Finished this with a sigh and a smile. Such a great duo Prudence and Lord Dammler turned out to be. I had my doubts about him at the beginning, but I was besotted by the end.
A library patron recommended this book to me when we were talking about our shared love of Regency romances, and it’s a winner. I loved the way Prudence and Dammler’s relationship developed from that of colleagues to friendship to love. One of my favorite lines from Dammler came in the last few pages.

What a damned fool I’ve been all these months, Prue. Why didn’t you tell me I loved you?

The dialogue was quite funny, and Prudence’s Uncle Clarence was comedy gold. Smith’s bio said she’s an Austen fan, and I saw that influence the most in how she characterized Clarence.

I sort of wish I hadn’t torn through this book so quickly, but I think I always feel that way about books I really enjoy. Stopping and savoring is the last thing I want to do. I guess that’s what re-reads are for. ( )

A witty and fun book.And there is a sequel! ( )

Read due to yet another false "just like Georgette Heyer" recommendation. Nothing like as good as Georgette Heyer, but then, what is? It started off well and Prudence's uncle was very entertaining throughout, but it just wasn't funny enough otherwise. Prudence was indeed naive and held rather confusing and contradictory views on what women could and should expect. Dammler wasn't very likeable; I know he was supposed to develop and change his ways, but he still seemed extremely immature to me. (NB he is only 24ish - maybe I'm just getting old.) Prudence spent a lot of time on her own with various men without this seeming much of a problem to any one and she simply would not have been summoned on her own to escort a faint old lady home.

Disappointing ( )

I had never heard of Joan Smith, even though she has a bazillion romance titles on Amazon. When one of my favorite Amazon reviewers (who goes by the sobriquet Old Latin Teacher) wrote that this book was the next best thing to a Georgette Heyer, I became curious.

Well, Old Latin Teacher was right. This is a charming, witty story of a rake and a bluestocking, with delightful characters and sparkling dialogue. There's no sex, which I miss, but hey, I've got an imagination. And annoying Uncle Clarence (a painter who doesn't realize that he has no talent) is one of the most hilarious, original characters I've encountered in a long time. It's almost worth reading the book just for his scenes. ( )

Imprudent Lady and Talk of the Town, both by Joan Smith, are the two best Regency Romances I've ever read, and my personal benchmark standard for the genre. I've read both at least twenty times.

It's rare for an author to be able to convey attraction purely through witty dialogue and verbal sparring. Her characters are SO much fun. I'm convinced these are two modern novels Jane Austen herself would enjoy. ( )