Yes yes, once again, ‘tis time for another Personal Ad contest, whereby the first commenter to guess the correct answers to the book title, author’s name and heroine’s name (REMEMBER THE HEROINE’S NAME FOR ALL THAT IS HOLY OR THE PRIZE WILL BE SNATCHED FROM THEE) will get a too-bitchin’-for-words Smart Bitch title.
SWF, daughter to a notorious female rake and aristocrat fallen on hard times, seeks steady, stodgy male to love and to comfort, in sickness and in health. Am not at all interested in tall, dashing, repressed musician types with a taste for danger and the challenge of seducing the unseduceable, and especially not if you’re impecunious and estranged from your father. No no no. Your blandishments will not work on me, not even if you corner me in the rose garden…or the maze…or my bedroom.
Just a completely random guess: Lily by Patricia Gaffney? And the heroine’s name is, of course, Lily.
Wow, Susan got it, with what looks like a significant assist from Sarah F. Congratulations, Susan. DAMN. That was a fun bout, eh, kids? And seriously, terrible hero name and clunky cliches aside (virtuous daughter attempts to live down rakish mama’s reputation! Hero sets out to sexx0r her, only to be hoist by his own petard!), this book will make you curl your toes, it’s so good. The secondary romance between the mother and Lucien’s best friend is also excellent—good enough that I wish more time and attention had been paid to it.
Sounds great. Another book for my TBR pile.
Did I win? I will gladly share my title with Sarah F. 🙂
From what I recall, Madeline’s last name is never really mentioned but she signs a letter at the end of the book with her full name.
It was a good read thus I have it on my keepers’ shelf 🙂
I’d be happy to be lesser nobility until I won in my own right. Congrats, Susan. Next time, dammit. Next time.
Congratulations, Susan!
The description also fits reasonably well with “Lady Barbara’s Dilemma” by Marjorie Farrell, a book I enjoyed very much. Lady Barbara is 25 and unmarried and feeling somewhat adrift. In hopes of moving forward with her life, she becomes engaged to a handsome lord who clearly admires her and treats her well, only to find herself attracted to Alec Gower, a gifted violinist. A talented amateur pianist, Lady Barbara is confused by her feelings and unsure what to do, since Alec appears to be far beneath her on the social scale. As it turns out, he is estranged from his aristocratic family, who look down on his desire to devote himself to his music. One of the reasons I liked this book so much was that it was socially aware yet in what seems a realistic way—one of Lady Barbara’s friends and fellow music aficionados is a Jewish man, and the book doesn’t preach or make everyone sing Kumbaya, nor does it make those who can’t accept the friendship into Regency Nazis. It’s a shame Farrell is no longer writing, because she takes themes such as this and presents them more subtly and believably than many others. I also recommend her “Miss Ware’s Refusal”, a precursor to this book, for a poignant and romantic book about a hero blinded in the wars.