Hazard

The story of Anne & Race I just did not expect to love as much as I did. Anne Peckworth in the other books by Beverley hardly seemed to have the strength to be interesting enough to carry a romantic adventure. It truly is a credit to Beverley's development of character - this book just builds and builds and with each chapter you are totally submerged into Anne's adventures and search for a husband. Of course the perfect match you know is Race which you meet in the first few pages. What a perfect hero Race was, strong, independent, adventurous with such a protective, caring way - but alas he had no "title" - no credible background and everything was about who and what you were back then. Certainly, he was not good enough for the daughter of a Duke. Anne really tries to follow her mother's advise that you can learn to love a man of proper birth - you just have to give it time. Anne tries, but no one can compare to what she feels for Race. One thing I especially liked was the patience Beverley had with the ending of the story. Too often writers hurry the ending, the last couple chapters of this book were truly superb and influence my 5 stars. St. Raven's help in the end was so romantic too, very romantic of Tris! He wanted to make sure his good friend was truly happy. And the father's of Anne and Race both came through in a big way too which in so many books the father's were horrific! Once again Beverley has done an excellent job - this is one of her best.

This is a must read but make sure you have set aside some time because its one of those that you can't put down and hate to see end. Can't wait for the next book.

I've been a fan of Jo Beverly's books for years, but I'd been a little disappointed with the last few I'd read. However, "Hazard" was a stay-up-until-I-finish-it book, a definite keeper. This is much more a character study than an intricately plotted thriller, but the relationship between Anne and Race was touching and believable, and that's really all I ask here. And after seeing Anne jilted by the hero in both "Forbidden" and "The Dragon's Bride," it was nice to see her as our heroine, significantly more fleshed out than in either of the other books. Hooray!

If you're looking for a romance novel that is rather racy and that is a bit heavy on the X-rating, than "Hazard" by Jo Beverly, will NOT be the romance novel for you. On the other hand if you're looking for a rather romantic novel about how a somewhat sheltered and reserved young lady learns to spread her wings and fly because of a specific set of circumstances, than this is definitely one romance novel that you will enjoy.Lady Anne Peckworth has been rejected twice in the marriage stakes. And although there never was any real legal understanding between Anne and the two gentlemen concerned, Anne did feel the sting of rejection when they both married other ladies more outwardly beautiful and outgoing than she. Now however Lady Anne finds that she must marry and soon, for her younger sister, Marianne, has fallen in love with a neighbour (who happens to be a younger son and so has very little material expectations), and their mother (the Duchess of Aaran) has decreed that Marianne will be allowed to marry only after Anne has. And so Anne, while dreading the whole venture, has more or less girded herself to face another London Season, when her elder brother, Uffham, brings home that well known scapegrace Race De Vere to Lea Park. Race, while ostensibly acting as Uffham's secretary, manages to tease, beguile and tantalize Anne to the extent that she begins to wonder if he may the man for her afterall. But Race is a well known flirt, and after having been burnt twice, Anne is a little dubious about her ability to attract such a man. And than there is also the fact that Race's pedigree is murky at best and not at all what her mother would accept in a suitor for her daughter's hand. Determined to find the an 'acceptable' husband, Anne begins to make the usual foray into London society and with some success. But she cannot quite ignore the effect Race has on her, or how all other men seem to pale beside him. Will Anne decide to chance everything for love? Or will she choose the safety of deciding on one of the many men who are pursuing her for her fortune and family connections?I liked this novel very much. It is more character driven than anything else -- there is no murder or espionage subplot, and "Hazard" is definitely not a tale about angst-filled star-crossed love. Rather it is a tale of how a rather reserved young woman learns to spread her wings and to become the capable and charming individual she was always meant to be. "Hazard" is also not a Rogue novel, so don't expect the Rogues to feature very much in this novel at all. And while some aspects of Race's story -- his background, etc -- remain mysterious and unaccessible (I still cannot comprehend his father's actions), I think that Jo Beverly did a really good job in showing us why Race and Anne were meant to be. The story unfolded smoothly and seamlessly, and the manner in which Anne & Race's romance unfolded was a joy to read. The one thing I have always liked about Jo Beverly is that he