{prequel of 4 + 3 in Lady Travelers Guide series ; Victorian romance, novella} (2017)

Celia's half sister, Katherine, is engaged to marry Henry Saunders, the brother of an earl. However, Celia, having met him in a bookshop prior to his meeting Katherine, loves Henry and he reciprocates the feeling but they are both too honourable to end his engagement to Katherine. But Katherine is a fortune hunter who only wants Henry for his money - enter Celia's aunt Gwen who plots with her good friends Effie and Poppy to bring about Celia's happily ever after.

Short, sweet and (thankfully) no steam. Oddly, both Celia and Henry feel the spark of instant true love though they both question it - but the both still succumb to their feelings. I suppose this was a way of moving the action forward while keeping the story short as this is a novella.

(September 2023)
3-3.5 stars ( )

The Proper Way To Stop A Wedding, by Victoria Alexander, was originally published in 2017. A novella in the Lady Travelers Society, it stood up as a stand-alone story quite well. I've given this book, a rare for me, 5 stars. I was entertained from beginning to end. It may be a short story but the characters were fleshed out just enough to allow the reader to pick up the story already in process.

We're given a couple of love-to-hate characters, always fun. Our heroine is a kind of Cinderella figure, unkind step-sisters. Our hero has a twin who is the exact opposite personality & I think I liked him better. A flirty rouge is my cup of tea. Our main couple are both intelligent, kind, bookish, quiet. In other words, perfect for each other. Henry is nobel & keeps his word, until push comes to shove. He's taken to the limit of what he'll do for true love, & that's anything. The older matchmaking ladies are wonderful. I wish I'd had them looking out for me. Ladies plotting devious plans are a hoot, I love them. The entire book was witty and fun.

#VictoriaAlexander #HQNBooks #TheProperWayToStopAWedding #TheLadyTravelersSociety ( )

Fun little prequel novella to the Lady Traveler Society series. In this story, we get the story that was alluded to in the first book, about Derek's parents and the family "scandal." We also get to see the three founders of the Society in the early years of their antics.

It all starts in a London bookshop, where Henry and Celia meet and connect. They spend a lovely afternoon together, but part without exchanging names. After weeks of being unable to find each other again, both Henry and Celia decide to move on, even though they can't forget each other. Henry meets a beautiful and vivacious young woman and quickly finds himself engaged to be married - though he isn't quite sure how it happened. Imagine his dismay when he discovers that the woman he really wants is his fiancée's younger sister.

I liked Henry and Celia. They are both nice people, to whom family is important. I ached for them both during this week before the wedding, as they are so obviously in love with each other. They are also products of their time. For Henry, once he has given his word, that is it. He won't go back on it, even though he has come to realize that he is making a huge mistake. The more time he spends with Katherine, the more he realizes that he doesn't even like her. Who could blame him? It is painfully obvious that she is marrying him only for his money and his connections. Celia is a sweet young woman who has always felt like an outsider with her two half-sisters. Even so, there is no way that she will do anything to ruin her sister's wedding, even though it means losing the man she loves. But each time that she and Henry are together, they can't help what they feel.

Enter Aunt Gwen and her friends. They have come for the wedding and to help with the last minute arrangements. Being an experienced and observant woman, Gwen is quick to realize that the wedding is happening between the wrong people. She adores her niece, Celia, and is determined to solve the problem facing the two young people. They are delightfully creative and devious and zero in on Katherine's weaknesses. They also have an unexpected and talented partner in Henry's brother Edward, who is the earl. He sees how miserable Henry is, and knows his brother well enough to understand that Henry won't end the engagement. He joins forces with the ladies to come up with a plan that will make Katherine the one to call it off. Katherine is a hard nut to crack though, and it takes a brilliant move by Edward to provide the last push. Their efforts were great fun to see.

The only disappointment is that, in reading this after The Lady Travelers Guide to Scoundrels and Other Gentlemen, I already knew the fates of Henry and Celia. This put a little bit of a damper on their happy ever after. ( )

Light frothy Victorian romance. It was included in my Kindle version of The Lady Travelers Guide to Scoundrels and Other Gentlemen. I thoroughly enjoyed it. ( )