The Irresistible Miss Peppiwell
I am normally not too interested in Regency novels as most seem to focus on “spouse hunting” at society parties, and similarly I felt the same for this one for the first five pages. The leading characters seemed stereotypical – but by page six I could not put the book down.
The story begins when Phillipa Peppiwell and Anthony Thornton meet in a London ballroom in 1882. Phillipa Peppiwell is an American from Boston whose family has brought her to London to catch a rich-titled husband. She dislikes London society and would prefer to travel the world rather than marry. Because of earlier experiences, she does not trust men, particularly the nobility. Anthony Thornton is immediately attracted to her, despite her icy behaviour towards him. Phillipa tries to resist Anthony but despite her best efforts, is strongly attracted to him. Anthony sees beyond her cold exterior and persists. He has a habit of turning up and rescuing her when she is being harassed by the lecherous Lord Orwell, the villain of the book.
Shortly after their initial meeting, the story departs from a predictable formulaic Regency romance. Both Phillipa and Anthony have secrets that would make them outcasts from Regency society. Both dislike social conventions but appear to adhere to them only for the sake of their families. They experience an intense physical attraction to each other and their feelings for each other soon go beyond merely physical. The novel is fast-paced and the sex scenes are explicit, original and well written. I enjoyed this one enough to I purchased Stacy Reid’s other book (The Duke’s Shotgun Wedding) for my Kindle!
e-edition reviewed
