jjares reviewed on 3/1/2021 + 3413 more book reviews

Buyer beware: The stories in this book are all reprints. Ms. Rice's and Ms. Wolf's stories were printed in A REGENCY VALENTINE. Ms. Layton's and Ms. Balogh's stories were originally in DASHING AND DANGEROUS. Ms. Putney's story comes from RAKES AND ROGUES. After giving a short hint of the story of each, I will rate the stories from best-to-least at the end.

MAD, BAD, AND DANGEROUS TO KNOW (Mary Jo Putney) -- 4 stars
Liza Holden, a recent widow, is coming back from her father's funeral when she sees a handcuffed man being abused. Andrew Kane is a younger son of an English baronet who is to be hanged for murder. She finds out that Kane was the one who killed her husband, and she isn't surprised that it was self-defense. Since her dead husband's father is a major force in the area, there was a kangaroo court that condemned Kane in 10 minutes. This is an engrossing story and I enjoyed it very much.

THE ANTAGONISTS (Joan Wolf) -- 4.5 stars
The unusual thing about this story is that it is told in the first person. Dinah and her mother go to live at Thornton Manor because two young people have become orphans (Hugh Lydin and his sister, Carolyn) due to their father's death. The story is told through Dinah's eyes and she is a red-haired hoyden who must eventually face her coming-out season (along with Carolyn). I personally liked the first-person narrative; it's unique and I want to find something else by this author.

BURIED TREASURE (Edith Layton) -- 2 stars
Dancer is stabbed and buried (alive) by a group of pirates, as they bury their treasure on an outcrop of land. Saved and brought back to health by a kind family, Dan Silver (Dancer) plans to seduce Hannah. Then, he wants to get revenge against the men who abandoned him. This story drags and is boring. I didn't finish it.

FATHERS AND DAUGHTERS (Patricia Rice) -- 5 stars
This is another charmer of a very different variety. The story opens when Jack Chatham, penniless, and with countless gaming vouchers floating about, tries to convince wealthy Mr. Thorogood to let him marry Thorogood's eldest daughter. He has a plan to live frugally and pay off his debts in time. The father refuses (and shows that he now owns all of Jack's old gaming debts) but agrees to loan Jack some money to try to recoup his losses if Jack will break it off with Carolyn. He reluctantly does and Carolyn is devastated.

After five years, Jack returns. Carolyn is nearing an engagement (but is not betrothed yet). Jack pays off his vouchers, loan, and interest to Mr. Thorogood. But Carolyn has changed into a cool, brittle, closed person who refuses to meet with Jack again. This is a real page-turner.

PRECIOUS ROGUE (Mary Balogh) -- 3 stars
Patricia Mangan is a poor relation to the Peabodys and acts as Mrs. Peabody's helper (slave). The Peabody's are having a house party in anticipation of an announcement of a pending marriage between their only daughter, Nancy, and the handsome Mr. Bancroft. However, Mr. Bandroft is very busy seducing all the females (excepting the Peabody women and Patricia) within sight. Bancroft has no intention of marrying Nancy, but he decides to injure the Peabody women's feelings when they are cruel to Patricia.

This is an interesting story but the author has done too thorough a job turning Mr. Bancroft into a rake and a rogue to be able to pull off the solution she tries at the end. It just is not believable. Period. It is fun to read but unlikely to the max.

**My favorites from best-to-least: Rice, Wolf, Putney, Balogh, Layton.

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