Book Review: Not Quite A Lady by Loretta Chase

I’m a big fan of Loretta Chase. Her Regency-era romances are classy and sharp — and always with a dollop of delicious wit. With smooth, elegant prose, Chase has fleshed out some of the most entertaining characters in the romance field. Her Lord of Scoundrels is often considered a classic of the genre, and rightfully so. In everything I’ve read by Chase, she’s breathed refreshing life into the boy-meets-girl/boy-and-girl-thwarted-by-douchebag/boy-and-girl-achieve-happily-ever-after of the Almighty Romance Novel.

Until 2007’s Not Quite A Lady. 

One of the biggest beefs most romance readers have with the great majority of romance novels is the utter implausibility inherent in their stories. For instance, would Cherokee warrior Running Possum really allow some blond nymphet into his tepee for all eternity? Or: would Prince Thorne really start wooing the Cockney wench with the bratty three-year-old kid? Or: would Denver socialite Madrigal VonLocke really knock bedposts with an unshaven, unwashed, though hung-like-a-yak cowboy? You catch where my pheromones are going on this one.

But Not Quite A Lady has an outrageous plot that eclipses any of the ones I’ve mentioned above. Without spoiling it, I’ll tell you this: it involves a baby, an adoption, and a reunion that puts any Meredith Baxter-Birney TV movie to shame. It doesn’t help that it’s all ridiculously predictable. Just a few chapters in, I already sensed where this might lead, but being a Chaseaholic, I refused to believe it would get to that point. But, alas, it does get to that point, and the ride there isn’t much fun either.

Which is sad, because I really, really wanted to fall in love with Lady Charlotte (the “not quite a” of the book’s title). I immensely enjoyed the fact that she was not a prim, proper Englishwoman, pure as the driven blow — I mean, snow. I liked that she had something of a past, had majorly fucked up when she was young and foolish, had skeletons in her finely-appointed cherry-wood wardrobe. This made her real, and I like real. I had so many hopes for Lady Charlotte, but from the moment early-on when she compared herself to a pig, actually longing to be the pig, I knew we would soon part ways.

Also, this heroine is the biggest clutz in modern literature. Lady Charlotte falls down, twists her ankle, loses her footing, and spends so much time flat on her fine patrician face that I was shocked in scenes where homegirl could walk into a room and not bail into the tea service. Not only does this take away the romantical image of graceful noblechick, but it’s also a cheap storytelling ploy far beneath Chase’s talents: heroine falls down a lot, hero is conveniently close by, he catches her/she falls into him, end of story. Her clumsiness also made wildly impossible the love scene where Darius takes Charlotte on a desk. C’mon, Charlotte couldn’t balance on a desk like that! As soon as her ankles were behind her ears, she would’ve plummeted to the floor. I’m not just snarky, I’m also trampy, and I know full well how shenanigans like this play out.

Then there’s the hero, who I also really, really wanted to fall in love with. Darius Carsington is a strange hybrid of geek/rake. This intrigued me, and I had high hopes for him. He was a nerd, sure, but he was also a big-time lustbucket. Darius knows how to put down the almanac and pick up the chambermaid. There are several well done moments in which we see him scrutinizing the internal battle of logic versus falling in love, but even these interesting vignettes are overshadowed by the complete impossibility of the story at hand.

Not Quite A Lady’s one redeeming feature is actually quite surprising: the villain. In many books, in particular romances, the villains are mega-asshats that are evil to the core, without even one humane character trait. But the one we are lead to believe is the villainous tyrant in this book is not a villain at all. He’s a human being, and this is wonderfully refreshing. To take someone who has plans and ideas and hopes and dreams that differ from those of the rest of the characters, and to not portray him as a hateful bastard bent on destroying the Happily Ever After — this was classy indeed. 

Despite Not Quite A Lady, I still love Loretta Chase. Her latest, Her Scandalous Ways, is on my to-be-read list, and rumor has it that this newest offering is classic Chase. So I’ll accept Not Quite as a little stumble; though, of course, the queen of the little stumble will always be Lady Charlotte.  Grade: C-

 

Title  Not Quite A Lady

Author  Loretta Chase

Publisher  Avon

Year Published  2007

ISBN  0061231231

Snarkbytes  Loretta Chase blogs about romance with six other dynamic divas of the genre at the magnificently-titled Word Wenches.

October 20, 2008 | Filed Under Romance 

Comments

164 Responses to “Book Review: Not Quite A Lady by Loretta Chase”

  1. contenth2 on February 8th, 2010 3:30 pm

    aciphex 8OO buy 150 tramadol :]] life insurance =] what is xanax 9381 propecia ygxb accutane 129 buy phentermine 8D ultram 964273

  2. alfons on February 8th, 2010 6:17 pm

    ambien pvdbh cialis 8800 health insurance =)) buy cheap aciphex online 1422 tramadol =PPP accutane lgdlf

  3. index on February 9th, 2010 5:45 pm

    aciphex ftzyep online casino =-[ ambien 333 levitra >:]]] tramadol jxihf new jersey car insurance 170 ultram 027

  4. unregistered on February 9th, 2010 10:05 pm

    life of georgia insurance 631826 buy tramadol aczco propecia 71418 tramadol ybils homeowners insurance >:]] buy 150 tramadol >:[[ aciphex 136065 ultram ugr

  5. sidney on February 10th, 2010 1:03 am

    online casino datf xanax lnmd internet pharmacy propecia soma zoloft 332 cheap car insurance topq

  6. weekly on February 10th, 2010 4:46 am

    tramadol 484990 cialis online sqyo internet pharmacy propecia soma zoloft 396719 valium 1273

  7. zeromercy on February 11th, 2010 6:12 pm

    online casino 410 california health insurance 7258 nj car insurance 058218 discount auto insurance 1529

  8. libraries on March 4th, 2010 3:58 pm

    prednisone online qmej phentermine %-] aciphex 20mg %]]] doxycycline >:P

  9. westcrage on March 4th, 2010 7:06 pm

    retin >:OOO retin aqpdze buy accutane 5060 propecia :-)))

  10. brittany on March 5th, 2010 4:09 pm

    buy xanax 499 cialis 855 phentermine 8-[ propecia 197

  11. default on March 5th, 2010 7:28 pm

    prednisone online 289 diet pill acomplia in belgie =-[[[ retin a without prescription >:-DD buy doxycycline ctrx accutane zehs

  12. hannah on March 7th, 2010 9:08 pm

    xanax online clekt buy phentermine 8-))) retin a micro 4755 ultram pill identifier 688 350 carisoprodol domain mgmail333 8)))

  13. haslwanter on March 8th, 2010 12:00 am

    cialis sasmzk generic valium kweu ambien %) doxycycline rnyx

  14. circlework on March 9th, 2010 3:11 pm

    cheap valium qltw ambien ghjd doxycycline 3596 prednisone online :-(

  15. antonina on March 9th, 2010 9:11 pm

    cheap cheap drug propecia tramadol =]]] valium purchase online from europe uqek discount xanax zfgzlr order doxycycline anzw

  16. julia on March 10th, 2010 7:49 pm

    buy tramadol us pharmacies 8D tramadol hci 50559 ambien 8)) ultram 206

  17. vatra86 on March 10th, 2010 10:17 pm

    tramadol hcl-acetaminophen naqra tramadol online 334004 accutane online 815 buy propecia at discount price %-]]

  18. readonlytext on March 13th, 2010 12:25 pm

    tramadol hcl-acetaminophen djvzqq online pharmacy valium yiggc ultram 15099

  19. vardenafil on March 13th, 2010 12:45 pm

    chip health insurance =-[ auto insurance sizs auto insurance quotes 67911

  20. value on March 13th, 2010 6:31 pm

    tramadol for dogs 08329 accutane gygkg ambien 75366 doxycycline pnrvqv

  21. ilona on March 13th, 2010 11:55 pm

    health insurance >:-O umma auto insurance %-))) online auto insurance quotes wvcvdq

  22. rubrik1 on March 15th, 2010 9:57 pm

    online casino ayrvxf auto insurance ihen auto insurance 39058 auto insurance online skmz

  23. baliospermum on March 16th, 2010 10:33 pm

    cxt health insurance quotes ppqd auto insurance quotes 8-]] online auto insurance quotes 2633

  24. Pharme31 on March 25th, 2010 10:13 am

    Hello! decddcd interesting decddcd site!

  25. Pharme299 on March 25th, 2010 10:13 am

    Very nice site! cheap viagra

  26. Pharmk392 on March 25th, 2010 10:14 am

    Very nice site! [url=http://opeyixa.com/rvqasx/2.html]cheap cialis[/url]

  27. Pharma301 on March 25th, 2010 10:14 am

    Very nice site! cheap cialis http://opeyixa.com/rvqasx/4.html

  28. Pharmk969 on March 25th, 2010 10:14 am

    Very nice site!

  29. viagra on March 28th, 2010 2:15 pm

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  30. xanax on March 28th, 2010 2:15 pm

    Hello!
    xanax ,

  31. phentermine on March 28th, 2010 2:16 pm

    Hello!
    phentermine ,

  32. cialis on March 28th, 2010 2:18 pm

    Hello!
    cialis ,

  33. generic_viagra on March 29th, 2010 12:53 pm

    Hello!
    generic viagra ,

  34. generic_viagra on March 30th, 2010 12:16 pm

    Hello!
    generic viagra ,

  35. buy_viagra on March 30th, 2010 12:16 pm

    Hello!
    buy viagra ,

  36. cialis on March 31st, 2010 12:27 pm

    Hello!
    cialis ,

  37. viagra on March 31st, 2010 12:27 pm

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  38. viagra on March 31st, 2010 2:03 pm

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  39. phentermine on March 31st, 2010 2:03 pm

    Hello!
    phentermine ,

  40. xanax on March 31st, 2010 2:04 pm

    Hello!
    xanax ,

  41. xanax on March 31st, 2010 2:04 pm

    Hello!
    xanax ,

  42. cheap_cialis on April 1st, 2010 11:22 am

    Hello!
    cheap cialis ,

  43. generic_viagra on April 2nd, 2010 2:04 pm

    Hello!
    generic viagra ,

  44. phentermine on April 5th, 2010 6:46 pm

    Hello!
    phentermine ,

  45. xanax on April 5th, 2010 6:47 pm

    Hello!
    xanax ,

  46. phentermine on April 5th, 2010 6:47 pm

    Hello!
    phentermine ,

  47. xanax on April 5th, 2010 6:48 pm

    Hello!
    xanax ,

  48. viagra on April 6th, 2010 5:21 am

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  49. generic_cialis on April 6th, 2010 5:22 am

    Hello!
    generic cialis ,

  50. viagra on April 7th, 2010 8:20 am

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  51. cialis on April 7th, 2010 8:20 am

    Hello!
    cialis ,

  52. cialis on April 8th, 2010 9:43 am

    Hello!
    cialis ,

  53. cheap_cialis on April 8th, 2010 9:43 am

    Hello!
    cheap cialis ,

  54. xanax on April 8th, 2010 4:10 pm

    Hello!
    xanax ,

  55. phentermine on April 8th, 2010 4:10 pm

    Hello!
    phentermine ,

  56. buy_cialis on April 9th, 2010 7:55 am

    Hello!
    buy cialis ,

  57. buy_viagra on April 9th, 2010 7:55 am

    Hello!
    buy viagra ,

  58. tramadol on April 10th, 2010 4:19 pm

    Hello!
    tramadol ,

  59. phentermine on April 10th, 2010 4:20 pm

    Hello!
    phentermine ,

  60. buy_cialis on April 12th, 2010 10:28 am

    Hello!
    buy cialis ,

  61. cialis on April 12th, 2010 10:28 am

    Hello!
    cialis ,

  62. tramadol on April 12th, 2010 4:21 pm

    Hello!
    tramadol ,

  63. cialis on April 12th, 2010 4:21 pm

    Hello!
    cialis ,

  64. buy_cialis on April 13th, 2010 5:47 pm

    Hello!
    buy cialis ,

  65. viagra on April 13th, 2010 5:47 pm

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  66. viagra on April 14th, 2010 1:53 pm

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  67. viagra on April 15th, 2010 6:27 am

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  68. JUdNeUY on April 15th, 2010 10:04 am

    CxFrCuqc

  69. phentermine on April 16th, 2010 7:37 am

    Hello!
    phentermine ,

  70. tramadol on April 16th, 2010 7:38 am

    Hello!
    tramadol ,

  71. buy_viagra on April 16th, 2010 9:42 am

    Hello!
    buy viagra ,

  72. tramadol on April 17th, 2010 7:33 am

    Hello!
    tramadol ,

  73. cialis on April 17th, 2010 7:34 am

    Hello!
    cialis ,

  74. cialis on April 19th, 2010 4:41 pm

    Hello!
    cialis ,

  75. cialis on April 19th, 2010 4:41 pm

    Hello!
    cialis ,

  76. viagra on April 20th, 2010 8:09 am

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  77. cialis on April 22nd, 2010 10:22 am

    Hello!
    cialis ,

  78. viagra on April 22nd, 2010 10:22 am

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  79. cialis on April 22nd, 2010 10:23 am

    Hello!
    cialis ,

  80. buy_viagra on April 22nd, 2010 10:23 am

    Hello!
    buy viagra ,

  81. viagra on April 22nd, 2010 10:23 am

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  82. cialis on April 22nd, 2010 5:24 pm

    Hello!
    cialis ,

  83. viagra on April 22nd, 2010 5:24 pm

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  84. buy_viagra on April 23rd, 2010 6:07 am

    Hello!
    buy viagra ,

  85. cialis on April 24th, 2010 12:42 pm

    Hello!
    cialis ,

  86. cialis on April 24th, 2010 12:42 pm

    Hello!
    cialis ,

  87. cialis on April 26th, 2010 6:28 am

    Hello!
    cialis ,

  88. viagra on April 26th, 2010 5:14 pm

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  89. xanax on April 26th, 2010 5:15 pm

    Hello!
    xanax ,

  90. cheap_viagra on April 27th, 2010 6:16 am

    Hello!
    cheap viagra ,

  91. buy_cialis on April 28th, 2010 9:26 am

    Hello!
    buy cialis ,

  92. phentermine on April 28th, 2010 7:14 pm

    Hello!
    phentermine ,

  93. tramadol on April 28th, 2010 7:14 pm

    Hello!
    tramadol ,

  94. cialis on April 29th, 2010 8:45 am

    Hello!
    cialis ,

  95. viagra_online on April 30th, 2010 8:57 am

    Hello!
    viagra online ,

  96. John297 on May 2nd, 2010 3:34 pm

    Very nice site! is it yours too

  97. John297 on May 2nd, 2010 3:35 pm

    Very nice site!

  98. cialis on May 2nd, 2010 3:38 pm

    Hello!
    cialis ,

  99. cialis on May 2nd, 2010 3:39 pm

    Hello!
    cialis ,

  100. viagra on May 4th, 2010 3:16 am

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  101. viagra on May 4th, 2010 3:16 am

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  102. cialis on May 5th, 2010 2:07 am

    Hello!
    cialis ,

  103. cialis on May 5th, 2010 2:07 am

    Hello!
    cialis ,

  104. viagra on May 6th, 2010 6:57 am

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  105. cialis on May 7th, 2010 9:17 am

    Hello!
    cialis ,

  106. viagra on May 11th, 2010 2:15 am

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  107. cheap_cialis on May 12th, 2010 7:46 am

    Hello!
    cheap cialis ,

  108. buy_viagra on May 13th, 2010 4:16 am

    Hello!
    buy viagra ,

  109. buy_cialis on May 14th, 2010 3:32 am

    Hello!
    buy cialis ,

  110. buy_cialis on May 14th, 2010 3:33 am

    Hello!
    buy cialis ,

  111. viagra on May 15th, 2010 1:36 am

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  112. cialis on May 17th, 2010 7:40 am

    Hello!
    cialis ,

  113. cialis on May 17th, 2010 7:40 am

    Hello!
    cialis ,

  114. cialis on May 17th, 2010 11:48 am

    Hello!
    cialis ,

  115. cialis on May 18th, 2010 9:00 am

    Hello!
    cialis ,

  116. cheap_viagra on May 18th, 2010 9:01 am

    Hello!
    cheap viagra ,

  117. viagra on May 19th, 2010 7:35 am

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  118. viagra on May 19th, 2010 7:35 am

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  119. cheap_cialis on May 19th, 2010 7:36 am

    Hello!
    cheap cialis ,

  120. cialis_online on May 20th, 2010 7:30 am

    Hello!
    cialis online ,

  121. order_cialis on May 20th, 2010 7:30 am

    Hello!
    order cialis ,

  122. order_cialis on May 21st, 2010 9:40 am

    Hello!
    order cialis ,

  123. viagra on May 21st, 2010 9:40 am

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  124. John1359 on May 22nd, 2010 6:35 am

    Very nice site! is it yours too

  125. John1359 on May 22nd, 2010 6:35 am

    Very nice site! [url=http://opxaiey.com/oyyrvxy/2.html]is it yours too[/url]

  126. cialis on May 24th, 2010 3:39 am

    Hello!
    cialis ,

  127. cialis on May 24th, 2010 3:40 am

    Hello!
    cialis ,

  128. viagra on May 25th, 2010 3:18 am

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  129. buy_cialis on May 26th, 2010 4:02 am

    Hello!
    buy cialis ,

  130. viagra on May 27th, 2010 3:46 am

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  131. viagra on May 27th, 2010 3:46 am

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  132. buy_cialis on May 28th, 2010 7:58 am

    Hello!
    buy cialis ,

  133. viagra on May 29th, 2010 11:59 am

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  134. viagra on May 29th, 2010 12:00 pm

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  135. cialis on June 1st, 2010 8:32 am

    Hello!
    cialis ,

  136. buy_cialis on June 1st, 2010 8:32 am

    Hello!
    buy cialis ,

  137. cheap_viagra on June 3rd, 2010 3:53 am

    Hello!
    cheap viagra ,

  138. viagra on June 4th, 2010 11:36 am

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  139. cialis on June 7th, 2010 6:45 am

    Hello!
    cialis ,

  140. viagra on June 7th, 2010 6:45 am

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  141. cialis on June 8th, 2010 8:51 am

    Hello!
    cialis ,

  142. cheap_cialis on June 8th, 2010 8:52 am

    Hello!
    cheap cialis ,

  143. viagra on June 8th, 2010 8:52 am

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  144. viagra on June 9th, 2010 7:54 am

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  145. cheap_viagra on June 9th, 2010 7:55 am

    Hello!
    cheap viagra ,

  146. order_viagra on June 10th, 2010 1:53 pm

    Hello!
    order viagra ,

  147. purchase_cialis on June 11th, 2010 10:16 am

    Hello!
    purchase cialis ,

  148. viagra on June 11th, 2010 10:16 am

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  149. buy_cialis on June 15th, 2010 6:48 am

    Hello!
    buy cialis ,

  150. HxFPsw on June 18th, 2010 5:34 pm

    jmPbWO

  151. RurigeCoege on June 19th, 2010 3:34 pm

    Hello.
    [url=http://hukilxxxru.com]hukilxxxru[/url]
    And Bye.

  152. viagra on June 23rd, 2010 7:15 am

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  153. viagra on June 23rd, 2010 7:16 am

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  154. Pharmf155 on June 23rd, 2010 11:34 am

    Hello! edfdfae interesting edfdfae site!

  155. Pharmc851 on June 23rd, 2010 11:34 am

    Very nice site! cheap viagra

  156. Pharme601 on June 23rd, 2010 11:34 am

    Very nice site! [url=http://opeyixa.com/rvqatx/2.html]cheap cialis[/url]

  157. Pharmd959 on June 23rd, 2010 11:34 am

    Very nice site! cheap cialis http://opeyixa.com/rvqatx/4.html

  158. Pharmg175 on June 23rd, 2010 11:34 am

    Very nice site!

  159. viagra on June 24th, 2010 4:33 am

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  160. viagra on June 24th, 2010 9:09 pm

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  161. viagra on June 24th, 2010 9:09 pm

    Hello!
    viagra ,

  162. Ganigroonge on July 2nd, 2010 5:13 pm

    Yo Yo Yo! wazzap!

    hukilxxxru

    And Bye.

  163. jFCKFmqd on July 23rd, 2010 4:16 pm

    KRtCSkD

  164. http://m-1projects.com.au/tphbxz/ymgj.php?fg=351 on July 27th, 2010 10:59 pm

    gpa calculation spreadsheet…

    uSoGZt0 | anniversary free invitation …

Comment away, my little snarkie-pies. But please play nicely. Poopy-pants comments (spam, hate speech) will be flushed down the shitter.







      WHAT IS A SNARK?




      The Snark is a creature created by Lewis Carroll in his poem "The Hunting of the Snark". To give a proper description of Snarks, one must look no further than Carroll himself, who summed them up in one word: Unimaginable.

      But this much we do know: some have feathers, some have whiskers. Snarks sleep a lot, yet they are an ambitious lot -- with very little sense of humor. They love bathing-machines and tend to bring them wherever they go; they are also handy for striking a light. Snarks live on a far-off island, a place filled with chasms and crags, and are constantly on the lookout for Snark-hunters. Their mortal enemies are hope, care, thimbles and forks.

    • Archives

      • The Book Snark's Pick for Best Book of 2008




      Special web hosting offer - LIMITED TIME ONLY

      PerformancingAds


      Picnik: photo editing awesomeness