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Miss Quinn's Quandary
Larissa Quinn travels directly from Miss Simmons' Seminary to the wilds of Westmoreland to care for her elderly aunt. After the day-long journey, the only place for the weary travelers to sleep is the barn of an over-booked inn with only a single vacancy. Larissa, who has no intention of sleeping on a pile of straw, steps forward, claiming to be newly wed to Sir Randall Trent, baronet and unwitting accomplice in Larissa's scheme for adventure, in order to claim the last empty room.
Convinced they will never see one another again and that no one will be the wiser about their little white lie, Larissa and Sir Randall part ways, though not before Sir Randall can bestow upon Larissa a passionate kiss that sends her reeling. Both are surprised to be thrown together again so soon in London for the Season.
When their secret is discovered, Larissa and Sir Randall are forced to band together in the face of a crime spree in which Sir Randall is implicated. Life is about to offer Larissa an adventure unlike any she had ever imagined.
Convinced they will never see one another again and that no one will be the wiser about their little white lie, Larissa and Sir Randall part ways, though not before Sir Randall can bestow upon Larissa a passionate kiss that sends her reeling. Both are surprised to be thrown together again so soon in London for the Season.
When their secret is discovered, Larissa and Sir Randall are forced to band together in the face of a crime spree in which Sir Randall is implicated. Life is about to offer Larissa an adventure unlike any she had ever imagined.
265 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
April 29, 2024
A good beach read!
October 19, 2017
A light confection of a romance
There's not much substance to the story or the characters, but it was fun to read anyway. An innocent misstep turns into a scandalous disaster when Larissa Quinn claims to be the wife of Sir Randall Trent, in order to secure the last room in an inn. Little did she know that her aunt and Sir Randall's Uncle would become romantically involved, and Larisa and Sir Randall would have to continue their charade in London. If you like old episodes of "Hart to Hart," or Regency romances without lots of steamy sex, you will enjoy this story.
There's not much substance to the story or the characters, but it was fun to read anyway. An innocent misstep turns into a scandalous disaster when Larissa Quinn claims to be the wife of Sir Randall Trent, in order to secure the last room in an inn. Little did she know that her aunt and Sir Randall's Uncle would become romantically involved, and Larisa and Sir Randall would have to continue their charade in London. If you like old episodes of "Hart to Hart," or Regency romances without lots of steamy sex, you will enjoy this story.
May 24, 2020
Quite the romp!
It took me a bit to warm up to the female protagonist but I am glad I stuck around because I dearly enjoyed the second half of this book. I wouldn't say it was a comedy of errors but it was definitely a series of errors that lead to our couple coming together in truth. It reminds me a bit of The Importance of Being Earnest. A little lighthearted, a little suspense, a lot of scheming and an enjoyable read.
It took me a bit to warm up to the female protagonist but I am glad I stuck around because I dearly enjoyed the second half of this book. I wouldn't say it was a comedy of errors but it was definitely a series of errors that lead to our couple coming together in truth. It reminds me a bit of The Importance of Being Earnest. A little lighthearted, a little suspense, a lot of scheming and an enjoyable read.
December 16, 2017
Fun!
This was a fun read with a bit of adventure, romance and mystery! I definitely recommend enjoying the trip and characters!
This was a fun read with a bit of adventure, romance and mystery! I definitely recommend enjoying the trip and characters!
July 10, 2019
Fun to read!
July 4, 2014
Miss Larissa Quinn is traveling from the young ladies' seminary where she has spent most of her life to stay with her aunt in the wilds of Westmoreland. When she arrives at an over-booked inn, she declares she is married to ... a stranger, Lord Randall Trent, who was traveling up the Severn on the same boat. Lord Randall knows he's a gentleman and she's safe with him, but what if he wasn't? He can hardly resist the beautiful young woman as it is so when she seems eager for a kiss, he can hardly help himself. Larissa is afraid of living her life without experiences. She is unprepared for how the kiss makes her feel. She's determined to never forget it for it will likely be the only she she ever experiences. He travels on to his Uncle Cyrus, the Earl of Rushton, who decides to sweep Randall up into the world of the haut ton in order to find a new wife. He finds the woman of his dreams, but she needs someone to look out for her ward. Imagine Randall's shock when he discovers that the ward is none other than Miss Quinn! She's a forward little piece of baggage and Randall thinks someone should teach this chit how to go on but it won't be him. He's too busy trying to court the lovely Lady Dorothea Brookhurst. That's fine with Larissa because she is trying to win a kiss from Lord Fenton, who is very slow to come up to scratch. If only she could get the memory of that earth shattering kiss out of her mind. Then, some enemy seems determined to hurt Randall and he is sure to hang if Larissa can't come up with a scheme to save him and bring about a happily every after for all.
This story could have been a funny Heyeresque piece but it failed to meet expectations. The relationship is based purely on feelings and the narration doesn't dig deeply into the characters' heads. I don't really see anything honorable about the way Randall treats Larissa. Despite her forward behavior she is an innocent. The romance is slightly more sensual that I expected from Avalon. I didn't really get Randall and Larissa's relationship. Their story changes from hot to cold and back and forth. I didn't like them together. Larissa is an idiot who innocently breaks almost all the rules and Randall knowingly breaks some of them, yet no one seems to care. The older adults are silly and dim-witted. I figured out who one of the villains was but there were enough red herrings so that I couldn't be completely sure. I wasn't surprised but I was surprised that a certain minor character didn't play a larger role because so much was made about them.
This story could have been a funny Heyeresque piece but it failed to meet expectations. The relationship is based purely on feelings and the narration doesn't dig deeply into the characters' heads. I don't really see anything honorable about the way Randall treats Larissa. Despite her forward behavior she is an innocent. The romance is slightly more sensual that I expected from Avalon. I didn't really get Randall and Larissa's relationship. Their story changes from hot to cold and back and forth. I didn't like them together. Larissa is an idiot who innocently breaks almost all the rules and Randall knowingly breaks some of them, yet no one seems to care. The older adults are silly and dim-witted. I figured out who one of the villains was but there were enough red herrings so that I couldn't be completely sure. I wasn't surprised but I was surprised that a certain minor character didn't play a larger role because so much was made about them.
August 30, 2011
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, when it comes to reading preferences, I am a genre slut. Give me a regency romance, chick lit or cozy mystery and I’ll tuck myself into a beach chair and loose myself for hours, at great risk for serious sunburn, I might add. So imagine my degree of lobster redness I cooked myself to when I found a story that skillfully melded all three of my favorite genres into one!
What makes this book so delightful is the premise of a perfectly proper young woman telling a little white lie that snowballs into a whole heapin’ lot of trouble. I relate to the lovely Miss Quinn because I, too, would be tempted to fib if it meant I could enjoy the comforts of a warm and cozy feather tick for my overnight stay vice bedding down on a pallet of straw in the barn. Imagine the creepy crawlies in that straw! <> So our heroine claims to be married to a perfect stranger in order they may get the last room at the inn. With no plans of ever seeing the man again, then, well, no harm no foul, right? Wrong! Author Shirley Marks brings the two back together and that’s when the fun really starts. And if that wasn’t enough of a delightful regency/chick lit romp, the story is basted with a hint of a crime that the hero and heroine must solve before the HEA (that’s happily ever after for those of you no current with romance acronyms) ending. What more can this reader ask for? Nothing! Miss Quinn’s Quandary is a totally satisfying read.
What makes this book so delightful is the premise of a perfectly proper young woman telling a little white lie that snowballs into a whole heapin’ lot of trouble. I relate to the lovely Miss Quinn because I, too, would be tempted to fib if it meant I could enjoy the comforts of a warm and cozy feather tick for my overnight stay vice bedding down on a pallet of straw in the barn. Imagine the creepy crawlies in that straw! <> So our heroine claims to be married to a perfect stranger in order they may get the last room at the inn. With no plans of ever seeing the man again, then, well, no harm no foul, right? Wrong! Author Shirley Marks brings the two back together and that’s when the fun really starts. And if that wasn’t enough of a delightful regency/chick lit romp, the story is basted with a hint of a crime that the hero and heroine must solve before the HEA (that’s happily ever after for those of you no current with romance acronyms) ending. What more can this reader ask for? Nothing! Miss Quinn’s Quandary is a totally satisfying read.
June 3, 2020
Really cute. I thought this was a fun read. I really liked Larissa and Randall. They have a few mixups and pretend they are married, which added a fun element to the story. Overall, cute!
Content: Clean
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Content: Clean
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September 7, 2009
This book reads like a Harlequin Romance for Jane Austen. I am not much of a romance reader, and this did not have much else going for it. It was clean and fluffy and perfect for a Saturday night read, though.
If you have seen the movie It Happenned One Night, then you know the general plot of this book. I imagine that the author has seen that movie more than once. (Just saying!)
Now, if romance is your cup of tea, then you will be all over this. Poor Miss Quinn has ben raised in a girls seminary and NEVER been alone with a man.
And as she is travelling to care for her aged aunt she decides that this will be here one chance at adventure.
Insert screwball comedy here....
I laughed a lot. I am not 100% sure that the author wanted me to laugh so much, but since I am sure she wanted me to be entertained, and I was, then she should be happy.
If you have seen the movie It Happenned One Night, then you know the general plot of this book. I imagine that the author has seen that movie more than once. (Just saying!)
Now, if romance is your cup of tea, then you will be all over this. Poor Miss Quinn has ben raised in a girls seminary and NEVER been alone with a man.
And as she is travelling to care for her aged aunt she decides that this will be here one chance at adventure.
Insert screwball comedy here....
I laughed a lot. I am not 100% sure that the author wanted me to laugh so much, but since I am sure she wanted me to be entertained, and I was, then she should be happy.
September 24, 2013
I loved certain elements of this book and hated the rest. That's basically how the main characters interacted too... love hate love hate every other page... it was so confusing! Then evil people are nice, nice people are evil. I can't quite put my finger on one word or phrase to adequately describe this story. It was almost like it was written by two different people, one who could write well or at least had a good editor, and one who couldn't or didn't have any editor at all. The plot was interesting and then it wasn't. I felt like I was being pulled into the story, then shoved out of it with two forceful hands. Ugh. Yet it had some redeeming qualities... although I can't remember what those are at the moment. It held my interest enough for me to finish it at least.
April 18, 2013
So, that was... um. A bit of a slog to get through, really. Not bad enough that I wanted to DNF it, but not the quick fluffy read I'd been hoping for. The premise was good, there were bits that were fun and fluffy, and the villains were bitter and bitchy but not really evil. However, all that got rather tangled in some convoluted language that just didn't work for me. I suppose it felt a bit more melodramatic gothic romance than it did regency.
November 12, 2013
This book was really astonishingly bad. There was nothing in particular wrong with premise or the plot, but the writing was disjointed, most of the characters were two-dimensional, at best, and there was little in the way of description. This was the first romance I've ever read (and I've read many) that I seriously considered not finishing because it was just too boring.
March 22, 2015
A historical romance--regency England. Larissa Quinn travels directly from Miss Simmons' Seminary to the wilds of Westmoreland to care for her elderly aunt. The adventure begins when Larissa, discovers the inn they stop at is over-booked with only a single vacancy. So she claims to be newly wed to Sir Randall Trent in order to claim the last empty room!
July 7, 2015
An interesting tale.
I enjoyed reading this book by Shirley Marks. It wasn't so intricate that I could put it down and pick back up easily. The only thing I wish is that it ended suddenly.
I enjoyed reading this book by Shirley Marks. It wasn't so intricate that I could put it down and pick back up easily. The only thing I wish is that it ended suddenly.
August 8, 2016
Larissa Quinn leaves a seminary after receiving a letter from her Aunt.
When Larissa arrives at a crowded inn, she boldly claims that she is Sir Randell Trent's wife in order to get a private room.
The plot also includes a jewelry heist and the appearance of a highwayman.
When Larissa arrives at a crowded inn, she boldly claims that she is Sir Randell Trent's wife in order to get a private room.
The plot also includes a jewelry heist and the appearance of a highwayman.
March 28, 2008
Clean and decent romance as it used to be before Harlequin skanked it. The kiss, oh the kiss, finally at the end, the last page.
August 13, 2009
This is a regency novel. It was good, but a little unrealistic.
November 1, 2009
This is just a really cute book...similar to Marcia, but not quite up to par with the kissing!
January 24, 2012
If you like Georgette Heyer, you'll like Shirley Marks. Innocent, regency romance. Fun, maybe predictable, but a wholesome, fluffy read.
April 2, 2012
Another super cute Avalon read. This one had more stolen kisses than a typical regency period novel, sigh. :o)
Moral Note: Some drinking, and scandalish behavior mentioned.
Moral Note: Some drinking, and scandalish behavior mentioned.
July 21, 2013
won from goodreads first read. funny and enjoyable. used to read this genre, so it was a nice visit to the past for me
October 19, 2013
Liked it. A cute quick read
December 4, 2014
Cute, clean quick read
March 16, 2015
Mediocre
This book was not great but had it's moments. Some of it was not reasonable but the ending was very pleasing. It took place in the late 1800 hundreds.
This book was not great but had it's moments. Some of it was not reasonable but the ending was very pleasing. It took place in the late 1800 hundreds.
December 28, 2015
Sweet book, but I wanted a little more romance between the two leads.
April 22, 2009
halarious!! it had comedy, adventure, and even a jewrely theif!
September 27, 2009
This fits in the 'yah, right' category. But, it was still fun.
October 6, 2012
This is one of my favorite books from this author and Avalon Publishing. I absolutely love it!
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews