Smugglers' Summer

Rating:
Summary: A light comedy adventure
Review: I thought this book was quite enjoyable. Julia and Octavia are cousins, Julia being tall, rich, slender and beautiful while Octavia is plump, poor, and somewhat homely. But the two cousins have huge hearts and they are wonderful. Julia is ready to accept the marriage proposal of a wealthy and suitable caring, young man until she falls in love with Octavia's best friend, a poor young man with not much to offer but his love. Well, when Julia's parents find out how she feels, they forbid her to see him and send her off to stay at a house far away and they send Octavia with her. From there, the light romance starts as they run into smugglers and have an adventure of their own. All the while, Julia is striving to push away the feelings she has for her beloved but she is just too true to her heart. Octavia comes out of her shell and starts to be the charming young woman she has kept hidden. But soon, things will start to fall into place. I recommend this book as a great vacation read. It is quite unlike any book I think I have ever read and I loved every minute of it.

Rating:
Summary: A satisfying read, with great characters
Review: The romance aspect of this book is a bit slim, because most of the story involves intrigue about smugglers, and it isn't until the last few pages that the hero and heroine figure out they love each other. There are two other secondary romances--one between the heroine's cousin Julia and a political activist, and one between the housekeeper and a smuggler. By the way, in this book, the smugglers are neither bad, nor dangerous, and the main characters are actually cheering for the, which made for an interesting perspective. What made the book most enjoyable was the gradual revealing of the characters' personalities, the fun dialogue, and the playing out of the plot. I laughed out loud when the heroine, Octavia, accidentally becomes "foxed" by drinking spiked cider. There was humor and mystery in this novel, combined in an effective way. It isn't so much a "romance" novel as it is a novel with a bit of romance. A great light read to entertain for several hours. It is long enough to allow for good development of character and plot, but not weighty at all. Highly recommended! I wish the author would write more like this one.