Chasing Lady Amelia by Maya Rodale
Series: Keeping Up with the Cavendishes, #2
Historical Romance
Released: June 28, 2016
Avon

Reviewed by Sheena

Lady Amelia [Cavendish] is fed up with being a proper lady and wishes to explore London, so one night she escapes . . . and finds herself in the company of one Alistair Finlay-Jones. He’s been ordered by his uncle to wed one of the American girls. How lucky, then, that one of them stumbles right into his arms!
Alistair and Amelia have one perfect day to explore London, from Astley’s Amphitheater to Vauxhall Gardens. Inevitably they end up falling in love and making love. If anyone finds out, she will be ruined, but he will win everything he’s ever wanted.
When Amelia finds out Alistair has been ordered to marry her, he must woo her and win back the angry American girl. But with the threat of scandals, plural, looming . . . will he ever catch up to the woman he loves? (Amazon)

Lady Amelia sure has a lot of attitude. So much so that I spent a significant amount of time, just waiting for her to somehow turn her ire to me. New to London, the ton and high expectations of propriety, I suppose Amelia had cause to be miffed. Her older brother’s newly minted Dukedom has the four Cavendish siblings traveling to London where they are all expected to marry and fit into English society- despite their American sensibilities. They are met with gossip and sly scorn and a whole lot of nice-nasty, yet they all try their best to assimilate…well all except Amelia . With her rebellious streak a mile wide she is most assuredly not satisfied with her new life and makes no bones about expressing her opinions, much to the chagrin and embarrassment of her siblings and familial chaperone, Duchess Josephine Cavendish.

“After having met nearly all of England’s finest young gentleman, I can honestly say that no, I have not found any suitors that I could care for,” Amelia said. “But I do have a new appreciation for spinsterhood. In fact, I think it sounds like just the thing.”

Oh Amelia, dear pouty, unimpressed and bored Amelia. I’ve seen your type before. Handily propelled into marriage according to your family obligation. Unbeknownst to the ton (or rather, the ton could care less, though it makes it no less true) you are intelligent and have all sorts of big independent ideas that you are compelled to display. The difference is that- well the other heroines of your ilk are…more likable. There is an obvious affinity, they are characterized with all their sass and wit, yet they are not off putting. Amelia was miasma-like. I didn’t really like her. The crux, however, is that her scandalous antics were chuckle worthy and though I was not a fan of Lady Amelia and rather than chase her, I would be perfectly content to let her scamper away, back to Maryland, USA where she longs to be- I also was also quite amused by her actions. The author has a comedic flair and a gift for scene construction that intrigued. So I pressed on. Besides, this would not be my first novel that I enjoyed in spite of my feelings for the heroine. Perhaps I’d have better luck with the hero…enter Alistar.

Alistar is sort of an accidental gentleman. Summoned back home by his uncle, the Baron, he is to wed (upon pain of…well really just because his uncle said so) one of the Cavendish sisters. But that’s for later, more pressing is the young woman he meets on the streets one late night, whom he cannot possibly abandon to ruination should people find out she was out at night unaccompanied. This fateful night, he takes her home and the next day discovers she is a reckless and bold woman who captivates him, even though he’s confounded.

The girl was leaning more and more heavily upon him. Her footsteps were slowing. He probably had precious few moments before she blacked out entirely…
Somehow, he was in possession of a drunk or drugged woman who probably had rich and powerful relatives who would make him pay for his role in this farce…perhaps he could leave her on a doorstep of one of these houses, ring the doorbell and run, thus making her someone else’s problem. A butler would know what to do with her. Butlers always knew what to do.
But that would certainly ruin the girl….and she seemed like such a sweet girl..drunken, unchaperoned and slightly flirtatious antics notwithstanding. He wanted no part in her ruination…

Alistar and Amelia have more in common than they know. He too is a cast off of sorts. Born of an English father and Native American woman, he is without “pedigree” and his scheming uncle thought the best prospect Alistar could hope for was to snare one of the American Cavendish sisters (and her dowry) who also would have challenges marrying well in London society.  And so their romance begins. From their fateful unlikely meeting to spending a day of stolen time and falling for one another, the meat of the story is the fallout from their fast and furious passions – I assure you, nothing sort of hilarity ensues. Amelia is prone to tantrums emotional outburst and Alistar is deft at trying to avert crisis after scandal after crisis- emphasis on “trying” as it wouldn’t be any fun if he were actually able to completely contain Amelia- and himself.

“We shouldn’t,” Alister gasped. “I have honorable intentions.”
Oh yes, those. She had forgotten.
“However…” There was a wicked gleam in his eye, one that made her heart beat faster.
Then he slid his hand down, finding the bud of her sex and with the lightest, slowest touch, began to stroke. He felt her writhe, pressing into his hand. He grinned into the kiss. This, she liked this.”
He pressed a little harder.
Alistar didn’t know how it had happened, but between all the sighs and moans and touches and groans they had tangled themselves up. He was on top. His cock was poised at her entrance, he was dying to be inside her, and his resolve was…gone.”

Amy that is. He was dying to be inside the breeches-wearing, free spirit, Amy, the young woman whom he met on the street! However, Miss Amy is actually none other than the runaway heiress, Lady Amelia who took on the name Amy to perpetrate her little fraud! When Alistar first meets Amelia she knows it is only a matter of time before her brother and lawmen/runners are out to find her, so she hides behind her pseudonym and has the time of her life and hey- I don’t begrudge her, the girl had fun, kicked up and lived for a time. Alistar was a great hero. Ultimately, does the right thing, not so much of a rake, good-hearted and willing to go the distance to protect and love Amelia, even when she made it quite the task. *wink*

Chasing Lady Amelia – gorgeous cover by the way- is a romantic-comedy in every sense of the word. I smiled and giggled a ton while reading this novel and as I expected, I enjoyed the word play and steamy passion bit by bit. I appreciate that the main plot was the romance and there wasn’t any superfluous, extraneous filler clogging up the story. There is entertaining background story and the Cavendish siblings are each entertaining in their own right, equally interesting and deserving of their own story. I for one am quite interested in Duke Cavendish’s HEA as he was my favorite sibling of the bunch, with his quiet brooding and cleverly deceiving acquiesce.  This is the second novel in the Keeping Up with the Cavendishes (I know) series, and I wish I’d read the first novel, well,  first as I did initially feel as if I were two steps behind what I should already know.  I shook the feeling after the first few chapters but there is definitely a feeling of being sort of plopped down in the middle of what- you don’t quite know at first.

On the whole, if you like comical historical romance, not super deep and sweeping, but unequivocally funny and tee-hee worthy, then I think you too may enjoy this novel. I read it in one afternoon and don’t regret a minute spent.  Book two is starring Amelia’s older sister Celine, not my favorite sibling, but if book three follows in the same vein of this novel, I’m adding it to my TBR list for sure.

Grade: B-

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