Belle: A Historical Romantic Comedy

If life was fair and simple, Stephen Kirton would be happily married to a respectable lady. However, as far as Stephen is concerned life is unreasonable and complex so he knows his dream will never happen, as Polite Society will never accept a person born on the wrong side of the sheets let alone his commerce with the "lower classes".Instead, he seeks a night of revelry at the hedonistic Ormstead Park where he is shocked to see Annabelle Winston, an unattainable fantasy from his less complicated youth. They share drunken kisses at night, but that morning she rejects his proposal of marriage to avoid scandal. BELLE flees, but Stephen follows because he knows she is the one person who could bring happiness into his bleak dismal world.BELLE is a warm historical romance though readers will wonder if the hero is a Regency adult or a disenchanted 1960s youth failing to score during the summer of Love. Stephen is the duel edge sword of the exciting plot. Readers will either moan along with him as a charmer who deserves the love of a good woman or tell him to get a life. Belle is an intriguing individual whose fall from grace contrasts with her letters to her mother. Melanie Jackson provides a well-written tale, but readers need to decide whether Stephen is an immature whiner or a misfortunate antihero.Harriet Klausner

Melanie Jackson has fashioned a fun romp, laced with historical detail and a lyrical feel. Stephen and Annabelle fall into each others' arms when they are nothing short of "foxed." Both have been jilted and are looking for what love really means. The opening, where we slowly discover through the characters' own points of view, just how incapacitated they are becoming, is really excellent writing. When they wake the next morning, compromised in reputation, if not in fact, and feeling the worse for wear, the chase begins with each trying to save the other from him or herself. Reavers, poison, and a series of delightful card games where the lovers play for stakes much higher than money, are barriers to their final bliss. But we know they are going to get there. Ms. Jackson has obviously spent time in the English country-side and in some wonderful inns. You can feel the reality of the settings right along with the characters as you join them on their wild ride to love.

Most people who adore Melanie Jackson know her as one of the finest historical writers around. She draws vivid characters, who grab you from the start, that are intelligent, with sparkling wit and a sparkle in the eye. This time she paints her story with a lighter, whimiscal touch and scores another bullseye, showing you she is a talent to watch. Stephan Kirton has been dumped - the lady in question having no ambition to marry the scarred, ...son of a Duke; while Belle had been abandoned by her betrothed, Quincy. ... Their journey is one escapade after another, meeting Sweeney Todd, Scottish reivers and various others characters along the way and scandalising the whole countryside in the process! This is one delightful read I could not put down!! WISE WRITERS AND READERS Book of the Month...

Stephan and Annabelle (Belle) are a delightful couple who are perfect for each other. Stephan realizes this rather quickly, he just has to convince Belle...while avoiding Scottish Reevers and a myriad of other troubles on their way to Gretna Green. Ms Jackson proves with this book that she can write with a lighter voice and still maintain her beautiful writing style. Readers will connect quickly with this engaging couple and truly enjoy this troubled journey to true love.