Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: A Bird in Hand (Signet Regency Romance) by Allison Lane ISBN: 0-451-19790-9 Publisher: Signet Book Pub. Date: 01 April, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $4.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (7 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: A Delightful Book
Comment: A Bird in Hand is a delightful book. It has an interesting plot and well-developed lead characters. Some of the peripheral characters are a little one-dimensional, but still believable. The only disappointment I had was that Elizabeth's father doesn't get the blistering setdown that he so deserves. I would have really liked to have read that scene! My favorite authors are Mary Balogh and Patricia Oliver. Allison Lane is fast becoming another. I want to read all her books now that I've read A Bird in Hand and The Beleaguered Earl.
Rating: 3
Summary: Good in parts, but poor characterisation and plot
Comment: Unlike another reviewer here, I didn't find this at all a *complicated* plot. However, like another Lane book I've read, it suffers from poor characterisation. While the heroine, Elizabeth, and Symington himself are well drawn, the rest of the cast seem like mere caricatures, especially Elizabeth's father, Fosdyke. I cannot understand why Symington maintained his masquerade when faced with such an appallingly il-mannered host. Cecilia is similarly unbelievable with her repulsive and incredible attempts to force Symington's friend (pretending to be Symington, remember) into marriage.
The mistaken identities do get resolved in the end... somehow... and yet I can't even remember how, now! (not that I'd give it away for anyone who hasn't read the book).
I can't recommend this; it pales in comparison with anything from Mary Balogh, Mary Jo Putney, Patricia Oliver or Carla Kelly.
Rating: 5
Summary: Uncommonly good book made up of common elements
Comment: Lord Symington's grandfather, the Duke of Whitfield, has a dying wish: to see his grandson marry and beget an heir. Symington hates London, but Whitfield suggests a lady who might suit: Lady Elizabeth, the granddaughter of his old friend Lord Fosdale. As it happens, the present Lord Fosdale, Elizabeth's father, has a rare manuscript that Whitfield might wish to purchase. Symington, an expert in antique books, could go to Fosdale Manor to inspect the manuscript and meet the daughter without feeling obligated to make an offer for her. Symington reluctantly agrees, taking along his friend, Lord Sedgewick Wylie.
Elizabeth hears of her father's plans to trap Symington into marriage with her. Elizabeth does not wish to marry at all. Besides, her younger sister Cecelia is much more beautiful; if anyone is going to be trapped in marriage--an idea Elizabeth loathes--it might as well be Cecelia. Elizabeth flees to her aunt's home for what she hopes is a long enough time to not meet Lord Symington. But when she returns home, she meets some unusual visitors...
The author uses many elements not at all uncommon to historical romance: the hero who isn't sure if anyone sees the man behind the title and wealth; the heroine who fears marriage and the total control it gives a man over his wife; the scheming parents who try to set up their daughters to be compromised; mistaken identities; storms; a carriage accident... What makes A BIRD IN HAND different and so enjoyable is the way Ms. Lane synthesizes these elements into a whole that is greater than its parts. We see the hopes, dreams, plans, thoughts, and fears of most the characters, not just hero and heroine. The primary two spend a great deal of time together, often in serious conversation, and as they get to know each other as people, not just titles, the reader gets to know them as well--Ms. Lane packs a lot into 218 pages. A BIRD IN HAND is not light and frothy, but neither is it dark and depressing--it is just right. Whether you are new to the Regency subgenre or a long-time fan, don't miss this one.
Kimberly Borrowdale Under the Covers Book Reviews
 |
Title: The Rake and the Wallflower (Signet Regency Romance) by Allison Lane ISBN: 0451204409 Publisher: Signet Book Pub. Date: 10 October, 2001 List Price(USD): $4.99 |
 |
Title: When He Was Wicked (Bridgerton Family Series) by Julia Quinn ISBN: 0060531231 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 29 June, 2004 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
 |
Title: A Deal With the Devil by Liz Carlyle ISBN: 0743470036 Publisher: Pocket Star Books Pub. Date: 01 March, 2004 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
 |
Title: England's Perfect Hero (Historical Romance) by Suzanne Enoch ISBN: 0060543132 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 24 February, 2004 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
 |
Title: My Scandalous Bride: The Lady and the Tiger/Melting Ice/Wedding Knight/The Proposition by Christina Dodd, Stephanie Laurens, Celeste Bradley, Leslie Lafoy ISBN: 0312995229 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 04 May, 2004 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
