This was a well told story with a pretty good plot for this type of Regency romance. The fact that it all comes together in the blink of an eye at the end is a letdown. It is a closed door romance, so it's somewhat akin to a door closed in one's face.

Not many of the books that are closed door seem to cross my wish list, and it feels incomplete.

That they are still be written is probably a good thing for those who don't want anything explicit, but it also loses something, however hackneyed the intimate scenes might become after awhile.

The Flirt was written in 1985. It did have a touch of the Bridgerton irreverence or unexpectedness but not enough for me. Lord Charles Lufford and Elizabeth Markham are the stars of the story. There's a dark underside of hunger as punishment meted out to Elizabeth, and Lord Charles is hungry a couple of times due his worries and focus on solving problems.

From Wikipedia: Marion Gibbons (née Chesney; 10 June 1936 – 30/31 December 2019) was a Scottish writer of romance and mystery novels, whose career as a published author began in 1979. She wrote numerous successful historical romance novels under a form of her maiden name, Marion Chesney. ( )

Again, I was disappointed but am beginning to think that perhaps this book as well as "The Constant Companion" were written in her early days of writing and hadn't yet mastered her technique. They seem almost elementary in the delivery, everything is resolved so quickly and no depth of character. I don't mind that when these factors are combined with witty silliness but these came across as serious. "The Flirt" was about a now destitute former debutante (destitute because her parents died suddenly in a carriage accident) and she is taken in by her Uncle (described as a dissenting minister) that disapproved of her parents' carefree way of life and was determined to removed all tendencies of that behavior from Elizabeth. For two years she was basically imprisoned in her uncle's house - starved and beaten when she was "disobedient". She finally finds a way to escape and ends up joining a house party at the Duke of Dunster's house. She knows she'll be discovered in time so tries her best to find a husband so she doesn't have to return to her evil uncle. She's accepted as a guest due to her brief season prior to her parents' death and so they all remember her. She works her charms on the young men in attendence but tries to stay away from the arrogant Lord Charles, son of the Duke. He remembers her as being an incorrigible flirt yet jumps to her rescue when her uncle shows up unexpectedly. He tells them all that they are engaged! After this, misunderstandings ensue and murder plots schemed. Just wasn't happy with this book and will give Marion Chesney a break for awhile. I need to find some of her later books I think. ( )