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Rating: 
Summary: A puissant Regency romance
Review: Even winning an estate at cards from Lord Barrett turns into another losing chapter in his life for Gabriel Sinclair. He left England in disgrace and just recently returned to win the estate only to have Barrett send thugs after him because dead men not only don't tell tales, they also fail to collect debts. The timely appearance of a coach near the theater alley where he had been accosted saves his life. Psyche Hill thinks Gabriel is an actor that she has hired to masquerade as her fiancé. Though an heiress, her uncle holds her purse strings unless she marries. However, Uncle Wilfred has always managed to drive away her suitors because he plans to have his niece marry his son. The dynamics of relationships change when Psyche introduces Gabriel to Wilfred as her intended. Intrigued by her and needing a haven, Gabriel plays the part of someone in love, which he soon realizes is not a role anymore. Placing aside the name of the lead female character, DEAR IMPOSTOR is a puissant Regency romance that employs action and humor to add depth to an alluring story line. The plot works because the reader can see the transition of Gabriel from bumbling ham into ardent lover at the same time Psyche changes too. The support cast adds intrigue and danger to a fine tuned mix that will send sub-genre fans soaring with Nicole Byrd's engaging historical romance. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable but not top rate -- 3 & 3/4 stars
Review: I like Gabriel a lot. He is charming and witty and sexy, and his charm is based on kindness. Psyche is too self-contained at first, but she shows evidence of her spirit when he puts the odious Percy in his place and becomes infuriated with the "actor" she has hired (Gabriel). Secondary characters appear in the sequel, Lady in Waiting (most to greater advantage). There are problems with the tale, mostly historical inaccuracies, but if you can ignore those, the tale is engrossing and satisfying. Although sometimes taking too long to resolve and sometimes lacking enough motivation, the mysteries and dangers add to the tale's interest and are better integrated into the romance than are the attempts of many others.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice - Great Dialog
Review: In order for Miss Psyche Hill to gain control of a portion of her fortune from her tight fisted uncle she would have to come up with an aristocratic and acceptable fiancé, so she has her maid go out and hire an actor to play the part for an evening betrothal party! Unfortunately, the actor is waylaid and the man who jumped into the carriage which was to have taken the actor to the betrothal party turns out to be the notorious gamester Gabriel Sinclair who was running for his life from some very dangerous 'sore losers' that were out to do him bodily harm! Being quite astute, and a quick study, Gabriel figures out that he is the guest of honor at 'his' betrothal party, when no one disputes who he is when announced as Lord Tarrington - the fictitious name Psyche had given to her relatives of her supposed fiancé. The divine and very proper Miss Hill was so gloriously beautiful that Gabriel decided not to correct her assumption that he was the actor her maid had hired. I really liked this story, especially after Psyche found out that Gabriel was not the actor, but a notorious gamester. The authors developed their characters very well and the dialogs were both witty and intelligent. I found the secondary characters to be quite interesting as well and found Psyche's sister Circe to be quite charming as well as the veritable 'hard as nails' aunt Sophie. What I also found enjoyable was the masterful put-downs Psyche used on her odious cousin Percy who didn't have a clue! The secret of who Gabriel truly was, did seem to be overly long and drawn out and finally meeting his father, gave new meaning to dysfunctional family! The passion was nice, but again nothing to make your toes curl. What I found endearing was Psyche realizing her love for and supporting Gabriel once she saw what kind of a monster his father was. All in all it was a satisfying read that I can recommend and I am looking forward to reading Circe's story the sequel 'Lady in Waiting'.
Rating:
Summary: Nice - Great Dialog
Review: In order for Miss Psyche Hill to gain control of a portion of her fortune from her tight fisted uncle she would have to come up with an aristocratic and acceptable fiancé, so she has her maid go out and hire an actor to play the part for an evening betrothal party! Unfortunately, the actor is waylaid and the man who jumped into the carriage which was to have taken the actor to the betrothal party turns out to be the notorious gamester Gabriel Sinclair who was running for his life from some very dangerous `sore losers' that were out to do him bodily harm! Being quite astute, and a quick study, Gabriel figures out that he is the guest of honor at `his' betrothal party, when no one disputes who he is when announced as Lord Tarrington - the fictitious name Psyche had given to her relatives of her supposed fiancé. The divine and very proper Miss Hill was so gloriously beautiful that Gabriel decided not to correct her assumption that he was the actor her maid had hired. I really liked this story, especially after Psyche found out that Gabriel was not the actor, but a notorious gamester. The authors developed their characters very well and the dialogs were both witty and intelligent. I found the secondary characters to be quite interesting as well and found Psyche's sister Circe to be quite charming as well as the veritable `hard as nails' aunt Sophie. What I also found enjoyable was the masterful put-downs Psyche used on her odious cousin Percy who didn't have a clue! The secret of who Gabriel truly was, did seem to be overly long and drawn out and finally meeting his father, gave new meaning to dysfunctional family! The passion was nice, but again nothing to make your toes curl. What I found endearing was Psyche realizing her love for and supporting Gabriel once she saw what kind of a monster his father was. All in all it was a satisfying read that I can recommend and I am looking forward to reading Circe's story the sequel `Lady in Waiting'.
Rating:
Summary: Additional comments...
Review: On the first try at reading this book, I did not like the cover (which seemed amateurish) or for that matter, the story despite the promising beginning. I set the book down for a couple of weeks, during which I indulged a vampire/erotic fix. When I came back to the book, I was much more forgiving of the cover, of the story itself (writing style, plots and all). There are significant jumps in logic (or errors, if you will) starting from the fact that there were few marquesses (not marquises) in the Irish peerage (or for that matter in the British peerage), and any one could have challenged Gabriel's identity from the start. I chose not to penalize Nicole Byrd on this point, given the errors made by other authors (including Kelly in MISS MILTON SPEAKS HER MIND). If this and other problems in logic bother you, avoid this book. I read it strictly as a piece of fantasy. I allowed for Gabriel's deception to proceed, for Gabriel's allowing a villain to harrass him without calling in the forces of law and order, for the villain to be obssessed by revenge without his motivations being made clear (although I guessed that his hatred increased over time when Gabriel saved a friend from his cluthes). If I do not allow for those things, and mark off for other deductions, this book would rate a 3.2 or so. The writing style is also rather detailed, so if you are not a fan of descriptions of dresses (when the tailors are called in to help Gabriel and at the ball), this book will not please. This is a fun read, a well-written read, but not perfect. I treated it as a slightly upmarket Amanda Quick with a more tortured hero, and was perfectly happy when I finished the book. Others will view this book differently. Rating (taking flaws into account) 3.2
Recommendations - avoid if you dislike errors in logic and hate descriptions of fashion and costume.
Rating:
Summary: Additional comments...
Review: On the first try at reading this book, I did not like the cover (which seemed amateurish) or for that matter, the story despite the promising beginning. I set the book down for a couple of weeks, during which I indulged a vampire/erotic fix. When I came back to the book, I was much more forgiving of the cover, of the story itself (writing style, plots and all). There are significant jumps in logic (or errors, if you will) starting from the fact that there were few marquesses (not marquises) in the Irish peerage (or for that matter in the British peerage), and any one could have challenged Gabriel's identity from the start. I chose not to penalize Nicole Byrd on this point, given the errors made by other authors (including Kelly in MISS MILTON SPEAKS HER MIND). If this and other problems in logic bother you, avoid this book. I read it strictly as a piece of fantasy. I allowed for Gabriel's deception to proceed, for Gabriel's allowing a villain to harrass him without calling in the forces of law and order, for the villain to be obssessed by revenge without his motivations being made clear (although I guessed that his hatred increased over time when Gabriel saved a friend from his cluthes). If I do not allow for those things, and mark off for other deductions, this book would rate a 3.2 or so. The writing style is also rather detailed, so if you are not a fan of descriptions of dresses (when the tailors are called in to help Gabriel and at the ball), this book will not please. This is a fun read, a well-written read, but not perfect. I treated it as a slightly upmarket Amanda Quick with a more tortured hero, and was perfectly happy when I finished the book. Others will view this book differently. Rating (taking flaws into account) 3.2
Recommendations - avoid if you dislike errors in logic and hate descriptions of fashion and costume.
Rating:
Summary: Solid, well-crafted, and nice sub-plots
Review: This is Nicole Byrd (a mother-and-daughter team)'s second regency, after ROBERT'S LADY. I picked this book up on a recommendation from a reading list I belong to, and I was not disappointed. The story has been well-described elsewhere, so I will simply outline my impressions and my rationale for the four-star rating. The book begins excitingly with a stranger being chased by thugs out to get him... And so begins a fascinating story with some great primary and secondary characters... There is humor, there is a dark side showing the pitfalls of gambling in sleazy hells, there is a warm romance building up slowly but surely... I loved this story. The only reason that it got four stars (4.5 actually), and not five, is because of some problems - firstly,... If you want to look at the seedier side of Regency gambling, this book is a must-read. This also works as a slow-building romance between two people who both stand to lose something - Psyche the opportunity to provide her sister with further training as an artist (as well as her own freedom) and Gabriel his dream of returning home in style. Rating = 4.5
Recommended = Highly
Rating:
Summary: Witty Surprises and Just Enough Heat
Review: With a heroine named Psyche Persephone Hill, it is no wonder that Dear Imposter reflects the influence of several myths. The excessively proper Psyche is tempted into an outrageous façade when she learns she will gain control of half of her inheritance when she announces her engagement. She instructs her maid to hire an actor who will play the role of a fiancé. It certainly sounds like the stage for a Pygmalion story with the low-born actor remade into a worthy suitor. But the man who arrives at the betrothal party has no need of instruction; Psyche eventually learns Gabriel Sinclair is not an actor but a most improper gentleman.
Like the Psyche of myth, she falls in love with a man whose identity is a mystery to her. Like the Persephone of myth, she loves a dark figure who frequents the Regency underworld of gambling hells. However, this Psyche challenges her love to make his home in her world while he helps her overcome her fears of impropriety. Meanwhile, the danger escalates through the attacks of Barrett, who would rather kill than lose the estate he gambled away to Gabriel.
Nicole Byrd has crafted a particularly clever tale. The ties to
mythology enhance and never detract from the plot. It takes a great skill to weave all of these elements together this well. Dear Imposter is a joy to read.
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