Kiss Me Again
By Margaret Moore

    Lady Francesca Cecilia Epping has always been regarded as a quiet little mouse, living with her brother the Duke’s family, and keeping to herself. But she has always loved Brixton Smythe-Medway, a shallow joker of a man whom she has known all her life. Now he has not only wagered that he won’t get married until he is fifty, but he has also wagered that it will never be to her, and somebody has written it in the book at White’s! She is furious and kisses Brix passionately right there in front of his friends as she bet him that she could break his heart in six weeks. But where did Fanny learn to act like such a wanton?

     This is an entertaining Regency romance with some likeable characters and the right, light touch to succeed. I always enjoy romances where the hero manages not to act like a domineering alpha male and Brix’s main fault is that he does not appear to take things seriously, although he is compassionate and not overbearing. There is no sub-plot here, and the pages don’t catch fire with lots of sex, but the trick of writing this sort of thing isn’t to add groundbreaking new material. Instead it is to take the conventions of the sub-genre and do something engaging with them and this is an enjoyable story with plenty of humor and dash.