I just wrote a review of this under its original 'author', Gwyneth Moore, an alias of Veryan. Having been recommended Veryan, I acquired this book in an auction. But I was very disappointed, and may not bother to read anything by Veryan again.

I believe this is supposed to be a comedy and a romance; in my view, it was neither. I didn't find the story funny, and I looked in vain for romance. We began with neither character liking each other very much, and with Savage wondering whether Primrose might be good for a brief affair (though he never so much as tried to pursue her); we end with them somehow madly in love with each other, with nothing in between.

Primrose's daughter was exceedingly irritating. Five-year-olds don't refer to themselves and their auditors in the third person! And why 'Consuela'? Even born in Spain, with English parents it's not at all a likely name.

Primrose, for someone who had been through such a difficult and sad past, seemed relatively untroubled. Why did Veryan not show us more of her thoughts? But then, she - like Savage - was not drawn consistently throughout the book.

As for Savage, I ended up despising him. He was narrow-minded and judgemental, and - regardless of his subsequent acts - the way he purposefully and publicly humiliated Primrose was despicable. Even worse, it was part of some scheme or other, of which Primrose knew nothing either before or after. His behaviour was appalling, and I was horrified when Primrose simply ran into his arms at the end of the book - which was actually the first time she saw him after his betrayal of her.

Oh, and the denouement is straight out of Heyer's These Old Shades - very derivative, and with none of the style of the original.

I bought this book in an auction because Patricia Veryan (who writes here as Gwyneth Moore) had been recommended to me. Having read it, all I can say is that I hope this was an early work and that Veryan's later books are significantly better.

The story: young man of noble family gets stuck in snow on the way back to London and seeks shelter at the home of a widow with a young child. Primrose Hythe has chicken-pox, so Leo Savage's initial impression of her was not good; we're later supposed to understand that he comes to find her attractive, but this isn't really spelt out. He stays to help her and Consuela, her young daughter (almost five and speaks in what is almost a patois, which was completely incredible and very distracting), and Primrose's (male) cousin, also ill. Savage later discovers that Primrose isn't what she claims, and that she seems to have a scandalous past.

I assume the book was intended to be largely funny. I didn't find it amusing, however, but then farce doesn't especially appeal to me. Leaving that aside, there was very little romance; for example, I have no idea whatsoever how it was that Primrose, from thinking that Savage was an irritating nuisance, suddenly was both attracted to him and in love with him! Savage's own behaviour was equally incomprehensible.

The characterisations were not at all consistent throughout the book, and as such characters behaved in unbelievable ways. The Primrose we met at the start of the book wouldn't have sighed over Savage, and nor would she have fallen into his arms at the end - especially after what he did to her.

Savage's treatment of Primrose was, in fact, unforgivable. Regardless of his motives, the action he took was appalling - it was humiliating, patronising and completely unfair. Primrose should never have spoken to him again - how Moore/Veryan could expect her readers to accept that Primrose would run headlong into Savage's arms after her public humiliation at his hands is unbelievable. Savage had in any case previously shown himself to be narrow-minded and judgemental. Not a hero I could admire in any fashion.

The denouement of the book was highly derivative: straight out of Heyer's These Old Shades, where the Duke of Avon tells his friends a story, which turns out to be the truth of Leonie's birth. Did Veryan not expect that her readers would have read Heyer?

Veryan is up to her usual keen ability to keep readers glued to this adventure. I recomend this book and consider it a joy.