I loved this book! This is the first book I read by JoAnn Fergunson, and it will certainly not be the last! Cliff and Lizzie's chemistry was intoxicating. I loved every moment of the journey!

Usually I read historical fiction, Gore Vidal, Gary Jennings & Umberto Eco are some of my favorites but I had to make an exception and read this. Although I have a taste for thinner women I was right in there with the Duke trying to get Miss Antonia's cloths off. How could I help but try to get into the Duke's devious thoughts. My hat is off to Ms. Ferguson for developing these two characters and bringing them together under such great circumstances.

The heroine was wonderfully refreshing in that she was not the usual slim one. She was considered full in size and character with a love for the arts. The hero started out wanting her for a painting but ended up finding much more. I will say a wonderful story. I love the way jo ann ferguson can say so much with so few words has expressed by the hero to heroine. I am becoming more into Ms. Ferguson's writing everyday. Enjoy the read.

It is good to read the reviews but they can never give the real essence and meat of the story. I have to be honest and say that I love the Regency as a way to get away from the contemporary stories with their loose morals -- [sorry, bed hopping] but I like the people of those times --
Brothers, Jay and Titus seemed to think Bethany was going to be changed by her marriage to Eric. [which was very skillfuly arranged] The situations that Bethany got into in innocently helping Eric were sometimes funny. The villian and his son were obnoxious but all ended well and certainly well worth reading. There is so much more!

Rather a fun book. A father who turns down marriage proposals without reference to his daughter, an elder brother who knows best and is stubborn, a younger brother who is army mad. French soldiers have been seen on the coast of England. Suggestions of spies. A very much unwanted suitor who has elder brother's backing.

These are stiff odds for any heroine. Throw in a hero with secrets. Definitely a fun Traditional Regency, recommended.

From the back cover of the Zebra paperback..

A Lady's Desire

Miss Bethany Whitcombe was most pleased to see a brightly painted wagon rattling up the country road to Whitcombe Hall. Sifting through a tray of tempting wares would be a pleasant diversion-especially with everyone on the shores of Kent waiting anxiously to see if Napoleon would send his soldiers upon the next wave. But it was no ordinary peddler who met her eye with a cool, blue gaze, then came to her aid when smugglers attacked. And now that her grateful father had welcomed her injured rescuer as an honored guest, Bethany would have a chance to discover why the handsome stranger intrigued her so.

A GENTLEMAN'S SECRET Eric Pennington's mission-to find a smuggler's ring reputed to be in league with Bonaparte-was far from easy. But the wrenched shoulder he'd suffered while playing the hero would make it damned near impossible. He needed an unwitting accomplice, and instinct told him to look no further than Lord Whitcombe's lovely daughter. The enchanting Miss Bethany would make an excellent courier.. .if he could manage to keep her insightful mind and keen wit from discerning his secret. And if he could withstand the ungentlemanly urge to uncover hers!

If there is one thing Gypsy Elliott knows, it's that most people working the logging camps in the north woods are hiding something. But Adam Lassiter, the logger with a broken ankle whom her boss puts in her kitchen to work while he heals, is different, not as rough, not as hardened. Set in the cold, unforgiving northwest, Jo Ann Ferguson's Anything For You pits a dauntless heroine and a worthy hero against incredible odds. Enchanting.

Evan Somerset enters Brienne LeClerc's life offering money for an old vase. She won't sell it to him. Then two men come to her family's restaurant and beat her when she wouldn't give them the vase. She never would have realized it was worth anything to anyone but her mother... but someone is desperate to get it, and her along with it. Evan continues to hang around, but Brienne does not trust him. Brienne has difficulty with what Evan tells her about her past. He tells her that her grandmother and mother are not related to her at all, and that she is actually a duchess. But growing danger makes her consider that he may be right. Nothing is ever quite as it seems, and the biggest danger is yet to come.... This is a frying-pan-into-the-fire adventure. It was fun to watch the reckless heroine continually get rescued by Evan.

I aquired this book in my junior year of high school and I have not been able to stop reading it over and over since then. It is a twisted ironic tale that will leave you wanting more. I highly recomend this book. After five years of having this book I do not get tired of the metamorphis that Sybill undergoes. An instant Ferguson classic.

If you like your Regency plots to be down-to-earth and plausible, you may not like this book. On the other hand, I am not in general particularly fond of stories concerning the supernatural, but I found this book entertaining and very moving, and I have re-read it a couple of times since.

Ellen and Lord Wulfric (Corey Wolfe, whose title is *not* Lord Corey Wolfe as the description on this site suggests, but the Marquess of Wulfric) meet and get on extremely well; then a tragic accident results in Corey's death. But not his departure from Ellen's life; he vows to find her the perfect husband before autumn comes. The problem is, as they both come to realise, the 'perfect' husband for Ellen is no longer alive!

The book is alternately very funny and very moving; the scenes where Ellen first meets her faithful ghost are hilarious, as are the scenes where Corey provides a running commentary on events which only Ellen can hear. More poignant are the scenes where Ellen and Corey realise their growing feelings for each other, feelings which they believe can never be resolved. More painful still is the fact that they cannot touch; Corey's ghostly touch gives living things frostbite.

Just when the reader thinks that the story can never be resolved (in any way other than, perhaps, Ellen's own death), Ferguson arrives at a resolution which may seem a little hackneyed, but it works - for me at any rate.

The book has flaws: some period and dialogue inaccuracies which I won't go into - these are pretty par for the course with many American Regencies, where US customs, vocabulary and so on are not in keeping with the English society of the time. There are also inconsistencies in relation to what Corey can and cannot do: in some scenes he is able to touch and hold things (a pillow, a book, Ellen's shawl), and in others he is not (in particular, when Ellen is in the boat in a storm, Corey is unable to hold the oars in order to help her row to safety). But the story itself is well-written and interesting enough to render these inconsistencies and inaccuracies less of a distraction than they would be for me in a less well-written book.

I recommend this book; you will want to keep and re-read it.

"Cakes, Kisses and Confusion" by Lynn Collum. John Burns, Earl of Sedgefield, had been asked to break up his cousin Roger's courtship of a most unsuitable woman, Ann Hill. Sedgefield agrees to help Miss Annabelle Hill escape from her aunt's house, mistaking Belle for her like named cousin, Ann. A stay at a friend's house and Belle's matchmaking leads to love for the Earl and the aspiring cook. Wonderful tale of mistaken identity with a dash of Cinderella thrown in.

"The Way to a Man's Heart" by Wilma Counts. A silly bet sends Nicole Beaufort, lady of the Ton, into the kitchens of Adam Prescott, Earl of Thornwood, as Mrs. Buford, cook. Horibly wounded and grieving the death of his best friend, Thornwood has been wasting away. Mrs. Buford brings him back to life. As friendship turns to love, Nicole learns that Thornwood abhors deception. Nicole not only was lying about who she was, but who her former French guardian actually was. The hook that starts Nicole's foray in Thornwood's kitchens may be a bit unbelievable, but this tale of friendship turning into love is a delight.

"Not His Bread and Butter" by Jo Ann Ferguson. Meredith Tynedale was born to the gentry, but was helping cook for Percival Dunstan, Lord Westerly, to help support her family. Percy's attraction to Meredith is noted and gossip begins to make life at Westerly Manor difficult. Then Meredith has a change in fortune that makes life even more difficult, but could also help all her dreams come true. Very unlikely. Not that the gentry would be forced to work for a living, but that kitchen help would be in contact with the baron on so many occasions. Meredith has much too much free time for kitchen help.

The first two stories in this book are very good. The third story, was not bad but should have been a book by itself. It left out a lot of the story and made you feel like started the story somewhere in the middle. Overall it was a good book and I enjoyed reading it.

Food and Love--My two favorite things and this tale of Regency ladies who cook is delightful, especially Ms. Collum's and Ms. Counts.

These three stories are a tribute to mothers, although only the first one involves a biological mother. The first story, "The Dowager's Dilemma" by Jo Ann Ferguson, has a cast of wonderful and likeable characters. However, the plot quickly becomes disjointed and confusing. Characters behave ways that are not explained and make no sense. Also, it often seems that Ferguson cut phrases or scenes to shorten the novella, and the plot seems hacked apart. I would give this story 3 stars.

The second story, "A Mother's Devotion" by Valerie King, is simply awful. The characters are unlikeable, the plot terribly contrived, and the whole thing is boring. The two main characters proclaim to be in love, but don't even seem to like each other. The secondary characters are annoying. The plot has huge holes in it (e.g., where is the children's father and what did he do that was so terrible?). This story only deserves 1 star.

The third story is the best one. Although it really didn't involve a mother, the characters are wonderful and the emotions believable. This one involves two main characters who grow and change while they fall in love with each other. The secondary characters bolster the story without overshadowing it. The only problem with this story is that it is too short: it could have been a full-length book. I think this story deserves 4 stars.

Overall, this wasn't bad for a book of Regency short stories. The second story by King can easily be skipped, but the other two by Ferguson and Savery are enjoyable reads.

"A Kiss for Mama" revolves around love for mothers in time for Mother's Day.

The first short story, "The Dowager's Dilemma," by Jo Ann Ferguson, actually has two mothers. This is a funny story about a dowager's attempts to keep her mother and her son out of trouble. The son has a reputation for causing chaos, but he keeps quiet while his grandmother starts causing trouble with the new neighbors, Lord Overbrook, his daughter and uncle. Grandma wants to make sure the uncle enjoys life and starts disappearing with Lord Overbrook's uncle to have fun. Through it all, the families get to know each other, which is the son's plan, but Grandma adds schemes of her own.

The second story, "A Mother's Devotion," by Valerie King, has an older half sister that has taken charge of her younger siblings. Sophy Deverill refused Lord Sheriston's marriage offer to care for her siblings. Now, years later Sophy is almost smothering the children while Lord Sheriston is still stuck in the mindset that his parents' marriage did not work because his mother devoted too much time to her children. They both have lessons to learn. The story, however, takes a long time to get there and drives you nuts with the couple's apparent love for each other but strong disagreement over child raising.

"Happily-Ever-After," by Jeanne Savery does not even involve a mother figure at all. It more tells a story of how a woman, Justina Dunsforth, grows to become a mother. Justina's brother suddenly leaves his kids with her when he has to rush to an assignment. Justina has no idea how to care for children or inclination to do so. After a few weeks, her nephew's godfather, Lord Earl Mowbray, arrives disrupts her life, takes charge of the children, and shows her what her life is missing.

Overall the book is enjoyable, but the middle story annoyed me. Also, confusingly, the third story does not really have a mother in it until the end when the lady grows into the adopted mother. Even though the third story did not really fit the theme, it is still nice to see the strong father figure in Lord Mowbray.