My Fair Quigley

If you want some really fascinating reading, just look up all the books by Judith A. Lansdowne and read the reviews! My word. All over the map, they are. It's not at all uncommon to find 5 reviews, with each one having a different rating. Obviously, many readers will come to the same book, but with varying expectations. This may not be quite the best Lansdowne book I've read, but it is still so much better than entirely too many of the other so-called Regency novels being published. The research is always impeccable; you'll never find the hero or heroine thinking like folks who really live in 2001 and are merely costumed for the sake of the book. Her plots are sometimes a tad 'out-there' but never so far as to be impossible. To me, her greatest strength is her characterization. Every person in her books-toddler to grand-parent-is real with the normal ambiguities that inhabit normal people. They may occasionally say or do silly things, but don't we all? And no one I've ever read does animals any better, whether cat, dog, horse, parrot or any other species. She is a wonderful writer who is gifted with a 'humor bump' that translates to the written word with great ease. If you need to laugh, you can do no better for yourself than to read a Lansdowne book. All that said, MY FAIR QUIGGLEY was very solid entertainment and enjoyment for me. Dax and Dessie were well-matched to each other, and I'm really looking forward to the Miranda/Dan adventure, as I'm sure that's just what it'll be. The only let-down for me in this story was the somewhat sudden and almost improbable rehabilitation of Lord Hartshorn. Not unbelievable, by any means, just a bit too rushed to be entirely accepted on such short notice.

This book actually contains TWO romances, although one is left incomplete. And it bothers me that I might actually MISS the next installment...either it doesn't get written and my curiosity is never satisfied or that the next installment comes too late to make a difference to me. As I recall, that was a major annoyance with Ms. Landsdowne's Nightingale series as well. As desirable as it may seem to authors and publishers to whet the reader's appetite with hints of what is to come, they may want to think twice about deliberately antagonizing readers by pulling too many tricks like this. The witty dialogue and the zany characters kept my eyes glued to the pages; what a disappointment to get to the end and discover that I have to wait for ANOTHER book to find out what happens with the romance between the duke's daughter and the failed highwayman with the mysterious past.That said, I have to admit that my journey to a certain cottage in the vicinity of a village with the unpretentious name of Toadscuttle was truly delightful. The character of Desdemona Quiggley was a breath of fresh air. Her first contact with the eligible young marquis was a direct hit in the head from a stone that came from her slingshot. Although THAT was a case of mistaken identity, Dessie's subsequent threats to cut off his finger and kill him might have frightened off most prospective beaux. But her honesty, sincerity, and enthusiasm--in contrast to the deceit and pretense of most young ladies he has met--are irresistible to our sharp young hero, who doesn't waste any time disproving her first impression of him as staid and boring. Once he sees how the three ladies are determined to reform the dog-napping highwayman. he jumps right into the fray and proves himself invaluable in getting down to the bottom of the mysterious "ill-fate" that has dogged the ladies' business venture.Although Desdemona is herself a very independent and determined young lady, she cannot hold a candle to Lady Miranda. (A previous reviewer seems to have confused these two characters.) The unmarried Lady Miranda left her family twenty-odd years ago to set up her own household in the wilderness without even a companion to keep her company, a shocking state of affairs that alienated her from her aristocratic family. Determined to prove that she can succeed on her own, Lady Miranda will go to any lengths to avoid having to ask her family for help--even going after a dastardly highwayman with a price on his head! As to how Desdemona got there, well, that's a bit unclear. What brother in his right mind would pack her off to the wilderness to live with a woman as eccentric as Miranda? Dessie, however, has a way of getting what she wants, so I had little trouble suspending judgment on THAT matter.But, for heaven's sake, no more torturing readers with unsolved mysteries that we must wait weeks and months to understand! Because if it happens again, this is one reader who will think twice before plunking down more

Desdemona Quiggley is a free spirit determined to be mistress of her own fate. Together with two close female companions, she forms Lucy Lavender Enterprises. Unfortunately, the business falls into debt, and the ladies are in danger of losing everything they've worked so hard to gain. But Desdemona refuses to give up. In order to keep them all from debtor's prison, she conceives a wild plot to capture a highwayman in order to collect the large reward on his head.Arriving at Yorkshire to visit his aunt, the Marquis of Daxonbury is knocked off his feet by a deadly accurate slingshot wielded by an irrepressible young female who has confused his noble person with a common footpad! Immediately caught in the delightful snare of the most fascinating woman he has ever met, Dax finds himself up to his ears in solving a villainous plot, the plucky Desdemona by his side, every step of the way. And to think Dax assumed his visit to dear old auntie's would be a dead bore!This lively novel is full of wit and charm in the form of clever dialogue, quirky characters with sparkling personalities, and many hilariously outrageous situations. The hero and heroine are a wonderfully balanced match, both of them intelligent, stubborn, and dynamic with a shared sense of the ridiculous. If you like a book with lots of laughs along with warm affection and hot sexuality, you'll really enjoy this treasure!