Review: As good as any other Claudy Conn book
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 9, 2014
Star Berkley and her brother, Lord Vern Berkley, are in dire straights and close to losing their beloved home, Berkeley Grange. Vern becomes involved with local smugglers to earn some money to pay their immediate bills. Obviously, this goes badly.  Their neighbor Jules Stamford is smitten with Star and brings his friend Sir Edward Denton on a visit to Berkley Grange. Sir Edward doesn't think the hoydenish Star will suit Jules' need for a wife with political aspirations, but he falls under Star's charms himself.There are several likable characters to root for in this story.  Jules and Vern are both very good natured, handsome and everyone likes them.  Star is lively, outspoken and gorgeous. Sir Edward is sophisticated, the best looking man Star has ever seen and he's trying to redeem himself from his bad behavior in the previous book, Wildfire Kiss.  The plot moves along at a fast pace, Claudy Conn always writes well and the tone is generally upbeat, even with the looming financial problems for the Berkley's.Did you sense a "but" was coming?  I waited a couple days to write this review because I was torn between 3 and 4 stars.  This is the eighth Claudy Conn book I've read, and while I enjoy her writing style, it can be formulaic. This is not a criticism.  I've read several dozen Dick Francis novels and they are all formulaic, but I still enjoyed them.  However, every one of Claudy's book I've read has the heroine having sex with the hero before he declares his intentions and then she doubts his feelings for her and she feels bad about what she did (maybe not Myriah Fire, but the other seven heroines felt remorse). Ugh!  I hate this plot device.  I guess I keep reading her books to see if she'll change it up one of these times.My other quibble with this book is the underlying women's lib theme with Star's friend Georgiana. I like when heroines and their friends act outside of social norms by riding astride or being highly educated, but I don't want them to be militant about it. I read Claudy Conn's notes in Wildfire Kiss on Regency women like Lady Caroline Lamb behaving outside of proprieties, but what she fails to mention is that Caroline Lamb was ostracized by many.  I don't think Lady Lamb got a HEA.  If I wanted a lecture on women's liberation and sexual freedom I'd read Rubyfruit Jungle (required in a women's studies course I took) instead of Regency romances. This is just my personal opinion, others may find this theme refreshing and be cheering for Georgiana.I did really enjoy Conn's other books Myriah Fire and Wildfire Kiss and would highly recommend them. All of her books are well written, well edited and have lively dialogue and plots - they never get bogged down and she never becomes overly repetitive.  I decided to give this book 4 stars because I think it's an enjoyable story that readers will like for a fast, escapist read.  It's not my favorite, but I think I'm comparing it to a body of work and it's not reflective of the book itself.