Cindy Holbrook

Once Upon a Time Little Lexie Reader fell into he Zebra/Signet Regency Romance boom of the late 90's/early 00's. I fell on these like a ravenous wolf on a freshly dead deer. I read A LOT of these. Like. so many I can't remember them all. I'd get them for cheap at the local used bookstore, ask for them for holidays, save my pennies to get the new ones...it was a madcap adventure.

That said a lot of these are just not great. So I'm doing a Regency Read project to weed out the ones I won't re-read because guys, I have so many banker boxes of these...

THE WEDDING GHOST, which I haven't re-read in at least 8 years, is one I have fond memories of because our hero, Roark, likes to...well ROAR. Salome, a maid at the castle, constantly interrupts his cuddly but mostly chaste sexy times with the heroine, Anna and it makes him frustrated. It doesn't help Salome, who is "in the family way" (but not married, though this book is fascinatingly forward in how the characters treat her), CHANTS AT A BANSHEE WAIL every prayer she can think of. As one character remarks, its not like she's innocent so why is she freaked out by two consenting adults - who are fully dressed! - cuddling on the bed under a blanket?

Yes I read this book so many times as a teenager that I remember whole swaths of it without needing a refresher. Guys the banter between Roark and Anna is hilarious, the ghost (Charles) is hilarious and Anna loves to rib Roark about how everyone in his family thinks he's this miserly recluse that stares at the sky all day when he's practically a frakking rake who just happens to be mostly anti-social with his family.

So I went into this book with high hopes it would maintain its appeal to me. And it did! While I'm mostly not convinced of the romance that had little impact on the overall enjoyment I had. This is just a FUN book with some sexy times that were mostly chaste, but still surprisingly passionate.

A keeper!… (mais)