Cupid's Dart

Rating:
Summary: An Almost Perfect Regency
Review: I've read a couple other reviews on Amazon that made me think the readers must not be used to 'old-style' Regencies. Romantic Times.com. gave this book a four and a half star review. Maggie MacKeever was one of my favorites back in the days when she was writing traditional Regencies, and I'm delighted to see her back. This book made me grin, chuckle, and then laugh out loud. It's what we used to call a romp: true love all muddled up, countless misunderstandings and mishaps, complicated in this instance by a large energetic dog. In other words, great fun!

Rating:
Summary: An Almost Perfect Regency
Review: Miss Georgiana Halliday is out walking her dog, Lump, when she runs into an old acquaintance--literally. Lord Warwick, the man she crashed into, is surprised to discover how much he wants to kiss Georgiana. So he kisses her. And they both enjoy the kiss immensely.

Never mind the fact that he's married to her cousin, Catherine. Never mind the fact that Catherine is missing. Never mind the fact that Lord Warwick is thought to have murdered his wife!

This is the twisted beginning to a very twisted story. Not to mention, it was filled with plenty of colorful characters. The author was actually weaving 3 interconnected romance plots. We are introduced to Andrew Halliday, Georgiana's brother (who has a prominent limp). We meet Marigold, who has been married 3 times (and she's only 26). Marigold lost her late husband's treasure, The Norwood Emerald. Carlisle Sutton is a man obsessed with India (he is also obsessed with reclaiming the Norwood Emerald). We are also introduced to Sarah-Louise Inchquist, who has an infatuation with Peregrine Teasdale, a handsome young man who constantly spouts off poetry.

If you can make sense of any of that (and if you want to read something vastly unique), you might enjoy this book. I, however, thought there was too much going on at once. I thought the plot was pretty jumbled. However, I did like the witty dog, Lump. And I thought Maggie Mackeever had a way with words. Overall, I'd give the book 2 1/2 stars.

Rating:
Summary: A twisted, mixed-up story
Review: Miss Georgiana Halliday is out walking her dog, Lump, when she runs into an old acquaintance--literally. Lord Warwick, the man she crashed into, is surprised to discover how much he wants to kiss Georgiana. So he kisses her. And they both enjoy the kiss immensely.

Never mind the fact that he's married to her cousin, Catherine. Never mind the fact that Catherine is missing. Never mind the fact that Lord Warwick is thought to have murdered his wife!

This is the twisted beginning to a very twisted story. Not to mention, it was filled with plenty of colorful characters. The author was actually weaving 3 interconnected romance plots. We are introduced to Andrew Halliday, Georgiana's brother (who has a prominent limp). We meet Marigold, who has been married 3 times (and she's only 26). Marigold lost her late husband's treasure, The Norwood Emerald. Carlisle Sutton is a man obsessed with India (he is also obsessed with reclaiming the Norwood Emerald). We are also introduced to Sarah-Louise Inchquist, who has an infatuation with Peregrine Teasdale, a handsome young man who constantly spouts off poetry.

If you can make sense of any of that (and if you want to read something vastly unique), you might enjoy this book. I, however, thought there was too much going on at once. I thought the plot was pretty jumbled. However, I did like the witty dog, Lump. And I thought Maggie Mackeever had a way with words. Overall, I'd give the book 2 1/2 stars.

Rating:
Summary: this Regency romp needed a little more froth
Review: With three interconnecting subplots/romances and a few funny episodes all involving a dog named Lump, "Cupid's Dart" may be safely categorized as a lighthearted Regency romp. But did it make for enjoyable and compelling reading? I've actually read better Regency romps (by inimitable Georgette Heyer for example); on the other hand, "Cupid's Dart" did have its entertaining moments, even if was a little bewildering at times.

Miss Georgina Halliday is leading the quiet life in Brighton (with her aunt and convalescing brother, Andrew), when two old friends (separately) descend on her, each bringing confusion and chaos in their wake. First, a gentleman she's long been in love with but whom she's not seen for years, Lord Garth Warwick, mistakes her for a lightskirt, and kisses her passionately on a deserted Brighton Beach strip; and then an old school friend, the beautiful but incredibly flighty Marigold, turns up at her doorstep demanding that Georgina help her out of the latest fix she's gotten herself into. Soon, Georgina doesn't know if she's coming or going as she tries to juggle account books, her reawakened feelings for Garth, and her attempts to figure out just exactly what kind of trouble Marigold is in (esp since Marigold seems incapable of telling a straight and coherent story)!

"Cupid's Dart" was not a bad read. It was actually quite entertaining. The trouble was that it was also sometimes a little confusing. Garth's story for example, and why he's lived so isolated from Society for so long (and why he was so hesitant to court Georgina more openly) comes out in fits and starts throughout the novel. (Likewise the reason why Georgina is living in straightened circumstances in Brighton and why she quarreled with most of her family.) Since "Cupid's Dart" wasn't a mystery novel, I personally don't think that it would have detracted from anyone's enjoyment of the book if the details of Garth's and Georgina's story (what they were to each other in the past and where they stood right now) had been clearly laid out from the very beginning. Especially since the other two subplots involving the birdbrained Marigold, and Andrew's involvement in the romantic affairs of a plain heiress, were entertaining in their own right. And speaking of the plain heiress, I couldn't quite figure her out. She seemed to be a little poor spirited for most of the book, but suddenly in the last few chapters grew to be astute, self aware and extremely plucky. Did the change come about because she had finally grown as a character? It was difficult to say because nothing about her actions prior to what happens in last 50 pages would have prepared you for the suddenly capable heiress. Another confusing issue: Georgina is 'Miss Georgina Halliday' in the first half of the book, and 'Lady Georgina' in the second half -- did I miss something somewhere, or was it just an editing mistake?

So, to go back to my original question: was "Cupid's Dart" a worthwhile buy/read? I enjoyed much of the book -- the stories were good ones, and the character portrayals weren't bad either. But for me, the trouble lay in that there could have been a smoother and less confusing telling of Garth and Georgina's story (also I badly wanted to know more of that had happened to Garth and Georgina prior to what takes place in the book). And because Garth and Georgina were the featured hero & heroine, and the focal point of "Cupid's Dart," I'd have to say that the book wasn't a standout example of what a Regency romp should be.