LADY LIZA'S LUCK

Author: Anne Barbour ISBN: 9780709082958 10/2007 HISTORICAL Publisher: ROBERT HALE LTD.
Time Period: Regency

Lady Elizabeth Rushlake scandalized society with her unseemly behaviour. This beautiful young lady should have been seeking a proper mate in the marriage mart. Instead, Lady Liza was pursuing wealth on the London stock exchange and making shocking profits. Then Chadwick Lockridge returned from India with a most mysterious fortune. Blindingly handsome and dazzlingly charming, he had betrayed her faith in him once and now seemed ready to do it again. How could she possibly trust, let alone love, this man whom some called a scoundrel and others something worse? Especially when he challenged her skill and nerve in a high-stakes money game? But Lady Liza found it hard to keep her mind on business as she put at risk not only her pride and purse but her all too vulnerable heart....

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

LADY LIZA'S LUCK by Anne Barbour is the story of a woman ahead of her time, unwilling to be trapped by social convention. It is a refreshing twist on Regency romance, bringing a plucky, intelligent heroine into the spotlight and keeping her there.

Liza's father let her accompany him on business one day, and that was all it took for the inquisitive young mind to become interested in finance. He gave her some money and Liza began investing under his watchful eye. Lord Burnsall watched Liza make unfortunate investments, at first. Then, he watched as she learned the intricacies of business, then made her investments pay off. Before long Liza is quite a businesswoman, something completely contrary to the times. Although she is lucky in business, she is less so in love. When she learns the man who once held her heart has been accused of a crime she knows deep down he could not have committed-because she herself holds the proof that he did nothing wrong-her well-ordered life takes a drastic turn.

LADY LIZA'S LUCK is a fast-paced, wonderfully interesting glimpse into a time where ladies were expected to follow convention at all costs. I love it that Liza embarks on ventures most women of the day would blanch at the thought of. The dialogue between characters is witty, moving this story along without pause. Anne Barbour's secondary characters are engaging on their own, and support the main plot with ease. Thomas Harcourt was a special favorite. I enjoyed his obvious intentions regarding Chad and Liza's dealings.

LADY LIZA'S LUCK is a Regency that is highly entertaining and has one of the most independent heroines I've seen in a long while. Well done!

Kay James