Do you ever have moments where you think, "How can I be this dense and still be allowed to own a driver's license?" For the first, say, three chapters of "A Lady Unrivaled", I was pretty lost. Who in the world are all of these people the main characters are talking about as though I should know? It almost made me stop reading. HA! Then I realized - this is book three in the "Ladies of the Manor" series.
(slightly bows head in shame)
"A Lady Unrivaled" is a romantic mystery that falls prey to one of the most annoying traps which plagues the genre - the heroine falling in love with a grumpy rude handsome noble. And why does this bother me so? Because it sends the message that it's okay, no, it's good to get involved with Mr. Moody because you're sunshiny attitude and love will turn him around. Girls, girls, please hear me. Get involved with someone you can stand to be around now, not someone you hope to change.
Apart from my moral objection to life lessons cast about by fluffy novels, "A Lady Unrivaled" was an easy read whose plot clipped along at a nice pace. There was no smut or grotesque violence. And as the story went along, it got better and better. (Again, this might be because I didn't know to read the prequels) The ending was satisfying and the characters, for the most part, likable. Even the villains were the correct balance of evil and pitiable.
I think if you were to read book one and two first, you would like this one. The author did a nice job of intertwining a number of subplots and then bringing the characters' stories all together in the end.
"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc."
