Scandal and Miss Smith

Rating:
Summary: Great Characters and lots of Sexual Tension
Review: "Scandal and Miss Smith" is the perfect Regency romance. The hero and heroine are engaging, affectionate, and totally mystified by their intense attraction to each other. Miss Phoebe Smith, governess to three unruly Deverells, comes to London to confront their guardian. But she has some secrets of her own. She succeeds in melting the heart of our hero, Sebastian Deverell, and saves herself in the process. Engaging repartee, liberally spiked with humor and sexual tension make this a definite "keeper" for me.

Rating:
Summary: Phoebe's past makes her ineligible to be Sebastian's wife.
Review: But the attraction between the governess and her employer is so strong that Phoebe cannot rule out the possibility of becoming his mistress. Half a loaf of bread is certainly better than none at all, and Phoebe knows that he would never abandon her.

However, before such a decision can be made, there are many family problems to be resolved. For example, the nephew involved in a duel after being labeled a cheater at cards. The niece who wants to be an actress. The cousin who wants to marry an ineligible poet. The aunt who despises him because of a past scandal. And then there is the crazy man scheming to win Phoebe away from her employer because he thinks she's someone else.

A truly marvelous Regency with strong characters and riveting sexual tension, combined with a liberal touch of humor that will keep you alternately crying and laughing. You can't go wrong with this one.

Rating:
Summary: mixed feelings
Review: Like the previous reviewer, I read this book a couple of years ago. And while I did like this book better this time around, I found that the several reservations I had then, still remained.

Phoebe Smith is an improbable governess. She either goes out of her way to protect her charges or else she ignores them completely when faced with her employer at his most provocative or instate of undress. (I think that was supposed to pass for an erotic tense moment in the plot). Perhaps it's my age showing, but I find heroines who forget their responsibilities because of a half clad male a bit trying. Also I found myself wishing that Phoebe had kicked Sebastian Deverall in his elegant behind once or twice. So his parents and his brother treated him badly. Is that any reason to treat his nephew and nieces with the same brand of cruel indifference with which he was dealt with? I can understand having a chip on your shoulder (or two) but to carry it over so that you end up taking out your anger on innocent parties smacks of small minded behavior. Phoebe Smith however, in spite of her dithering, I developed quite a fondness for. Which was why I wanted her to clout Sebastian once or twice instead of dissolving into an emotional heap everytime he came within a foot of her. (Another point, I found it extremely hard to swallow that Sebastian would have no idea of the effect he had on her).

Barring all my nit-picking however, this is goodish book that has everything from three hellion teenagers ripe for mischief, a warm hearted but slightly clueless governess with a secret past, an elegant and autocractic hero, and a deranged villian who is strangely tied to our hapless heroine. All in all, rather interesting reading.

Rating:
Summary: Great book
Review: Phoebe Smith has been working as a governess for the the three orphaned Deveralls for three years and she is at her wits end. Not only are her charges way past the age where they need a governess but they are also absolute hellions. Not knowing what else to do Phoebe travels to London to make sure that Sebastian Deverall, take responsibility for his wards. If he does not agree she intends to quit in order to force his hand. This is easier said then done however and after much rangeling Sebastian agrees to take responsibilty for his nieces and nephew only if Phoebe stays on as their companion. The main charecters are amazingly fleshed out for a regency of this length as are the supporting charectors and the story line. It was a wonderful read. I enjoyed it as much at this reading as I did when I read it when it was first published three years ago. Unfortunatly I did not realize that it was a reprint when I picked it up. While it says here on Amazon that this is a "Readers Choice" i.e. reprint, it does not say it anywhere else on the book. It is worth a second read but be aware that it is not a new book.

Rating:
Summary: An engaging romp . . .
Review: Ten years ago, Harlequin was one of the major Regency publishers. Lately, they've taken to re-issuing books under the Harlequin label that were originally published in England by Mills & Boon. As a devoted reader of Regency novels, I for one, am delighted. If they're all as well-done as this book, there is only one word that will suffice--hoorah!

Phoebe Smith is a governess, although not quite in the usual mold. Her three teen-aged charges have managed to drive away all the previous caretakers, and when their guardian, the Baron Sebastian Deverell, returns from India where he's made a fortune or two for himself, she decides to appeal to his better nature for guidance.

Of course, he doesn't think he has one, but he certainly does appreciate Miss Smith, although not quite in the way she wishes he would.

This book is quite Heyer-like in its humor and adventurous episodes. There is more sexual tension than Heyer usually employed, but it's not heavy-handed, more of the bewildered variety, as Sebastian and Phoebe struggle with emotions neither was quite aware of before their initial meeting.

The Deverell siblings--Gerald, Theodosia and Cressida (the latter two are twins) are lively and prone to excapades in the company of each other or various friends and relatives. The secondary cast of characters are well-drawn, with their own sub-plots, one of the many advantages of a longer book, which does, of course, make for a more substantial reading experience. I look forward with great anticipation to more books--from Julia Byrne, and Harleqin Regency.

Rating:
Summary: An engaging romp . . .
Review: Ten years ago, Harlequin was one of the major Regency publishers. Lately, they've taken to re-issuing books under the Harlequin label that were originally published in England by Mills & Boon. As a devoted reader of Regency novels, I for one, am delighted. If they're all as well-done as this book, there is only one word that will suffice--hoorah!

Phoebe Smith is a governess, although not quite in the usual mold. Her three teen-aged charges have managed to drive away all the previous caretakers, and when their guardian, the Baron Sebastian Deverell, returns from India where he's made a fortune or two for himself, she decides to appeal to his better nature for guidance.

Of course, he doesn't think he has one, but he certainly does appreciate Miss Smith, although not quite in the way she wishes he would.

This book is quite Heyer-like in its humor and adventurous episodes. There is more sexual tension than Heyer usually employed, but it's not heavy-handed, more of the bewildered variety, as Sebastian and Phoebe struggle with emotions neither was quite aware of before their initial meeting.

The Deverell siblings--Gerald, Theodosia and Cressida (the latter two are twins) are lively and prone to excapades in the company of each other or various friends and relatives. The secondary cast of characters are well-drawn, with their own sub-plots, one of the many advantages of a longer book, which does, of course, make for a more substantial reading experience. I look forward with great anticipation to more books--from Julia Byrne, and Harleqin Regency.

Rating:
Summary: You'll zip right through this delightful read!
Review: While I agree with some reviews that complain about Phoebe's hot and cold attention to her charges and the seemingly pointless sculpting angle (which seemed forced), this book was a delight nonetheless! The writing and characters were strong enough and compelling enough to wipe any flaws almost out of mind. I finished this on a plane and felt fairly foolish to be crying in the aisles by the end.

All I can say is that 1. I'm desparate to get my hands on another book by the author and 2. the down side of reading such a charming Regency novel is that it raises the bar of expectations to a level many other authors fail to meet.