Barbara Metzger (1944–2023)

Queenie Dennis, believes herself to be an orphan used in a blackmail scheme years ago. She intended to go to London and tell the brothers, Alex and Jack, searching for their sister about the plot after she discovers what she believes to be the facts when her supposed mother dies. But one surviving member of the plot threatens her and the brothers if she says anything. So Queenie changes her name and goes to France to pursue a career in fashion design. Three years later she returns to London, sets up shop and plans to earn money to repay the brothers and tell her story. Lord Harry Harkness is in London hunting his disreputable brother-in-law who has stolen the family diamonds. They meet at Jack's gambling hall which is closed and being turned into a school. The mention of the Cyprian's Ball leads both of them to agree to attend; Harry to search for his brother-in-law and Queenie and her friend to show off her designed gowns. So begins their relationship. Lots of humor and terrific side characters help the story along. Great ending to the trilogy.… (more)

Captain Jack Endicott is back from the Napoleonic Wars and at a loss. His older brother, the Earl, makes some suggestions but none seem right. The brothers have spent years trying to locate their kidnapped young step-sister to no avail. Jack decides to continue the search by opening a high-class gambling club and looking for information from a different angle. Allison Silver, former teacher at a recently burned out girls school, must deliver Harriet Hildebrand to her grandparents and then look for another job. But both grandparents and uncle are not available. Their lawyer directs her to Jack who was left all Captain Hildebrand's effects. But Jack lives above the club and is single. Straightening out this mess in a proper manor without damaging reputations is the basic plot. Lots of humor and great side characters in this romance.… (more)

Alexander Chalfont Endicott (Ace), Earl of Carde, high tails it from London and 3 conniving women who are willing to do anything to trick him into marriage. It seems a good time to follow up on a promise he made to his late father to find his long lost stepsister. His young stepmother, Lizbeth, died in a tragic carriage accident with several others, but one guard and the 3 year-old, Lottie, were never accounted for. Private investigators over the past 13 years have turned up nothing. He determines to start with an aunt and 2 cousins of Lizbeth, the house where she left from to return home. Something is not right. The cousin, Phelan, is lying, the aunt talks to ghosts, and the young cousin, Nell, has been kept in the dark about the whole thing. Ace's investigation is then hampered when one of the women from London shows up with plans to trap him. The plot is very humorous and convoluted. Lots of tongue-in-cheek and funny asides. Some answers are found and but others appear, leaving plenty for the next book in the series to solve.… (more)

Re-read, November 2022
Aha! I could not for the life of me remember which book had a governess-type character wounded and ill and locked in an attic room wherein she is discovered and carried down by a gentleman rescuer.
This is that book. Phew. One less thing to worry about.
Other than that, I enjoyed it pretty well but slightly less than the first time through.

Original review follows:

Another pleasant surprise in a Regency novel... this one has amusing farce and believable romance, although some of the assassination attempts on the heroine do strain credulity! However, I think you're meant to take the whole book as a fun romp and find plenty to laugh about.… (more)