All Smiles (Mira)

I just loved More and More ... now the All Smiles! We can't wait to read the next episode I easily fell in Love with all the populace of Mayfair Square, they are very inexplicable, hilarious enjoyable to read about. Stella always has a way of writing that adds fun, mystery and great sex to her books. Meg and Jean-Marc are fantastic together. I also love that Stella doesn't make you wait, wondering, just when they are going to admit they want each other! Stella is a great author and never predictable.... that's why I love her works! I can't wait to hear about the other inhabitants.

I rolled with laughter as Sir Spivey, the resident curmugeon ghost, attempts to "help" clear his home of boarders. His wit and comments leave a comic edge to a very sensual novel that twists and turns as we unfold the story of Count Etranger and Meg Smiles, a simple parson's daughter. Unlike some romance novels, Stella Cameron, inserts a real mystery that just begs to be solved and leaves you not wanting to put it down until you are done. It is an all night read for me!

ALL SMILES is the second book in Stella's new Mayfair Square series and it is a worthy successor to MORE AND MORE, the first book in the series. It is 1821 and Jean-Marc, Count Etranger from Mont Nuages, has come to London for his 17-year old sister's debut in society, an onerous task but one he is determined to accomplish. When Meg Smiles, the impoverished daughter of a country parson and resident of #7 Mayfair Square, brazens her way into his home offering to help prepare Princess Desiree for her debut, he readily agrees. Not only does he need help with Desiree but he also finds Meg quite compelling in her own right, even though she is far beneath him socially and completely "unsuitable." Add a meddlesome ghost, delightful secondary characters and a huge gray cat and what follows is a classic British romp with quirky characters, sparkling wit, a whiff of danger to spice things up, and plenty of sensuous romance. Stella has outdone herself in ALL SMILES. The wry, dry wit was just delightful. Jean-Marc, the hero, is a harmless (but loud) blusterer. Meg, the heroine, is a spunky and eccentric foil for him. They are clearly meant for each other no matter how they struggle against it. I cheered them on as they learned about themselves and each other. And as much as I enjoyed the hero and heroine, the secondary characters just glowed. Princess Desiree is a very precocious 17 year old and sister to Jean-Marc. Verbeux is a sexy but very mysterious valet. Ila Upworth is a "fallen woman" with an agenda of her own. Sibyl Smiles is Meg's sister who watches in horror as Meg becomes closer and closer to the unattainable Jean-Marc. And the troublesome ghost, Sir Septimus Spivey, simply cannot remain quietly in his newel post in the front hall of #7 and stirs things up hilariously. The other residents of #7 also make many appearances and each character continues to develop leaving me eager to read their stories.

When their father, a rural vicar dies, sisters Meg and Sybil Smiles move to London's 7 Mayfair Square, home of an unhappy ghost, Sir Spivey. The spirit plans to force the two sibling out of his home by matchmaking the outgoing Meg with a nearby resident.Meg realizes that the sisters have a financial problem. She applies for employment as a companion to seventeen-year-old Princess Desiree of Mont-Nuages, a tiny country on the Italy-France border. Meg's plan is to net a wealthy spouse while serving as a guide to Desiree. Meg needs to persuade Desiree's older stepbrother Jean-Marc, Count Etranger that she can do the job. Surprisingly, Jean-Marc hires Meg. As Meg works closely with Desiree, she and Jean-Marc fall in love. However, he is the heir to the throne and she would never suit as his queen. Then again, his uncle plans to destroy the only contender to being the next monarch of Mont-Nuages even if it means killing Meg.ALL SMILES is an entertaining Regency romance that provides a fresh look at Stella Cameron's superb 7 Mayfair series. The story line is crisp and the entry of Jean-Marc and Desiree provides a different perspective of the lives of Europe's early nineteenth century aristocracy. Meg is a wonderful and brave character whose antics adds depth to the fireworks. Sub-genre fans will demand Sybil's story soon.Harriet Klausner

ALL SMILES is the second book in Stella's new Mayfair Square series and it is a worthy successor to MORE AND MORE, the first book in the series. It is 1821 and Jean-Marc, Count Etranger from Mont Nuages, has come to London for his 17-year old sister's debut in society, an onerous task but one he is determined to accomplish. When Meg Smiles, the impoverished daughter of a country parson and resident of #7 Mayfair Square, brazens her way into his home offering to help prepare Princess Desiree for her debut, he readily agrees. Not only does he need help with Desiree but he also finds Meg quite compelling in her own right, even though she is far beneath him socially and completely "unsuitable." Add a meddlesome ghost, delightful secondary characters and a huge gray cat and what follows is a classic British romp with quirky characters, sparkling wit, a whiff of danger to spice things up, and plenty of sensuous romance. Stella has outdone herself in ALL SMILES. The wry, dry wit was just delightful. Jean-Marc, the hero, is a harmless (but loud) blusterer. Meg, the heroine, is a spunky and eccentric foil for him. They are clearly meant for each other no matter how they struggle against it. I cheered them on as they learned about themselves and each other. And as much as I enjoyed the hero and heroine, the secondary characters just glowed. Princess Desiree is a very precocious 17 year old and sister to Jean-Marc. Verbeux is a sexy but very mysterious valet. Ila Upworth is a "fallen woman" with an agenda of her own. Sibyl Smiles is Meg's sister who watches in horror as Meg becomes closer and closer to the unattainable Jean-Marc. And the troublesome ghost, Sir Septimus Spivey, simply cannot remain quietly in his newel post in the front hall of #7 and stirs things up hilariously. The other residents of #7 also make many appearances and each character continues to grow.The mythology of #7 Mayfair Square is developing beautifully and I can't wait to find out who Hunter, Adam and Sibyl will fall in love with. What interesting ghosts will Sir Septimus meet next and will he ever have a change of heart about his lodgers? I guess we'll have to wait and see! I, for one, am looking forward to finding out!