"Three sisters will realize their dreams at three different houseparties."
Reviewed by Leanne Davis
Posted June 22, 2009
Romance Historical
JUSTINE AND THE NOBLE VISCOUNT by Diane Gaston Viscount Brenner is not happy to learn that he is the
executor for and guardian of the Fitzmanning children.
After all, his mother left him behind to start a new life
with their father. His father raised him to disdain emotion
and do his duty. Now, his duty leads him to children his
mother had with the Duke of Manning. The Duke's wife had
passed away so he married his long time love and took her on
a wedding trip to Italy. Neither one expected to die of a
fever on their wedding trip. Gerald hadn't seen his mother since he was very young. He
couldn't feel any affection for half brothers and sisters
he'd never seen before. When he enters Welbourne Manor,
Gerald expects to meet the Fitzmannings, not a beautiful
young woman who turns out to be another illegitimate
daughter of the Duke. The more time Gerald spends at Welbourne Manor, the more he
realizes how happy his is there and how much that has to do
with his growing affection for Miss Justine Savard. Torn between his affection for the Fitzmannings and his duty
to his father, the Earl of Linwall, Brenner must carry out
his duties to his charges and yet keep his heart separate.
The Duke of Manning was a close friend of the Prince Regent.
The Prince requests a small house party so he can express
his condolences to the family. The house party will make Brenner aware that Justine has had
other suitors in the past. Even though now married, Mr.
Kinney is pressing his offer of a carte blanche. Incensed
at his insensitivity, Brenner interrupts and becomes
Justine's protector as well.
ANNALISE AND THE SCANDALOUS RAKE by Deb Marlowe Ned Milford always longed to be an artist. His talent was
not sufficient to become the painter he longed to be. When
he inherited a small home in London, he planned to open a
gallery. When his father blocked his plans, Ned became a
caricaturist. While keeping his work as the Prattle secret,
Ned has come to Welbourne Manor in the hopes that the
outlandish stories told about the Fitzmannings will be true;
providing him with a number of opportunities to use his pen. Ned has ingratiated himself with the Duke of Manning and his
younger brother so that he can be invited to the latest
house party at Welbourne Manor. Upon his arrival, Ned sees
Annalise Fitzmanning and finds his thoughts turning away
from his work. Annalise is a talented artist who works in oils. Ned is
awestruck by her beauty and the results of her talent. As
the house party progresses and nothing outrageous happens,
Ned is drawn closer to Annalise. He focus shifts from his
work to studying her and her relationship with her family.
Only Ned sees the quiet strength that sustains her in the
face of the many obstacles she faces. CHARLOTTE AND THE WICKED LORD by Amanda McCabe Charlotte Fitzmanning is the youngest sister. She's been in
love with Andrew Bassington from the time she was very
young. Drew is a good friend of her oldest brothers,
Nicholas and Stephen. Charlotte has always been a bit of a hoyden. At the age of
16 she is caught spying on him, from up a tree, while he
was swimming. Charlotte is mortified and is convinced that
she will overcome her ridiculous crush. Now that Charlotte is eighteen and with the marriage of her
two older sisters, she is the hostess at Welbourne Manor.
She has worked very hard planning a house party to prove to
the world, and Drew, that she is a mature young woman. Drew's older brother has passed away leaving him to care for
his ailing mother, his grieving sister-in-law, and his young
nephew. Drew is no longer the irresponsible young man about
town. Given the circumstances, he is even considering
marriage. Nicholas and Stephen persuade him to attend the
house party so that he can meet a potential bride there. When Charlotte learns her bothers' plans, she is devastated.
What she doesn't know is that there is another plan that
she hasn't been told about. As the house party progresses, Charlotte's attempts to be
grown up are thwarted by her brothers and the accidents that
she can't seem to avoid. Drew finds himself drawn to her
spirit and caring; allowing some joy back into his life. Each author has written about a couple who must see beyond
their own concerns. They must face the events of the path
and learn to make their own future. The number of siblings
and half-siblings between the four parents adds a great deal
of interest to the stories. While I enjoyed each story and the characters immensely, I
felt that some of the transitions between days of the
parties were a little abrupt. Some of that may be due to
the galley format. It also seemed that there were some
large gaps in the stories. It was almost as if large
sections had been cut out to meet the word count. The
transformation of Gerald Brenner was hard to believe in the
time frame given. There was two secondary characters in the third story which
had a past relationship. At one point, it appeared that we
would be given more information and then nothing more. It
was a little disappointing. Overall, a good read.
SUMMARY
Justine and the Noble Viscount by Diane Gaston
Guardian to the unconventional and newly orphaned
Fitzmannings is not a role that brooding Gerald Brenner
relishes. But Justine, the illegitimate daughter who strives
to hide her shame, calls powerfully to something deep within
him…. Annalise and the Scandalous Rake by Deb
Marlowe House party guest Ned Milford can see the inner
passion and beauty that Annalise Fitzmanning hides. But how
close should they become when his reason for being at
Welbourne Manor would prompt a society scandal, not a
society marriage! Charlotte and the Wicked Lord
by Amanda McCabe Charlotte may be the youngest Fitzmanning
girl, but she knows her own mind—and she wants Lord Andrew
Bassington! Drew requires an eminently proper bride,
something free-spirited Charlotte has never been. So how can
she make him see the beautiful woman she has become…?
What do you think about this review?
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