Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Review: The Weddding Affair

The Wedding Affair by Leigh Michaels


Publication Date: September 2011
Publisher: Sourcebooks Inc.
Genre: Historical Romance
Pages: Paperback, 384pp
ISBN-13: 9781402244216
ISBN: 1402244215

(Received for an honest review from Sourcebooks)


Purchase: Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound


Leigh Michaels on the WEB: website, facebook, twitter


Excerpt from The Wedding Affair


Synopsis:


YOU'RE INVITED TO THE WEDDING OF THE YEAR!


The duke, whose sister's wedding is the event of the ton, is fighting off debutantes and desperately needs help from beautiful, stubborn Lady Olivia Reyne. But she is engrossed with preventing other problems that are engulfing her dearest friends and family. The last thing Lady Olivia is looking for is to be embroiled with a duke whose dark gaze makes her forget herself entirely...

Discover a new side of a beloved author as Leigh Michaels draws you into the glittering, glitzy world of Regency England and an affair you'll never forget.


Thoughts:


Author Leigh Michaels is a master at weaving interesting and complicated plotlines. When it comes to romance most readers are looking for a happy-ever-after at the end, with Michaels latest book, The Wedding Affair, the reader gets three for the price of one. With six lead characters and three romances set against the backdrop of a lavish Regency, England wedding, this book is full of surprises, misconceptions and some very intriguing secrets. 

Michaels, a veteran romance writer, shows off her ability to entice her audience by giving them a book that will pull at several different emotions as each story plays out. Each couple in The Wedding Affair is facing a problem they must sort to bring about their happiness. 

The first couple, Simon the Duke of Somervale is fending off debutantes right and left during the house party for his sister Daphne's wedding. He conspires with the local widow, Lady Olivia Reyne to pose as his fiancee and help him to thwart his matchmaking mother. Simon and Olivia's story is a comical look at what happens when you try to fool others into thinking you have feelings for someone you don't and then you realize you do. Michaels uses humor to bring out the fun aspect of this historical romance. The story line is interesting, and full of comedic moments.


The second couple Kate, the vicars daughter and Andrew the tutor, meet at the wedding because Kate is staying with Olvia at the time. But this isn't their first meeting. Secrets swirl in this story line as readers contemplate why Andrew never returned to Kate all those years ago. This the part of the story that will pull at the readers heartstrings. A young couple with a second chance at finding love. Michaels is able to bring out her descriptive skills throughout the book, but I think the rich period detail and interesting facts that she brings out in this particular part of the story is remarkable. I felt like I was right there with Kate when saw Andrew again after all that time.


The final couple Charles and Penelope is quite another story. They are already married, but their marriage is anything but happy. Charles is resentful of the fact that Penelope's father is practically forcing them to have a grandchild and because of this he wants very little to do with her. It's up to Penelope to figure out a way to get him to notice that she wants a real marriage and family with him. How does one seduce their own husband? I liked the fact that Michaels gives Penelope the strength of character to go out there and fight for what she wants. Though this part of the story is a little sad, it shows that Michaels can bring any emotion to the forefront in her writing.


The amazing thing about this book is that all of these stories are going on in and around each other throughout the book. You don't have one story and then the next and the next, they are all going on at the same time, which means a lot of shifting of the point of view and lots of secrets and misconceptions and trickery and humor all coinciding together. It's amazing to me how the author ever kept it all straight, but the book really works. It all comes together in a romantic and fun way. Michaels is able to weave these plotlines with ease. She gives just enough attention to each couple and each romance to keep the reader glued to the novel. It isn't overwhelming or confusing, it blends seamlessly and the reader will love it!


I recommend this one to historical romance fans and those looking for something a little different in their Regency romance. The intermingling of the three stories is remarkably well done and proves once again that Leigh Michaels is a master storyteller.


The Wedding Affair is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.


I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!








Leigh Michaels is the author of 80 romance novels with more than 35 million copies sold. A six time RITA finalist, she has also received two RT Book Reviews Reviewer's Choice awards, and the Johnson Brigham Award. She teaches romance writing on the internet at Gotham Writers' Workshop. She lives in Des Moines, Iowa.

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