Perdita
"They are French pirates. They will all die tomorrow."
"They are not all men, Excellence. One of them is a girl. I might pay well for her."
The Pasha was starteled out of his customary urbanity. "Pay for a pirate? Non, no, my lord, there is little enough to comfort a man in that one. But if it would please you to look through this window..." A fretted window overlooked a scene of the Pasha's seraglio. "The choice of them is yours, my lord."
"Tempting as these sights are, Mehmet Pasha, I regret I must forego the pleasures they promise. The girl prisoner would not be for such a purpose, I assure you." As he spoke he drew from his finger a pearl ring of singular beauty and contemplated it. "I understand your scruples, believe me. But is there no way this matter could be arranged to our... mutual benefit?"
The Earl of Ambourne had need for a woman but not to satisfy his physical appetites. He needed somebody he could train to become a great lady and settle a score with his enemies. Perdita, without history and connections but of astonishing beauty seemed just right for his purpose. But Perdita vowed that Lord Ambourne would never learn how much she knew about being a lady, at least not before she was good and ready. She would not be used so!
First published 1991 by Masquerade, reissued 1993 (Harelquin)
Cover: Harlequin Regency Romance, April 1993
ISBN: 0263129586, 0263774228, 0373311958
[A] Darling Amazon
Hugh bowed and sat down. After a minute or two he said, without turning his head, "You can come out now. I imagine you would prefer to not stay there the whole evening."
Shrinking back into her plant pots, Julia gasped, "How did you know I was here?"
"My dear girl, I saw you when I first came in."
"It's true that I'm difficult to miss," she said bitterly.
"Why the devil should anyone want to?" was his surprise response. "Stop cowering in there and dance with me instead."
When heiress Julia Marchant's dying father fretted about her unmarried state, a chance seen item in the newspaper offered a way out. Julia pretended that she was to marry Hugo Devenish, now the Marquess of Rostherne, a man she met briefly nearly ten years ago during her blotched first season. She had no suspicion that her father would publish their betrothal. To make her father's last days happy she agrees to marry Lord Rostherne, who's about to lose his inheritance to his father's creditors. And then Hugo's former sister in law shows up...
"Darling Amazon" is, unusually for Sylvia Andrew, a relentlessly dark book although it does end happily. Julia has never quite forgotten her first love but she knows that Hugo doesn't feel the same. Hugo has many secrets and his former experiences have made him highly suspicious of women. It doesn't help the situation that Julia's vindictive cousin tries to sow discord or that his sister in law has her own ideas on whom Hugo should marry. A sometimes painfully emotional read.
First published 1992 by Mills & Bonn, reissued 1993, 1995 (Harlequin)
Cover: Harlequin Reluctant Bridegrooms, May 1995
ISBN: 026313492X, 0263780465, 0263135543, 0373312180
Serena
After a good run she paused on the highest point for miles around. Away to the south the slanting winter sun exaggerated the folds and furrows of the land, and the fields below formed a patchwork of black and brown, russet and green. Something tugged at her mind, a line of poetry she had recently read and not fully appreciated till now. It was about hedgerows...
"'Hardly hedgerows... hardly hedgerows...' but what comes next?"
"Hardly hedgerows -little lines of sportive wood run wild," said a voice behind her. "And who the devil are you?"
Thus begins the extraordinary friendship between Serena Calvert and Lord Wintersett, high upon that hill where they created a world of their own. Soon Serena has to leave to chaperon her niece's entry into society, but Lord Wintersett in London is a very different man from her close companion on the Surrey Downs. Can they find their way back through betrayal, heartbreak and sorrow, or is their friendship destroyed forever?
"Serena" is in my opinion the very best of Sylvia Andrew's books. The emotional more than simply sexual tension between the main characters kept me turning the pages. It has a happy ending, it is a romance after all, but few books have had me wondering right up to the very end if they will really be able to overcome all that separate them and find happiness together. An absorbing read. Note: This book is losely linked to "Perdita."
Svensk titel: Serenas dans
Översättare: Eva Wennbom
Förlag: Harlequin, 1998
ISBN: 91-640-0981-5
First published 1994 by Mills & Bonn (Harlequin), reissued 1995, 1999 and 2000.
Cover: Harlequin Regency Romance, October 2000
ISBN: 0263137317, 0263786293, 0263140180, 0373511167, 0373312202
Serafina
"What the devil...?" Before Serafina realised what was happening a lean hand had stretched up to grasp her ankle. "What are you doing here? Come down at once!"
Serafina held on to her perch for dear life and kicked hard. Sam, seeing his master attacked, cried "Come down you little varmint!" and started to pull on the vine.
"No, don't do that Eckford! You'll have the place down-"
But it was too late. The structure gave a grown and slowly disintegrated. Man and master were buried under the old vine as Serafina slid helplessly along the pole to land gently on the ground some feet away.
If Lord Aldworth must marry, which he's by no means resigned to, then his bride should be nice and biddable, not too intelligent or demanding, well brought up, of good family and naturally excessively beautiful. Serafina's family was in financial straights so she decided to catch him. Since beauty was the only trait Serafina shared with the girl Lord Aldworth would marry, she decided to transform herself into the meek mouse he wanted. This served very well, until Lord Aldworth happened upon her being the opinionated hoyden she was at heart. Serafina instantly pretended to be her own nonexisting sister Sally and soon Lord Aldworth was torn between the two sisters, the one so suitable, the other so dear to his heart. Then Lord Aldworth asked Sally to pretend to be Serafina...
"Oh what a tangled web we weave when we practice to deceive!" This is a most hilarious story about the trouble one causes oneself when trying to cover up with an untruth. However, it's not every girl that can be upset with her fiancée because he's playing her false with herself! Lord Aldworth doesn't come off without a scratch either; this arrogant man needs to get humbled a bit. A fun read.
Svensk titel: Serafinas spel
Översättare: Eva Wennbom
Förlag: Harlequin, 1998
ISBN: 91-640-0999-8
First published 1994 by Mills & Bonn, reissued 1995, 1999.
Cover: Mills & Bonn Legacy of Love, February 1995
ISBN: 0263141667, 026378990X, 0263141926, 0263823520
Eleanor
"Good morning, Miss Southeran. I see you are an early riser."
"I'm not sure, sir, that my aunt would approve of...of..."
"She wouldn't want you even to bid an perfectly respectable acquaintance good morning? I find that hard to believe. Your aunt is a stickler for the rules, I'm sure."
"I doubt very much that she would describe you as 'perfectly respectable', Mr. Gutrie."
First published 1994 by Mills & Bonn, reissued 1995, 1999, 2000, 2004.
Cover: Mills & Bonn The Regency Collection #10, 1999
ISBN: 0263140490, 0263788334, 0263141845, 0263824233, 0733550754
Francesca
Svensk titel: Ett förmånligt parti
Översättare: Eva Wennbom
Förlag: Harlequin, 1998
ISBN: 91-640-1048-1
First published 1997 by Mills & Bonn, reissued 1998, 2003
Cover: Mills & Bonn The Regency Rakes #6, 2003
ISBN: 0263154076, 0263803805, 0263154130, 0263836673
Christmas Belles
Rosabelle
Svensk titel: Rosabelle
Översättare: Vivianne Cruuka
Förlag: Harlequin, 2000
ISBN: 91-640-1244-1
Annabelle
Here is my Amazon review of these two stories:
Christmas Belles is a rerelease in one volume of the books Rosabelle and Annabelle by Sylvia Andrew. Rosabelle and Annabelle are twins and we get to follow them, each in her book, on their sometimes troublesome way to love and happiness. Little does Rosabelle know when she trade places with her sister that she will put both herself and Annabelle in danger or that the man her sister scorned might just be the man for her. But will he think so when he finds out the truth?
I liked these two stories a lot; they are full of fun but also have a serious side to them. Mrs. Andrew has pulled off the parallel tales with nary a screw-up, an astonishing accomplishment in itself! If you like insightful stories with a bit of adventure then Sylvia Andrew is the author for you. I've yet to read a book of hers that's not worthy of my keeper shelf!
Svensk titel: Annabelle
Översättare: Vivianne Cruuka
Förlag: Harlequin, 2000
ISBN: 91-640-1247-6
First published 1998 by Mills & Bonn, reissued 1999, 2000 as Christmas Belles (Harlequin), reissued 2004 as Regency Brides: No. 6.
Cover: Harlequin Romance Chrismass Belles, 2000
ISBN: 0263158985, 0263158993, 0263812588, 0263812596, 0263159019, 0263159000, 0263840840
The Steepwood Scandal
An Unreasonable Match
"No, Miss Perceval. I shall see you to your door," he said grimly, ignoring her attempts at farewell. At the door he bowed and at last handed her the parcel. "Goodbye, Miss Perceval. No doubt we shall see each other again."
"I look forward to it already," said Hester.
As Robert Dungarran retraced his steps toward Curzon Street a slight frown marred his handsome features. For someone who had so little command of language her last remark had been remarkably polished. And now he thought of it her 'I look froward to it already' had been delivered with a nice touch of irony. Was there more to Hester Perceval than at first appeared...? Impossible!
At seventeen Hester made a fool of herself over Robert Dungarran and retired from Society in disgrace. After writing out her pain in a perfectly scurrilous story about her tormentors, she rebuilt her life around her interest in mathematics and ciphers. Now six years later she is perfectly happy with her life and particularly her correspondence and friendship with Zeno, a fellow mathematician, which gives her much pleasure. The last thing she wants is another London season.
Hester's story is one of my very favorites, as my dogeared copy testifies. The story is fast paced, the development of the relationship between Hester and Robert believable and not completely lacking in problems. It is refreshing that the author uses real issues that the couple must overcome rather than the artificial "Big Misunderstanding" so often employed in modern romances. Hats off for a very engaging read!
Svensk titel: I största hemlighet
Översättare: Vivianne Cruuka
Förlag: Harlequin, 2002
ISBN: 91-640-2617-5
First published 2001 by Mills & Bonn, reissued 2002 (Harlequin)
Cover: Mills & Bonn The Steepwood Scandal #7, 2001
ISBN: 0263828484, 0263828484
An Inescapable Match
Svensk titel: Belägrat hjärta
Översättare: Vivianne Cruuka
Förlag: Harlequin, 2004
ISBN: 91-640-2743-0
First published 2002 by Mills & Bonn, reissued 2003 (Harlequin)
Cover: Mills & Bonn The Steepwood Scandal #15, 2002
ISBN: 0373304307, 0263828565, 0373304307
The Waterloo Trilogy
Lord Calthorpe's Promise
Muttering, desperately trying to hold her hat in one hand, and anchor he cloak with the other, she ran full tilt into what felt like a wall. She staggered and sat down.
"I'm sorry! Ma'am, are you hurt? No, don't move, let me see if you are hurt first." All tall figure squatted beside her and started to feel her legs. This was too much!
"Don't touch me, sir!" Katherine exclaimed fiercely. "And don't try to help me get up, either! You've done enough damage already."
Katherine Payne's first meeting with Adam Calthorpe was stormy, but then she had for months coped with a situation that was quickly deteriorating from bad to worse. With her beloved brother Tom's death at Waterloo she had in one blow lost her closest companion, her home and her future. Reality was her ruthless Uncle Henry, her fortune hunting cousin Walter and the desertation of her champion, or so she thought. Although events kept Adam out of England longer than expected, he hadn't forgot his promise to Tom at the eve of Waterloo - to look after Kate.
The first part of three losely linked stories, beginning with the Duchess of Richmond's ball in Brussles and following the lives of three officers that took part. Major Adam Calthorpe of the Fighting 52'd is the first man out and never has a hero more thoroughly deserved his fate.
Svensk titel: Kate - Mitt Öde, Mitt Waterloo
Översättare: Eva Wennbom
Förlag: Harlequin, 2003
ISBN: 91-640-2733-3
First published 2002 by Mills & Boon
Cover: Mills & Bonn Regency, 2002
ISBN: 0263174166, 0263831248, 0263173305
Lord Trenchard's Choice
"You leave him alone, do you hear?" The voice rang out, high and clear. Ivo vinced as the sound sent his head throbbing again, and slowly turned. The next moment headache, heartache, everything was forgotten as he stared into the muzzle of a pistol, which was pointing directly at his head, not ten paces away. It was in the hands of a boy that couldn't be more than eleven or twelve. Ivo shivered as a chill ran down his spine. Guns in the hands of children could be fatal, and this boy looked angry enough to shoot him.
"You scum!" the boy went on without moving. "I suppose you mean to sell Star at Taunton, along with the others you have stolen."
If it didn't rile the mind of Ivo Trenchard, of the 7th Hussars and the most polished man in Europe, to be mistaken for a simple horse thief, finding that the urchin pulling a gun on him was a teenage girl certainly did! Joscelin Morley both dressed and lived her life as a boy in a futile attempt to please her father. Her future was clear: Marriage to her neighbor Peter was to join the two estates and they would settled down to care for the land they both loved. So where did the worldly Ivo, her godmother's nephew and a terrible flirt, fit into the equation?
We already met Ivo in Lord Calthorpe's Promise and it's only right he's the hero of the second book in the trilogy. This is no ordinary Chick in Pants book, the reasons for Jossie's choice of dress are solid as are the reprocusions. This is no lightweight tale but an absorbing story of personal growth for both the hero and the heroine. I warmly recommend this one.
Svensk titel: Succe I Sociteten
Översättare: Eva Wennbom
Förlag: Harlequin, 2004
ISBN: 91-640-2739-2
First published 2003 by Mills & Boon
Cover: Mills & Bonn Regency, 2002
ISBN: 0263174328, 0263834948, 0263179974, 0733550754, 0263179974
Colonel Ancroft's Love
"Have you gone mad, Fenny? It's quite out of the question. The journey to Marrick would be tedious enough without adding a sorrowing widow to the party. What the devil are you thinking of?
Who is she, anyway?" "At the moment she is known as Mrs Hopkins," said Mr Fennybright carefully.
"Known as? At the moment? What does that mean?"
"It is for her own protection. The lady is under some threat. She... she believes she is being pursued."
Colonel John Ancroft, late of Wellington's staff and the new Lord Coverdale, is none too happy about either his inheritance or having to face the ghosts of his youth but most especially doesn't he like escorting a tiresome elderly widow. Caroline Duval, late of Jamaica, isn't most pleased with her escort, whom she dubs her Wooden Soldier, but with a rascally cousin doing all in his might to stop her carrying out her grandfathers last bequest, beggars can't be chosers. But John turns out to have unimagined depths, as well as great sorrows, and Caro finds her heart touched for the first time in a long, long time.
In some ways a travel tale this story travels from Dover to the Scotish border, with a large portion set in Yorkshire. This book concludes the trilogy and ties together the three tales, at the end of which we leave all three officers bringing out a toast for The Duke and the men of Waterloo.
Svensk titel: En Omvänd Syndare
Översättare: Eva Wennbom
Förlag: Harlequin, 2004
ISBN: 91-640-2745-7
First published 2003 by Mills & Boon, reissued 2004.
Cover: Mills & Bonn Regency, 2003
ISBN: 0263181812, 0263178331, 026383526X, 0263181812, 0733550754
A Very Unusual Governess
Svensk titel: Ladyns Dubbelspel
Översättare: Christina Sohlberg
Förlag: Harlequin, 2006
ISBN: 91-640-4023-2
First published 2004 by Milles & Bonn
Cover: Mills & Bonn Regency, 2004
ISBN: 0263183998, 0263839605, 0263181952, 0373293909
The Bridegroom's Bargain
"All of you stand back! I warn you all. If anyone moves, I shall shoot Deverell straight away. And I won't miss."
"I think I can vouch for that," [Richard] said. "Alexandra is a first-class shot. I taught her myself."
It should have been a day of happiness when Alexandra Rawdon married Richard Deverell, her childhood sweetheart, but that was before she knew he was instrumential in the death of her brother and the ruin of her father. Determined to salvage what she could of the Rawdon heritage for her cousin, she decided to marry Richard anyway and have him pay, the words "till death do us apart" taking on a new and chilling meaning.
It's hard to describe this story in conventional plot terms as it's several things simultaneously. In some ways it's a story of revenge, in others a marriage of convenience, in yet others a Big Misunderstanding, but it's also a mystery and something of a "who dune it" as well. The one thing it's not is a comedy! I do think it was a mistake to marry off the title characters (with each other) in the opening scene of the book. That said, I still couldn't put it down! Sylvia knows how to do the trick and the book works. It doesn't reach the heights of Serena or An Unreasonable Match but an absorbing read for all that.
Svensk titel: Rivalerna
Översättare: Gabriella Bernhoff
Förlag: Harlequin, 2006
ISBN: 91-640-4031-3
First published 2005 by Milles & Bonn
Cover: Harlequin Mills & Boon Ltd, 2005
ISBN: 0263188035, 0263843599
Copyright notice: Excerpts from the books are italized and copyrighted property of Sylvia Andrew, the author. These are used in accordance with copyright law that allows for short excerpts to be published in book reviews. All other text on this page is copyrighted by the site owner and may not be reproduced except with the site owner's written consent.