Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing compared to her 1st one.
Review: (I rarely write reviews, because I read so many books there is no time. Had to write this one, though, to warn others)Since I loved The Ideal Bride, I bought this book with high hopes. Instead of being funny, however, it was just unbelievably ridiculous. I hated the Duke... HATED him. I didn't like the heroine either. This is hands down the most unbelievable romance I have ever read - out of hundreds. I can sum up the book easily. Five minutes after meeting, it is "You love me, but don't know it" --- "No I don't" --- "Yes you do" - keep repeated for a couple hundred pages. And what the heck is the St. Fell slink or the hitch? I couldn't picture this at all. I really wanted to like this book, but just couldn't. I also couldn't believe the good reviews it got. I can't be that out of touch!!! I only rated it 2 stars instead of 1, because I liked the fact that the characters from the Ideal Bride were included (although not as much as I would have liked). All in all, I can't believe the same person wrote both books.
Rating: 
Summary: Very witty characters, but. . .
Review: After reading "The Ideal Bride," I was looking forward to Nonnie St. George's new book which I liked, but not as much. Like "Bride," it is funny. Her great sarcastic dialogue assumes that the reader knows the tone of voice of the character and her intent. If you like Regencies, you will like this book a lot. I like them, but usually find them not romantic enough, and, I admit, I miss the love scenes. The basic plot is a duke who falls in love with a wealthy commoner's daughter whose father wants a title for her. Although the hero and heroine fall instantly in love, neither wants the other to know, and they both play cool. Because most of the book is from her point of view and the reader is presumably female, I wanted him to declare himself instead of "playing" with her affections. Because he never really does this,( he's cool to the end), although we know she does love her, I found the book not as satisfying as I had hoped. I kept waiting for the big scene of his realization that he will/has lost her and his dejection, self-blame and rectification of situation. Having said that, I must say the book make me laugh out loud, although I did get annoyed at too much time with the minor characters. However, to be fair, that's often what people love in Regencies. It's not an intense book, but it's a light one. Try it: you might like it.
Rating: 
Summary: Unrealistic? Yes. Loads of Fun? Absolutely!
Review: Arabella and Diana Swann are the daughters of a wealthy merchant... very wealthy. Wealthy enough to snare them just about any title they could want. But Arabella doesn't give a fig about titles, she just wants someone who can love her for herself and not her hefty dowry. When her father practically shoves Duke St. Fell, a fortune-hunting rogue, into Arabella's lap, she is furious. All she wants is the freedom to choose her own husband...and she'll do it, no matter what her father says. The only problem is, even though Arabella has found a romantic war hero who is a published poet and is willing to marry her dowry or no, aka her ideal, all she can think about is the infuriating, deceitful rake, St. Fell. I found this book to be laugh out loud funny. The dialogue is witty and sarcastic... a nice change from some of the dull as dishwater romances I've had the misfortune to read. I loved the tipsy maiden aunt, the foul mouthed Duchess, the crying Baron, the sexy hero, the father who carries a big stick, and the heroine who is not afraid to say what she means... no matter how shocking. Also, Diana and her earl, who appeared so painfully shy and backwards in company, slipping off to have make out sessions...LOL. What can I say, this is a slightly naughty Regency that is not afraid to laugh at itself or its genre. Regency fans that are able to understand some of the double meanings and inside jokes about the Regency period and romance novels in general will find the book to be a delicious treat. You'll love or hate it... just like sugared almonds and apricot nougets...read it and you'll know what I mean.
Rating:
Summary: Diverting and fun
Review: Arabella Swann is the daughter of an extremely wealthy cit... which makes her a very rich heiress. She is looking forward to her time in London, where she anticipates being courted by a nice gentleman. However, she refuses to marry a man who is after her fortune. She will only marry for love. ...Which is why the Duke of St. Fell is NOT suitable. He is a rake and a cad, and he says the most ridiculous things! As soon as he meets her, he says he loves her--and he doesn't deny the fact that he's a fortune hunter! While she admits she's infatuated with St. Fell, she would never fall in love such a vain, self-important man. Although he does make things interesting... The plot thickens when Arabella is courted by another suitor, the poetic Lord Stonebridge. There are many things I enjoyed about this book. St. Fell was one of the funnest heroes in a long time. Every time he opened his mouth, he lit up the page. The book crackles with wit, and it's hard to read it without a smile. However, there were a few things that were irksome. Sometimes, the text seemed like it was all over the place. The book seems like it could have benefited from a little extra editing, unless the author meant for it to read like a stream of conciousness. Also, there were several times when I thought, "that doesn't seem 100% realistic." It seemed a bit tongue in cheek (but not necessarily in a bad way). Lastly, the last chapter went on too long. It didn't seem necessary. Nevertheless, this is one of the cutest, funniest books I've read in a long time. I do recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: The duke falls in love with a lady who wants to be a rake!
Review: As in her previous book, Nonnie St. George has created a hero who is at the same time supremely arrogant and devastatingly lovable. He is the hero that all young girls dream of--handsome, self-assured, attentive, willing to commit. . . and a duke, to boot! Most girls (especially if they were Cit's daughters) would fall at his feet; clearly that's what he expects her to do. But Arabella isn't most girls. She's a Cit with virtually no social position, but she's got unusual beauty and her father is one of the richest men in England and she expects to shop around a bit before committing herself. Well, a handsome duke is a promising start, but how does she know if her feelings are true if she's never given a chance to get to know other men? This book is a breath of fresh air from other Regencies I have read lately. Oh, it's not perfect (and not as good as the previous one), and I have to agree that it's not terribly realistic. The dialogue doesn't match the period, and there seems to be far too little concern about her lack of social status, especially on the part of the duke's mother. And it's FAR too long; about 40-50 pages could have easily been eliminated with no ill-effects. But I have to say it was a pleasure to find a book where the hero finds himself trying to persuade the heroine that she loves him all the way through the book. No reluctant hero here! Truly a charming story!
Rating:
Summary: She already was an autobuy. Wow.
Review: Holy moly. . .I like it even more than the Ideal Book also known as Ms. St. George's first book. Why? The characters, the dialogue, the fact that the sparks were even hotter. I don't mean the sexual sparks, though they weren't bad either. I mean the interactions between the St. Fell and Arabella seemed like Astaire and Rogers dancing (or more likely Grant and Russell exchanging lines in His Girl Friday, or Grant and Hepburn in anything) Together they are flawless fun. Everything - the situation, the primary and secondary characters, the writing, the one-liners -- it's all perfect for the genre. St George is more than an autobuy. She's won a permanent spot on my Shelf of Humor Gods and Goddesses.
Rating:
Summary: 4 1/2 *s Another fun read from Ms St George
Review: I guess I'm in the minority when I say that I think I liked this book better than the author's highly touted first THE IDEAL BRIDE. And I think what I liked best about it was what many others didn't - our hero, August Warburton, Duke of St Fell. I found him to be intelligent, witty, sly, irreverent, arrogant, sarcastic and mischievous and I thoroughly understood why Arabella was in love with him (`cause I was, too!). Oh yes, he is totally full of himself, supremely self-confident and often aggravating, but I couldn't seem to stop liking him - the same problem Arabella has! Arabella Swann is the daughter of a filthy rich merchant who wants to choose her own husband and marry for love; St Fell is an impoverish duke who needs to marry a fortune. Unbeknownst to Arabella, St Fell and her father have made a deal for St Fell and Arabella to wed, but St Fell knows that Arabella must at least think it is her choice - and naturally, she'll choose him! He's handsome, he's witty, he's a duke - what more could the girl want? And when they meet, he is sure that she is smitten and just needs time to get used to the idea (he's not unaffected himself, but he'd never admit it!). All goes well until St Fell unexpectedly finds himself with a rival for her hand, war hero and poet Lord Stonecroft. Will all his machinations finally win her in the end? OK, there were some unrealistic aspects to the story, but I still found it fun. And, though it may not have come across as well as it should have, I felt that St Fell was playing his games not only for his own amusement, but because he really did care for her. Afterall, she came to London for adventure and excitement, balls and parties and stolen kisses in "dark corners". How could she be expected to just settle for the first man her father threw at her? He wanted to make sure she had choices (though he's infuriatingly sure she'll eventually choose him!) and that she won't some day regret her choice. Though he takes a bit too long to declare his true feelings, I still preferred him to Gabriel Carr from TIB. While Gabriel was a bit of a lovable dunderhead, St Fell was sophisticated, sexy and charming. Arabella was a fun heroine who wanted to experience all that London life had to offer. Though she tries hard to meet other eligible young men, she can't seem to ignore her reluctant, strong attraction to St Fell. They are really two of a kind and very well suited for one another and St Fell seemed to realize this almost from the start. If you don't like arrogant and cocky leading men, this is likely not a story you'll enjoy, but I did. Not as LOL silly as TIB, nor is it without flaws, but still lots of fun!
Rating:
Summary: 4 1/2 *s Another fun read from Ms St George
Review: I guess I'm in the minority when I say that I think I liked this book better than the author's highly touted first THE IDEAL BRIDE. And I think what I liked best about it was what many others didn't - our hero, August Warburton, Duke of St Fell. I found him to be intelligent, witty, sly, irreverent, arrogant, sarcastic and mischievous and I thoroughly understood why Arabella was in love with him ('cause I was, too!). Oh yes, he is totally full of himself, supremely self-confident and often aggravating, but I couldn't seem to stop liking him - the same problem Arabella has! Arabella Swann is the daughter of a filthy rich merchant who wants to choose her own husband and marry for love; St Fell is an impoverish duke who needs to marry a fortune. Unbeknownst to Arabella, St Fell and her father have made a deal for St Fell and Arabella to wed, but St Fell knows that Arabella must at least think it is her choice - and naturally, she'll choose him! He's handsome, he's witty, he's a duke - what more could the girl want? And when they meet, he is sure that she is smitten and just needs time to get used to the idea (he's not unaffected himself, but he'd never admit it!). All goes well until St Fell unexpectedly finds himself with a rival for her hand, war hero and poet Lord Stonecroft. Will all his machinations finally win her in the end? OK, there were some unrealistic aspects to the story, but I still found it fun. And, though it may not have come across as well as it should have, I felt that St Fell was playing his games not only for his own amusement, but because he really did care for her. Afterall, she came to London for adventure and excitement, balls and parties and stolen kisses in "dark corners". How could she be expected to just settle for the first man her father threw at her? He wanted to make sure she had choices (though he's infuriatingly sure she'll eventually choose him!) and that she won't some day regret her choice. Though he takes a bit too long to declare his true feelings, I still preferred him to Gabriel Carr from TIB. While Gabriel was a bit of a lovable dunderhead, St Fell was sophisticated, sexy and charming. Arabella was a fun heroine who wanted to experience all that London life had to offer. Though she tries hard to meet other eligible young men, she can't seem to ignore her reluctant, strong attraction to St Fell. They are really two of a kind and very well suited for one another and St Fell seemed to realize this almost from the start. If you don't like arrogant and cocky leading men, this is likely not a story you'll enjoy, but I did. Not as LOL silly as TIB, nor is it without flaws, but still lots of fun!
Rating:
Summary: I fell for St. Fell!
Review: I liked this book much better then "The Ideal Bride". Arabella Swann was a fun if light hearted heroine and St. Fell was just darn sexy. Sure, people meet and are attracted right away but not necessarily love right away which is why I liked the fact that the author describes the theatre evening in terms of conversation. Nola and Garbriel were referred to in this story but frankly, I forgot who they were at first!! Hint to authors: if you are going to include previous couples from books already completed, a bit backgroup/review would be helpful. I do agree, however, that a Cit marrying a Duke, no matter how much money, would cause a stir and this could have been more realistically handled. It also would have been interesting to include an epilogue on them, especially since St. Fell felt sure they would have boys. I thought, perhaps, that there would be another sequel about Toby or Compton, but I read that the author is now working on contempory books, which is too bad. Interesting regency writers are getting rare these days. I did feel, though, that the author use of the maiden Aunt and St. Fell's Mom too much - they become annoying and a hinderence to the story.
Rating:
Summary: I fell for St. Fell!
Review: I liked this book much better then "The Ideal Bride". Arabella Swann was a fun if light hearted heroine and St. Fell was just darn sexy. Sure, people meet and are attracted right away but not necessarily love right away which is why I liked the fact that the author describes the theatre evening in terms of conversation. Nola and Garbriel were referred to in this story but frankly, I forgot who they were at first!! Hint to authors: if you are going to include previous couples from books already completed, a bit backgroup/review would be helpful. I do agree, however, that a Cit marrying a Duke, no matter how much money, would cause a stir and this could have been more realistically handled. It also would have been interesting to include an epilogue on them, especially since St. Fell felt sure they would have boys. I thought, perhaps, that there would be another sequel about Toby or Compton, but I read that the author is now working on contempory books, which is too bad. Interesting regency writers are getting rare these days. I did feel, though, that the author use of the maiden Aunt and St. Fell's Mom too much - they become annoying and a hinderence to the story.
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