Four young ladies enter London society with one common goal: they must use their feminine wit and wiles to find a husband. So a daring husband-hunting scheme is born...
If I'd read something similar to the above on the back of a contemporary novel, I don't think I would have given it a second glance, but Secrets of a Summer Night is set in the 1840s and so, given my surprising (to me, anyway) love for Eloisa James's historical romances, I decided to try it. And I loved it.
It's mainly the story of Annabelle Peyton, whose straightened circumstances make it unlikely that she will find a peer to marry her. And yet she desperately needs to since along with having threadbare clothes and struggling with the bills, gentlemen are circling with the interest of making Annabelle into a mistress, which would, of course, be her undoing. There is, however, Simon Hunt who, while handsome and rich, is a commoner and so not in the least bit suitable for Annabelle...
I loved Annabelle - she's spirited, intelligent and sexy, but it's Simon Hunt who really makes this book sing. Goodness, he's just what you want in a historical romantic hero. The other three "wallflowers" - Lillian, Daisy and Evie - are highly entertaining too.
Halfway through reading this book, I looked on Amazon and got a bit giddy when I realised there are loads more Lisa Kleypas books, including three more in the Wallflowers series.
I didn't think it was quite as brilliant as the Eloisa James books, but I'm still very excited to have another historical romance author to indulge in. Wonderful.
Ooh, I love Eloisa James novels, so I will definitely check this out! Thanks for posting about it.
Posted by: Steph Burgis | 13 October 2010 at 02:00 PM