Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Review: JUST ONE SEASON IN LONDON by Leigh Michaels


Charming characters, sparkling conversation and exuberant humor abound in Leigh Michaels's Regency historical, Just One Season in London, an exhilarating story of love found while trying to make others happy.

Young Viscount Ryecroft has no money. How can he keep up his estate, give his little sister, Sophie, a London Season so she can find a mate she wants, and also provide for his widowed mother, Miranda? He has to get them all to London for the Season. He will do anything he has to, including wedding an heiress for her money. Unbeknownst to him, Sophie and Miranda each set into motion their own plans to sacrifice themselves for the other two's welfare.

Just One Season in London is exactly the kind of book I like. With not one, but three of my favorite type of hero, the decent man, and heroines to match them.

In her previous book, The Mistress' House, Ms. Michaels wrote three separate but related novellas. Here, she has interwoven the three tales. In this era of straight-line stories, Just One Season in London is unusual in using multiple heroes and heroines, all of whose stories are of equal importance. In Ms. Michaels's deft hands, this means three times the fun. I like the way she intertwines scenes, showing each first from one main character's perspective, and then another's and another's. She keeps us in suspense until the final triple HEA.

I loved this book. In a world where everyone is out for him-or-herself, how refreshing to find characters so willing to sacrifice themselves for others.

There's probably a moral here about how you can make yourself happy when you make others happy, but we'll leave any possible preaching aside. Go and read Just One Season in London and have a good time.

Thank you all,
Linda
ARC provided by Sourcebooks

2 comments:

catslady said...

You have me hooked. I like the idea of 3 interwoven stories too.

Linda Banche said...

Hi catslady. I had a good time with this book.