Dixie Lee McKeone (1937–2007)

A woman of rank, beauty, and fortune, Lady Rolissa Amberly had been raised since childhood with the expectation that she would one day marry her distant kinsman, Anson Talmadge, the Earl of Ondridge. When Anson is killed in a most unexpected tumble from his horse, and his younger brother succeeds to his title, both families assume that Carson Talmadge will replace his older brother as Rolissa's intended bridegroom. Rolissa herself is not so sure, particularly when their first meeting produces nothing but discord. But though he manages to irritate her like no other, Rolissa cannot believe the rumors that begin to circulate, that Anson's death was no accident. Had her heart been engaged by the new earl, despite their quarreling? And would her faith in his innocence continue, when a second accident handed him another title and fortune...?

After greatly enjoying Jane Lovelace's Eccentric Lady, I was quite excited to read Rolissa, which I had to request from another library. I was even considering tracking down some of the Regency romances published under the author's real name, Dixie Lee McKeone. Now I'm not so sure. Not only was the hero completely unlikable here, often becoming enraged at minor "offenses" on the heroine's part - when Rolissa draws back a little, for instance, during their first meeting, and responds to his cold hauteur in kind, he labels her a "rag-mannered rustic" - but the narrative itself is poorly constructed.

The first two chapters alternate between Rolissa and Carson's perspective, before focusing exclusively on Rolissa's experience. This is necessary, of course, in order for Lovelace to create the misunderstanding and "mystery" that form the crux of her novel, but it made me wonder why the lone chapter from the hero's perspective was included at all. The prose itself is unremarkable, skimming along at the surface of the story, never really allowing the reader to become involved with any of the characters. One feels as if Rolissa's colorful aunt, Lady Jennie Barnstowe, or her two friends, those amiable quarrelers, Mr. Jamison and the Viscout Tulane, should elicit more interest, but Lovelace never seems to develop them fully. Finally, I was able to guess the guilty party from the time of the second "accident," and found the dénouement contrived and unconvincing.

With a hero that snaps and snarls at the heroine at every opportunity, a mystery whose solution was readily apparent to me, and a cast of secondary characters that failed to illicit my sympathy, I was hard pressed to finish Rolissa, and I don't recommend it to my fellow readers.… (meer)

Lady Elizabeth Anne Haughton-Marshall, daughter of the late Earl of Farling, was more interested in managing the three prosperous Dorset farms left to her by her father, than in joining the social whirl of a London season. Horses and hens were her passion, not hunting for a husband. Unfortunately, Lady Beth's trustee and uncle, Lord Farling, was as determined to see her in the capital city, as she was to be in the country. Forced to accede to his plan, Lady Beth gives her word to attend a reasonable number of social gatherings, to behave with ladylike civility, and not to avoid potential suitors. As a woman of honor, Lady Beth must keep her word, and observe her uncle's restrictions, but as a woman of spirit, she cannot simply submit. And so she decides to make herself into an "eccentric lady," by telling charming but nonsensical tales. Imagine her surprise when she discovers that her tarradiddles have made her, not an outcast, but an immensely popular young woman, with a reputation for wit...

One of only two Regency novels written by "Jane Lovelace" (a pen name, according to the dust-jacket blurb), Eccentric Lady is a delightfully humorous romp, sure to please fans of the genre. I enjoyed reading of Lady Beth's many escapades - particularly her stint as "The Hen Herder" - and while I thought that Lord Alspeth was not as developed a character as he could have been, found his interaction with the heroine quite entertaining. I liked the supporting cast - Alspeth's young nephew, Mr. Thorpe, and Lady Beth's companion, Jane Westcott - immensely. I think this is my favorite non-Heyer title thus far, in my slow exploration of the Regency Romance!… (meer)