The Unlikely Lady

March 16, 2015
Bowman’s third Playful Brides Regency (after The Accidental Countess) hinges on an unlikely attraction between a bluestocking and a bachelor. Jane Lowndes prefers books over social outings. While reluctantly attending a house party prior to her friend Cass’s wedding, Jane trades barbs with Garrett Upton, an attractive ex-military man who stands to inherit an earldom. Jane believes he is the most profligate of rakes and wastes no opportunity to tell him of her opinions. However, when they meet at a costumed ball and neither realizes the identity of the other, their mutual attraction threatens to spin out of control. Jane is soon drawn into competition for Upton’s attention, as a beautiful widow seeks every opportunity to gain his favor. The scintillating sex scenes between Upton and Jane are intensified by the tension of the love triangle. Fans and newcomers alike will enjoy this installment, rich with fully developed characters and a plethora of witty banter. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.

March 1, 2015
A bookish young woman tries to convince her mother she's just not marriage material in this Regency romance inspired by Much Ado About Nothing, but her mother has the last laugh. Bowman (The Accidental Countess, 2014, etc.) offers another installment in her Playful Brides series with the story of confirmed spinster and bluestocking Jane Lowndes. Jane is attempting to convince her mother to stop trying to find her an advantageous match. She dusts off her friend Cassandra's old ruse, inventing a chaperone named Mrs. Bunbury in order to gain permission to attend a house party without her mother. But while at the house party, the unchaperoned Jane finds herself spending more and more time with Lord Garrett Upton, the cousin of one of her closest friends. Garrett and Jane can barely tolerate each other, but when Jane dresses with unwonted care for a masquerade and they spend time together without knowing each other's identities, the sparks fly. When their mutual friends realize what's going on, they take a page from Shakespeare's book, telling Jane that Garrett is in love with her and telling Garrett that Jane is in love with him. Both of them begin looking for signs of affection in the other, and as a result, affection naturally grows. This comedy of errors is an enjoyable read even though the old trope of extreme annoyance being the flip side of love and sexual attraction is a bit boring. The villain in the piece, a manipulative war widow preying on Garrett's survivor's guilt, is also crudely drawn and predictable. But overall, Bowman keeps her prose and characters fresh and interesting; her book is an entertaining renewal of a classic plotline and well worth reading.