A Viscount for Christmas

Definately one of the best regency's I've read. I couldn't put it down! Definately recommend this one!

Ms. Blair has always delighted me with her characters' vulnerability and wit. She manages to keep them within the constraints of their very repressed society and yet they are always extremely accessible and modern feeling in their sentiments. This book has some of her best character work yet, and lots of great humor, as well as definite tension. Even knowing they must get together, she sets up enough foils that you are turning the page, eager to find out HOW. I easily identify with her characters and feel their pulse racing thanks to her very filmic style of writing. More please!

Handsome Jack Harrow has just become Lord Harrow, a viscount with a wealth of responsibilities. His first instinct is to hire a new estate manager, as the current one had grown senile.The estate manager's daughter, Olivia Faraday, is less than excited about the viscount's arrival. Two years ago, she met him during her Season--very briefly. He represents success and privelege, everything Olivia resents. She herself is destitute. Though her sisters seem smitten with the viscount, Olivia thinks he's pompous. And he thinks Olivia is a prickly gorgon. But the more they banter with each other, the more they like each other... though neither of them are willing to own up to the unlikely attraction.This book is very, very good. VERY good. The dialogue crackles with life, and the author managed to breathe a lot of personality into her characters. There was never a dull moment. The story is full of wit and charm, and leads up to a wonderful, heart-warming ending. If you don't smile when you read this, I'll be very surprised. The characters were very young, but the book is very enjoyable. I definitely recommend it, especially for the holidays.

I've been a fan of Catherine Blair's work for a while now and, as this latest book proves, she just keeps getting better. Ms. Blair has a good feel for character and dialogue, and this latest venture is full of humour and warmth. The story flows effortlessly, and despite the fact that you know it will end happily--otherwise why are you reading it--Blair keeps the suspense of "will they or won't they" right up to the last page. Blair's writing in "A Viscount" shows a welcome loosening of formality--the Regency stuff is all there, but not as dense as with her first few novels--the phrase "doing the pretty" only pops up about once or twice here. Bottom line: loved it! Can't wait for her next offering

While "A Viscount For Christmas" is a little more somber and angst-ridden than is the usual Zebra Christmas fare, it still proved to be an interesting and compelling read -- even if things became a tad too complicated towards the end.Miss Olivia Faraday is near the end of her tether: her father's mental health seems to be slipping faster than ever, they practically have no money left, and now her widowed elder sister, Susanna, and her two sons are about to turn up. How is Olivia to stretch the budget in order to house and feed three extra people, especially when Christmas is around the corner? But the crowning worry comes in the shape of Lord Jack Harrow. Olivia's father used to be the consulting agriculturist for Lord Harrow's now deceased uncle. Now Lord Harrow has inherited Littleton Park, and Olivia cannot help but fear that Lord Harrow will retire her father. What would the practically penniless Faradays do then? And where would they go? The very thought that the fate of her family lies in the hands of a care-for-naught fribble like Lord Harrow is enough to make even the most optimistic of women feel bilious! But Olivia has a plan. She will make the useless man see that her father still has a lot to contribute and that he is on the road to recovery. So what if it will mean that she will have to spend an inordinate amount of time with the man? But when Lord Harrow proves to be kind, generous, intelligent and self-effacing, Olivia cannot but fear that in her zeal to prove her father's worth, she has left herself open to a different kind of threat...What makes this novel good is the manner in which the authour allows us to see the changes in Lord Harrow -- from the careless fellow in the first few chapters, to the more responsible landlord at the end of the book. Ms Blair also does a wonderful job of depicting all the worries and angst that Olivia feels and experiences. It is true that Olivia is a bit sour and harsh for most of the book, but factor in all that she's coping with and going through, and I do think that most readers will forgive her her less than sunny nature. The subplot involving Olivia's sister, Susanna, was rather interesting too. And if I had one complaint, it was that things got a little too complicated towards the end of the book, with Lord Harrow and Olivia talking at cross purposes and the whole missing money bit. On the whole though, "A Viscount for Christmas" was a thoroughly satisfying and enjoyable read, with believable and engaging characters facing real problems. Definitely recommended reading.