The Indiscretion [Mass Market Paperback]

This book is full of unpredictable and very humerous moments, but it is the time while Sam and Lydia are lost on the moor that I truly appreciated. So often, authors forget that their characters need to spend time together (outside of ballrooms and other crowded events), before the know they are truly in love. The quiet moments on the moor, reading to one another, discovering one another, made this book for me. Their relationship is steamy, fun and a welcome respite from the tortured relationships in so many other books.

If you are a Julia Quinn fan, you will adore Judith Ivory. You will fall in love with Sam and Lydia. You will love this book!

I have one major issue with the book, and that is the modern morality inserted, sometimes jarringly, in a story set at the height of the Victorian age. The heroine accepts pre- and extramarital sex, homosexuality, and illegitimate birth with a cheerful carelessness that feels like Ally McBeal, not Victorian virgin. Especially considering how snobbish and tradition-bound the lady is in other areas, this does not ring true. If you can overlook this slight pull out of the time and place of the story, you will have an unmitigated great time with this book; even with the above flaw, I still give it five stars, because the style, the inventiveness, and the sheer heart in the story deserve it.

Sam Cody is an American visiting Europe and is first presented to the reader in a very drunken state. The previews of this book always seems to portray this drunken cowboy as a real highlight of the book - but frankly, it made me hesitate to read it. And I will tell you now - Sam Cody is only a drunken cowboy for a very small portion of this story. There is so much to him - so many hidden facets that we can't even guess them all. Of course, he is handsome and big and strong with a terrific personality and brilliant wit. Sam is a man with a heart and a conscious and is quite mature for a romance hero. When he finds himself stranded on an English moor with an English woman, he proves to be an excellent provider in the wilds - miles from any civilization. He knows that his companion is obviously a lady but is lying to protect her identity. Soon he discovers many layers to this alarmingly direct and gregarious woman and decides he really has missed life in the wilderness.

Lydia Bedford-Browne is the daughter of a viscount and happily unmarried at the age of twenty-four. Her family believes her to be sickly and constantly watches her every move, pouring tonic down her, and protecting her from all potentially harmful situations. Taking a public coach across an English moor without a companion would bring apoplexy upon her family so she doesn't tell them. She is so tired of her confinement and their protectiveness. Stating she is visiting a cousin, Lydia takes off on what she envisions as the greatest adventure of her life. Yes - she is going to ride on that public coach and be totally independent for three whole days. Since her parents are determined to marry her off soon, she believes this may be her last chance to experience some freedom.

Lydia's only companion on the coach is a very handsome man who has obviously been in a fight and is suffering from too much liquor. He must be one of those Wild West cowboys she has read so much about. After all, he is wearing cowboy boots and a cowboy hat. She is more than a little bit interested in her fellow traveler although she doesn't know what to make of him. When the coach crashes and he literally saves her life, she starts to see bits and pieces of a most outstanding man. Lydia is very curious about Sam and his American background and asks very direct questions that alternately surprise and charm him. Sam is hesitant to share much personal information with Lydia. He knows she is lying about her occupation and background. While Lydia lies about her background, Sam just withholds information. Thus is the beginning of a very good friendship. Sam and Lydia thoroughly enjoy each other's company and find more than just friendship during their days of wandering the countryside looking for civilization. The first half of the book is their time in the wilderness and is named Part One - The English Moor.

Part Two - The Negotiation, is literally the last half of the book entitled as such. It is also a sudden change of all circumstances. Both Sam and Lydia are back in civilization and involved in their real-life roles. During this portion of the book, I grew tired of Lydia's obvious conceit, class-consciousness, and believing Sam was not good enough for her family. She is literally hateful to him again and again. But Sam has surprises aplenty for Lydia to mull over. And, after taking pages and pages of her ill treatment, he finally loses all patience with her and loudly enumerates all of her faults to her in front of a room full of people in her home. Of course, by this time, Lydia has begun to see that she is treating Sam unfairly and wants to get close to him. Now - he wants to be away from her. Oh well - such is the plot lines of many romances. However, regardless if they are fighting, loving, or just being friends, this book is charming and pleasurable. There are some sensual scenes that are very well written and rate a solid 4.0 out of 5.0 (see More About Me for rating guidelines). We actually get to see this couple's relationship develop and that is the main emphasis of the book. My favorite romances are those that allow this time for romantic development. Further, as the readers, we are given pages and pages of talented writing to savor this growth.

Although I have read two other Ivory novels, this is the first I have given the highest rating. I have enjoyed immensely all three of those books but there is something that about The Indiscretion that is a notch above the others. I will continue to read Judith Ivory's backlist and expect to find many more savory books. I highly recommend this book and fondly recall more than one of those great wilderness scenes.