The Winter Picnic

by Dixie Lee McKeone

Book Overview

The Winter Picnic by Dixie McKeone released on Jul 25, 1991 is available now for purchase. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0373310188
• ISBN13: 9780373310180
• Release Date: March 1987
• Publisher: Harlequin Books
• Length: 219 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Fun Lark; Fun Reading!

The tenth Duke of Lowestroft, Earl of Coldfield, Viscount Alston all of four years old and known as Jackie to his guardian decides he would like a mother. And he has found the best candidate in Lady Halstead's niece Miss Amethy. The Halstead's are neighbors. Amethy is as pretty as a princess with violet eyes which she was named for. Now, if only he can make his guardian, the Earl of Northford (Desmond Marling) fall in love and marry her, he will have a mama! Thereby starts the tale with Jackie and servants conspiring to play cupid and throw the soft-hearted rake and the low-dowried Amethy together. They meet first at her Aunt's home. Lady Halstead has two young boys that play well with Jackie. She also has another on the way. It is an inauspicious first meeting. Northford thinks Amethy is marriage minded and that he is the prey and lets her know that is unacceptable. Amethy has no such ideas and believes him to be rather snobbish to think that. But there is no dispute that he is devoted to his ward and she loves children also. Later, Jackie and the servants who dote on him arrange for a "Winter Picnic" to again pair Amethy and Northford. Calamity follows the boys and the "inside" picnic turns into chaos with fake lizards, pets escaping, guests screaming and falls resulting in Jackie's nurse breaking her leg. Then Lady Halstead's baby decides to arrive. Thus, Amethy must remain with Northford and her aunt and uncle rather than be left alone with the boys at their own home. Adventures follow with three mischievous boys who are adept at escaping adult supervision no matter how strict! Amethy and Northford are always trying to find and assist them out of their predicaments. Each time there are humorous results and many muddied and destroyed footwear to the chagrin of all! Not to mention always being caught by the other adults in rather funny circumstances (not compromising since they are always with three children). There is a villain in the story - Lord Battenton trying to compromise Amethy even to the point of trying to kidnap her and another love story which develops along the way. It all ends in a tangled mess of elopement and kidnapping and carriage chasing with funny results. The children are even in on this escapade! Lord Battenton will not be amused when he finds out who he accidentally kidnapped! I found this story flowing and amusing with wonderful secondary characters. The children are amazing and the author develops real-life personas! There is not a HUGE amount of romance in it for our main characters -- mainly a uniting of minds and a realization that life will always be fun if they marry! My copy is a reissue and I am glad to have found it. It was enjoyable and fun reading and I will be looking for this author's other books.