Title:
A Very Proper Thief
Author:
Patricia Harrison
Published By:
Amber Quill Press
ISBN:
Electronic:
1-59279-202-2
Paperback:
1-59279-859-4
Release Date:
Available Now
Format:
Electronic
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Miss Daphne Summerhayes was looking forward to her trip to Italy with friends. Her father tells her that she is to stay and chaperone her cousin Sophie whilst in London for her first season. Daphne leaves the house in a huff and is almost run down by a team of horses and carriage. The driver, an unknown arrogant Lord, assumes that she is a servant because Daphne is covered in mud and wearing house clothes. He rudely berates her, but leaves with an unforgettable kiss.
Later Daphne learns that her younger brother William incurs heavy losses during a card game with a Lord from London, who is visiting a nearby property. Victor, Lord Courtlea, is in his cups and does not remember winning an emerald brooch from the young man. When Victor meets Daphne at a local ball he does not recognise her as the servant he nearly ran down. Daphne is horrified to see her family brooch attached to Lord Courtlea's watch and assumes that he found it. After a heated exchange regarding the carriage accident, Daphne is convinced that Lord Courtlea is an obnoxious brute. She decides to retrieve her mother's emerald and breaks into the Lord's chamber late one night. When Daphne has recovered the emerald, she cannot resist studying Lord Courtlea whilst he sleeps. He grabs her wrist and begins to ravish her. Daphne gets lost in the moment and is lucky to wriggle away; again pretending to be a servant.
Dutiful Daphne accompanies her cousin Sophie to London for her coming out and cannot evade meeting Lord Courtlea at all of the parties and routs. Victor is drawn to the bewitching minx even though every meeting is a clash of wits. Sophie becomes enchanted with Lord Courtlea's younger brother, Edgar Merritt. As Victor believes Sophie to be a half-wit, he forbids his brother from courting her. This raises Daphne's ire further.
Lord Courtlea has a precise plan for his life, down to the exact type of woman and age that he will marry. Ms. Harrison's Daphne is everything Lord Courtlea despises. She is an outspoken red head harridan who refuses to be put in her place. She is also the minx that he falls in love with…if only she would realise that she is in love with him too.
A Very Proper Thief is one of those true regencies with style and class. Patricia Harrison is clearly an author to follow. Her characters are endearing and their conflicts very real. The plot is well thought-out and filled with all the dilemmas and frustrations you expect in a great Regency book. I thoroughly enjoyed A Very Proper Thief. Highly Recommended!Reviewed by: Naomi
