Review: Another Beeken Home Run
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 21, 2014
Unbelievably Ms. Beeken has only written two books; "Dizzy Dilemmas" is her second one.  I read her first novel, "Seven Year Hitch" and absolutely loved it!  I gave that book a 5 star review, an unusual occurrence for a new author.  "Dizzy Dilemmas" is another wonderful humorous regency romance, although I didn't enjoy it quite as much as "Seven Year."  The book is quite well written, though it could use a bit of editing; nothing drastic mind you, but a bit of a "tune-up" is in order.  The cast of characters are well drawn and relatable, and quite funny!  In this book we again meet Erica and Ross (the h and H from "Seven Year Hitch") who are close friends with the hero, Marcus, Duke of Glenshire.  Marcus and Dizzy meet when she literally walks into him at a ball, spilling water all over his clothing.  Marcus is convinced that Dizzy did so on purpose, as a ploy to bring herself to his attention (he is after all a highly eligible Duke!)  Dizzy is so incensed at Marcus' accusation that she then intentionally empties the rest of her water on Marcus.  LOL  From there the story quickly develops.  Coincidentally, Marcus and Dizzy's eldest brother, Gideon, are friends.  With Gideon, Erica, and Ross all intent of matching Dizzy and Marcus, the two find themselves often in each other's company.  The interaction between them is chock full of witty repartee and, oftentimes, outrageous humor.  Marcus concocts a scheme to avoid matchmaking mothers and their progeny, by pretending to court Dizzy.  She, of course, wants no part of the ruse, but Marcus is not deterred by Dizzy's reluctance.  It's not long before Marcus is caught in his own trap, when he finds himself falling in love with Dizzy.  He then has the dilemma of how to convince Dizzy that he is no longer pretending to court her, but really wants her as his wife.  The story of how Marcus wins his lady love is LOL funny, cute, lighthearted, and sweet.  IMO, the only drawback is that there wasn't any opportunities for Marcus to play the knight in shining armor.  All the interactions between he and Dizzy consist of lighthearted banter, or steamy sensuality or, more often than not, some combination of the two.  Although I enjoyed the humor, I would have loved to have seen some tender moments between the two...not that Marcus isn't sweet with Dilemma, but he mostly teases her.  Furthermore, I felt like the ending could have been a bit more...Dizzy's reaction when she discovered Marcus' ruse to trick her into marrying him is a bit anticlimactic.  IMO, the ending needs a bit more developing or, in the alternative, an epilogue is needed.  Otherwise, this regency romance encompasses a fantastic story.  I loved it and highly recommend it.  BTW this is not a clean romance; there are a few love scenes.  Happy reading!