A Regency Invitation: An Anthology

this anthology is unusual because instead of three unconnected stories these three are all interconnected to the same family and happen at their house party. While there are some flubs as to historical accuracy and some inplausible behavior considering it's time-the fun and enjoyability of the storylines allowed me to overlook those minor details in favor of the overall story. These stories are very sensually written and I would recommend this book to those who like a spicier regency versus the tamer traditional regencies. All in all, a fast, fun book that I can easily recommend. 4 stars:)

Centering on the concerns of three cousins (Cassandra Ward, Marcus Sinclair and Anthony Lyndhurst), "A Regency Invitation to the House Party of the Season) is a good example of how three short interconnected novellas can sustain interest and be an enjoyable and entertaining read when executed well. In the first story by Nicola Cornick, "The Fortune Hunter," Peter Quinlan is informed by his drunk father (the Marquess of Quinlan) that Peter must marry an heiress in order to save the family estate, and that he has picked out an heiress for Peter already, Miss Cassandra Ward. Cousin of soldier that Peter had served with in the Peninsula (Major Anthony Lynhurst), Cassandra is considered to be past her last prayers and a radical. Determined to save his home and the people who depend on him, Peter nonetheless decides to go to Anthony Lyndhurst's house party in order to court and woo Cassandra. The last thing he expected was to find himself totally attracted to and captivated by the outspoken yet vulnerable lady, and completely at a loss as to how to reassure her that he wants far more than just her fortune -- he wants her love as well... In "An Uncommon Abigail" by Joanna Maitland, Miss Amy Deveraux masquerades as her good friend's abigail in order to find her missing brother who seems to have suddenly vanished from Lyndhurst's house party. Her snooping, however, lands her smack in the middle of Marcus Sinclair's troubles (Marcus has been accused of beating up and leaving for dead a gentleman he had an arguement with) and mixed up in something far more sinister; while Elizabeth Rolls' "The Prodigal Bride" focuses on how Anthony Lyndhurst, ostracised by the ton and almost cashiered from the army because he was suspected of murdering his missing wife and causing the death of her lover, must now cope with the sudden reappearance of the errant lady and the fact that he is still very much in love with her... All three stories were enjoyable and well told. And because they were fairly short stories, they never really dragged or inspired one to skip pages in order to get to the "meat"of things. I thought that the notion of connecting these stories by making them all take place during a house party; by making most of the principal characters related; and that all three stories shared the same villain, was, a rather good one. Of the three, Elizabeth Rolls' was perhaps the strongest and the one that was most well rounded (even if it did make use of the BIG MISUNDERSTANDING gambit a little); the other two stories however were still well written enough to be entertaining and delightful. The romance angle in all three was fairly well developed -- esp the Cassandra Ward/Peter Quinlan pairing, where Nicola Cornick did a brilliant job of presenting Cassandra's feelings of doubt and vulnerability as well as Peter's sympathetic and emphatic side that allowed him to understand Cassandra's feelings. However, what really held these stories so well together was the obviou