Lessons in French

by Laura Kinsale

Book Overview

Laura Kinsale's unique and powerfully written love stories transcend the romance genre. In this, her first new book in five years, she delivers a poignant, funny, sexy, Regency romance sure to delight... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1402237014
• Release Date: February 2010
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 0.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.9" x 1.2" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

Highly Entertaining Historical Romance

She's back. And what a lovely way to come back. In Lessons in French Laura Kinsale has written a beautiful love story about friendship and loss, loyalty and love. She's made the heiress wallflower a charming character and the dashing Frenchman endearing in spite of his misadventures. Callie and Trev were each other's first love, then circumstances tore them apart. Now Trev is back, whether for good or not remains to be seen. There's something about stories of first love that we romance readers can't help but be drawn to. Add to that a second chance at love and we just have to find out what happens. Will they finally get their HEA (Happily Ever After)? For Callie and Trev the road to HEA is filled with one detour after another. It's an adventure of laughter, love, friendship, narrow escapes, hiding from the law and waking up in the arms of your true love. It's been nine years since Trev left. In those nine years Callie has had three fiancés along with three broken engagements. She is now twenty-seven and unsure of her future. She has recently come out of mourning for her father, the late Earl of Shelford. With her cousin Jasper now the earl and his wife Dolly wishing for both Callie and her younger sister Hermione gone from Shelford Hall, Callie no longer feels welcomed in her own home. It looks as though Callie's hope lies in her sister marrying someone willing to allow Callie to live with them. Not exactly the brightest of futures. Then Trev comes back and her world is turned upside down as she is once again caught up in his adventures. Callie is a wonderful heroine. She's practical but has this fantastic whimsical side where she daydreams of romantic and humorous scenes of her life as she would imagine it. A fairy tale of sorts with her in control of the outcome. She also has wonderful sense of humor that she shares with Trev. Their banter and joking with each other goes back to their early years together. Another side to Callie is her love of animals, specifically Hubert her large but docile bull. Callie shows that she isn't afraid of hard work and getting her hands dirty when taking care of Hubert. Then something happens to Hubert and Callie is trying so desperately to hold on to her composure, to keep the tears at bay. It's one of those moments it's obvious why Trev loves this wallflower so. Trev was an amusing, devil-may-care hero. He returns because of his love and concern for his mother. He doesn't expect to find Callie unmarried and still there. He has no plans to stay long but with Trev, plans tend to change and as he and Callie renew their friendship he finds himself pulled towards this woman who he thinks is out of reach. Trev seemed to enjoy becoming involved in plots of intrigue and adventure. When he wasn't engaged in daring plans he was caring for his mother and trying to be a friend to Callie. His love for both of these women came through, making him both vulnerable while still giving him that air of danger. Trev is far from

Wonderfully Funny Historical Romance!

Laura Kinsale's Lessons in French is a wonderfully funny historical romance. I have read historical romance of many eras by many authors, and this is one of the few where I laughed out loud frequently. At the age of twenty-seven, Lady Callista Taillefaire has perfected the life of a country spinster, having been jilted by three fiances! Living in her childhood home, Sheldon Hall, under the patronage of her cousins, the new Lord and Lady Shelford, Callie spends her days breeding cattle, and often assisting Lord Shelford with the running of the estate. Her placid existence goes topsy-turvey when her childhood neighbor and love, Trevelyan d'Augustin, returns after nine years rebuilding his family's fortunes in France. Close with Trev's mother, the ailing Madame de Monceau, there are many occasions for Callie to encounter Trev as she helps care for Madame. Thwarting the re-kindling of Trev and Callie's flame is Major Sturgeon, a former fiance who has also recently arrived to press his own suit. It soon becomes clear that all is not what it seems regarding the origin Trevelyan's new fortune, as he hires large muscular men with thick street accents to serve in and around his mother's home. In truth, Trev has spent the past several years as a soldier in Napoleon's army, and then a boxing promoter and bookie on his return to England. His past begins to catch up as hijinks snare Callie into working a scheme with him at the annual county fair, much as they had played out shenanigans as children. Costumes for each of her two identities, painted cows, and stampeding chickens and pigs all work together to return Hubert, Callie's beloved champion bull, but cause Trev to be more on the run than ever. Of course Trev and Callie are eventually united, but it takes high government officials, a blackmailer and a forger to bring it all together. Lessons in French has everything a reader is looking for in historical romance. Interesting information about an era in history, specifically country village life and boxing in the early 1800s, as well as the Napoleonic Wars, which happen during the years Trev is away from Shelford. The friendship and respect Trev and Callie have for each other spreads into some very romantic scenes, and there are the usual gossipy village women, gregarious tavern-keepers, and snippy ladies who think themselves of high society. In her Author's Note, Laura Kinsale mentions the difficulty of writing a comedic historical romance, so I can see why we don't come across them too often.

Gem of a Story

This is a gem of a story. The characters are juicy and 3-dimensional, the story builds and weaves in spicy secondary characters (including a scene-stealing bull). As I read, I could feel my face pulling into a big goofy grin, before falling into the same "awww" mooshy expression I get at weddings, when the bride and groom dance their first dance. My friend received her copy before I did, and when asked for a review over the phone, would only say, "Well, he's not a typical hero" before bursting into laughter and refusing to explain. The two other reviews posted were also long-time Kinsale fans. For those who haven't read her before, this is a lovely introduction, and your only challenge will be choosing which of her other novels to read (or for current fans, to re-read!) next.

A richly charming Regency

After young lovers Callie and Trev are separated by an angry earl, nine years' passage of time is not enough to make them to forget one another. When the characters meet again, it is clear they are still achingly in love, but as the chapters quickly unfold, the nine years' separation (and ensuing consequences) must be dealt with. This is "classic Kinsale" in that her effervescent wit and prose styling defies the reader to not smile or even laugh aloud. There is a bit of mystery, some upending of cliches, madcap humor, and conflicting claims of possession--and that's just for Hubert the prize bull! The same and even more applies to Callie and Trev. One of the best aspects of Laura Kinsale's writing is her sunlight-and-shadows portrayal of her characters. There's a poignancy about both Callie and Trev that makes them more than cardboard cutouts on a Regency paper stage. Their mistakes, eccentricities, miscommunications and efforts to both cling and let go make them fully dimensional characters. Add in lyrical eroticism and page-turning pacing, and this book becomes a gift to the reader.

Great story

As always, Kinsale delivers a great story with such wonderful characters that you can't help falling in love with them - all of them, from the major ones to the most minor (character-wise, not size), in this case, a bull named Hubert. A funny, fast-paced Heyer-esque adventure with hotter love scenes. This author can move from the dark style of "Shadowheart" to the lightest of touches with "Lessons in French." She is fantastic.