Victoria Malvey
Malvey, Victoria - ENCHANTED (Pocket/Sonnet - 3/99) (4)
Setting: 1822 England
The son of parents so in love they had no time for him, Lord Crispin "Cris" Merrick was sent to live with his Aunt Patricia in the country when he was a young lad. Cris and his aunt became more than friends to the five Ralston sisters on the
neighboring estate after Lord Ralston's wife died and he withdrew from society. Feeling alone and unloved, while carrying the burdens of her sisters, Amelia "Amie" Ralston was drawn to the young lord and they developed a special friendship. Six years
later, seventeen-year-old Cris said good-bye to twelve-year-old Amie and he departed for school in London, leaving her quite despondent.
In the following years, Cris becomes known as a ladies' man among the ton. One evening he gets involved in a nasty situation that causes his name to be whispered about in a damaging fashion, so he retreats to his country estate for a while. When he later visits Amie, he is shocked to find Ralston Hall in such a deteriorated state and is determined to help the family. Amie, having daydreamed all these years that her knight in shining armor would return and profess his undying love for her, misunderstands his intentions and their friendship becomes awkward.
Cris is even more confused when Lord Ralston dies and his cousin, Hubert, arrives to take charge of the estate. This wealthy, colorful merchant—now carrying the title of Baron—makes his mark on society as the guardian of the beautiful but naive Ralston sisters (named "The Fabulous Five"), who take the ton by storm. But his plan to find titled husbands for the girls goes awry when they become the target of an evil trio, and Lord Crispin has to take another look at his feelings for Amie.
ENCHANTED is a sweet Regency tale with a kind and loving hero, who really is a knight in shining armor but doesn't know it; a strong heroine, who has to come to terms with what is or isn't fantasy; and a cast of delightful secondary characters, including the sisters who each have a unique personality. The longtime friendship between Cris and Amie develops into more as their feelings for each begin to sizzle, but it takes the hero a little too long to realize what love really is. Victoria Malvey mixes mystery with romance to create a story that will leave readers with a warm, happy feeling and have them hoping for a sequel about the enchanting sisters. ~Carol Carter for Bookbug on the Web
Malvey, Victoria - PORTRAIT OF DREAMS (Pocket - 1998) (5)
You are in for a treat with this Regency tale about a fiercely independent woman coping with a marriage of convenience and a husband who seriously believes, in keeping with the time period, that man is the master. Andrea has been striving for independence since she was a child, and hasn't changed her thinking even though she was forced into marriage by her father. The auburn-haired beauty is convinced that she has met her match in Nicholas Leigh—a man who will treat her as an equal. After a passionate wedding night that continued into the early morning hours, they are interrupted by a knock on the door. Nicholas has been summoned by the King, and Andrea soon discovers how wrong she was about her husband. He issues an order to his manservant to pack his bags and requests that Andrea leave the bedroom posthaste, ignoring her questions about the summons. Our handsome hero, who expected to be gone for a few weeks, suffers imprisonment for seven long years before returning home to his English estate.
Upon his return, he discovers that the young, free-spirited girl he left behind has become an independent woman, who restored his family's lost fortune and turned the estate into a prosperous one again. Nicholas, full of anger because his family did not "buy" his prison release sooner, has no idea of the many struggles Andrea had to face after he left. He is in for a shock as he sees his lovely wife assume his duties, and the fun begins when he decides to take charge once again and be master of the estate. This is the beginning of a battle of wills between Nicholas and Andrea as she stands up and fights for her independence and equality. She is not willing to give up the reputation she has earned and is disappointed that Nicholas will not acknowledge her accomplishments.
In her debut, Victoria Malvey presses a lot of emotional buttons. Readers will experience the tenderness, romance, sensuality and passion of this story, along with just enough humor to keep them smiling. Add a touch of mystery and suspense, along with two meddling old servants, Andrea's bevy of admirers, and a precocious little girl, and you have the makings of a five-star read. I thoroughly enjoyed PORTRAIT OF DREAMS and look forward to her next title! ~Carol Carter for Bookbug on the Web
Malvey, Victoria - TEMPTRESS (Sonnet - 12/99) (2+)
Setting: England, 1784
After Katherine had several stillborn children, her husband
Edward knew she would not be able to withstand another, so he
made arrangements to adopt the illegitimate child of a dissolute
nobleman. Edward did not tell Katherine the truth about their
new son; and Lucien St. Cyr, unaware of his heritage, grew
up trying to be everything his loving parents expected. But
when he discovered the truth at age twenty-six, he was unforgiving and hostile toward his father.
Rosaleen is very angry about the snide remarks and the way the women of the ton treat her mother, who was a cyprian before she married Rosaleen's father, the Earl. When Rosaleen meets Lucien at a house party, he is the only one who treats her like a lady and there is an instant attraction between them. But Rosaleen's parents have other plans for her. Because of her anger and defiance, they decide to send her on an extended tour of Europe where people won't know of her parentage. In the meantime, Lucien is so upset over the knowledge of his true background that he becomes a drunkard, reveling in depravity.
A few years later, Rosaleen and Luc run into each other again. Cyprians are being killed after receiving notes that threaten each "temptress of the flesh." Rosaleen's mother is terrified because she has received such a note; and when Rosaleen receives one as well, she and Lucien join forces to discover who the culprit is.
TEMPTRESS is a nicely paced story with good dialogue and sensual love scenes, but it wasn't particularly appealing to me because of the characters. Lucien and Rosaleen came across as spoiled brats and it was very difficult to like either of them at the beginning of the book. For over three years, Lucien's loving father begged for forgiveness from his son, but Lucien refused to forgive him. The poor fellow, after all, had to live in luxury rather than be an orphan and possibly live on the street! Rosaleen also hurt her mother by her childish and defiant actions.
I found both characters to be unsympathetic, but when Lucien and Rosaleen finally began to grow up in the second half of the book, I started to enjoy the story a little more. Solving the murders takes over the lives of the hero and heroine, however, so there isn't a great deal of romance until the very end. Victoria Malvey's writing style is pleasing, but TEMPTRESS just wasn't my cup of tea. ~Marilyn Heyman for Bookbug on the Web
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