Sandy M’s Duckies Do Series review of The House of Cards Trilogy by Barbara Metzger
Historical Romances released by Signet Sep 2005 – Jun 2006
I have not read Barbara Metzger before, and when I came across her trilogy, it was the perfect opportunity for me to try her books. I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised, once I was done with it. It’s her humor that stood out the most for me. A little wacky, but always a lot of fun, no matter which characters are involved. While this series isn’t 100 percent what I expected, it gave me a good enough look at Ms. Metzger’s work that I will pick up more of her books in the future.
Ace of Hearts (Book 1)
6 Sep 05
The Earl of Carde, Alexander Edicott Carde, “Ace” to his friends due to those initials he has, knows he has to marry to beget heirs, but he refuses to marry without love. Before he can even think any further than that and even begin a search for the proper wife, three options come at him out of the blue, three women he wants nothing to do with. So he hightails it out of London to escape their clutches and to finally keep a deathbed promise to his father to find Lottie, Carde’s half-sister who was believed lost in a carriage accident in which her mother perished more than a decade earlier.
This leads him back to Nell, the young girl he remembers fondly before tragedy struck. She’s turned into a beautiful woman, and while her station keeps him from pursuing her himself, he tries to now do right by her after his years of neglect, but the more he’s around her and the more he pushes her away, the more his heart won’t let her go.
I enjoyed the characters in this book, even those foppish men who think they’re good enough for Nell. It’s the humor that makes even them likable. I mean, when you laugh at the antics of a goose as it interacts with the hero and heroine, and none of it good for either one of them, the author has a way with humor. Ms. Metzger does it beautifully. This is a nice start to the trilogy, and I’m looking forward to reading about Jack once he’s home from his stint in the military.
Grade: B+
Summary:
Never did Alexander “Ace” Endicott, the Earl of Cards, imagine himself to be thrice-betrothed against his will by the doings of three desperate debutantes. So he escapes London to his property in the country, where he follows through with his deceased father’s last wish-to find his long-lost step-sister. His search takes a detour and leads him to Nell, who piques his interest. Now, Ace may have to reconsider his rejection of marriage and see if two mismatched lovers can make a royal pair.
No excerpt available.
Jack of Clubs (Book 2)
7 Mar 06
Jack Endicott has just returned home from the war and he’s at loose ends. He still feels he needs to prove himself to his older brother, the Earl of Carde, though Ace tells him it’s not necessary. Ace is proud of his brother and his exemplary military service and he’d give Jack the shirt off his back if need be. Both brothers still harbor some guilt over not yet finding their half sister as they’d promised their farther, so Jack decides to kill two birds, as the old saying goes.
He opens The Red and The Black, a high-end gaming hall, a business and an income of his own. His proceeds will fund the search for Lottie, which is the other half of his business at the club where young women are visiting in droves when the word is out about the search. What Jack gets along with all his success is an unexpected visit from Allie Silver, a teacher delivering to him his new ward, Harriett, the daughter of a fallen fellow soldier.
Allie is hopeful Captain Endicott will give Harriett a home and that he will also have need of a governess for her, because Allie has nowhere else to go. A woman on her own rarely has luck with employment and any alternatives scare her silly. Allie and Harriett do worm their way into Jack’s life and before he knows it, it’s like he’s never been without them. Even Allie and her prim ways and attitude are growing on him, and he’s handling Harriett like he’s always meant to be a father. Or so he thinks.
It’s Harriett and her antics that give this book its base for humor. She’s a sly manipulator, especially when she realizes that she can have a true home at last with Papa Jack and Miss Allie. Even with all that, though, this book fell a little short with the humor as compared with the first one. It has its moments, however; they’re just fewer. I enjoyed all the characters, especially the rag-tag team Jack hires to man his club. We actually get several romances ongoing within the larger picture of Jack and Allie’s romance with all his employees falling in love around him. A light and enjoyed read.
Grade: B+
Summary:
Years ago, Captain Jack Endicott’s half-sister vanished after a carriage accident. He now sets out to honor his father’s dying wish and find her. Jack plans to open a lavish gaming parlor and hire only beautiful ladies to deal cards, possibly finding his sister. All he needs is a little luck. Instead he finds prim schoolteacher Allie Silver, who needs a guardian for one of her most precocious pupils. With such an unlikely duo, all bets are off in a wild game of romance.
No excerpt available.
Queen of Diamonds (Book 3)
6 Jun 06
Queenie Dennis comes to London after her mother’s death to let the Endicott family know what happened to their half sister Charlotte years ago when she was abducted after a carriage accident in which her mother died. But when an accomplice to the crime tells her in no uncertain terms she would be tossed into prison for her part in the crime, she heads to France where she studies fashion design. Years later she’s back in England, determined to make a success of her fashions as Madame Denise Lescartes and to once again give what little information she has to a family who has suffered too long.
It’s on a fateful night that Lord Harry Harkness is searching for his no-good brother-in-law who has absconded with his family’s diamonds that he meets Madame Lescartes and they help each other out across London, Denise/Queenie to broadcast her fashions to the ladies of Town and Harry to get his hands on the family thief. The more they’re together, of course, the more they become attracted to each other, even though they both know London socieity would frown on any relationship because of Queenie’s rank.
I was rather disappointed in this book compared to the others. I was expecting the same humor I got in the previous two, but this book is a little darker. I found myself skipping sections after a while just to find some of that humor. While I didn’t find it in abundance, I did find some cute scenes, one where Harry ends up keeping order in Queenie’s shop when it becomes overrun by women wanting her dresses. It was rather fun to see him charm courtesans and the high-born in the same breath. But other that this scene, there are only a few more that qualify as cute or humorous. I’m sorry to say I was bored more than I laughed with this story.
Also, after three books, I wanted more time with this family hen they finally come together and are getting to know one another. Instead, it was only the last several pages of the book when the truth eventually comes out and Ace and Jack have their sister back. Not what I was hoping for at all. It was just an overall let-down after the fun I had with the first two books.
And a note to Ms. Metzger: please have your webmaster add excerpts for your books to your website. Books that are only a few years old should have something to tell readers about them. There’s not one excerpt on your site, Ms. Metzger, even for your newest book just released. Very, very frustrating!
Grade: C
All of London knows the story of the vanished Lady Charlotte Endicott and the handsome reward that will accompany her safe return. Scores of blond-haired, blue-eyed impostors have tried their luck at Jack Endicott’s casino claiming to be the girl, only to be turned away-but Queenie Dennis just might be the one. Fate takes a turn when she returns to London posing as a dressmaker fresh from France. Queenie quickly becomes the talk of the town, catching the eye of the handsome Lord Harkness. As her love for him grows, Queenie’s lies begin to catch up with her. Will Harkness call her bluff, or does love hold the winning hand?
No excerpt available.
Overall Grade: B
