Not Quite A Lady (The Carsington Family Series, 4)

Loretta Chase creates characters in a way that few in this genre can match. She understands motivation and human behavior--so her characters have depth and individuality. This book is the last of the Carsington series, the tales of a family of five brothers. Darius is the youngest, and true to the rules of birth order, he has difficulty carving out a niche for himself, is in competition with formidable older brothers, and has difficulty winning the approval of his father. He develops a strong talent for scientific investigation and specializes in animal mating behavior. While he gains prestige and accolades in scientific circles, his father is unimpressed because Darius is not earning money through his work. His father gives him a decrepit estate to turn into a profit-making enterprise within a year. When Darius meets Charlotte, he is the one person capable of noticing her odd "mating" behavior. She has perfected ways to avoid marriage, adapting her methods to each suitor by boring or irritating them and sometimes by quietly doing some matchmaking to send the gentlemen to more suitable partners. Intrigued, Darius begins to study Charlotte to learn her secrets. Along the way, he discovers that she is the one woman he has met who understands his hopes, difficulties, and sense of humor, and he is the one man who can appreciate and love her. Darius does not swashbuckle or save Charlotte from highwaymen or other ploys from action-driven stories. Instead, the book carefully reveals the charming courtship of two reasonable, intelligent people. Humor, unusual settings, and amusing situations abound--those 1800s clothes are always a trial, aren't they? Yes, Darius accepts Charlotte's "secret" in a way that would not be typical of the time--but in a way reasonable for someone who views mating behavior from a scientific standpoint. The ending is highly improbably for the time in which it occurs, but that is the reason for historical romance literature. It offers a way to excape the grating realities of the 21st century. How nice to think that two close families could defy convention and protect their own loved ones. The area where I live is rife with narrow-mindedness and prejudice. I hate to think what it must have been like in the early 19th century. Imagining that, once upon a time, those evils were overcome by loving families is encouraging.

This is the story of the last of the Carsington brothers to find the right woman. Loretta Chase has an original style, writes extremely well and is very amusing to boot. She can make you laugh out loud and smile whilst still feeling all the emotions and passion you are looking for in a romantic novel. Darius Carsington has been tasked by his father, Lord Hargate, to put to rights a derelict estate in Cheshire. His very matter-of-fact and scientific mind is puzzled by his neighbour's beautiful, charming and on-the-surface perfect daughter, who is 27 and still unwed. He tries to discover why and how she has managed to evade all her suitors and in the process falls in love. She discovers in him a source of strength and someone to trust. Gradually they discover each other's secrets. I won't give away the plot but the story hinges on a very original twist on a fairly standard theme of a base born child. Not much happens, the action takes place mainly on his estate and at her home but its an original tale well told. Recommended.

I feel compelled to share how delighted I was with Ms. Chase's novel. There was no 'misunderstanding' interlude where the protagonists believe the worst of each other ; there was no hero lashing out at his lady (or vice versa) because s/he was afraid to love and then some unfortunate circumstance had to bring them back together. The book wonderfully shows their relationship unfolding, and the 'impediment' as it were - the Colonel- was nicely sidestepped, but there was enough building up to where I was worried what would happen. An enjoyable and refreshing read!

A most deserving heroine haunted by a painful secret from her past is given a second chance at happiness in this outstanding romance by Loretta Chase. Forced at barely seventeen to give up her illegitimate baby - fathered by a scoundrel who deserted her and then died - Lady Charlotte Hayward in reality gave up her self. She has never recovered from the shame and the loss, which have haunted her these past ten years. Although beautiful and highly prized, she has never married. She knows she is not a virgin, and is unwilling to deal with the attendant lies and deceptions. She is wary of men and lives a scrupulously proper and chaste life. Long buried is the passionate and playful girl of her youth. Charlotte's father (who never knew of the child) feels it is long past time his beloved daughter marries. He arranges a house party filled with eligible bachelors for one month hence, and asks that Charlotte select a husband from among the group. Totally panicked, Charlotte runs to collect her thoughts and bumps into her new neighbor, Darius Carrington. Darius, a resolute bachelor and expert on animal husbandry (!), is trying to restore his newly acquired, but long abandoned, property. Charlotte is exceptionally rude to him, pegging him just another profligate playboy, and he in turn mercilessly teases and torments her for her frills and propriety. But they are acutely aware of each other as well. For the first time in forever Charlotte feels alive - and hungers for a man's touch. And for the first time EVER, Darius yearns for the comfort of a marriageable miss. But with marriage NOT on the menu (or so they both think), what is this couple in lust to do? I don't usually gush, but I LOVE THIS BOOK! It's the kind I can read over and over as the years pass and never tire of it. Perfectly put together from beginning to end, it is a superb blend of sentimental and sassy, sexy and sweet - and it is so infinitely satisfying. Loretta Chase is such a unique voice in historical romance. Her sly humor is her stock-in-trade and it is sublime, but she also hits all the right emotional notes: Charlotte's grief and longing for the son she held for only moments is palpable; her joy infectious; her newfound ardor so touchingly sweet. And Darius is a romantic hero to be cherished. Laugh-out-loud funny and wise one moment, he is achingly gentle the next. I literally choked up at one point - as did Charlotte - at his tender assurances. It is a rare author who moves so seamlessly between laughter and tears, joy and despair, all while creating a loving romance. But Ms. Chase has done it. This book is a treasure.