Lizzie's Rake
Hazel StathamHistorical romance
Available from The Wild Rose Press
ISBN: 1-60154-465-0
May 2009
| Through the selfish and shortsighted behavior of her father and older brother, the family's estate is lost in a card game. This leaves Lizzie and her two young siblings without a place to live or anyone to turn to. The Earl of St. Ive is the man who won the estate.. He is so wealthy; he does not need yet another estate, especially one as run down as the Malden's. He is moved by the plight of the young woman and two children trying desperately to make do under trying circumstances and later by the courage and beauty of Lizzie Malden. Lizzie is attracted despite herself, leading to misunderstandings and misinterpretations. Added to the situation is an unknown villain who wishes the Maldens ill.
This is a wonderful Regency romance in the classic style. Maxim, the Earl of St. Ives is almost too perfect and is completely flabbergasted over and over again by Lizzie. She is suspicious of his generosity and repeatedly misunderstands his intentions. The characters are extremely well crafted and very real. I particularly liked his Aunt Bella, a good humored and very colorful grande dame. The author is very adept at capturing the spirit of this era and its people and has once again created a story and characters that I will enjoy again and again. Throughout the book I felt that I could almost see and hear the characters and I got totally wrapped up in the story and the characters. Fans of Regency romances are going to love this one.
Overall rating:
Reviewer: Maura Frankman |
