Miss Woodley's Experiment

Katherine Greyle is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. "Major Wycliff's Campaign" persuaded me to hunt down Ms. Greyle's other books, none of which have disappointed me thus far.Geoffrey has dedicated himself to rebuilding the family fortunes that were gambled away by his late father. It's the only way he can keep his family out of debtor's prison. He is well on his way to doing so when he learns that his sister Sophia--the victim of "Major Wycliff's Campaign"--has suddenly married, in spite of her determination never to do so. Geoffrey feels honor-bound to repay her dowry, which he used to finance his estate expenses. And the only way he can do so is to marry an heiress.At the same time, he has met up with Caroline Woodley, a self-acknowledged bluestocking who is conducting research on "human carnal relations". At the moment her research is limited to kisses. Her fiancé Harry's kisses evokes only revulsion. Geoffrey's kiss, on the other hand, evokes the tingle she was looking for and more. Geoffrey knows he should stay away from her since she is not the heiress he needs to repair his fortunes, but didn't she say she intended to conduct more of these "kissing experiments"? How could he stand aside and let her ruin herself? So he ends up following her around to "rescue" the hopelessly naive Caroline who is certain she can take care of herself. I laughed until I cried when he found Caroline interviewing his former mistress about sexual techniques!Unfortunately, Geoffrey goes on far too long denying his feelings for Caroline and refusing to marry her because he feels he must repay his sister's dowry--this in spite of the fact that she and her husband insist they don't want it. There is really no pressing danger of debtor's prison, except in Geoffrey's stubborn mind. By the time he realizes that nothing is more important than Caroline, it is almost too late.The ending IS a little rushed, but I like the fact that Greyle did NOT rely on a magic solution to this couple's financial problems. There is no sudden inheritance or a buried treasure to solve their problems. Both couples--this one and the one from the previous book--have their work cut out for them to keep food on the table. But one is left with the certainty that their love will give them the strength they need to overcome their problems.

I read this book in one day, I simply loved the characters. There were parts of this book I felt so sorry for Miss Woodley I wanted to cry. The reason I gave this a 4 1/2 star instead of 5 is because I felt like the ending was rushed and wish it had been drawn out a few more pages.

Geoffrey Rathburn wonders about life as an earl as he is stuck with all the obligations, but none of the fun. He has overcome his late father's gambling debts and even losing the love of his life to someone else when his sister informs him she shall marry soon. Normally the Earl would feel elated, but he has no idea how he will scrap together her obligatory dowry except to marry an heiress.His plans go awry when Lady Caroline Woodley climbs a tree to enter the house through his bedroom window. Geoffrey thinks she has come to share a dalliance with him, but Caroline is just escaping from her boring destiny Harry. She admits to herself that her reaction to Geoffrey is very unscientific as his kisses make her tingle. Though he wants Caroline by his side forever, she is no heiress and family duty is the first requirement of an Earl.MISS WOODLEY'S EXPERIMENT is an engaging Regency romance that will be better appreciated by those fans who previously read the prequel, RULES FOR A LADY, as this tale continues the adventures of several cast members form the earlier novel. The story line of this book is lighthearted as Geoffrey and Caroline make a fine charming couple with the prime problem being his desperate need to gain fast cash (don't we all). Regency readers will want to peruse Katherine Greyle's latest story, but would be better suited to get her previous work to receive more than twice the pleasure as the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.Harriet Klausner