, Kate resists, only to find herself thoroughly tricked and kidnapped by the old lady. Once she is safely ensconced in Jack's country home, she energetically throws herself into righting not only Jack's household but Jack himself. Of course, she initially doesn't realize that she's having a desirable effect of a different sort on Jack.

In all honesty, I'm not really used to both the hero and heroine being so emotionally damaged. Usually, when one character is severely battered in body and/or spirit, the other one is a little lighter. While it often takes a wounded person to understand a wounded person, I think I tend to prefer that one character be strong and understanding while also being less angsty. Jack and Kate carry about equal baggage, so they are both very emotionally intense while also both being incredibly stubborn. I will admit that it made them perfect for one another in some ways, because they were both willing to say what needed to be said when the other one needed a kick in the pants. On the other hand it was that angst and stubbornness which made them butt heads so often. It also kept them apart until the very end of the story, and diminished some of the emotional connection for me.

The one good thing about Jack and Kate's obstinate natures was that it created a situation that was ripe for sharp, witty bantering. I loved how sometimes Kate would verbally bait Jack, and then he, the military man who was used to ordering people around, would suddenly become flustered and not know what to say. These exchanges had me in stitches, and I have to say that I haven't had a book make me laugh like that in quite a while. I also liked Jack's grandmother, Lady Cahill. She was one of those really feisty old ladies who could definitely go toe-to-toe with both Jack and Kate, and without the support and behind-the-scenes manipulation of her and Jack's friend, Francis, I'm not sure they ever would have given in to their feelings for one another. In my opinion, the book could have used a little more dialog, especially of the non-combative type. I think that having three, prominent, hardheaded, alpha-type characters in one story was perhaps a bit too much, but fortunately, I still liked them all anyway. Also, as a side note, this story has no love scenes at all or any other particularly objectionable elements which should make it suitable for a wide range of romance readers. It was obvious that Jack and Kate both had very passionate natures, so I was slightly disappointed by this, but not overly so. Readers who like a good love/hate romance between two willful but likable characters that lead to both funny and emotional moments, should really enjoy this one. Even though I tend to like my romances a little more on the softer side, I actually enjoyed it too, which I think is mainly owing to Anne Gracie's superb writing skill. This was my first book by Ms. Gracie, but I will definitely be checking out some of her others as soon as I can. show less

I enjoyed this book. I had a vague feeling that I had read it before. This author does a pretty good job with the time period. There was one silly misunderstanding at the end that was a bit trite but pretty well done overall.

Such good angst! And banter! Misunderstandings and a protective hero and a brave and interesting and insecure heroine... this one was right up my alley!!

Reading this book reminded me of why I fell in love with the regency romance subgenre, with well drawn characters and a nicely executed plot. This is one I will keep.

Just love everything about this. Love both H and h.