Kissing Cousins

by Joan Smith

Not only had Samantha Oakleigh's brother run off with another man's betrothed, he was also accused of theft! She desperately needed the help of her rather stodgy, but well-heeled, cousin to find the boy. Despite major misgivings, Edward, Lord Salverton puts both his career and his upcoming nuptials in jeopardy, and accompanies Samantha on her rescue mission. And somewhere along the way, he began to enjoy himself. His effort to remain a proper gentleman began to fade as his one ambition became gathering this delectable miss in his arms . . . *

Genres: Regency, Romance, Humor, Traditional Regency, Regency Romance

273 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Joan Smith is a graduate of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, and the Ontario College of Education. She has taught French and English in high school and English in college. When she began writing, her interest in Jane Austen and Lord Byron led to her first choice of genre, the Regency, which she especially liked for its wit and humor.
Her favorite travel destination is England, where she researches her books. Her hobbies are gardening, painting, sculpture and reading. She is married and has three children. A prolific writer, she is currently working on Regencies and various mysteries at her home in Georgetown, Ontario.
She is also known as Jennie Gallant

Reviews

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a rush to find her wanted brother who may or may not have be marrying another's chere amie Samantha turns to her well-connected, image conscious cousin for help. With the "reformed" wild Lord Salty's help she jaunts across the country looking for the elusive pair to discover that propriety and reputation doesn't mean everything.

This wasn't my favorite Joan Smith Regency but it was full of her signature zaniest. The beginning felt like a Regency lexicon dump but I love words like lightskirt, hedgebird, devil-may-care and the like. It took me a bit to warm up to story but plucky secondary characters and the morning room scene at the end made it a fun read in the end.

[Jackieannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this “sweet” Regency romance. There was plenty of naughtiness “off-stage” and some fervent kisses between our lead characters. I thought it was cleverly done, and an original story line.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was very funny!

[Claire S · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not my favorite Joan Smith book. The two stars sound harsh but, according to Goodreads it means "it was okay" and that's how I felt about it. The main thing that jumped at me that I don't find often in Smith's books is so many Regency era rules being broken (being unchaperoned, openly discussing lightskirts and chere amies, female going into a gaming hell). I also agree with one of the reviews that there's nothing wrong about having a more serious nature. The reason why Samantha went to get Lord Salveton's help in the first place is because he was known to take care of his family members, which is admirable trait. Samantha also annoyed me a bit since, even though she admitted to being a green girl and being deceived by a lightskirt, she continued to make bad decisions after asking for Salverton's help. It still has Smith's humor but the whole story just felt very generic with nothing special to stand out. It's mostly clean but there also seems to be a bit more lusting than some of Smith's other books.

[suzi · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok but I'm getting tired of stories 'villifying' being straight-laced. Well, maybe not villifying, just being proper and such is boring and not living your life. We can't be all irresponsible or be extroverts.

[P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this kind of story is called 'mad-cap'

[tara_l · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

This book is a silly, fun, romp with some shenanigans to keep it interesting. Is it the most historically accurate or well written book? No, but it's definitely fun. Edward had the potential to be stiff and grumpy, but it doesn't take long to realize that he genuinely takes being head of the family seriously, and has forgotten how much he enjoys a little bit of shenanigans in his life. Samantha brings out his fun side... you have to definitely suspend your disbelief about the way she talks, but it was easy to forgive given the short book and her part to play in making Edward lighten up.

Overall... not my favourite Joan Smith, but definitely not the worst. It's a quick read and has a few chuckles, and I did enjoy the relationship between Edward and Samantha.

Summary:
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Samantha Oakley, a country miss visiting London, is in search of her wayward brother, Darren, who's been accused of stealing 1000 pounds and running off with an undesirable woman. To help her green brother out of the scrape, she turns to their starched up and stiff cousin, Lord Salverton (Edward), who's planning to be prime minister one day an about to get engaged to an equally stiff and joyless daughter of a Duke. To help his country cousins out of the mess and save the family from gossip, Edward and Samantha go off on an excursion to Bath to try to find Darren. This leads to misunderstandings, shenanigans, encounters with the street smart Jonathon Sykes, and to Edward's realization that he doesn't want to live live being so joyless. He misses "Lord Salty", his younger self who was burned in an embarrassing youthful misstep, but who had a better sense of fun.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of Ms. Smith's favorite motifs: an innocent, but spirited lady and a "stiff-bottomed" lord set off in search for her brother, who seems to have run off to Gretna Green with a 'light-skirt." The formula is enlivened by the addition of an attractive rogue, Mr. Sykes. He makes sure the two main characters stay safe as they hobnob with thieves and murderers.

[Tess · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

what's worse, reading a book called Kissing Cousins, or rating it 5 stars? my only defense is that they seem to be very distantly related.... yikes

[Linda Hendry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a laugh but a bit unbelievable at times!