Summer Charade

by Melinda Hammond

In Georgian England, arranged marriages were a way to repair family fortunes, but when Miss Christine Harpollet learned she was to be sacrificed upon the matrimonial altar, she decided to take matters into her own hands. Lord Malshangar managed to rescue Christine from the consequences of her masquerade, but her erstwhile suitor was seeking revenge. Georgian Romance by Melinda Hammond; originally published by Robert Hale (London)

Genres: Historical Romance, Regency

304 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1982

About the author

I write under the names of Melinda Hammond and Sarah Mallory.

I have been telling stories for as long as I can remember - many of them born of frustration when I was stuck in a classroom longing to be rescued! I love anything romantic, whether it is a grand opera or a beautiful painting. It doesn't necessarily have to be happy, as long as it is inspiring.

I was born in Bristol and grew up on Barton Hill, an area of small terraced houses built in the nineteenth century between the mills and the railway. I think my love of adventure stories is due to the fact that I grew up with three older brothers and lived in a street full of boys! My love of history and the English language was fostered at grammar school, where I soon discovered the delights of Georgian and Regency fiction, first of all with the works of Jane Austen and then Georgette Heyer.

I left school at sixteen to work in companies as varied as stockbrokers, marine engineers, biscuit manufacturers and even a quarrying company, but I never lost my love of history, and when I wasn't reading and researching the Georgian and Regency period I was writing stories about it.

When I was at home with my first child, I decided to try my hand at writing seriously, and my first historical novel, Fortune's Lady, was published by Robert Hale in 1980. I have now published more than twenty novels, over a dozen of them as Melinda Hammond, winning the Reviewers Choice award in 2005 from Singletitles.com for Dance for a Diamond and the Historical Novel Society's Editors Choice in 2006 for Gentlemen in Question. Writing as Sarah Mallory for Harlequin Mills & Boon, The Earl's Runaway Bride won a coveted CataNetwork Reviewers Choice award for 2010 and the RNA's RoNA Rose Award in 2012 and 2013.

For many years I lived in an old farmhouse on the edge of the Pennines in West Yorkshire, literally a stone's throw from open moorland. Now I live by the sea in the wild Highlands of Scotland. I love walking to think up my latest plot, or just to clear my head ready for another session of writing.

Reviews

[Barbara Monajem · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely romance. It’s full of the kind of events I love to see in historical romance. I won’t mention them all for fear of spoilers, but the first one is a heroine dressed in boy’s clothing, running away so she won’t be forced to marry a villain. Such fun! And the hero is adorable – a true gentleman, kindhearted but forceful when need be. I read it in one evening—had to keep going until the end! (I reviewed an ebook version from Amazon.com. The cover is different from this one.)

[Marguerite Kaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has all the traditional elements of what we now call 'old school' historical romance - a heroine forced to dress as a boy, a hero who reminded me of Sherry and Ferdie (Friday's Child, Cottilion), a dastardly baddy, an abduction, and some beautiful competition. Yes, this is definitely a tribute to Heyer, but what is wrong with that? A charming Regency romp.

[Ernestina]

DNF. Cute but reads as a high-schooler's homework.

[Alexandra St'Siege]

Mulher fingindo ser rapaz

[Anne Patkau · Rating 5 out of 5]

1700s Britain. Kidnap, death, disguise, duel, escape, quarrel, lotsa family love. Sweet romance with depth. For True Love fans. Giles and coz beauteous Bella are almost engaged. His coz Tony starts a charade pretense of closeness with Kit, to provoke jealousy in Bella and Giles, switch couples.

[Catie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Melinda Hammond has written better since. This was only her 2nd or 3rd book I think. It's got a cross-dressing runaway, and a twirly-moustache villain and a fair few improbabilities, but despite that an enjoyable romantic adventure.

[Charris Bradshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

If a somewhat predictable story, the move from one circumstance to another kept you reading to see how they would get to the inevitable end.

[Jumi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice