Review: Three 5 Star Reads at a Five Star Price
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 15, 2014
Ok, so I've only read one of the stories in this set of three Regency romance novellas so far, but boy what a book!  IMO, "Once Bitten Twice Shy" is more than worth the price of this set of three.  As a matter of fact, you get this set for just a few cents more than you would were you to buy each book individually (the books are $1.49 each.)  But, I see that today Amazon is offering it for FREE!!!  You can't beat that![Update: 3/16/2014] Since writing this review I've read the other two stories; "Marry in Haste" and "Desperate Remedies."  OMG!  They are both just as fantastic as "Once Bitten" but so completely different.  I love them all.  Each book is extremely well written with an interesting, engaging plot, and well developed characters.Ms. Courtenay's heroines are all strong, sensible, extremely intelligent, women.  The heroes each suffered some past torment, but with the help of the heroines are able to overcome their past.  Furthermore, Ms. Courtenay has her characters behave in a manner that is within the strictures of Regency society.  Finally, for those of you who don't like sex in your romance novels, you will be pleased to hear that all three stories are squeaky clean!  I absolutely adored all these stories and would highly recommend them all.  Happy reading!MARRY IN HASTEWow! This is a great story.  Amelia is left a penniless orphan when her father commits suicide.  Her aunt by marriage takes her in, but pretty much treats Amelia as am unpaid servant.  Amelia is able to deal with her situation with aplomb, that is until her unscrupulous cousin begins to make unwelcome advances towards her.  When Amelia overhears James talking about how desperately in need of a wife he is, Amelia makes the bold move of proposing to him!  I loved Amelia.  She's smart, intelligent, sensible, and strong-willed.  I liked the way she stood up to James even when he was in the middle of a fit of temper.  As for James, he is kind, caring, and sweet (at least he can be.)Once marriage bargain between James and Amelia is struck, the couple must overcome the machinations of Amelia's family before they can marry.  After they marry; however, James finds himself turning into a jealous fool where Amelia is concerned.  He becomes moody and aloof towards Amelia and she has no idea what to do about the situation.  She doesn't take any of his crap; however, and I loved that!  The couple have a lot of difficulties to overcome, mostly due to James' inability to trust Amelia...James inability to trust stems from a difficult first marriage with an untrustworthy woman.  Eventually; however, James and Amelia do achieve their much deserved HEA.  I loved it and would highly recommend it.  A 5 star read!ONCE BITTEN, TWICE SHYI really loved this story!  It has all the elements of a good Cinderella like tale and more...sweet heroine, handsome prince, jealous twin sister, wicked stepmother, and evil cousin.  Of the three books this one was my favorite, probably because I am partial to romances that incorporate aspects of the Cinderella fairytale.  Ianthe, the heroine, is a twin. Her sister, Serena, is by all accounts the beauty of the duo, although Ianthe is quite pretty in her own right. Ianthe, however, has earned the unfortunate title of bluestocking which has left her a virtual wallflower. Jason, Marquess of Wyckeham, the hero, brings his younger half-brother to London for the season so he can get some "town bronze." While there the two attend a ball at Almack's.This is where Jason first meets Ianthe and Serena. Jason immediately sees through Serena's false faade to her true selfish, spoilt character. But, he is extremely attracted to Ianthe. This perturbs him to no end as he is NOT interested in getting married again (his first marriage was to a spoilt beauty and was a complete disaster). In any event, try as he might, Jason cannot resist his attraction to Ianthe. Serena's jealousy of the attention Jason showers on Ianthe is palpable and a joy to read! Try as she might, she is unable to get Jason to transfer his affections from Ianthe to herself and she succumbs to some dastardly tricks in her attempts to do so.It was nice to see her get hers in the end. Throw into the mix Jason's wicked stepmother who refuses to be supplanted as the Marchioness of Wyckeham and his evil cousin Gervais who is either obsessed with Ianthe and/or has a deep seated hatred for Jason and you've got quite an exciting tale. Needless to say good wins out over evil and Jason and Ianthe get their HEA. Altogether a very satisfying read. I will definitely read this story again!  A solid 5 star read!DESPERATE REMEDIESThe third and final novella in this set of three, is just as excellent as the first two, while having its own unique plot.  When the story begins, Lexie is attending the wedding of the Earl of Synley, the man she is in love with.  Lexie's heart is broken, but she hides her heartache and carries on with her life.  A year later, she moves to Italy with her employer, where she lives for the next three years.  Upon the death of her employer, Lexie returns to England.  She goes to live temporarily with her sister and brother-in-law, whose property, coincidentally, abuts Lord Synley's.  Before long Lexie finds herself once again in company of the now widowed Lord Synley.The story that unfolds is engaging, romantic, and intriguing.  As Ms. Courtenay has her characters behave within the strictures of Regency society, the romance that unfolds is subtle, but sweet.  However, Lexie does manage to engage in some unconventional behavior when the occasion calls for it...such as wearing men's clothing.  Intrigue is added to the plot with the seeming murder attempts against Lord Synley.  Lexie is just as strong-willed, intelligent, and sensible as Ms. Courtenay's other heroines.  It was a pleasure to read a story with such a wonderful heroine.  I loved this story just as much as I did the first two.  Another 5 star read!