The Rake and the Readhead and Lord Dancy's Delight

Two couples find unexpected love with each other during an era of high society rules. First in The Rake and the Redhead Lord Norwood is charmed by the lovely Miss Hyacinthe despite his attempts to resist her. Every time he sees her some disaster seems to occur convincing him of her bad luck. In the end she helps solve the mystery of his family's long lost heirlooms in the form of paintings and jewelry. Hyacinthe flees; convinced she is more of a nuisance to Norwood than a woman he would ever consider marrying. He pursues her in hopes it is not to late to convince her of his undying love for her. -Tenaya Jacob, author of "Seasonings of the Soul."

THE RAKE AND THE REDHEAD is about an English lord who's moving an entire village to get a better view and the young woman who tries to stop him. She's a fabulous, strong heroine, not afraid to stand up for what she thinks is right, but also (and this is more rare) not afraid to admit when she's wrong or to give others the benefit of the doubt. There's also a spot of intrigue about some missing jewels & paintings & hidden passageways, as well as a secondary romance that Hyacinthe and Lord Norwood contrive to help along. I did have a bit of trouble getting over him tearing down all the houses for a whim, but all in all, a fun story. LORD DANCY'S DELIGHT. It's kind of unfortunate that this was packaged as a 2-in-1 with the Redhead & the Rake, because the heroine in that one was surnamed Dancy, but she's absolutely no relation to the Lord Dancy in this one. The heroine, who was raised by Chinese woman/companion, is rescued by Lord Dancy 3 times, so she informs him she's now "his". And sees it as her duty to watch over him. She keeps rescuing him, which irritates the heck out of him, and is very much fun to read. Once again, Ms. Hendrickson has written a wonderfully strong, smart, yet eminently likeable heroine. Amelia Longworth takes her duty to Lord Dancy very seriously, and she's clever enough to deal with threats to him in manners suited to her strengths, rather than the more usually seen heroine whose heart would be in the right place, but who would blunder in and make things worse. The only problem is, I liked the hero's best friend much better than the hero, who was really a jerk to the heroine. Still gets 4 stars for being fun.

THE RAKE AND THE REDHEAD. When Miss Hyacinthe Dancy finds out her Cousin Jane is losing her little cottage, she steps right in to try and save it. The owner wants to remove all the surrounding housing to improve the view from his estate. Hyacinthe is outraged! When she finds out the true owner is none other than the Blase Montague Marquees of Norwood she is fit-to-be-tied. Hyacinthe has already had a couple of unpleasant encounters with Blase in social situations. When these two square-off watch out! Ms. Hendrickson pens a sweet romantic tale. This story flowed nicely, but it lacks a little of that special spark of life and charisma one likes to read. The story line has originality with interesting twists and turns. Ms. Hendrickson does an excellent job of conveying the feelings and emotional interplay between Blase and Hyacinthe. With Blase's rakish ways and stubborn personality he constantly rubs Hyacinthe the wrong way. Hyacinthe is your typical fiery tempered redhead and will stop at nothing to save her Cousin Jane's cottage. These two are quite a pair when they clash! LORD DANCY'S DELIGHT. Amelia Longworth and her traveling companion Chen Mei are on their way to London. It is at the port of Lisbon that Major Geoffrey Dancy first encounter and rescues Amelia from a run away water barrel. He finds her a trifle wane and lacking in what he is looking for in a wife. Amelia thinks the major is handsome and gallant. Geoffrey steps in two more times to rescue the fair Amelia from harms way. Since Amelia was primarily raised in the Orient, it is customary to give yourself to the person who saves your life three times. Geoffrey now has his own Chattel. Now what is he going to do? This story has a richer tone and more vibrate quality than the first story. Ms. Hendrickson's superlative writing style makes this tale of unusual love interests come forth with life. The ease of immerging into the characters creates an interesting foray for the reader. The storyline of this tale moves faster than the first story and kept this reader interested and entertained a little more. There is also more intrigue and mystery conjured up in this tale. With Amelia's background and upbringing being so different from Geoffrey's there are bound to be some very interesting interactions between the two. This is a charming tale that will keep your attention until the last page! THE RAKE AND THE REDHEAD AND LORD DANCY'S DELIGHT is by Emily Hendrickson. This two-story volume is a glimpse into the gentler times in history. When manners and honor were the standards of the day. Ms. Hendrickson writes these Regency period tales with a gentle grace, wonderment and style. It is truly a book that all ages can read and enjoy without the worries of profanity or sexual impropriety. If you are a lover of Regency period romance and want just wisps of romantic heat, then please put this book on your list to read today! Reviewed by © Janalee Ruschhaupt, 2005