Impetuous Innocent

I'm not surprised by the ratings for this book. This book definitely has it's flaws but it depends on how much your willing to look past it, I guess, and I did so easily, even happily. Sure the heroine has her moments, you know those moments, where she needs a good hard shake until her brains rattle but I couldn't help liking this book. Miss Georgiana Hartley has come to Candlewick Hall to to beg for assistance against her lecherous cousin, Charles. (what is it about cousins coming onto cousins in these books? Yuck!) Unfortunately there isn't a sympathetic lady in residence, but the incredibly handsome Lord Dominic Ridgely. Normally Dominic wouldn't be caught within a hundred yards of a young marriageable miss, but he knows Charles and can guess at her situation and so he takes pity on her. He sends her to his sister and her husband in London with the instructions to introduce her into the ton, sure in the fact she'll land a husband quickly so he won't have to worry about her. The second she leaves however, Dominic can't stop thinking about her. After forcing himself to stay away, he finally breaks down and comes to London sternly telling himself it's only for a brief look at Georgiana. Just to make sure she's settling in nicely. Our hero and heroine play the game for awhile. She likes him and he likes her but they circle around each other, letting neither one know their feelings. Finally Dominic can't hide his desire from her or from his family and tells Georgiana that he wants to marry her. This declaration brings about The Big Misunderstanding. Georgiana believes he's only proposing out of pity and continues in this belief for a reaaallllyyy long time. While this book follows the same old tired plot contrivances and I should by rights, despise it, I liked the book. I found Dominic personable, desirable and roguish while Georgie is adorable. She definitely, definitely has her TSTL moments. It seems she walks around with her head in the clouds, unable to see things until they leap out at her, dancing and screaming, "Look At Me!" She refuses to believe Dominic loves her or feels desire for her to the point of ridiculousness that makes you feel that Stephanie Laurens must have needed to keep writing to meet a set page quota. I rather found Georgie's naivety endearing but at times unbelievable, especially when the author makes her a sophisticated, witty conversationalist, able to outwit and outfox the great Beau Brummel himself. That was a stretch of the imagination. I felt you can't have it both ways. She's either dumb as a doorknob or smart as a whip. She can't be both. This book has the standard surprise inheritance that Georgiana didn't know she had and of course the obligatory dastardly cousin who is out to steal it. Even as I'm writing this, I really shouldn't have liked this book but I just do. I can't explain it except to say that it just worked for me, flaws and all. Georgie is just so....cute. It's a little patronizing, the feeli

After a long absence from reading (10 years), I have been catching up like crazy...One of my favorite authors is Stephanie Laurens...she writes and my heart soars. She is very romantic/descriptive ..My kind of writer ..I will have to say, and I see (by her reviews) most people have liked her new stuff more, I think her older books are more romantic..I also have found her recent writings more sexual, I see her old writings more heart felt and thought out more. I do not think sex in a book is all there is for romance, and I sure hope making romances more sexual and less romantic is not a future trend. ... In addition, I hope Ms. Laurens you remember... there are I am sure ... many that buy books for enjoyment.... for the artist of words...and you are that an artist. Hopefully that woman that grabbed those books, wont get published. She seemed to think woman just read the romance for sex..and thought I was crazy when I tried to show her my favorite authors. Back to my review, I loved this book, only thing that I didn't like was her age, when I saw she was 18 I thought, oh lord she is a baby....there is no way I am going to get into this book (I like my heroines older) but it was not to bad....I would give this book a three and a half star..However, you never get half stars on here...*sigh*

I just finished reading this book and I think it's wonderful. I think it unfair that so many people underate it because it's not filled with superfluous steamy sex.This is a book about LOVE, about falling in love, about building a relationship. The hero doesn't use lust, or the initiation of the heroine into sexual desire and intimacy to build a relationship.I prefer stories where there is love BEFORE sex. Otherwise, how can we be sure that what comes after the sex is really love, and not infatuation/lust or emotional clingyness? I have read nearly four score of these books, and for this reason, this is one of my two favourites. (along with Beyond the Highland Mist)If you are looking for lust and sex with a plot mixed through, read another book.But if you are looking for a story where the characters experience true feelings and emotions, where the romance is true and gentle, where they truely love one another, then this is one of the best books for you!