The Lady Most Likely...

November 29, 2010
This charming, lighthearted Regency, written in three parts by bestsellers Quinn (Ten Things I Love About You), James (A Kiss at Midnight), and Brockway (The Golden Season), delivers wit and heart with every page. Lady Carolyn Finchley hosts a house party to find a match for her horse-mad brother, Hugh Dunne, earl of Briarly. Hugh (who compares the season's top debutante to the "one foal that everyone thinks will breed a winner") and two other exceedingly eligible gents mingle with Miss Gwendolyn Passmore, who conceals awkwardness with arrogance; the straight-speaking Miss Katherine Peyton; and Hugh's recently widowed childhood friend Lady Georgina Sorrell. The romance's cheerful tone and key plot points carry through seamlessly as each author takes the reins, making three matches for the price of one.

December 1, 2010

There's nothing like being thrown from a horse and ending up in a temporary coma to start a bachelor nobleman thinking of the title's succession, so when avid horse trainer Hugh Dunne, Earl of Briarly, gets tossed, he asks his happily married sister for help. The resulting house party, overflowing with marriageable misses and aristocratic swains, provides the ideal opportunity for Hugh to find the perfect wife. Yet imagine his surprise when he also discovers the love of his life. Three couples are highlighted in this engaging romance in which a trio of best-selling authors--Quinn, Eloisa James, and Connie Brockway--join their talents to produce separate but integrated parts of the same story, picking up where another leaves off in a compelling narrative that flows seamlessly from beginning to end. VERDICT Flirty, joyful, and just plain fun, this is a thoroughly delightful historical, as well as the successful result of a novel approach. From the pens of writers like these, what else would one expect?

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2010
A near-fatal accident with one of his beloved horses prompts Hugh Dunne, the Earl of Briarly, to realize it is time to get married. The only problem is that while Hugh might know horses, he knows nothing about women, which is why he turns to his sister Carolyn, the Marchioness of Finchley. Not only does Carolyn compile a select listing of the seasons most sought-after ladies, including the delightfully blunt Katherine Peyton and reigning beauty Gwendolyn Passmore. She invites them, as well as war-hero Captain Neill Oakes and newly titled Alec Darlington, to a country-house party. Now all Hugh has to do is select his bride, but he had better hurry, because it turns out he has some serious competition for the ladies. Quinn, Eloisa James, and Connie Brockway, three RITA Award winners, team up to create a novel in three parts, and the resulting book is a truly original, delightfully amusing treat. The Lady Most Likely . . . sparkles with wit, sizzles with sensuality, and, most important, is superbly satisfying.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)

January 20, 2003
This rewarding Regency-era anthology is connected by Quinn's popular gossip columnist, Lady Whistledown, who appeared in her previous novel, Romancing Mister Bridgerton. Each short romance features commentary from the society snoop and unfurls over the weeks leading up to Valentine's Day, 1814. Characters meet, plots intersect, and cleverly, each author includes the same skating party (shown from the perspective of the four couples). Though all of the authors hold their own in this collection, Enoch's tale of a young woman who resists a childhood betrothal until her long-absent fiancé returns to make her reconsider is the strongest. Quinn also delivers a tasty confection about a young lady suddenly wooed by two brothers. Hawkins's romance between an eccentric spinster and an amiable rake is the most traditional of the lot, while Ryan stretches the bounds of the genre with a hero whose odd behavior stems from more than simple eccentricity. All in all, these Regency bonbons are filled with the wit and charm that mark the authors' full-length novels, yet they still contain enough passion to keep wintry readers warm. A wonderful introduction to the contributors' work, this is a perfect Valentine for romance readers. (Feb.)Forecast:With its star-studded lineup and well-timed release, this exceptional anthology will likely be one of the holiday's most sought-after romances.

February 15, 2003
Once again the witty, provocative comments of Lady Whistledown, Julia Quinn's astute Regency-era gossip columnist (introduced in The Duke and I) grace the pages of a lively romantic romp-but this time there's a difference. Instead of one author, there are four; and instead of one story, there is a quartet of charming novellas, each focusing on a particular couple but linked by common events and all tied together by Lady Whistledown's wry, insightful observations. The abnormally cold winter of 1814 (complete with ice-skating parties on the Thames), assorted soir es and theater evenings, and a much-anticipated Valentine's Day ball provide the backdrops for romances depicted from the perspective not only of the protagonists but of other characters as well. Readers should enjoy the variety. The engaging tales by Quinn ("Thirty-Six Valentines"), Suzanne Enoch ("One True Love"), Karen Hawkins ("Two Hearts"), and Mia Ryan ("A Dozen Kisses") are nicely unified by both Lady Whistledown's comments and the well-integrated story details. A perfect Valentine's Day read.

Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.