Counterfeit Kisses

by Sandra Heath

Sir Gareth Carew is quite taken with Susannah Leighton, the comely newcomer on the London scene, until he recognizes her as the woman who had accused him of ruining her family. Original.

Genres: Regency Romance, Historical Romance

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 2000

About the author

Sandra Heath is the ever-popular author of numerous Regencies, historical romances, novellas, and short stories. Among other honors, she has won the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Awards for Best Regency Author and for Best Regency Romance. She lives in Gloucester, England, and can be contacted at sandraheath@bluey onder.co.uk.

Reviews

[QNPoohBear · Rating 1 out of 5]

I do not know what possessed me to read this book. It must have been the promise of an amusing animal companion. Even with Chatterjee, I really couldn't like this book very much. First, the hero and heroine have no basis for a romance other than physical attraction. She's a lonely widow, I understand why an attractive, fit, male with a whiff of danger would be appealing, but I did not find him an interesting hero. The story is told from the third person omniscient, making it difficult to know what the characters are thinking and feeling without being told. This makes for a difficult time understanding the characters. The secondary romantic pairing are so juvenile and ridiculous that I had a hard time being convinced to believe in them. The plot premise has potential to be a screwball comedy like Georgette Heyer or Barbara Metzger, but for me, it never really got there. It was very silly and unbelievable. In the first place, I gather than gentlemen took cheating at cards as a serious offense, so why didn't Carew say something, especially after the tiara was lost? I am certain he could won a duel easily and he was leaving soon for St. Petersburg anyway so he would have been able to flee the country quickly. Was it that he was worried he would loose his government post if he fought a duel? We don't know. The plot gets crazier and more unbelievable as it goes on. I figured out quickly who the man in the woods was. Yet I couldn't put the book down. I stayed up far too late. I did not even like Chatterjee, whom I found annoying and spoiled. He should have been left free in India where he belongs and never made into a pet. The best part of this novel is the descriptions of life in India and Indian customs. The other best part is the descriptions of the clothes worn. It's obvious the author did research, though I can't say as to whether her description of life in India at the beginning of the 19th century is correct. I would not recommend this story to those who appreciate a well-written, believable story.

[Allyson Johnson · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is the expected detailed description of Regency fashion, and some Regency cant, but the "heroine" is motivated by pride, greed, and revenge - not very likable. Hard to feel anything but sorry for the principled, kind, and humorous Lord who is set up as her HEA. And there is a pet monkey which is supposed to be comic relief but which I found simply obnoxious. Did not finish

[Linda (NOT RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Susannah Holland, lost her family tiara when her brother Stephen bet it while in a drunken stupor. For some reason she blamed Sir Gareth Carew, a stranger who was in attendance when Stephen was betting. She is unaware that Stephen was warned to stop by Carew and her brother is lying to save face. Never showing her face, while not listening to the good Samaritan who assisted his brother home, she calls the gentleman a rude name. They end their brief meeting with bitterness on both sides.

Three years later, Susannah is widowed and returns home from India. An unhappy marriage is behind her and who should she bump into but the mysterious gentleman from the past. Determined to make things right she uses Gareth while he is unaware of who she really is. Falsehoods abound and even though Susannah is given the chance to redeem herself on several occasions she continues to avoid the truth.

A monkey, poodle and mystery are part of the plot but if you read closely you can guess who the 'unknowns' are. For some reason the lead characters were on first-name basis early in the story. This did not ring true for this time period. The romance was clean but some of the comments about 'bedding' sounded contemporary. It just didn't sound like the language you would hear if you could go back in time to when the events took place. It was OK and I'll try Sandra Heath again, I just can't give it more than two stars.