"An enchanting regency romance"

Duke Kennard 'Kasey' Cartland prefers painting portraits to attending the acceptable and winked at events of the Ton though he has had mistresses. However, Kasey realizes that he needs a wife so he can have a male child because his current heir, his younger brother Junior, would gamble away the estate. His choice for a spouse is Lady Phillida Granleigh, who thinks his painting is childhood dabbling.

However, his latest portrait of a phantom lover talks to Kasey. Feeling he is losing his mind, Kasey visits Sir Osgood Bannister, known for helping the Ton with their ailments. There Kasey meets Osgood's niece Lilyanne, who believes that the artistic aristocrat has seen a vision that wants to assist him in reconciling his secret life with his patrician life. As Lilyanne and a reluctant Kasey begin to fall in love, the weird other dimensional matchmaker continues to bring them together.

THE PAINTED LADY is a well-written, amusing, but weird and different Regency romance. The story line is fun as the two lead characters struggle with their growing feelings for one another. However, what makes Barbara Metzger's novel distinct is the humorous lady in the portrait who serves as a matchmaking psychologist forcing the male protagonist to take a close look at his desires.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted July 12, 2001