Review: Implausible, but Rip Roaring fun
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 4, 2014
I haven't read Cara Elliott before (though I would have sworn I had). Also I wasn't certain what I was getting into as this was the second book in the series. While Elliott doesn't make it necessary to understand the current book, it would have made some...motivations and circumstances easier to understand.As an example - Davenport helped Olivia and Wexham in the first book (Scandalously Yours, which is how Anna met Davenport and their flirtation began). Its not necessary to this book, but after having read Passionately Yours, and seeing how Caro and Alec started THEIR flirtation in this book, I can see how it would have gone a long way to making some things make sense.This was, simply put, a madcap romance. I'm tempted to say that Elliott didn't give a fig for how implausible the plot was, but I think that was part of the charm. The "Hellions of High Street" as the Sloane Sisters are known as, defy every convention of the time and rejoice in that defiance. Not once does Anna think that if she was more demure and proper she'd have less trouble. If anything she wishes she could be MORE audacious so she could solve more of her troubles without so much dancing around.I appreciated the fact that Davenport, known as 'The Devil' (for a multitude of reasons...many well founded, some not so much), didn't try to dissuade Anna from her chosen attitude because he found it wrong or improper, but because he could very clearly see the danger she was setting herself up for that she was all but ignoring. And later, when some of Anna's more literary secrets are revealed, he's pretty much "Well. We really need to work on those romance scenes don't we?" without so much as batting an eyelash.As I said the plot itself is a bit ludicrous and implausible, but this book is really more about the characters and their interactions. From the high minded poetry debates between Caro and Alec, to the veiled discussions the girls have in front of their mother in regards to their clandestine literary pursuits, this is a fun, enjoyable romance with some very heated moments.