Vixen in Velvet (The Dressmakers Series) (edició 2014)

This was q quick book to read and enjoyable but I didn't like it as much as other books by Chase. I had a hard time picking out the year in which it was set, the characters were not as complex as characters in a lot of her other books, and although there was humor, not as much as some of her other books. Using a seamstress as the heroine was fresh but it hard to visit that a high member of the aristocracy would marry someone so many classes below. Of course, that made the lack of a firm timeline even more annoying. I did like the way Gladys was handled. ( )

I personally would give this closer to 2 stars, but I don't like historical fiction so some of that is just preference. I thought the plot, what I could make of it anyway, was okay and the romance wasn't bad. I have a hard time when they use old words that I don't understand or lots of titles like Lord, Lady, Marquess, etc because they also use first and last names and then I don't know which character is which. They call the main male character Lisburne, because he is the Marquess of Lisburne, but his name is Simon Fairfax so that was confusing. I liked the Leonie was smart and quick witted and gave Simon a run for his money. There was a side plot about a baby that I didn't understand at all, but it was an okay listen. ( )

Vixen in Velvet
2 Stars

Following her sisters' marriages, Leonie Noirot is focused on the continued success of the dress shop they founded together. As such, she has little time for flirtation and even less for seduction. Nevertheless, Simon Blair, the criminally handsome Marquess of Linsburne, is proving to be a dangerous distraction and Leonie soon finds herself struggling to resist his considerable charms.

Despite the excellent potential inherent in this series, none of the stories have lived up to expectations and Vixen in Velvet is just as disappointing.

Much like the first two books, too much attention is paid to descriptions of clothing. Moreover, this installment has the added problem of incessant, nonsensical conversations and endless recitals of ridiculous and painfully bad poetry. Yes, Swanton is a truly terrible poet, but is it really necessary to prove how awful he is again and again …

Leonie and Simon's chemistry is only so-so although their romance does pick up in the 2nd half of the story. The secondary romance involving Swanton and Gladys is sorely underdeveloped and it is difficult to accept that he would become obsessed with her voice and fall in love with her so quickly even though he has barely seen or even spoken to her for most of the book.

The minor mystery plot is intriguing, but also lacks any real tension and the villains get off too lightly.

All in all, the story is too slow, the romance it too tepid and the mystery is too mundane. This is not a book or a series that I can recommend.
( )

This book was actually quite good but it doesn't rank near any of my Loretta Chase favorites. She is one of my favorite Regency authors. I guess it is actually 4 stars for a regency but only 3 /12 compared to her other work. I liked the heroine who was smart and spunky and the hero was basically a very good guy. But their most salient characters traits ot repeated numerous times, e.g., Leonie's concentration on business. Her back story was mentioned a few times but never fully explained. This is part of a series and there are 2 prior books so may be that is were the back story is but for someone -- me -- who is reading this one first, lack of backstory is a problem. ( )

I've had this book on my reader for a while and for some reason didn't get to it. I'm glad that I finally did. Simon Blair and Leonie Noirot are a wonderful couple. Simon is bored and looking for a fling before he returns to his home in Europe. Leonie is a practical business woman running a dress shop now that her sisters have both married. She runs the business side of things and Simon is fascinated right from the start by her logic and aptitude with numbers.
There are some side plots involving Simon's cousin, a horribly bad poet, but the main story is Simon and Leonie's and I found it very enjoyable. Another fine book from Ms. Chase. ( )