The Ramshackle Suitor

by Nancy Butler and Jennifer Hartmann

Book Overview

On the Isle of Man, Lucy Parnell entrusts the secret of a very personal quest to the handsome Roderick Kempthorne. But she also risks exposing another secret--the love in her heart.... "A writer not... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451199758
• ISBN13: 9780451199751
• Release Date: March 2000
• Publisher: Signet Book
• Length: 214 Pages
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

A charming and unusual Regency

Romance readers love certain things, and it seems the tall, dark, brooding hero is right at the top of this list.Well, Nancy Butler presents those longing for something a little different with Roddy. Roddy is charming, feckless, and . . . well, maybe a little silly. Top that off with the little issue of him being somewhat drunk when we meet him, and maybe you'll understand why I love the fellow, and wish I could take him home. He's well set-off by Lucy, who needs a little humor in her life, poor thing. They take on a quest she's sent herself on--and if you're put off by bits of psychic prodding, be warned! This book may not be for you. However, if you're up for a fabulous, off-beat romp, the characters make it more than worth your while. Let them take you ghost-hunting.And naturally, there's this secondary character . . . but I won't tell you which one. That would be unfair.Go ahead. Just read the book.

Wonderful fun

Well-written characters. The heroine is the usual waspish governess type--but with enough humor (and a wretched past as an excuse to get away with occasional over-waspishness). The hero manages to be thoroughly persistent and charming--and a nice change from the usual tall/dark/brooding formula. Amusing plot with enough mystery and angst to keep it from being the lightest fluff. I don't like the supernatural usually, but the lost kid wasn't offensive. Superior regency with shades of a good Metzger with even (gasp) Heyer's ability to make human characters we cheer for who can even change and grow.

An off-duty governess solves a mystery and finds true love.

Lucy Parnell has come to the Isle of Man in search of her sister's child. Her unscrupulous stepbrother takes off with her belongings in an attempt to force her to come home with him and live under his thumb. Fortunately, by this time she has made the acquaintance of Roderick Kempthorne and his unforgettable friends--one of whom is the Earl of Steyne whose birthday is being elaborately celebrated on the island. Roderick--a charming, fun-loving chap--is immediately drawn to Lucy, although she is five years older than he. Lucy is likewise attracted to him, but knows better than to encourage his infatuation. After all, what good can come of it? However, he is determined to help her on her quest to find her niece, and with a nasty stepbrother hanging around, she needs all the help she can get.This is a truly charming love story with a surprise at the end that I guarantee you won't forget soon. Even the secondary characters come alive in this story: the grieving countess, her somewhat dotty stepson the earl with his prominent nose, the bookish friend who falls in love with a ghost. Nancy Butler has written a truly memorable Regency romance that belongs on every Regency lover's "keeper" shelf.

Don't Miss This One

If you're a Regency fan, don't miss The Ramshackle Suitor by Nancy Butler. The plot is absorbing, but it is the characters that really carry the book and place it on a level above most Regency romances. From "I wish you'd let me play this Lochinvar fellow for you, ma'am, whoever he is" to "No more festering playwrights," you're going to fall in love Ramshackle Roddy, and you can't help envying Lucy a bit as the thirty-one year old spinster steals his heart. Along the way you'll meet Roddy's gang of friends, each in his own way intriguing and endearing. This is a book you won't want to end even though the tender and touching final scene between Roddy and Lucy is one you won't forget. Don't let this book disappear off the shelves before you get a copy.