Where have I been?
http://www.lorettachase.com/
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Anyway, it was quite an adventure reading Ms. Chase’s early books from the 80s. Those were the days when men were men and books were books. Ah, the golden Regency romance book days of Avon Regency, Fawcett, and Signet. Supposedly they were shorter stories. Viscount Vagabond clocked in at 218 pages, while one of Ms. Chase’s later books, Duke’s Prefer Blondes, has 289 pages. That’s not much of a difference. The only things I noticed that were missing were the sex scenes. Oh, do not get me wrong, the early books were sensual; it was just that the bedroom door closes at the end.
I have decided not to give each book a detailed review, but to try to do an overall impression. My overall impression is/was that Ms. Chase is one of the best, wittiest authors around, and I wish she would hurry up and write a new book. I remember after she wrote Lord of Scoundrels, (the bestest book ever) there was quite a dry spell, and I was worried that she would never write again. It was three years between LOS and The Last Hellion, and it was another six years before the release of the Carsington series. So, Ms. Chase has been responsible for some lonnnng periods of down time between books. Just so you know, her last book was released in 2017, so I probably don’t have to be nervous about no-more-Chase-books…yet. According to her website, she is hoping for a late 2020 release date. She is “keeping her fingers crossed,” and so am I.
Thoughts on the early books, especially Viscount Vagabond. Of the early books I read, this was my favorite. I found myself dazzled by Ms. Chase’s writing. At the time, she was relatively new to Romanceland, but these early books have a sumptuous feel about them. The word structure is so amazing, and the dialogue so witty, I found myself spellbound. It was hard for me to believe that Ms. Chase was just beginning. As I read the pages, I could see a indication of the magic that was to come with The Lord of Scoundrels. So, I do recommend her older books, you won’t be disappointed. I especially liked the Viscount Vagabond. Now on to the Carsington family.
Ah, the Carsington brothers – yum. Carsington family series, Miss Wonderful, 2004, Mr. Impossible, 2005, Lord Perfect, 2006, Not Quite a Lady, 2007, and Last Nights Scandal, 2010.
Here is what the books have in common: a conniving father who maneuvers his sons into marriages. Of course, it is for their own good. The heroes in all the books fall instantly in lust/love with the heroine, and like all true heroes they don’t know they love her. All of the heroines, except for one, are strong, smart women – along the lines of Jessica Trent (LOS). The heroes struggle mightily against all of these women, but to no avail.
I reread all of these books in 2015, and haven’t really changed my mind since then – except: I would have to upgrade Mr. Impossible to a “Wow this is an amazing book.” I also have to confess that I liked the hero, Darius, from Not Quite a Lady better than I did in 2015. I must have been having a bad day at the time. I did find the heroine from Not Quite a Lady irritating.
A quick review of the Carsington series:
1. Miss Wonderful. Alistair Carsington is in trouble. He’s a frivolous guy, a dandy, and he
limps. He limps because he was at Waterloo. He has nightmares of Waterloo. His conniving father threatens him with disinheriting his brothers. He must do something, and do it quick. Alistair has a friend who wants to build a canal in Derbyshire. Sounds like a good money-making project to Alistair, so he’s off. But there is trouble in them-thar-hills by the name of Mirabel Oldridge. Mirabel does not want anyone digging holes in Derbyshire, she wants alllll the land saved. I already mentioned that Alistair has the requisite war-hero limp, well Mirabel has the requisite oblivious father. Mirabel takes care of everything, the house, the village, the dirt, the hills, the trees, and she doesn’t want any stupid dandy flopping around her neighborhood. There is plenty of chemistry between Alistair and Mirabel. Mirabel is a strong woman, who knows when to admit she is wrong. Alistair is an honorable man, and he tries to come up with a solution that will make everyone happy. There is humor, wit, and a wonderful narrative in Miss Wonderful. Sensuality: Warm/Hot - Grade: B
2. Mr. Impossible. I luvvvveeed this book. What an entertaining road trip. Rupert
Carsington is a handsome, big, doofus. He constantly stumbles into trouble. His conniving father has sent him to Egypt, where he gets into more trouble. Daphne Pembroke is a heroine with a big brain. One of her talents is transcribing Egyptian papyrus and hieroglyphs. The bad guys think her brother Miles is the brains behind the operation, so they kidnap him. She needs a strong person to help rescue Miles. Enter Rupert! He is the muscle, she is the brains, or at least that’s what she thinks. Rupert is fascinated with her brain, and her body. This story is a fun adventure, loaded with great dialogue and tons of hot chemistry. It’s a combination Indiana Jones, The Mummy, and Romancing the Stone. The villains are also a pack of great contributors to the story. After rereading this a second time, I believe this story has become my second favorite Loretta Chase book. This is a must read!! Sensuality: Warm/Hot - Grade: A+
3. Lord Perfect. I had great hopes for this story because the male lead is one of my favorite
types: a stuffed-shirt who does everything right, and by the rules. Benedict Carsington is the eldest son of the still conniving father. He sees a beautiful woman standing across the way, Bathsheba Wingate. Things start twitching, lust-drool starts coming from his mouth. Before he can act upon his twitch, there is a great disturbance. That disturbance is named Olivia Wingate, and she is Bathsheba’s young daughter. Olivia is in the middle of conking Benedict’s nephew, Peregrine, over the head. Peregrine had just made the mistake of telling Olivia that girls could not be knights. After telling him he was a blockhead, Olivia started swinging. By the way, this was their first meeting. Olivia is rather melodramatic, and Peregrine is rather logical. Then a road trip begins, actually, two road trips. The children embark on a road trip of sorts: Olivia to find treasure, and Peregrine tags along with Olivia to keep her out of trouble. Benedict and Bathsheba give chase. The weak part of this book is Benedict and Bathsheba. They are…how shall I say this…boring. They lack chemistry, and their romance does not work. The strong parts of this book are Olivia and Peregrine. They steal the story. Olivia is so dramatic. Everything she does, all her schemes, her rants, and her letter writing are all sooooo melodramatic. Peregrine is her complete opposite. He is a Mr. Spock in his outlook on life. For him everything must be logical, everything must be in a straight line. The two of them together are wonderful. Bottom-line: The romance is not terrific; the kids are a treat!
Sensuality:Warm - Grade B-4. Not Quite a Lady. This was my least favorite of the Carsington family books. Maybe it was
because this story had a little bit darker edge to it, or maybe it was because I don’t care for the secret baby theme. Maybe it was all of that. This time it is Darius Carsington who has been sent off by his conniving father. A crumbling estate needs to be restored. The Hargrave family lives close by, and that includes the I’ve-got-a-secret, Charlotte. I was not as upset with Darius this time as I was the last time I read this story. Both Charlotte and Darius know where children come from, and Charlotte has already had a secret baby. They both should have shown some responsibility in preventing another one. However, they do not. There were just toooo many things in this story that irritated me: the secret baby, the coincidence of finding the child, Charlotte’s step-mother lying, the pain Charlotte caused her father. This time Loretta Chase was not able to balance her wonderful witty dialogue with the dark side. Sensuality: Careless - Grade C-
5. Last Night’s Scandal. They’re hereeeeee. It is the return of Olivia and Peregrine, and they
are all grown up. They haven’t changed. Well, Olivia has grown a bosom, and Peregrine cannot seem to concentrate on anything else when that bosom is in his eyesight. Once again, Olivia has a scheme, and Peregrine must save her from it. This story was great fun. It was loaded with wonderful witty dialogue, but also some deeper introspective by Olivia and Peregrine as they spend time together. They have been friends most of their lives, and have loved each other through the years. Olivia has always known that while Peregrine has been her true friend; he has always put his expeditions to Egypt first. Egypt is his first love. Peregrine has always known that Olivia is too dynamic for him; he wants something quiet, peaceful, and logical. Ms. Chase ties up allll those loose ends in a truly magical way, and when the HEA comes, we the reader are able to exhale a heartfelt sigh. Sensuality: Warm/Hot - Grade A-
And so, my Loretta Chase adventure comes to an end, at least till she writes a new one. All I can say is that I enjoyed almost all of it. There is nothing better than a cup of hot chocolate, a big fluffy blanket, and a Loretta Chase book to make a cold day warm. What a delightful read these books were! You really should check them out!
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