Review: “One did not ask the Duke and Duchess of Avondale to the same party – it was not done.”
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 16, 2013
Lady Hathaway’s latest house party is on its way to becoming a mess.  Her entertainment has fallen sick, her guests are mismatched, and she has mistakenly invited both her cousin Ollie, the Duke of Avondale, and his estranged wife, Belle.  After a whirlwind courtship, the country-bred Belle and the sophisticated Duke of Avondale had married, only to mysteriously separate a month later.  Lady Hathaway is horrified that her party will be the first time Ollie and Belle will see one another again amongst society.  The Duke and Duchess are certainly surprised to find one another in attendance at the party, but the Duke wastes no time trying to force reconciliation with his wife, though more often than not, he manages to exacerbate the situation!  Will it be divorce or will there be reconciliation for the Duke and Duchess?Lady Hathaway’s House Party is really about how different expectations can set astray even lovers in the honeymoon stage.  There are so many Regency novels about those whirlwind courtships, but not so many, about what happens after the nave young girl marries the charming, sophisticated man.  The novel paints a picture of how a relationship might fall apart, but also how sometimes the hero and heroine must grow quite a bit for it to work.  Most of the novel consists does consist of banter and fighting between the Duke and Duchess, but the fighting is rather bittersweet and often funny in its realism.  It helps too that both Ollie and Belle are appealing and thoughtful characters.  And there is, of course, the trademark Smith humor and comical characters, including the horrible gossip Lady Dempster, Belle’s ineffectual beau Mr. Henderson, the bosky Italian soprano Signora Travalli, and Lady Hathaway, who attempts to bravely manage a house party that is falling apart at the seams.A charming and fast-paced read, Lady Hathaway’s House Party offers plenty of romance and comedy!  I would definitely recommend for a satisfying evening read!