"Cream of the Regency crop!"

The "Ton" in Regency England was the cream of the crop, and with the new anthology "Talk of the Ton," the cream of the crop of Regency authors have joined together to bring their fans a lively and enchanting quartet of stories that will delight and entertain readers this spring.

Eloise James, Julia London, Rebecca Hagan Lee and Jacqueline Navin deliver four distinct novellas of beautiful and intelligent women, sauve and debonair men, and the lively social scene that made up London society in the early1800's. Readers can slip back into a gentler time when gracious manners and passionate love were equally important.

Eloise James explores the qualities of "A Proper Englishwoman" in her contribution. Lady Emma Loudan is an independent young woman who is content to live in the countryside outside of London, pursuing her passion of painting scenery for the theatre. She has been betrothed to Earl Kerr for ages, and both seem content with the lengthy arrangements. That is until the good Earl is caught misbehaving and throws down a challenge to his intended bride regarding their future. Always up for a good competition, Emma travels to London to play the game of courtship. Both are surprise to find each other is more intriguing than they had banked on.

The other tales from Julia London ("The Vicar's Widow"), Rebecca Hagan Lee (Clearly A Couple), and Jacqueline Navin (Miss Jenny Alt's First Kiss) are equally as charming and inviting and represent the best of current Regency romance writing. I highly recommend checking out this group of stories from an era gone by.

Reviewed by Sharon Galligar Chance
Posted April 29, 2005

Summary

Nothing sets tongues wagging like a scandalous dalliance.

In the salons of the ton, no tidbit is more delicious than a rumor of amour—the more outrageous the better. Rakes and rogues, ladies of high station and low morals are choice fodder for the gossips of society. Now, four of today's most popular Regency authors titillate the ton with tales of how untoward talk can fan the flames of passion.