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The night of the train crash, their lives became entwined. And even though stories of Jasper Holt's wild past were rampant, Jean Grayson knew her heart would always belong to this handsome stranger who had saved her life.

But Jasper knew Jean's family would never accept him. So he made her a promise that one day he would prove his worth to all who were determined to keep them apart...

Original Publisher: J.B. Lippincott Company
Original Year of Publication: 1916 [1993 reprint]
Page Count: 200

Jean Grayson is travelling across the country to visit her much older, married sister in Hawk Valley. Due to a mixup on the final leg of the journey, she has to sit in the public passenger car while her sleeper bunk is sorted. Jean is nervous about this, especially when the only available seat is next to a sketchy looking old man who opening leers at her. Fortunately, a handsome young man is also sitting there, one who makes her feeling immediately safe. When the conductor arrives to announce her sleeper is ready, both men overhear her name and the names of her prominent relations out west. As she's leaving, the old man contrives to place a leather wallet in Jean's care, telling her to deliver it to her brother-in-law.

The old man is a thief called Scathlin, and the young man is named Jasper Holt. Scathlin used to work for Holt, and stole all of his very important papers at the behest of Jean's BIL, who is Jasper's mortal enemy. Holt tracked down Scathlin and has stuck to his side like glue in order to retrieve the papers. He sees what Scathlin does - passing the wallet to Jean - but doesn't try to get it from her.

A few hours later, the train is involved in a horrendous derailment and wreck while crossing a high bridge over water. The cars are on fire, and Jean has to maneuver herself out of her sleeper and drop into the water to escape. Mercifully, another passenger comes to her rescue and drags her from the water - and it turns out to be Jasper Holt!

The two make their way across land towards Hawk Valley on foot, and then horseback, arriving two days later. During these two days, the two have fallen completely head over heels for each other. Before they arrive at Jean's sister's house, Jasper confesses his identity to her and warns her that everyone in Hawk Valley hates him, most of all her BIL. He does not tell her anything about the wallet and does not try to take anything from her, mostly because he suspects that Scathlin removed one or two key documents before giving her the wallet. The two vow to continue trusting in each other, no matter what Hawk Valley has to say about it. Jasper leaves Jean to her family and sets off to find Scathlin.

Jean is greeted with open arms by everybody, and she actually surprises her brother-in-law by giving him the wallet. His reaction makes Jean suspicious, especially when he comes asking for more documents from her. She'd found one that fell out when she initially retrieved it and realized that it belonged to Jasper. She later overhears a conversation between her brother-in-law and one of his cronies in which they quite conveniently outline their plans to basically steal Jasper's property for themselves, but they are missing two key documents, one of which Jean has. She knows she has to return it to Jasper, but he told her he wouldn't come near her family's property, so how can she safely get it back to him?

Meanwhile, Jasper has run Scathlin to ground once again, takes the other important document from his possession, and brings him back to Hawk Valley, basically as an insurance policy. Scathlin tries to threaten Jean for the paper she has, and Jasper swoops to her rescue. She gives him her document, which makes those in her BIL's possession worthless. At the same time, she asks him to participate in the tournament that her family is holding in her honor before she returns east. He does, wins the biggest prize, and suddenly the townsfolk are wondering if all the nasty rumors and innuendo surrounding him are actually true.

Jean returns east to her parents, and she is separated from Jasper for a year(!) before finally reuniting with him. There is a climactic ending and their reunion is very sweet, so this was basically just a feel-good story from pillar to post.

I really enjoyed this. It's low drama, fairly low angst, and basically the story of how a man's reputation can be torn to shreds for no reason at all. There's no Obvious Villain twirling his mustache stage left; and for a GLH book, the religious elements are exceedingly light. There is no proselytizing, no sudden conversion to evangelical ways and means (it's implied to be the reason for Jasper's change in attitude, but there's no explicit come-to-Jesus moment), no judgment to those who aren't Christians, etc. The most that's present here is some prayer, and the fact that Jean's father is a minister and she herself teaches Sunday School classes. Jean herself is of course the apple of everyone's eye, and her sister is forever trying to matchmake for her and an eligible young man in town, but it's not obnoxious. That earned an extra star from me.

This is a very pleasant read, and one I think even non-religious people could enjoy.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Growing Temptation

Beautiful young widow Lady Phoebe Brodfield could not conceive that the Earl of Devenham might threaten her virtue. True, the earl was the most handsome rakehell in the realm, whom no woman could resist. True, Phoebe was a guest in the same London mansion as he, with no way to avoid his burning gaze. But the fire in his eyes came from fever, for the earl had been badly injured in war. And this man who lay helpless in a sickbed could not possibly pose a threat to a woman who, betrayed in marriage, vowed never to love again.

Phoebe did not reckon with the law of nature, however. Time heals all wounds, and as the earl grew stronger, so did the danger of his rampant desire - and as Phoebe's once broken heart mended, her defenses melted away...

Original Publisher: Signet
Original Year of Publication: 1995
Page Count: 220

That summary is pretty salacious for what turned out to be a deeply emotional novel. Lady Phoebe Brodfield is still in mourning, 18 months after the sudden, unexpected death of her young husband. Scandal abounded when his body was discovered outside a nunnery in Covent Garden. Phoebe was so distressed that she literally hid herself away from the world, moving in with her sister Judith to serve as an unpaid companion and governess to her passel of nieces and nephews. Only Judith, her husband Edward, and their family are even aware that Phoebe is staying with them; as far as the rest of Society goes, Phoebe fell off the face of the earth.

This all changes when Major John Allen Jameson, Earl of Devenham, returns seriously injured from Waterloo. Too far from his own estates, and with few married men among his friends, he begs succor with anyone willing to take him on. Edward Allington is the friend who invites him to stay at his London home to recuperate from his injuries, albeit not without protest from Judith and Phoebe. Devenham's reputation as a rakehell is notorious, and there is danger to the ladies' reputations when it becomes known that he will be staying with them. Devenham is both injured and ill from resulting infection when he arrives at their home; he can't do anyone much harm considering he's barely conscious.

Phoebe is struck by his preternatural attractiveness, but is determined that she will not be a bored peer's plaything due to proximity. What she doesn't expect is that when he wakes up and begins to recover, he is absolutely nothing like his reputation foretold. The man himself is quiet and thoughtful. He knows how to play the game, but Phoebe makes it quite clear she's having none of that, and he basically leaves her alone. He's curious about her - he's been away at war for over two years, and has no idea of her marriage and its scandalous end. She's far too pretty to be hiding away from the world, but that's her right.

Phoebe attends her late father in law's commemoration and is shocked to learn that he left her an estate in his will, considering her late husband's brother is still quite alive and well. Richard Brodfield also has a very dark reputation; his is quite well-earned, and once he learns of her whereabouts, he immediately starts hounding Phoebe to sell her estate to him. He's not a man to take no for an answer, and things deteriorate quickly as he presses his claim.

Devenham doesn't like Richard and sets out to discover why he's in such urgent need of Phoebe's estate. He's certain that unravelling the mystery of Richard will be the key to unlocking Phoebe's heart, as it becomes obvious that Richard knows more than he's letting on about his brother's death and the subsequent scandals that have blackened his name. Devenham doesn't like what he finds, and ends up being kidnapped(!) for his troubles - and its up to Phoebe, Judith, and Edward to find him before it's too late.

There is a lot to like about this story. The leads are quite well drawn. Phoebe's world was turned upside down at the tender age of twenty. She's questioning everything she ever knew about herself after her husband's death, and her attraction to Devenham is only making those questions harder and more uncomfortable to answer. Devenham presents her with a second chance at love, if only she's willing to overcome her fear and her barriers to take it.

Devenham has his own problems. He has PTSD not only from his war experiences, but from growing up with a cruel elder brother. He was never meant to inherit the earldom, and finds it easier to live down to his reputation than to otherwise be his authentic self. He's quite charming and well aware of his own attractiveness, and has in the past used this to further his interests. He was never a great believer in love or marriage until he meets Phoebe, and has an inside look at his friend Edward's loving household. He is a reluctant war hero.

The cast is rounded out by a passel of children, who are quite adorable in their own right; Devenham's fiercely loyal man Mullins; various servants; and an adorable puppy as well as stray cats!

Richard is truly an awful villain, who's done some crazy shit in his pursuit of Phoebe (including but not limited to murdering his own brother and father). The final kidnapping was an interesting twist - Devenham was the victim, instead of Phoebe - and necessary for the resolution of all the threads of the plot, but I would love to read something quiet and more introspective from this author. She can write emotion incredibly well. I will definitely be seeking out more of her work!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

For Love...or money?

Miss Ada Westlake doesn't consider herself a fool...but everyone else seems. to. Though her family is nearly destitute, she has just turned down another proposal from the best catch in the county. Chas - otherwise known as Viscount Ashmead - has asked many time before and Ada, fearful of ruining their friendship with a marriage of convenience, has made him swear never to ask again. Ada also refuses to hang on to a bag of coins she found in the family orchard, convinced the money is ill-gotten. She appears determined to defeat the possibility of financial salvation at every turn. But Ada doesn't mean to be foolish - only to uphold her principles...

Now, Chas must confined "Addled Ada" to see reason - about money and, most importantly, about him. Because the greatest treasure of all is true love...

Original Publisher: Signet
Original Year of Publication: 2001
Page Count: 216

I've been reading a lot of mystery lately, and needed a change of pace, so I reached for my Signet shelf and pulled this book. This author is known to have a light-hearted comedic touch, which is just what I was in need of. She is certainly true to her talents here, but this story - or, that is to say the main characters - wore thin very quickly with me.

This is exactly what it says on the tin. Ada Westlake is the younger daughter in a destitute family. Her eldest brother, Rodney, gambled away all their money and got himself killed in some sort of accident, so now the baronetcy has fallen to younger brother Emery, who's off fighting Napoleon's army on the continent. Elder sister Tess is considered...er, the family eccentric, so Ada is the only one left who has anything resembling brains. She works the land along with a handful of elderly servants, trying to avoid Rodney's widow Jane and her pestering extended family who have taken up rooms in the old Hall but do nothing to contribute to the family coffers or paying down Rodney's debt.

Ada considers herself practical and principled, but she is actually dumb as a box of rocks and stubborn as a mule. She absolutely refuses to marry life-long friend and neighbor Viscount Ashmead, one of the wealthiest men in the country, because she doesn't want to ~hold him back~ and ~deny him the chance for true love~. When she finds a bag of money in the orchard, she immediately thinks that its the proceeds of smuggling and as such, she can't keep it. Isn't her brother off fighting a war against the French? Taking the money would be tantamount to treason in her eyes. She's determined to give it back to the local leader of the smugglers, one Leo Tobin, and actually does that.

Leo is actually Ashmead's bastard-born brother, so of course he knows that the money in the orchard was actually left there by Charles, in his own dunderheaded attempt to give Ada some funds to get out from under the crippling family debt. He can't tell her that, because Reasons, just like he can't tell her he (romantically) loves her, especially not when she turns down his proposal for the umpteenth time and makes him swear never to ask her again.

When Leo gives Ada the money back, she finds new and even more stupid ways to attempt to rid herself of it. Never once does her supposedly practical nature allow her to just accept the windfall for what it is and use it as would best suit her. This drove me nuts. Ada truly is addlepated and I couldn't figure out why Charles was so gaga over her.

Mercifully, this book has a wealth of interesting secondary characters, including quirky Tess (who has her own ideas of how to regain the family fortune, which is to stage a lavish opera/play in London to great acclaim). Leo immediately falls head over heels for Tess and does everything in his power to make her opera/play/book a success. There's also Ashmead's mother, the dowager viscountess, who's playing matchmaker for her son with a bunch of idiotic debutantes fresh from London; the various townspeople; a mysterious Frenchman; and scads of improbable romances. The pace is very swift and comedic, and honestly, wanting to find out how Tess's play turns out was the only reason I kept reading this.

I enjoyed the author's writing way more than the central romance here, so this one is likely not a keeper.

⭐⭐ 1/2

Meek, work-worn Aunt Crete didn't mind staying home while her sister and niece hurried off to the seashore for a holiday with their high-society friends. The thought of having her other sister's son, Donald, all to herself brought unaccustomed happiness to Aunt Crete's heart. But how was she going to explain Carrie and Luella's rude departure to the man they had scorned as a "backwoods cousin," even though none of them had ever met him? Ah well, Aunt Crete knew she would love Donald, no matter what.

But the man who comes knocking on Aunt Crete's door is tall and handsome - and it quickly becomes clear that the disapproving Carrie and selfish Luella have made a decision they will come to regret. Aunt Crete alone enters a fairy-tale world her benevolent nephew has come to offer...

Original Publisher: The Golden Rule Company
Original Year of Publication: 1911 [1994 reprint]
Page Count: 93

This is an absolute gem of a story, a beautiful feel-good novella that hits all of the right buttons. At less than 100 pages, it's also easily read in one sitting. This is not a romance novel, but it is a love story: a powerful testament of the healing power of pure, familial love.

Miss Lucretia Ward is an aging spinster lady, dependent on her sister as a poor relation. She lives with her sister, Carrie, and her niece, Luella; they treat her as little more than a maid-of-all-work. Aunt Crete is responsible for the cooking, cleaning, mending, and organization of the household. She's been told all her life that she must earn her keep, and this she does without complaint, even with Carrie and Luella constantly blaming everything bad about their lives on Crete. Crete was much closer to her other sister, Hannah, who married and unfortunately moved out West, leaving Crete at the mercy of her selfish relations.

Luella is a social climber, albeit a pretty inept one; she has set her cap at Clarence Grandon, scion of a powerful New York family. Luella insists that her family toe a very thin line to boost her chances with Clarence, and has an absolute comeapart when the family receives a telegram from the long-dead Hannah's son, Donald Grant, who announces that he's traveling East and wants to meet them for the first time. Luella insists that Donald can be little more than a "backwoods country cousin" and his sudden appearance will absolutely ruin her, socially. She convinces her mother that they need to leave for the Jersey shore now, before Donald arrives, so she can further her plans for grabbing Clarence's attention.

Crete isn't going with her sister and niece; she's never accompanied them, always being left behind to her interminable chores. She doesn't mind, this time, however; she is thrilled with the idea of meeting Hannah's son and could care less how much of a country bumpkin he may be. She secretly delights in the idea of having him all to herself for a few days.

So Carrie and Luella depart, running into a handsome young man at the station who immediately catches Luella's eye. He seems to be studying her quite curiously as well, which she takes as a feather in her cap. She makes a few disparaging remarks about "running away from her backwoods cousin," which the young man overhears.

This man is, of course, Luella's cousin, Donald Grant. Far from being a country bumpkin, he is instead quite urbane and cultured - and rich, having struck gold in the Klondike. Donald travels on to his relatives' house and is absolutely delighted to meet Aunt Crete, who welcomes him with open arms. She lets slip that Carrie and Luella are at the shore, which confirms Donald's suspicions that he *had* inadvertently met them at the train station. After breakfast, he insists that Crete take a nap, which she very reluctantly does, and Donald intercepts a phone call from the whiny Luella, who's calling to give Crete a bevy of last-minute orders. She talks so much and so fast that she doesn't let him get a word in edgewise, and doesn't realize that she's showing her ass to her cousin. Donald is incensed by this barrage of demands, and pieces together how badly Carrie and Luella treat Crete. He's determined to (1) care for his beloved Aunt as she's never been cared for before, and (2) give his cousin a little payback.

Donald wheedles details from Crete about where their relatives have gone, and convinces her that she, too, deserves a vacation at the ocean. Crete is mesmerized by the idea of seeing the ocean, and is absolutely overwhelmed when Donald sets out to fit her up with brand new clothes (she wears Luella's hand-me-downs) and a travelling trunk. The scenes where the two are shopping are just beautiful, as we slowly see Aunt Crete blossom into her own woman, with even the subtlest changes to her wardrobe. She doesn't have to look dumpy and old; she can be elegant and beautiful. She takes a beautiful, innocent childlike delight in everything, which only makes Donald love her all the more and wish for nothing but her happiness. He's determined to give Crete everything that had been held back from her over the course of her life.

He frames their vacation to the shore as a chance to "surprise" their relatives there. He does want to meet these awful, selfish women who treat Crete so badly, if only to determine if his worst fears are true. So he plans quite carefully, but never maliciously. He and Crete are staying at the same hotel as Carrie and Luella; Donald's wealth means that they can stay on a beautiful floor with ocean views, while penny-pinching Carrie and Luella are basically in a room over the kitchen in the back alley. Donald takes Crete down to the beach and they go swimming, which Crete absolutely adores. He hires a French maid to assist Crete with dressing for dinners, and proudly introduces her to all of his friends - for he has lots of friends, in quite high (society) places, including Luella's beloved Clarence Grandon.

Carrie and Luella don't even recognize Crete when they see her, and they watch her quite enviously before Donald makes his move to bring the family together. Carrie and Luella are such obvious, grasping wannabees that they do more harm than good in their quest to meet Quality, but of course they don't realize how obvious they are. Crete, on the other hand, has taken to elegant company like a fish to water; she is naturally kind, calm, and sweet, and her attitude as much as her clothes transform her physical being.

Donald brings Carrie and Luella to the suite of rooms he's sharing with Crete and the sparks fly. They are exceptionally angry that the beautiful woman they've been admiring is their poor relation! Not even a lovely evening at dinner and a show can warm their envious hearts; when they all return to the hotel, Luella and Carrie sneak back to Crete's room and basically ream her out for even daring to put a foot on the same shore as them, and in such costume, no less! Luella really lets loose; she reaches almost total catharsis in taking out all her woes and jealousy at her sweet old aunt.

Donald overhears it all and basically puts a stop to the nonsense - but not by sinking to Luella's level. He challenges them as to why they think Crete doesn't deserve everything he's given her, of his own free will. Learning that he's rich - and BFFs with Clarence Grandon - just makes Luella and Carrie even more upset, because they realize what idiots they have been in service to their prejudices. They go back to their own room to stew in the mess they've created, now with the knowledge that Clarence Grandon is also engaged to someone else and barely even knows who Luella is (ha!).

Crete is also upset by their rantings and ravings, even though she has been dreading just such a scene ever since they arrived on the shore. Donald then tells her that what he really wants to do is take her away from the drudgery of her current life. He wants her to go back West with him, and basically be his mother - to serve as hostess and chatelaine of his house (with an army of servants to direct), to accompany him on his business trips to Europe and other exotic locales, to take up any hobbies or interests she wants at her leisure; and basically live her own life on her own terms.

This is basically Crete's dream come true, and she accepts in a heartbeat. Donald has shown her the other side of life and convinced her that she deserves it, and she welcomes it with open arms. She is such a sweet creature, and Donald is so loving and caring, that it's just a beautiful scene.

Donald announces their 'partnership' to his relatives, and continues to treat his aunt and cousin to treats, trinkets, and events before he and Crete depart. Carrie and Luella believe that Crete will come back to them and hand over all of her lovely gowns to Luella, but they soon realize they no longer have power over her. The ending is just *chef's kiss* perfect.

I can definitely see this little story become an all-time favorite re-read. It is the right kind of religious fiction: there is no explicit "God stuff" wedged in; instead, Donald models perfectly how to treat his awful relatives with Christian kindness, and how living your best life really is the sweetest revenge.

I'd recommend this to anyone who needs an uplifting story.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Man in Her Mirror...

He was a financial wizard, a driven rogue with a Midas touch, but Gideon Hughes had no interest in keeping the run-down Wonderland carnival he'd inherited - until an enchantress with spun-silver hair presented him with a puzzle he just had to solve! Maggie Durant intrigued him, unnerved him - and made him yearn to storm the fortress of her mystery. But he found it almost impossible to conduct a courtship in the midst of clowns, gypsies, and magicians, even when the angelic siren who knew his secrets announced she was in love with him! Maggie hoped it was only chemistry between them, but the brave man who'd entered her sanctuary was destiny's knight. Gideon had always played by his rules, but in Maggie's world he had to feel his way. Would she show him the real woman who'd love him forever, instead of the shimmering reflection she made in his eyes?

Original Publisher: Bantam
Original Year of Publication: 1990
Page Count: 180

This is a rather delightful little story, and the perfect way to end my reading year. I see that this is actually part of a series called "Once Upon a Time," which makes everything make 1000% more sense. I love fairy tale retellings, and this one is a doozy: Alice in Wonderland!

Maggie Durant is the family chameleon, and the family troubleshooter. When she learns that her cousin Merlin has died mysteriously - and that her Aunt Julia believes that he was murdered - she realizes that it's up to her to go investigate his death. Merlin was a magician in a traveling carnival called Wonderland, so Maggie shows up at its ramshackle temporary home in Kansas, takes an animal trainer's job, and starts her investigation into her cousin's death (he apparently fell into a well when the carnival was in Iowa).

Meanwhile, Gideon Hughes has been summoned to Wonderland upon the news that a very distant relative has suddenly died and left him in charge of the carnival. Gideon is an investment banker, and is frankly flummoxed by the idea of owning a traveling carnival. He demands to see the manager, and is immediately surprised - and intrigued - to find that 28-year-old Maggie is in charge of this lot. She looks like a fairy: small, blonde, impossibly fey features, and he's immediately intrigued. He can't make anything she says make logical sense, however, so they find themselves rather at a rather bemused crossroads. Eventually Gideon learns how to unbend enough to feel, rather than think, and the two put their heads together to discover who is a murderer hiding amongst the carny crew. They also fall in love over the course of about 2 days, thanks to a little meddling matchmaking from the improbably old Uncle Cyrus Fortune, who incidentally looks exactly like Col Sanders of KFC fame.

This is a very bizarre story, one you just have to roll with. If the author has her rights back, she could easily market this as fantasy romance these days. The only internal sense is the whimsical nonsense of the Lewis Carroll classic stories. There's even a Cheshire cat!

Bizarre, but unlike my last read, utterly delightful. I love the idea that there are more books in this series, all of which appear to be other fairy tale retellings. If this author can pull off freaking Alice in Wonderland, I can only imagine how she'd handle the more conventional tales!

⭐⭐⭐

The Vintage Romance Reader

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