"A sweet little regency."

When Lady Althea Candler's mother died, her father retreated from society to Steyne Hall, his country estate-taking young Thea with him. Now Thea is grown and of the age to be looking for a husband. Thea can't bear the thought of leaving her dear papa all alone, so she has decide it is imperative that she marry a local man. Unfortunately, Papa has another man in mind for her, a man who Thea knows will not suit, as he would take her away from her home. After accidentally meeting the man, Thea hatches a scheme to rid herself of this stranger who threatens all her plans.

William Cavendar, Marquess of Hartingfield ('Hart' to his friends), is used to women fawning over him as soon as they discover who he is. But when he reveals his identity to a pretty young maid he meets while becoming acquainted with Steyne Hall, and she doesn't act impressed, he is intrigued. Then it appears that he was mistaken and the maid is actually the mistress of his host, the Earl of Steyne, he immediately propositions her and offers her his protection, he does not know that the woman is really Thea, her scheme having gone awry. When he realizes his mistake he agrees with her father that he should escort Thea to London for her first season and that he should persuade Thea to marry him.

MY LADY MISCHIEF is an amusing, sweet regency story, capturing the flavor and aura of the times. I enjoyed the fact that the plot revolved around the characters and was a true 'Comedy Of Manners'. Thea is a very young and inexperienced young lady who is confused by the loss of much of the control she had thought she possessed over her life and her future. She thought she had everything about her future all planned out, but when Hart comes along all of her plans are thrown right out the window. Hart is a basically honorable young man, who knows he should do the right thing by Thea. These are two likeable people; the banter between them is fun to witness. There were moments when their behavior and the plot became a bit erratic and confusing, not to mention improbable, but there were also times I feared a potential big misunderstanding that thankfully never materialized.

Ms. Carmichael shows a real talent for telling a good regency story and I look forward to witnessing the further development and honing of those skills in future novels.

Reviewed by Janice Bennett
Posted July 1, 2002

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Summary

Lady Thea knows what she wants in life. Desiring to stay with her widowed father, she's set her cap on a local farmer's son.

When "Hart," the Marquis of Hartingfield, arrives on the scene, he sends her wits reeling and her sense tumbling. Their meddling fathers hope for a suitable marriage. It's up to Hart to convince Thea that their union will be a perfect love match.

But if Thea was wrong about her feelings for the farmer's son, can she trust her growing attraction to Hart? She and her pet pig, Uncle Egbert, lead Hart on a merry chase through the English countryside and glittering London, setting tonnish head abuzz with the question: Will Hart succeed in capturing her heart?