Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #522892 in Books
• Published on: 2005-02-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Customer Reviews

a light, fast and ultimately undemanding read
"Lady Olivia to the Rescue" is not a very deep or complex book; rather, it is a perfectly simple and straight forward tale of two people who are perfectly matched for each other, but who take a while (the hero, the Marquess of Sheridan, especially) to realise that they're a perfect fit. Lady Olivia Cunningham is not only beautiful and rich, but she's also one of the kindest women in London. Not content to merely flit from entertainment to entertainment, Lady Olivia quietly runs several charitable enterprises in the heart of London, trying to find homes and jobs for the poor and dispossessed. Everyone likes and thinks well of her; except for the stern and misanthropic Marquess of Sheridan thinks that Lady Olivia is a nitwit and a coquette. Fate, however, is about to throw Lady Olivia in the marquess' path, and allow him to discover that Lady Olivia is far more than he perceives her to be, and that she would make him an excellent wife -- if only the stubborn man would open his eyes and his heart.

That in the nutshell is what this novel is all about: the Marquess of Sheridan discovering that Lady Olivia is his equal (or perhaps his superior) in every way, even as he denies his strong feelings for her, quite content to molder in a sea of jealousy because he's afraid that she has fallen in love with his rakish best friend. As such, "Lady Olivia to the Rescue" was a very fast, undemanding and ultimately, very unrewarding read. There are several interesting bits involving Lady Olivia's charitable efforts and her relationships with her servants and dependents, which would have made the book more interesting for me if those bits had been developed more. Likewise an undeveloped thread about the marquess' uneasy relationship with his young son. The thing about this novel that really bothered me however was the marquess' jealousy and his lack of trust. Right up till the end he suspects Lady Olivia and his best friend of playing him false. And while there are some mitigating circumstances for his jealousy, I'm not sure if it bodes well when a man professes to love a woman, but doesn't seem able to trust her to behave honourably.

Too many subplots
Lady Olivia Cunningham is without flaw. Everyone loves her. She's a beautiful, charitable do-gooder, and a darling of the ton. She concerns herself with the lower classes, and she treats her servants like friends. When Olivia runs into the Marquess of Sheridan (literally), she decides to find the dour man some happiness.

Drew Benton, Marquess of Sheridan, has no interest in society. His first marriage was a disaster, and his children are away at school. Drew made his fortune through gambling, and he scowls his way through every ball he's forced to attend. The indomitable Lady Olivia may be the answer to his megrims.

Julia Parks can write a good story, but this wasn't one of my favorites. There were too many subplots and a few unnecessary characters, and they ultimately detracted from the main plot. On the other hand, I liked a few of the sub-characters better than the leads... which is usually not a good thing. Parks starts to balance it all in the end, and it makes for a fairly enjoyable read. It's not a favorite, but it's certainly not bad.