"A whirlwind romance that keeps you on your toes"
Reviewed by Heather Lobdell
Posted July 4, 2012
Romance Historical
I have loved this series from the start and when you are
invested you are invested. I simply had to read The Husband
Hunt to know what happened next. What about the other
sister? Did she get her man? I was really glad to see that
The Husband Hunt took place two years after the prior books. I think that this gave Lisa a chance to grow-up a little bit
more, pine for Robert a little bit more, and finally be able
to make
some tough life decisions. The most important being should
she wait around on a man who may never realize what she is
offering him or should she settle for something else? Having read the other two books of the series I knew what to
expect from the plot, I knew how the story would eventually
pan out. What I did not expect was just how darn difficult
it could be for Lisa to "not" convince the man she wants
that he wants her just as badly. The storyline was kind of
like a roller coaster; there were more ups and downs, twists
and turns, and bumps along the way than I could ever have
imagined. I always enjoy Ms. Sands' humor and THE HUSBAND HUNT
was not any different. I would even venture to say that
the laughs were even louder in THE HUSBAND HUNT than they
have been before just from watching these two fumble their
way through to love. Lisa Maitland is at her wits end! What more can she possibly
do to get the man she wants? Despite her numerous, and often
hazardous, attempts at gaining the attention of Robert
Langley nothing has worked and most every attempt has ended
in disaster! There is no other option but to find another
husband and finally force Robert to see the woman she is,
instead of the girl he once knew. Robert Langley is not interested in marriage. Far from it,
staying a bachelor seems like just the sort of thing he
wants to do. Yet he cannot seem to keep his mind off of
Lisa. He cannot seem to keep his hands and his lips off of
her either! Watching out for her is one thing, but watching
her pick her way through man after man to find a
husband....well that's just asking too much! Seeing Lisa in
the arms of another man is enough to make him want to well
it just makes him want to take her away and keep her. No,
wait he cannot want to keep her, can he? Back and forth, back and forth the story goes. These two
both needed someone to step in and open their eyes to what
was going on around them. One minute she is chasing after
him, and then he is running after her. The continuous yo-yo
was enough to make me want to hit them both over the head
just so they could be done with it already. And then I
realized Oh she is winning isn't she? There was Ms. Sands'
brilliance shining through. Every little step, every little
move was coordinated with confusion in mind. The game was
being played and the only question was who was playing who? THE HUSBAND HUNT was simply the perfect ending to the
Maitland Sister Trilogy!
SUMMARY
Let the hunt begin... Lisa Madison wants a husband, and she has just the candidate
in mind: Robert Langley. Trouble is, the infuriating man
insists on seeing her as the impish girl she once was—even
as every other gentleman in London has taken notice of her
womanly...charms. When her beauty lands her in danger, it’s
Robert who comes to the rescue...only to announce his
affections are not of the romantic variety! Robert saw enough sorrow in his parents’ union to know he
wants nothing to do with marriage, which is exactly what
he’ll be trapped into if he acts on his desire for the
irksome siren. And then Lisa does what Robert least expects:
gives up on him! As feigned indifference gives way,
blistering passion burns at last. But just before the pair
can give in to hard-won bliss, an enemy with unfinished
business lurks threatening to destroy them both."
Excerpt"Chapter One"How long do you think you will be?" Lisa asked, watching
her older sister carefully set a small pillbox hat on the
complicated hairstyle in which her maid had arranged her
tresses.
"We could be out all afternoon, Lisa. I'm afraid Lady
Witherly's teas tend to drag on a bit. She will insist on
every one of her grandchildren entertaining us with a
musical performance." Christiana scowled and then added
dryly, "Whether they have any talent for it or not."
Lisa bit back her amusement at the vexation in her
sister's words. "Perhaps they will have improved since you
were last there."
"Hmm," Christiana muttered dubiously as she finished
with her hat. Then frowning, she turned to peer at her. "I
feel awful leaving you here by yourself when you don't feel
well. Maybe we should send our apologies and—"
"Don't be silly. Suzette is probably already dressed and
waiting for you to collect her," she protested at once. The
mention of their sister, the middle of the three Madison
girls, made Christiana's frown deepen, and Lisa continued,
"Canceling at this late hour would be terribly rude.
Besides, it's not like I'm deathly ill. I just have a bit of
a headache and a stomach complaint. A little rest and I am
sure I'll be fine for this evening's season-opening ball at
the Landons'."
"Well, if you're sure," Christiana said uncertainly.
"Very sure," Lisa said, trying not to fidget impatiently
or seem too eager to have her gone.
"Very well then." Christiana heaved out a little sigh,
gave her a quick hug, admonishing her to rest and feel
better, and then headed for the door.
Lisa held on to her smile until the door closed, and then
rushed to the window to watch her older sister traverse the
front walk to the Radnor carriage. The moment the slender
blonde climbed inside and the carriage pulled away, Lisa
immediately rushed out into the hall and upstairs.
As expected, she found her maid, Bet, preparing the gown
Lisa would wear that night to the Landons' ball.
Forcing a grimace, Lisa placed a hand to her forehead and
moved toward the bed with a little sigh. "You can finish
that later, Bet. I have a bit of a headache and should like
to rest awhile. Please be sure no one disturbs me."
Bet paused and stared at Lisa blankly. When her eyes
narrowed suspiciously, Lisa feared she'd overplayed it, but
much to her relief the maid merely nodded, laid out the gown
to prevent wrinkling and headed for the door, saying, "I'll
be downstairs if you need me."
Nodding, Lisa settled on the side of the bed to remove
her slippers ... only to quickly slide them back on the
moment the door close behind Bet. She then leapt up,
suddenly all excited motion and activity. Bustling to her
chest, she dug out the bag she'd hidden at the bottom,
checked to ensure that the gift she'd so carefully wrapped
for Mrs. Morgan was still inside, and then hurried to the
door. She listened briefly and, hearing nothing, opened it
to peer up the hall. Finding it empty, she immediately slid
out of her room to scurry to the stairs.
Lisa held her breath until she got to the landing. She
paused and exhaled slowly, ears straining. But when a steady
silence was all that came from below, she took another deep
breath and crept quickly down the steps. She was halfway to
the parlor when the kitchen door at the end of the hall
began to open. Panic rising in her, Lisa quickly ducked into
the office to avoid discovery, praying no one saw her as she
eased the door closed.
She listened at the door in hopes of hearing when it
would be safe to continue on her way, but frowned when
silence met her ear.
Sighing, she shifted on her feet, impatient to be on her
way, and then dropped to her knees and pressed her eye to
the keyhole. Sadly, she couldn't see much of the hall
through the little opening, certainly not enough to assure
herself it was empty. But she knelt there long enough that
she was sure anyone coming from the kitchens would have
passed by now.
Getting back to her feet, she took a breath, crossed her
fingers for good luck and eased the door open.
A little sigh of relief slipped from her lips when she
found the hall empty. Lisa listened for a moment just to be
sure no one was on the stairs and then scampered quickly up
the hall to the parlor door and slid inside.
The relief she felt as she closed the parlor door was
rather extreme considering she was only halfway out of the
house. She still had a long way to go to make a clean get
away.
She quickly donned the heavy cape, pulled the hood over
her head, and hooked her pelisse over her wrist. Then,
clutching the gift to her chest, Lisa hurried to the French
doors and peered out. The parlor overlooked the side yard of
the house. As far as she could see, there was no one about.
She didn't hesitate, but eased herself through the French
doors and moved quickly toward the front, silently praying
that no carriages would arrive with unexpected guests, or
her brother-in-law, Richard, returning from his tailors.
Lisa didn't look around to be sure she wasn't seen, half
suspicious that by doing so she would draw someone to a
window, so hurried forward with her head firmly straight
ahead.
When she reached the front gate and slipped out without
anyone coming out of the house or arriving to stop her, Lisa
thought she was home free. However, when she turned from
pulling the front gate closed, and started to bustle up the
walk, she came to an abrupt halt as her maid, Bet, suddenly
stepped out of the bushes to confront her.
"I knew you were up to something when I saw you sneaking
about the house this morning," Bet said with satisfaction.
Her freckled face and stance were triumphant, her legs
slightly parted, arms crossed over her chest, and one
eyebrow arched. "Now, what are you about, my lady?"
What do you think about this review?
Comments
No comments posted.
Registered users may leave comments.
Log in or register now!
|
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy