Miss Wonderful (Carsington Family Series)

Her wit is witty; her plots are plotted and logical; her characterizations are subtle and complex; her writing style is clear and fresh and simply wonderful. Compared to what passes as romance books lately, this one gets five stars because I can't give it 9 or 10. Chase could probably make the Yellow Pages readable. An exceptionally talented writer, and I'm so thankful she chose to exhibit that talent in my favorite genre. More! More! More!

I work at home and am usually disciplined worker, but it's hopeless. Two workdays are shot because I had to read this book. Her characters are too interesting and original (and incredibly appealing), her style is fresh and skilled and packed a lovely silky punch of the best kind of Regency -- great dialogue, fun secondary characters. The book is hotter than a traditional regency but not just gratuitiously. The hero and heroine remain true to their natures even in bed. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a book this much -- I didn't put the thing down unless I was forced to. I love the honesty and wit of the hero and heroine's interactions. They were the best of enemies.Oooo I can't wait to buy the backlist!

For as long as he can remember, Alistair Carsington, has caused his father, the Earl of Hargate, a great deal of trouble and money. At first, it was his tendency to fall in love at the drop of a hat; but now, since his return from the Peninsula Wars, it is the tremendous amount of money that he has spent on clothes. This time, however, the earl has had enough, and has issued an ultimatum: marry an heiress in six months or else the earl will settle the money he would have left Alistair's younger brothers on Alistair himself. Fortunately for Alistair, his best friend, Gordmor has a scheme. Gormor would like to build a canal that would allow him to move the coal from his coal mines more easily. And he invites Alistair to be a partner in this venture. Alistair's part will be to persuade a few land owners as to the desirability of the scheme. And so, even though it is the middle of winter, Alistair makes for the wilds of Derbyshire, only to find that the biggest stumbling block to his plans and riches lies in the shape of a maddeningly attractive but unfashionably dressed gentlewoman, Mirabel Oldridge, who has been running her father's estate for more than a decade now. This time, Alistair is determined to keep his mind on the prize and not fall in love. But the distracting Mirabel has sneakily stolen his heart. Will Alistair be able to keep his head planted firmly on his shoulders, or will love make his forget his resolve?After what seems like a very long absence, Loretta Chase is back again, and all I can say is that the wait has been well worth it. "Miss Wonderful" is one of the wittiest and more charming novels I've read in a long while. The storyline is a basic one (hero meets heroine, both are powerfully attracted to each other, but there is a stumbling block to their developing relationship -- they both want different things), so that what really sets "Miss Wonderful" head and shoulders above other Regency-era romance novels of similar stripe, are 1) the prose style (witty and humourous); and 2) her engaging character portrayals of Alistair and Mirabel. Both characters are likable and sympathetic. While Mirabel was a strong, intelligent and resolute heroine, she definitely was not one of those feisty, totty-headed and bad tempered heroines who wouldn't be able to think her way out of a paper-bag but who seem (for some reason or the other) to people this genre an awful lot! While Alistair was a gem of a hero: honest and passionate and immensely nice. Both characters want an end result that seems to be in direct opposition of each other, and the authour's even handed stand on the issue of the canal, so that you got to see both sides of this arguement, made the novel all the more compelling and interesting. All in all, "Miss Wonderful" proved to be an engaging, entertaining and passionate romance novel, and if you're looking for a well written and wonderfully romantic novel to unwind with, I'd urge checking "Miss Wonderful" out.

In 1817 Earl Edward Carsington is tired of paying the bills for his third of five sons and the oldest unmarried one. He demands that Alistair in his late twenties either finds a wealthy wife or earns income through business. Rather than wed, the melancholy war "hero" joins his friend Lord Gordmor in building a canal in Derbyshire.Some of the local landowners oppose the project so Alistair heads north to persuade them to support the canal endeavor. The opposition leader is spinster Mirabel Oldridge who is a couple of years older than Alistair. As she deftly sabotages his support through her silver tongue, they fall in love. However, he believes the canal is a boom while she believes it is a bust leaving a gap wider than his proposal to keep them apart.Fans will enjoy this wonderful Regency romance that takes the contemporary issue of environment vs. development back to its roots in early nineteenth century England. The story line is crisp as Mirabel and Alistair debate the merits and demerits of the impact of a canal on the locality even as both fall in love. The secondary cast adds depth to the debate so that the audience receives a terrific historical tale with modern day implications.Harriet Klausner