"Love Italian Style"

Francesca Robin is happily selling fake antiquities and showing her father's lurid paintings to visiting foreign tourists in Naples. She is a talented painter herself, but because of the Regency's prejudice against women painters, makes more money turning out fakes sold as Raphaels.

Captain Lord Edward Ramsden invades her space while trying to protect his First Lieutenant from her wiles. They immediately spar verbally and Francesca is left feeling foolish. But, Ramsden reluctantly finds himself thinking of her often during the following days.

This wonderful book mixes real historical characters with the fictional ala Ragtime and does it extremely well. Lady Hamilton and Lord Nelson play important parts in this book. Jarrett gives us a portrait of Lady Hamilton that is very incisive: A woman who had everything and risked and lost it all for love, but probably didn't regret a moment of it.

Hamilton plays matchmaker for Robin and Edward and gives them lectures on the importance of love, but neither of them is convinced. In order to save Francesca's life, Ramsden marries her as the British evacuate Naples. They agree they will stay together long enough to see if they suit.

Edward sees his future on the sea and Francesca is determined to leave him in London and make her own way as a painter. But, all changes when they reach Palermo and Ramsden is stripped of his rank and ship and ordered home to London. Edward thinks he has done something wrong and is willing to let his wife go as she wishes, rather then have her bear his ignominy.

The fate awaiting Edward in London is not what he ever expected--his 3 despicable older brothers have been killed and he is the new Duke of Harborough. Francesca has already gone to her Uncle's with the intention of opening her own studio and living her own life.

Edward is a wonderful hero and the opening prologue where his horrible father sends him away to sea at the tender age of 10 is a real tearjerker. Edward is the honorable man that his father and brothers never were and I just loved him.

Francesca is a little more problematical. A woman who has had to live by her wits, she is very reluctant to give up her freedom to a man. Reading her interior monologues as she tells herself why she has to leave Edward, made me want to shake her! But, this IS a historical and with a different type of man she would have lost the freedom to paint and do as she wished; so her fears were realistic and balanced out her stubborness. She is also brave, plucky and bright. Bright enough to figure out that Edward is the best thing that ever happened to her, it just takes her a while. But, the journey to her discovery is filled with adventure, an interesting look into both Nelson's Navy and his love affair with Hamilton and kept me turning the pages rapidly.

The Very Comely Countess with Edward's lifetime friend William is the sequel to TVDD and I am looking forward to another visit to Regency England with this very talented author.

Reviewed by Linda Hurst
Posted December 31, 2001