Miss Celine Fairweather’s life was bobbing along like a boat on a tranquil stream when a summons from her beloved sister Penelope Radclyff, the Duchess of Blackthorne, changed it all. Celine hurtles off to the London to help the duchess run the Blackthorne Mansion and to discover the whereabouts of her lost love Philbert Woodbead.
Celine manages to keep things deathly dull and under control for … control for a whole week until she enlists the help of the handsome Lord Elmer—a mischievous rogue, an ex-pirate, and an incorrigible flirt who is wanted dead by all of England’s husbands with attractive wives. They scurry from one giddy escapade to another seeking Philbert in musty inns and dusty streets, and through it all Celine tries to keep her bonnet straight, her gloves spotless and her heart in tune with her head.
Life has suddenly turned exciting, and love has well and truly bitten her rosy buttocks. Now the only question is … who has done the biting?
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This sequel to the wild and zany Penelope took the zaniness to a whole new level. This goes beyond normal levels of historic romantic comedy to slapstick funny. Fair warning, right? I happen to enjoy this brand of crazy when in the right mood. It’s a fun blend of regency romance, intrigue and a monstrous dose of comedy. There were times I groaned over the too over the top stuff and other times I was snickering and then snorting. Through it all, there was still a clear story line of a young girl in love with being in love who thought herself very sensible and had to learn that being sensible wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be when it came to love.
The story focuses on one of Penelope’s younger half-sisters, Celine. Getting Penelope’s story first is best so that the characters and the situation makes sense. Celine has been invited up to Town to take care of Penelope and her household during the last weeks of her lying in. Celine has her own reasons for jumping at the opportunity and dragging her younger sister Dorothy and her governess along for the ride. Celine plans to hunt down her less than dashing in appearance and less than stellar poet lover who has left the area and asked her to come and find him if she loves him.
Celine’s personal quest gets hijacked when the mischievous and dashing Lord Elmer is dropped in front of her on the Duke’s carpet where the Duke’s friend plans to leave the insensible man since he has to leave town and can no longer house him. George, Lord Elmer, has lived an exciting life all in pursuit of his own pleasure and fun. He now proposes to help Celine find her poet lover if she’ll persuade her sister and the duke to let him stay since he’s hiding from someone. Celine isn’t impressed with George’s talents in stretching the truth, turning every female head, shirking responsibility and getting her into mischief, but more and more he is pushing her poor Philly out of her thoughts and replacing him with thoughts of George. It’s Philly she loves, right? Between all the chicanery George and her relations kicks up, it takes her some time to arrive at her true wants.
This one was so full of silliness that I wasn’t sure if I’d find it the delight that Penelope was for me, but then I grew more engaged in the story when George and Celine began working together and something began between them. The story is told third person all from Celine’s point of view. It was neat seeing how Celine’s experiences grew her and changed her thinking. I also enjoyed the pop-in with Penelope and her duke though she was totally nuts because of her pregnancy and the intro to the younger sister Dorothy.
As to recommendations…This is not a story or series for everyone. One has to truly appreciate slap-stick blended with historical romance to enjoy this story. For those who do, it is a fun reading experience that I heartily recommend. Warning, you will laugh out loud so reading in public might not be a good idea if you’re self-conscious about your laugh.
I’m a fan of Anya Wylde and have thoroughly enjoyed her previous books. I was excited to read this book. Ms. Wylde has a fair for writing comedic scenes that leave you laughing out loud. In her latest release, we follow Celine (Amy) Fairweather as she comes to London to help her sister Penelope run a large household. Penelope is close to giving birth and Celine steps in to take over many of her duties. While she’s there, she meets Lord George Elmer who has a flair for madcap adventures. George agrees to help Celine find her long lost love Philbert, but what happens next will keep you thoroughly entertained.
Ms. Wylde is a talented writer who infuses her books with zany fun. Many of the things that happen in this book are ridiculous, but that’s the beauty of the book. The Regency period was so stiff and full of rules that reading about them with Ms. Wylde’s light-hearted slant will keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it if you’re looking for an escape from the daily grind. It will leave you happy and wanting to read more of this author.
I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.