Liz Tyner

This was a lot of fun. Captain Benjamin Forrester wants to be at sea and his brother promises him that if he does just one thing for him that he will own all of the boat that they own together. He has to get the help of one of his brothers sisters but when they meet things become complicated. Not least that the attraction can't be denied. He doesn't want to settle down but he can't refuse to help. He also doesn't want to see the pirate leader force her into marriage.
There's a lot going on in this story but I enjoyed the ride.… (altro)

Rachael is the daughter of a jewelry store owner. Thanks to her mother's childhood friendship with a countess, Rachael and her mom were invited to a ball. Due to a disastrous series of events, Rachael's dress caught on fire. Devlin, attending the ball at his mother's request, doused the flames quickly. While recovering at the Countess's home, Rachael and Devlin became friends.

Rachael started the story engaged to Mr. Tenney. They courted for several years and engaged for two years, with no progress toward a wedding. While recovering, Rachael received an obnoxious letter from her fiancé, detailing all of the things he found wrong with her and angling for her to break the engagement. I ached for Rachael because Mr. Tenney blindsided her with his attitude. Her heartbreak grows when he implies that her father's business isn't doing well.

Devlin is a light-hearted man, well-known for his ability to defuse tense situations. He is one of those men who can tell a person to go to hell and have them look forward to the trip. His relationships with women are just as light, as he ensures that none of them get too invested in him. To all appearances, Devlin doesn't seem to have any interest in more serious matters.

I enjoyed seeing the relationship develop between Rachael and Devlin. From the moment he doused the flames of her dress, Devlin felt unexpectedly protective of her. I liked his support of Rachael over the broken engagement. His fury and disgust at Mr. Tenney's actions helped ease some of the sting of the rejection. Devlin and Rachael had some interesting discussions about their opposite life views - his light, not-too-serious attitude versus her practical one. When Rachael decides she needs to help save the jewelry shop, Devlin is right there with some advice on doing it.

Because she is not part of that world, Rachael frequently feels out of place at the Society events she attends. I liked how Devlin attempted to boost her self-confidence. Even after she went home, there were late-night visits where they talked. It was during these times that the flames of attraction began to grow. While Rachael gets more involved in the family business, she puts the idea of marriage behind her. This led to a somewhat surprising action on her part. I loved how Devlin realized his growing feelings for Rachael and his determination to make her his. Rachael was a harder nut to crack, worried about whether his feelings would change the way Mr. Tenney's did. It took some effort by Devlin to convince her.

I liked seeing them come together at the end, as Devlin's love helped Rachael see another side of herself. I liked the confidence she developed because of him and how it helped her with the efforts to save her father's business. The ending was sweet as their decision to marry was based on love and respect for each other's strengths. I liked the last bit that showed after their marriage and the look at the Devlin behind the public façade.

I was a little disappointed in the Mr. Tenny storyline. He spent a lot of time being an obnoxious jerk and making threats about the business. His last confrontation with Rachael was pretty intense. I waited to see what would happen with him, but he just faded away. I hoped to see some kind of justice come his way.… (altro)

I'm fairly sure this is a Regency romance but it could be an early Victorian just as easily. The setup is flimsy and the crazy in his life stretched my suspension of disbelief. The two main characters worked well together but overall the whole thing felt bitty and I wanted more.

He inveigles his way into her house and her life and then behaves like a spoilt child until he grows up a bit and has to adult hard. A man who can outsmart most in business should be able to think his way through his troubles without too much effort. Entertaining to a degree it gained points for her backbone.… (altro)