2006_12_01_archive

DNF: After the Night

I know, I know. It's a classic! I got halfway through and had to give

it up. I think part of the problem was genre whiplash. From Carla

Kelly to this was a little much. But I just couldn't take any more

Gray--talk about a guy who's led around by his dick. Horny bastard.

Blech.

But I'm keeping it because I think when I'm in the right mood, I might

like it better.

posted by Jennie at 8:34 PM 16 comments

Title: Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand

Author: Carla Kelly

Published: 1994, Signet

Category: Regency Romance

Rating: 9/10

Back when the AAR Top 100 list was going around, JMC recommended Carla

Kelly. It's taken a while for me to get around to her, first because

they're pretty hard to find, and second because I'm afraid I'm a bit

of a snob and don't read many trads. Well, now I've been proven wrong

and have learned again the lesson not to judge a book by its cover, or

its genre. This was delightful and I loved every minute of it.

Roxanna Drew is a young widow whose husband has recently died from a

longlasting illness, leaving her with two little daughters and no

money. Her only family is her brother-in-law, Lord Whitcomb, who makes

a smarmy proposition which Roxanna cannot even stomach contemplating.

She finds a small cottage on a neighboring estate and rents it, even

though it is in near ruin. The owner of their new home soon comes

visiting--Fletcher Rand, Lord Winn is a military man newly home from

the war. The evil Lord Whitcomb is still vying for a way to get

Roxanna into his bed and puts forward an official complaint to the

sheriff that Roxanna is an unfit mother. He tells her that he will

take her children away from her if she does not move into his house.

Lord Winn, by now good friends with Roxanna, decides they must marry

to save the children. Or at least that's what he tells her. But he

likes her. :)

In a lot of ways the plot is standard romance--improbable

circumstances which lead two relative strangers to marry, running to

Gretna Green. And in some ways it's completely atypical--Roxanna truly

loved her first husband and must grieve for him, then get over the

guilt she feels at loving another. Lord Winn divorced his first wife

because she was unfaithful, and admits that through all his anger and

resentment, he did love her. His patience with Roxanna as she comes to

terms with their marriage is phenomenal and so endearing.

I think this will become a comfort read for me, because everything is

just so . . . nice! And so lacking in melodrama, which is my most

common problem with romance books. It's really funny in parts--her

dialogue is great. I feel a glom coming on.

I read in this interview from 1998 that Kelly gave up writing

regencies because the pay was so paltry. Which is very sad. But I was

searching on Amazon and it looks like she has a new book out in March

from Harlequin Historical--Beau Crusoe. Sounds like a swashbuckling