Leisure, May 2002, 5,99, 304 pp.
ISBN: 084394997X
In 1828 England, Lila Covington learns life's lesson that a woman even at twenty-five can never live freely in this man's world filled with rigged male tainted rules. She wants access to her trust fund left to her by her father, but the trustee has placed so many stipulations on her she would be not much more than a groveling beggar. Desperate for help to live with a “free” female relative in France, Lila skips protocol and visits a solicitor, Tristan Wyndam, a former protégé of her deceased father.
Click here to see the rest of this review...
Though he thinks Lila is a bit of a loose screw, Tristan cannot allow a single woman to travel unescorted across the Channel especially the daughter of his former mentor who would want him to keep her safe and that includes her reputation. As Tristan accompanies Lila on her excursion, they pose as a married couple. This proves quite easily to perform as they begin to act like newlyweds because love has cemented the relationship even if Lila wonders about her vaunted independence.
FOR THE LOVE OF JULIA is an amusing historical romantic romp starring two delightful lead characters. The story line is breezy and loaded with the antics of Lila that places her and Tristan in awkward situations. Tristan is a bit too perfect as the knight in shining armor ready to enter any fray that Lila seems to cause to keep his beloved out of harm's way. Though the tale feels more like a 1930s madcap comedic anachronism, Jennifer Malin furbishes readers with an amusing reading experience that the audience will demand similar tales from the author.
Harriet Klausner
The review of this Book prepared by Harriet Klausner