Her aunt, Lady Louisa Meriden, was a scatter-brained hypochondriac who was less worried about her children (there was 5 still in school) than she was about herself. Her husband and oldest step-son were killed within one week of each other, which left the household in the hands of Julian Stratton (her step-son). That the two had a history was a stretch! When Lady Meriden married her husband, she had him send Julian to his mother’s parents…she did not want to raise his sons; however, Vincent, his brother, stayed with them. Therefore, they knew very little about each other. Julian was severely injured in the war and he waited months before coming to save the family from financial ruin. He was fighting for his life, but they never bothered to find out where he was!

A Cousinly Connexion is the story of how this young man, Julian, and Jane, no relation to him, but cousin to the others, try to work through the problems of finance and a myriad personality conflicts to save the family. Ms. Sheila Simonson writes with a clarity that keeps the numerous characters flowing smoothly and maintains continuity throughout. Many authors writing about this many characters would confuse the reader, but Ms. Simonson is not one of them. She wrote an excellent book which has so many connections that there is something going on to keep your interest regardless of preference. Having my own large extended family, I can relate to this tale; I assure you that the author knows of which she writes. Read this book! You will not be sorry.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Sweet

Reviewer: Brenda Talley
May 2, 2007