Review: If you're feeling the "dismals," here's the cure!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 7, 2014
I had such a good time reading this!  It's crazy...it has everything but the kitchen sink in it ~ an engaging romance; humor; witty (sometimes snide) banter, a bit of gothic; a shell game involving a family heirloom...haha...what else could there possibly be?  (Well, there's more:)It all begins when Lady Marian, trying to save her destitute family,  dons a sweet, brainless faade in order to attract a wealthy husband.  Reginald Montague knows Marian isn't the simpering shy flower she's pretending to be and he is determined to save his best friend from the clutches of, "...that lying, deceitful woman."  He doesn't know it yet, but he's in for quite a ride!I loved watching their exchanges develop from sharp barbs, to snide humor, to witty banter, to, finally, gentle amusement.What the novel did *not* have?  No halting narrative...no stilted dialogue...no anachronisms.  The flow was seamless.This story seemed written with  fey, joyful elan and I certainly had fun reading it!Note:  My personal rule is to give 5 stars to a novel that carries a story and characters that will continue to live with me.  This story and its characters may not do that.  It is, however, such a superior rendering of the author's intent, a light-hearted tale, written so beautifully, it simply had to have 5 starsEnjoy your reading! :)