"Lady Whistledown triumphs again"

This Regency romance gem of an anthology orchestrated by New York Times bestseller Julia Quinn comes timely in the schmaltzy Valentine season. These four interconnected romances tied by a skating event and Lady Shelbourne's grand Valentine ball are consistently engaging through the observations of Quinn's popular gossip columnist Lady Whistledown that open every chapter of each story.

These four leading ladies gamely join in the season of scandals and romance starting with the meltingly romantic One True Love by Suzanne Enoch where Lady Anne Bishop is surprised by a sudden visit from her nonchalant childhood betrothed - the Marquis of Halfurst who is determined to pursue her and claim her surrendering heart from his rival Lord Howard. Karen Hawkins fashions her story with timeless chemistry in a conventional tale of how the gauche Liz Pritchard finally gets her friend Royce Pemberley to confront his feelings towards her when she intends to marry the bland rancher Lord Durham in Two Hearts. Ingenue Mia Ryans throws in a delightful fluff A Dozen Kisses where the simpering Caroline Starling attracts the dashing Lord Darington - the man who evicted her mother and her from the house.

Just when you thought the enjoyment was too good to be true, the always- reliable Julia Quinn waltzes in with the most refreshing tale out of the quartet - Thirty-six Valentines with her splendid acumen of wit, humour and passion. Susannah Ballister, after suffering a humiliating thwarted proposal from Clive Mann-Formsby finds a second chance in his reclusive brother the Earl of Renminster, David. Ms. Quinn weaves her saccharine romance through a memorable skating affair, a seductive theatrical evening at Theatre Royal and the denouement of feelings between the brothers. The consistency of the four simultaneous romances is a rarity and the pleasure derived from the read is positively infectious from the chutzpah and energy of the four writers. Who ever said Regency Romance was a bore?

Reviewed by Desmond CHan
Posted February 13, 2003