Gwen’s review of Confessions of a Little Black Gown (The Bachelor Chronicles, Book 4) by Elizabeth Boyle
Historical Romance released by Avon 31 Mar 09

I’ve got a Witch’s Brew for you: mix equal parts of “Mission: Impossible,” Regency romance, “Thelma & Louise” (even with the somewhat tragic end), and a good old fashioned yarn and you’ll have reached this book.  In Confessions Boyle has crafted an engrossing tale that would be fun for even the most jaded of historical romance reader. 

I haven’t read the preceding books containing the events leading up to Confessions, but I wasn’t lost in the story – this book stood alone quite nicely.  Nevertheless, I wish I had read them simply because they sound like so much fun.  If you’ve read them, you MUST read this book.  There’s a twist at the end that I have a feeling you’ll never suspect.

The heroine in this book, Tally, is my favorite kind of heroine: intrepid, smart, and brave.  She even recognizes her own shortcomings, which is a brand of bravery all on its own.  The hero is a lot of fun as well: steadfast and stalwart, but a little bit of a rogue and not quite a nice man.  I believed in the romance of these two and really enjoyed the emotional development.  I LOVED the cat and mouse while Tally tried to discover who he was and while she was befuddled at how she could fall in love with a vicar who used smelly pomade.

The suspense arc of this books was a lot of fun to read.  There are a lot of moving parts that all come together very nicely at the end.  Nearly everyone makes out very well in the romance department, but there are a couple of surprises that I’m looking forward to reading about in later entries.

Boyle has created a very fun vignette with these characters, their families, and cohorts.  The villains are very nicely venal and easy to hate.  You never know what is going to happen next, which is a nice change.  There is a lot of action, some nicely steamy romance, and terrific dialogue.  The characters are what takes this story to the next level, though – they’re all so richly detailed.

I highly recommend this to anyone following the series, fans of the author, and anyone looking for an historical romance that is a change of pace.  You’ll love it.

Grade: B+ (very nearly an A-)

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Summary:

Thalia Langley spied him in the shadows and in an instant, knew the man before her was no pious saint. He might claim to be the Duke of Hollindrake’s unassuming country cousin, Milo Ryder, but no man that handsome, so arresting could be anything but… well, he simply must be an unrepentant rogue. His cat-like grace and power leaves Tally shivering in her slippers at the notion of all the wicked, forbidden things he might be capable of doing . . . to her, or the secrets he could uncover.

Indeed, Lord Larken is no bumbling vicar, but a master spy there in His Majesty’s service to find-and murder-a notorious pirate freed in a daring prison escape. Devoted to the Crown, Larken’s not about to let an interfering (and not entirely innocent) Mayfair miss disrupt his ruthless plans. He cannot be tempted . . . not even by the little black gown she dons to tantalize him . . . a dress revealing enough to lead even Larken astray.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series:

P.S. I didn’t know they wore bathing suits in Regency England. Check out the tanlines.  Couldn’t they have airbrushed that?