GOOD GROOM HUNTING

Author: Shana Galen ISBN: 0061124966 2/2007 HISTORICAL Publisher: AVON
Time Period: 1811 Regency London

On the trail of fortune... Adventurous Josephine Hale is determined to live up to her scandalous heritage. With half of a crumbling treasure map that belonged to her grandfather, the legendary pirate, in her possession, the bold and beautiful lady is half-way to a fortune. Unfortunately, the remainder of the map belongs to Stephen Doubleday, Earl of Westman, her family's sworn enemy—and Josie will do anything to get her hands on it...even if it means seducing the handsome rogue. And a passion beyond dreams Utterly destitute, Stephen never dreamed a fairy tale about pirate's treasure would turn out to be true—bringing him a possible fortune and a passionate lover. But will joining in this wild, impetuous beauty's perilous undertaking be the biggest mistake of his life? Or will it lead Stephen and Josie to a treasure far more precious than pirate gold—a fiery and forever love?

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Shana Galen is back with her next installment in her Misadventures in Matrimony series called GOOD GROOM HUNTING. Just like her previous book, NO MAN'S BRIDE, GOOD GROOM HUNTING is a superb Regency filled with charming characters, passionate romance and a winning plot. I love Shana Galen's writing style, I love her voice and I love the idiosyncrasies she gives to each of her characters.

GOOD GROOM HUNTING focus on Josephine (Josie) Hale and her quest to find her grandfather's missing treasure. She still swears to live as a spinster, and to help her achieve this goal, she needs to find the missing half of her grandfather's treasure map and then go on an adventure to find the missing treasure. Josie has naive notions about what being married to a man will do to her independence, and she refuses to have anybody tell her what to do and how to do it. Josie is a great character with tons of charm and a stubborn streak a mile long!

There's a catch to Josie's plan, and that is in the form of Stephen Doubleday, Earl of Westman. Not only is he her family's sworn enemy, but he also happens to own the other half of Josie's map! What fun is she going to have in trying to seduce him into giving it to her—or so she thinks. Soon Josie's plans go awry and she finds herself working side-by-side with Stephen, who she happens to find incredibly sexy!

I love the witty dialogue between Josie and Stephen, and I love how they compliment each other so perfectly. The romance between these two is both amusing and sexy, and until they both decide that they really do want each other, their playful bantering and flirting continue throughout the story.

Shana Galen's GOOD GROOM HUNTING is one terrific read! I can't wait for the next installment of her series to be released!

Julie Kornhausl