Monday, August 13, 2007

And A New Version

A cheer of thanks for Harlequin Historical. Although their quality is somewhat spotty, I have to give a lot of credit to Harlequin for continuing to publish Harlequin Historicals - and keeping alive the Regency, the Western, and many other types of books that have been lost in the sea of fluffy Regency-set historicals and paranormals that fill the shelves these days.

The Earl's Prize by Nicola Cornick
(2002, Regency) 8/9/07
Grade: 4

After her father ruined the family with his gambling, Mary expected a future of genteel poverty. She’s intrigued by her brother’s friend Joss, the Earl of Tallent, despite his scandalous reputation. But when she wins a fortune in the lottery, her life changes overnight - but will it change her character as well? Can she be happy with a supposed gambler like Joss?

A delightful book. The characters had that ineffable “something” that made them a joy to read about - I found myself smiling all through the second half, just because I was so glad they found each other. The storyline wasn’t particularly new - winning money in a lottery was new but not that different from inheriting from a relative - but it was the well-drawn and sympathetic characters that made the story worth reading.

It's hard to explain why this book was so appealing, but something about it just made it a joy to read. I got the same feeling from the first half of Nicola Cornick's recent book, Deceived (which unfortunately, fell apart in the last half.) I enjoyed The Earl's Prize so much that I ran out today and bought the sequel.

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