The Greatest Lover in All England

Rating:
Summary: Funny and Delightful!
Review: Orphaned as a young child, the only life Rosie can remember is traveling, and appearing on stage with a ragtag band of actors. Disguised as a boy, Rosie is Sir Danny�s daughter and part-time son, who barely live above the law. But Sir Danny has plans for Rosie. Plans which involve an arranged marriage to Sir Anthony Rycliffe, master of the Queen�s guard, and the first to see the woman beneath Rosie�s disguise. The Queen awarded Sir Anthony an unclaimed estate for his loyal service. But there�s talk of an heir who could return and stake a rightful claim. And if Sir Anthony doesn�t have enough to worry about, he must also protect Rosie from someone who would rather have her out of the picture permanently.

This story is full of Ms. Dodd�s delightful humor. I was hooked in the first few pages and found it difficult to put the book down. A sexy, compelling love story with great main and secondary characters � Sir Danny and Lady Honora come to mind. And even William Shakespeare himself plays a supporting role. Definitely a must read, especially for Dodd fans such as myself.

Rating:
Summary: Not Dodd's best, but still enjoyable...
Review: This somewhat confusing, but fairly enjoyable book is not Dodd's best. I have loved so many of Christina Dodd's books and this one seemed to lack the punch of her other works. The beginning is very slow and if I hadn't been *positive* the story would improve, I simply wouldn't have continued reading. That said, it did get better as it went along, and I was very glad that I 'stuck with it' and didn't give up.

Quite honestly, this seemed to be a mix of an amnesia story and "Shakespeare in Love". If you enjoyed the premise behind the movie of "Shakespeare in Love", you will most likely enjoy this book. The characters, however, were not as fully developed as most Christina Dodd's characters generally are. However, with a lot of imagination, you can make this story one worth reading.

I would recommend this book to others, but with the caveat that they should read other Christina Dodd books first. If this is the first Christina Dodd book you've read, please don't judge her style, her character development or her themes by this one book.