"a golden Stuart that is a gem"

The Houseparty is a delightful Regency Romance (Fawcett 1985) by Romance's Resident Genius, Anne Stuart. I love a great many writers for their various styles, but Stuart seems to do it all, and do it time and again. From the most provoking dark and sinister psychological thrillers, to ghostly tales, and with her parade of anti-hero heroes, no one touches Stuart. This time her delight is making us love a spy, Captain Michael Fraser. It's a witty dance on the high wire, with spirited Lizzie Traherne leading Michael and everyone else on a wild chase.

Sumner, her brother, informs Elizabeth that they are retiring to the country for the long weekend for a houseparty at Adolphus Wingert. Lizzie is not amused. She is especially peeved when Sumner encourages her to permit Adolphus to court her. There are many reasons why she wants nothing to do with Adolphus. He favours pink. He dresses in pink, he is fat like a pink pig and he has fat pink lips, which he smacks every time he is trying to cop a feel off Lizzie. Sumner is the local vicar, and Adolphus is his patron, so Sumner sees a match between his sister and his patron as good for his position. While Lizzie admits she is out of the schoolroom at 23-year-old, she's hardly ready to stick a spoon in the wall, nor is she about to accept a suit from Adolphus. Another reason against the match is Adolphus' battle-ax of a mother hates Lizzie and will go to various extremes to keep her darling baby boy (40-years- old baby boy) away from the "unsuitable" Lizzie.

Elizabeth finds, however, the weekend is far from the dull houseparty she anticipated. Oh, Adolphus is true to form in his pink get up, so is mummy dearest. There the various house guests keep things lively. There is Brenna, a beautiful young lady wanting to snare Sumner, but she has competition from the Contessa, a luscious young widow, who is up to something. One needs a dance card to keep score of whose bedroom she is going in or coming out of next!

Michael Fraser intrigues Lizzie. He is handsome, but with an air of mystery around him, with rumours swirling about he is a spy for the French. Since Lizzie's older brother is doing undercover work for the English in France, she sees the possibility of Fraser's activities as a peril to her brother, so sets about to foil Fraser. She accidentally learns there is a list of English spies in France hidden somewhere in Adolphus' home, she knows she must be the one to find it. Her brother's name will appear on that list and it would mean is arrest and execution. However, she starts hoping Michael is not a French spy, and thinks maybe her intervention will prevent his arrest by the English.

As Lizzie slips around in the middle of the night to find the list, believing everyone to be asleep, she discovers the hallways to the bedrooms resembles the opening of A Shot In The Dark! There is Brenna spying on Sumner. Sumner slipping into the Contessa's room. But the Contessa just came from Sir Maurice's room and disappeared into Michael's. As Lizzie's dashes to hide, the game of musical rooms continues leaving her exhausted and dizzy!

It a brilliantly funny, lighter Stuart, that will leave you smiling! A golden oldie that stands the test of time.

Reviewed by DeborahAnne MacGillivray
Posted August 18, 2004