Lenora Bell

Fieldnotes:
Squalton-on-Sea / London, Regency

1 Heir Presumptive of the Duke of Rydell
1 Concealed Identity
1 Beautiful Ingenue - Lousy with Virginity
1 "Near-Drowning" Incident and Resultant "Saving"

1 Over Protective Mother
1 Priggish Vicar with Designs of Matrimony
1 Carriage Accident

1 Neglected Manor House
2 Spinster Ghosts
1 Historical Society
1 Edifying Pamphlet

1 Trip to London
3 Pink Ladies
5 Thunderbolt Club Members
Racing Curricles

1 Scandalous Madam Painting Nude Men
Secret Relatives
Blackmail!

1 Masked Ball
1 Wicked List
Only One Bed!

The Short Version:
In case it somehow wasn't clear, this is a Regency re-telling of Grease! with nods to a variety of iconic scenes and outfits. The names (such as the Earl of Kenwick and Lady Roslyn Stockard) are nods to the characters and the actors that played them in the 1978 John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John movie. There's a bit where Sandrine confesses that she is "hopelessly devoted" to Dane, which made me laugh. There is a climactic carriage race, we have the hard exterior, sweet interior of Lady Roslyn. And of course the "drowning" scene that starts it all. I very much enjoyed the references and thought much of the plot translated well.

Sandrine was a bit too wide-eyed innocent and optimistic for my taste, and her approach to overcoming Lord Dane's traumatic past felt a little too "positive thinking" which I found a bit simplistic and honestly a bit annoying. But their relationship was sweet (and sexy) and supportive, and I liked the two of them together.… (més)

I know this is blasphemous, but I am not a Grease fan. I don’t hate it, but I don’t love it either. In the publicity for the book, I saw that it was Inspired By Grease, but, to me, this was more than ‘inspired by’, it was an almost direct retelling except it was set in the 1800s rather than the 1950s. I could all but hear the background music from Grease playing as I read and all it needed was for Dane (Danny) to call Sandrine Sandy. If you loved Grease, then you’ll probably enjoy this book.

Sandrine Oliver was raised in the quiet, nothing-ever-happens, village of Squalton-On-Sea by an over-protective, stifling mother who was afraid of almost everything in life. Sandrine was a dutiful, quiet, and loving daughter who longed to stand on her own and discover life for herself. She chaffed at her mother’s restrictions – and the one time she decided to have at least a tiny bit of rebellion by wading into the sea, a tall, handsome stranger saw her and believed she was drowning. She wasn’t, but he rescued her anyway. Oh! Meeting Danny Smith definitely brought a tad of excitement into her life.

Lord Dane Walker (aka – Danny Smith) loathes himself and leads a hedonistic lifestyle because he doesn’t seem to care much whether he lives or dies. Nobody has ever loved him – certainly not his brother, the Duke of Rydell, who has hated him his entire life. His father hated him as well – he said he was a mistake and should never have been born. Both his brother and his father blamed Dane for his mother’s death in childbirth. Young Dane took their hatred to heart and believed that he was worthless and unlovable. Then, he met a beautiful, sweet, caring, unspoiled young lady drowning in the sea.

I liked Dane and I liked Sandrine and their featured story was a nice romance with blackmailers, assaults, dangerous curricle races, and Pink Ladies (yes that is what they were called). I enjoyed watching Sandrine convince Dane that he was a worthy person and I enjoyed seeing her find her grandmother. However, what I felt was lacking was any depth to the other members of The Thunderbolt Club and The Pink Ladies. I assume some or all of them will be featured in future books, yet I can hardly tell you their names, much less why we might want to read a book featuring them.

Overall, it was an okay read for me. It seems that ‘retelling’ is the current fashion in books – and while it isn’t usually my favorite thing, I can be okay with it if it is ‘loosely’ based on the story. I wanted to learn more about other characters – especially Lady Roslyn and Kenwick. Will we get a story from them or was this it? They were an interesting couple, but – it was just all so abrupt.

While I wouldn’t read it a second time, I would recommend it to my friends who love Grease or love re-tellings. Should you choose to read it, I hope you will love it. For me, I’m looking forward to the next story in the series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book's Advanced Reader Copy (ARC). All thoughts and opinions are my own.… (més)