A WILD PURSUIT

Author: Eloisa James ISBN: 0060508124 3/2004 HISTORICAL Publisher: Harper Collins/Avon
Time Period: 1800's - England/Wiltshire

It is whispered behind the fans of London's dowagers and in the corners of fashionable ballrooms that scandal follows willfully wild Lady Beatrix Lennox wherever she goes. Three years before, the debutante created a sensation by being found in a distinctly compromising position. Now, the ton has branded her as unmarriageable, her family has called her a vixen, and Beatrix sees no reason not to go after what -- and who -- she wishes. And she wants Stephen Fairfax-Lacy, the handsome Earl of Spade. Beatrix, with her brazen suggestions and irresistibly sensuous allure, couldn't be more different from the earl's ideal future bride. Yet Beatrix brings out a wildness in the earl he has tried to deny far too long. Still, he's not about to play love's game by Lady Beatrix's rules. She may be used to being on top in affairs of the heart, but that will soon change.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

This book is so deliciously wicked and silly at times, that I think I will fall on the floor with laughter should I ever see a goat. Naturally you will have to read it to understand my obscure thoughts, but A WILD PURSUIT by Eloisa James is so refreshingly spirited and clever, you will no doubt feel the same way.

Deceptively billed as a story about an aging, but still quite yummy hero, Stephen Fairfax-Lacy, and his less than innocent object of affection, Lady Beatrix Lennox, the real story is in the house party where they meet. This is a house party for the scandalous and confused. For the women who want to be established in the demimonde or reformed from it. As I said, they all are a bit confused and unsure of themselves and their lives.

In the midst of it all, Stephen finds himself attracted to the very thing he despises, a woman with a reputation. When looking for a wife, an unmarried woman with untold lovers is not on his list. Unfortunately for him, Beatrix is too tempting to deny. Even more unfortunate for him is the fact that Beatrix's two friends want to use him themselves. One needs him as a supposed lover, and the other as a fiance to make their men jealous. Three women vying for you at once—every man's fantasy—but Stephen's worst nightmare! And, a hilarious situation for a reader to observe.

Though I thought the first couple chapters were slow and I was tempted to put the book down, I am so very glad I did not. The more you read, the better it gets. There are many different love stories intertwining with lots of emotion and laughter. I actually liked one of them better than Stephen and Beatrix love affair. All in all, this house party will have you in stitches and rooting for the very women you may not have ever imagined yourself rooting for.

Shannon Johnson