Anne Gracie ,The Perfect Waltz

The Perfect Waltz

Anne Gracie

Berkley, Nov 2005, $7.99

ISBN: 0425206807

By 1818, the once impoverished Sebastian Reyne had become very wealthy through hard work. His motivation was to find his two sisters Cassie and Dorie, to bring them home so they can be a family again. He succeeds, but his preadolescent siblings are out of control, behaving anything but lady like. Sebastian decides he needs a wife to supervise his sisters, as the latest governess fails, besides which he objects to the woman using force on his beloved sisters. He chooses Lady Eleanor as the perfect candidate to marry.

However, Sebastian runs into a problem when he dances with Hope Meridew, as he finds he desires her even as he pursues another. Hope shares his deep regard, but feels there is little she can do since he still plans to marry Eleanor out of a sense of duty. As his heart and other unruly body parts send him one way, his brain keeps telling him to go in the other direction. Of course Sebastian never factored in that his siblings have their own agenda as to whom they want as their new "sister".

This is a terrific Regency romance due the strong characterizations. Hope and Sebastian are a fine couple, but he makes the tale, because even though he knows what he wants, his desire clashes with what he believes he needs. Duty vs love is brilliantly battled as Anne Gracie writes the perfect historical.

Harriet Klausner