A surpassingly lovely story about a fortune hunter who falls in love with the rich lady he is chasing. Beautiful, charming, witty dialog. Lovely characterization of both the hero and the heroine.

The hero makes the mistake in the beginning by admitting to the heroine that he needed to marry money. He thinks that the heroine is a housemaid and then has to dig himself out of the hole he has placed himself into. He refuses to go on and try a different heiress since he has fallen hard for the heroine.

Very well written and the plot holds together very well. Even though she is an independent spinster lady of 26, she didn't seem to be just a modern woman stuffed into a long dress. The feel for the times was very well done.

The hero is more than just a rogue and fortune hunter. He has depths and is a very kind man. He character is very well developed. I loved him and would take him in a heartbeat.

If I thought harder I might be able to nit pick something that wasn't perfect but it would be hard and I loved it so much I don't want to spoil it for myself. ( )

This is a charming book! I loved Lord Rival - completely rakish and yet completely loveable at the same time. You can totally understand WHY the women are all after him - I would be too! Olivia is also a charming character - she's a charity worker without being annoyingly self-righteous. The romance is given plenty of time to build and is fun and believable. I found myself laughing quite a bit throughout this book. Definitely worth reading! ( )

One of the best traditional regency romances!
Very romantic and sexy without actually having sex in it. The hero and heroine are interesting and complex, and their interactions are by
turns amusing, romantic, and heartbreaking, but of course, all's well that ends well! For me, it is very nice to find a heroine who is spirited
and smart, but not a total uptight b*tch. Nothing ruins a good romance for me more than a harridan for a heroine... unless it's a hero who is a
total jerk. Anyway, neither is the case in this book. They are both terrific, well-developed characters. It is truly a lovely story. I would
recommend Diane Farr's other books too, but this was my favorite so far. If you are a Georgette Heyer fan, give Farr a try. Stylistically, Heyer is in a class by herself of course, but Farr is definitely has a similar wit and feel for what makes a good story as Heyer. ( )

a feel good story about an impoverished rake driven to marry for money and a retired wealthy spinster. the former inadvertently reveals to the latter his plans to seduce and marry her for her money (he doesn't know yet who she is). after mistaken identites are cleared up and the hero begins pursuing the heroine in earnest, what ensues is a subtle, slow building romance with a lot of witty banter to spice up the dialogue and carry you through to the end. some of the scenes were beautifully done - especially the episode in vauxhall gardens. farr leaves much to the imagination in terms of sexuality (nothing more than kisses really) but she manages to make this so romantic - this might be completely off, but in an old hollywood kind of way.

the plot gets a bit sloppy when it comes to chasing after the heroine's abusive half brother to save said brother's wife from further abuse - it's as random as it sounds - but i like the characters enough to overlook these bumps. george costairs, baron rival, really carries the book. he's so charming, a mix of good humor and rakish appeal - one of the better heroes i've come across. lady olivia fairfax is also very likeable. my only complaint is that her anguished resistance to george's charms end up dragging on a bit at the end. she has trust issues, you see, which are depicted with enough sympathy to make them understandable. but still, it takes her a bit longer than it should to get around to realizing how perfect george is. am i smitten? i think so. ( )

This is a charming book! I loved Lord Rival - completely rakish and yet completely loveable at the same time. You can totally understand WHY the women are all after him - I would be too! Olivia is also a charming character - she's a charity worker without being annoyingly self-righteous. The romance is given plenty of time to build and is fun and believable. I found myself laughing quite a bit throughout this book. Definitely worth reading! ( )