Rules for a Lady
Grade : B-

Every couple of weeks I request a new set of books for review. Sometimes I've read other books by an author on the list or have heard about them. Many times I just pick based on the brief description. It leads to some pretty interesting discoveries - some good, some bad. This time around I've been fortunate in getting a couple of new-to-me authors whose books I enjoyed, including Rules for a Lady.

The Rules in question are those set out by Stephen Conley, the fifth Earl of Mavenford, for his ward Amanda Faith Wyndham. Her wild behavior has convinced him that she needs to have written reminders of how to behave like a lady. The reason his ward is sketchy on how to behave is because she's an imposter. Amanda has died and her illegitimate half-sister, Gillian Ames, has taken her place. Gillian's mother was a maid in the Wyndham household and Gillian has had to spend her life caring for her selfish, mean-spirited half-sister. When the chance to have a season and find a husband arises, Gillian seizes it. Stephen doesn't know what to make of his ward. Everything he's heard about Miss Wyndham would suggest an ailing, fade-away kind of lady. Gillian doesn't even come close to this description.

While I wished to know more about Gillian, I did find her extremely likable and enjoyed her interactions with Stephen. Their dialogue reminded me of Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant in Bringing Up Baby. In that movie she's a wealthy socialite and he's a stuffy scientist. Listen to the start of Rules for a Lady and see if you can hear Hepburn and Grant:

"Write the following at the top: Rules for a Lady. Number One. A lady does not run barefoot after cutthroats.

"But slippers were too unsafe on the trellis."

"Write!"

She obediently set his words to paper. "Does not run barefoot after cutthroats," she murmured.

"Number two. A lady does not climb down trellises.

"Number three. A lady does not punch people."

She glanced up. "Even when they are villainous brutes?"

"A lady screams or calls for help so a sufficient number of men can come and knock out the villainous brute."

"Seems remarkably inefficient to me," she commented. "Especially when I could do it just as well."

The good and the bad in this book arise out of the same aspects. Gillian acts in extremely illogical ways, climbing out the window to stop a kidnapper, searching Stephen's study; she engages in various other unladylike activities that make her stated goal of being accepted as Amanda seem impossible. But those same behaviors are what draw the reader to Gillian. She's impulsive and frequently amusing. The rules themselves could have been hokey and forced. They are, but only occasionally. Otherwise the author uses them to good comic effect by heading each chapter with a rule. When chapter six starts with a lady does not hide in closets you can pretty much guess what Gillian will be doing and that it will lead to unanticipated consequences. The historical details serve as wallpaper, but that's fine because the focus is Gillian and Stephen and their romance, not their setting.

While Gillian's impulsiveness is a large part of her personality, there are other facets that could have used more development. She comes from a very abusive background, which is touched on, but never fully explored. Like the other aspects in the book the characterizations are good and bad, or well developed and undeveloped. Developed: Stephen was pretty refreshing and will appeal to those who want something other then the Duke of Slut in a hero. He's attracted to Gillian, but knows she's his ward and he must act accordingly. No twirling of a metaphorical mustache here! Undeveloped: Stephen's mother blows hot and cold about having Gillian in the house without much rhyme or reason, and when all is revealed at the end of the book her response comes out of nowhere. Developed: Lord Tallis, an aristocrat who is pursuing Gillian, has ulterior motives but also seems to genuinely like her. Undeveloped: his sister Lady Sophia, who is around only enough to act as haughty competition to make Gillian jealous.

In the end, I felt that Gillian and Stephen made this worth it. So next time I'm a little leery of trying one of those unknowns on the list, I'll forge ahead. You never know what's going to come in the mail next, and it's great when the surprise is a pleasant one.

Reviewed by Jane Jorgenson
Grade : B-

Sensuality: Subtle

Review Date : February 23, 2001

Publication Date: 2001

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