Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Review: The Lady's Secret by Joanna Chambers

So yes, I read The Lady's Secret by Joanna Chambers as soon as it released. In case you don't know this yet, Ms. Chambers is long-time romance blogger "Tumperkin." I knew she had a book releasing and meant to read it because of course I've been curious. However, interestingly enough this book was with my recommendations at Amazon and I placed it in my "Wish List" without realizing it was "Tumperkin's" book! I can be so clueless at times! But since it caught my attention all on its own, I'm sure Ms. Chambers won't mind too much.

The Lady's Secret
by Joanna Chambers
London, 1810
Former actress Georgiana Knight always believed she and her brother were illegitimate—until they learn their parents were married, making them heirs to a great estate. To prove their claim, Georgy needs to find evidence of their union by infiltrating a ton house party as valet to Lord Nathaniel Harland. Though masquerading as a boy is a challenge, it pales in comparison to sharing such intimate quarters with the handsome, beguiling nobleman.

Nathan is also unsettled by Georgy's presence. First intrigued by his unusual valet, he's even more captivated when he discovers Georgy's charade. The desire the marriage-shy earl feels for his enigmatic employee has him hoping for much more than a master-servant relationship...

But will Nathan still want Georgy when he learns who she truly is? Or will their future be destroyed by someone who would do anything to prevent Georgy from uncovering the truth?
Joanna Chambers uses a true and tried trope for her debut historical romance novel The Lady's Secret, the one where the male protagonist falls in love with the cross-dressing heroine. Oh yes, you might say we've seen this done before, particularly in those old medievals where the girls attempted to hide waist-length hair and some impossible-to-hide female attributes. However, that's not what you'll find in this book at all, instead you'll find that Chambers makes some of those impossibilities possible and makes this trope her own with details, details, details.

Georgiana grew up in a theater and works as a stagehand. She tried her hand as an actress, but stage fright kept her away from following in her mother's footsteps. However, these are skills that serve her well when the time comes for the biggest role of her life. Georgy and her brother Harry know they are the true heirs to the Earl of Dunsmore fortune and title, but before they can claim either proof that their dead parents were legally married must be found.

As Harry travels from parish to parish trying to find that proof, Georgy plans to take their investigation further by going through the Earl of Dunsmore's own home, hoping to find something there. Her plan is to pose as a servant but there are no openings. The opportunity presents itself when Lord Nathaniel Harland, who is in need of a personal valet, is heard to be invited to the Dunsmore's Christmas celebration. Georgy disguised as a valet applies and is hired for the position and the deception begins.

Now think of what it means to be a personal valet. It's not just dressing the man, it's performing all those personal, everyday tasks for him that create intimacy -- shaving, supervising his bath, bringing him breakfast in bed, taking care of him when he's sick, sharing his personal space and all the small intimate details that reveal the man behind the Lord. This is what Georgy shares with Nathan before he even realizes she is a woman.

The key words above are "intimate details." Joanna Chambers truly gives the reader that sense of intimacy between the two characters during this time. And details also take center stage when it comes to Georgy's masquerade. I admit that I kept looking for those moments when you say "aha! the girl gave herself away"... but no, in Georgy, Chambers creates a female character that truly fits her role perfectly. I'm not just talking about Georgy's physical attributes, but the way she carries herself as well. Chambers doesn't place her character in impossible situations either. I don't want to give away too many details or spoil it for the readers, but if you decide to read the book you'll know what I mean.

Besides the fact that the female in the story fits her role as a valet beautifully, one of the reasons this plot works so well is because the deception doesn't go on for too long, and once Georgy is discovered the romance really takes off. However, before she's discovered the intimate scenes serve to build up sensuality -- the head massage scene in particular comes to mind. Too good... just too good!

Nathan is not necessarily attracted to Georgy when she's the valet, but well... there's something about "George" that doesn't quite seem right to Nathan. Once Georgy is unmasked, all that intimacy makes for some excellent, sizzling sexual tension between Georgy and Nathan. I really liked this couple. It's all great fun!

The plot takes place in different settings: London, the Earl of Dunsmore's country home, and later on Nathan's own country estate. I loved the scenes in London and everything that happened at the Earl of Dunsmore's home. The Christmas get together for the servants was a wonderful scene. It's interesting experiencing a romance from both points of view at the same time: the upstairs and downstairs. My one quibble is the couple's behavior while they stayed at Nathan's country estate. As for the rest, well... for me the final resolutions to the conflicts were all satisfying in the end.

The Lady's Secret by Joanna Chambers is a historical romance that I'll remember for the way the intimate atmosphere heightened the romance between two great characters, and for a true and tried plot that stood out because the author really took her time with the details. I enjoyed Ms. Chambers debut novel from beginning to end and will definitely read her next book.

Category: Historical Romance
Series: None
Publisher: Carina Press/November 7, 2011 - Kindle Edition
Grade: B+

Visit Joanna Chambers here.

13 comments:

  1. I loooove cross-dressing heroines. That's what made me buy this before I realized it was Tumperkin's book. LOL

    I'm glad you liked it and I'm going to pick it up soon! Can't wait.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ooooh, if you like cross-dressing heroines, you're really going to enjoy this book. Georgy and Nathan are great! And lol, I did the same thing... I was going to buy it anyway because I liked the blurb plus, I've been enjoying Carina's historicals. Good thing! ;P

    Hope you enjoy it! I'll look forward to your review.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I like the cross-dressing heroines too. It's always fun when the hero can't understand why he's attracted to the "lad". LOL

    ReplyDelete
  4. Leslie, they can be such fun... this book I really enjoyed. I read it straight through. Poor Nathan -- that scene I mention above is a doozy! *g*

    ReplyDelete
  5. This sounds surprisingly good and I'm a complete sucker for the cross-dressing heroine! I think I'm going to give this a shot" ;)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Alex, it is! And if you like cross-dressing heroines, you'll really like the story. Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi!
    You got me curious too. I'm adding this to my "buying list" and hopefully I'll buy it this month ;)
    ****

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great, great, great review Hils!! I'm off buying the book now! Love cross-dressing heroines as well :) and yeah, this just sounds great :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sonia, hi! Ohhh, I can't wait to read what you think of Georgy. *g* I always enjoy your fresh perspective. This is a book I enjoyed. Let's see. ;P

    Nath -- Ohhhh, good! You like cross-dressing heroines? You'll definitely enjoy this book then. Can't wait to read your thoughts. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hello!
    Humm question.
    Is this book only available in ebook?? I'd prefer to have it in print...

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Sonia! I believe so! It's Carina Press and for now, I believe they only release books in ebook format. Can you still get it?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi! Yes, yes thank you, All Romance Ebooks has it. I never had a problem buying from them so I'll stick to what works lol
    Just wanted your input, although I did search for it and obviously didn't find anything in print.
    Thank God for my BeBook :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Good Sonia, glad you found it. :)

    ReplyDelete

Anonymous Users disallowed due to large influx of spam.

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.