THE PARADISE WILL

Author: Elizabeth Hanbury ISBN: 9780709085492 5/2008 HISTORICAL Publisher: ROBERT HALE LTD.
Time Period: Regency

When spirited Alyssa Paradise unexpectedly inherits her uncle's property in Dorset, she is determined to meet the challenge of running a grand estate. However, there is a surprising condition: every week for six months she must dine tete-a-tete with the enigmatic Sir Giles Maxton, who owns the adjoining land. Alyssa wonders how she will endure this arrangement—Sir Giles cuts a dashing figure but is positively insufferable! Although Alyssa soon discovers the warm, generous man beneath his laconic exterior and Giles in turn finds Alyssa beguiling, they fight their growing attraction, knowing they are both promised elsewhere. But when Alyssa is unwittingly caught up in a web of intrigue and revenge, Giles must race against time to rescue the woman he loves...

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Of all the Robert Hale books I've read, THE PARADISE WILL by Elizabeth Hanbury is my favorite so far. It's witty, it's charming, the prose and dialogue are perfect, and the characters that inhabit this lively story all find true love in the end. Isn't that the way a really good Regency era romance should end, with a happily-ever-after for everyone?

I won't go into too much depth regarding plot summary, as the above synopsis is pretty much cut and dried as to what this story is about. I certainly don't want to spoil things for you because thankfully, this isn't your standard Regency romance fare. Just when I thought some parts of this story were going to be like those I'd read elsewhere a hundred times before, Ms. Hanbury surprised me by taking off into a totally different direction.

The reason for the terms of Alyssa's uncle's will is pretty much evident from the start, and I thoroughly enjoyed the matches between Alyssa and Giles as the two began to come to know—and grow—together, once their story began. Both work through a mutual distrust of each other, not to mention a little bit of resentment. At first, Alyssa is quite sure she can handle the estate without help, while Giles is quite sure she can't. She thinks he's a stuffy, rude and arrogant gentleman. He, in turn, thinks she's a stubborn and unreasonable young woman. Yet, over weekly dinners that are commanded by the will, these two begin to see inside each other. They spar, converse and discover within themselves a passionate nature that one brings out in the other. As they slowly fall in love I found myself looking forward to those dinner times as much as Alyssa and Giles come to. After all, that's the way love grows, you know.

There is also a secondary romance that intertwines with Alyssa's and Giles' and proves that even the shallowest of cads can be redeemed—all through the power of love. I won't tell you who that is, though you'll guess it in the beginning. But it's fun to watch and just as satisfying. Heady stuff, love is. And the fact that Ms. Hanbury takes her time binding her characters to one another lends credibility to their romances and makes the characters more human, thus more cared for by the reader.

Elizabeth Hanbury has a winner with THE PARADISE WILL, and I don't hesitate for a second to highly recommend it. It's absolutely delightful, as well as a breath of fresh air.

Nancy Davis