Sherry Lynn Ferguson

I'd read that Ferguson was heir to Georgette Heyer, an author I had warm nostalgic memories of reading in my teens. So, I decided to venture down Memory Lane and judge for myself. But time has a way of spoiling one's attempts to recapture past joys, even when they're ersatz.

Nothing against the author, but I am too removed by advanced age from experiencing the same kind of fascination with love stories set 200 years in the past, especially when I avoid contemporary love stories for lack of interest in romantic entanglements in my own time frame, much less in Jane Austen's. And Feguson, even Heyer, are neither Jane Austen.

The story is formulaic. Girl meets boy/meets girl. Sexual tension builds as they spar verbally. Outside events complicate the relationship. Events are cleverly overcome. Happily ever after ensues. However, this novel rises slightly above its cohort because the hero is a landscape architect a la Capability Brown. I found the passages in the novel that dwelt on details of his profession the most interesting. The novel sinks below average in the thin individualization of its female characters who tend to be representative rather than personalized to the degree that will allow them to linger in the literate memory.

Still, the reader could choose a worse book on which to waste a couple of vacation afternoons or commuting hours. If you've read all of Heyer and Austen and still crave more of this genre, then Quiet Meg is a safe choice.… (mehr)

When it comes to Regency Romance, Georgette Heyer is my benchmark - a dauntingly high bar to clear. Lord Sidley's Last Season does not, alas, scale those giddy heights, but it's the closest I've got in quite some time and definitely "Good enough".

Marian Ware is in town for the season before heading back to the countryside for her romance-less wedding. Lord Sidley is enjoying what everyone assumes will be his last time in London - though not for the right reasons. Can these two opposite types... well you know the drill.

Ferguson is a decent writer - always a bonus when taking a chance on a new romance author - in just about every respect. The book is not exactly bursting with surprises, but then we don't really read them for the surprise do we?

The novel is free of glaring anachronism, though it does lack somewhat of the verite you might see in a Heyer - more "regency" than regency. But if you accept the setting as a set of sorts, it's far better than most.

This is especially apparent in the dialogue. Again, the spiky bon mots and understated mockery of a Heyer is not in evidence, but the conversation flows nicely, and the rhythms of the speech didn't jar me from the narrative.

As characters go, Sidley is the main attraction. Marian lacks the craftiness I tend to appreciate in these regency romances, though she is perfectly adequate.

All in all, a fine book. It's no Heyer, but what is?… (mehr)

Ferguson has a great style, and while she shows you that the period is Regency, she doesn't bash you over the head with it. There is much smart and witty repartee. The hero is one of the most enchanting I have come across in regency fiction. In contrast, the heroine was something of a dry stick, especially for an artist. She also lacked the courage to open herself up to him, and protested far too long. Anyway, it is still much better than most Regencies, and recommended... shame about the heroine though.… (mehr)

I really liked this book.
I never read a book about the Battle of Waterloo, so it was something new and interesting.
At first, when reading the book, I thought to myself that this was going to be the type where the couple was would just create their barriers. However, when Napoleon comes back to France and Major Lord David goes back off to battle to help, it took a new turn that kept my interest.
I think if you like the Jane Austin (characters' own stubbornness that either makes or breaks them) or Gone with the Wind (which I tend to associate with 1800 war eras/romance) type books, you would like this one.… (mehr)