I came by this cookbook by way of a patient giving it away because she no longer cooked. Since I am an avid cook I gladly accepted it. The recipes have an old East Coast flavor. My 2 favorite recipes are: Shaker Chicken and Noodle Soup and Fresh Apple cake with Caramel Frosting which I just finished icing today.

Visited this little restaurant in Middlebury, Vermont many times, many years ago. This cookbook captures the quality and creativity of the Soup Bowl's menu and has been a perennial in my kitchen for close to 25 years. Don't be disappointed by what seems like a small number of recipes, they are all terrific.

I bought this book about 20 years ago, and it has a 1970's appeal to it. The foods remind me of little restaurant you might stumble across and be delighted to find that they serve decent, wholesome food. I especially like the Cheddar Cheese Soup, and they offer some basic salad recipes that one can follow verbatim or use as a springboard for your own creations. This would make a good gift for a novice cook because it offers many familiar recipes that are easy to make.

What an idea. Putting Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson and chunks of the Lovecraft universe into a Doctor Who book is a concept that seems ripe for disaster. Too many incompatibilities, too many elements to draw on, and a question of where the focus should be. And yet ALL-CONSUMING FIRE manages to be one of my favorite NAs despite the handful of minor flaws that appear. Holmes and Watson are effortlessly inserted into an imaginative Doctor Who story, giving the book a unique flavor. It's a dark and occasionally grim story, but strangely enough it somehow succeeds at being a whole lot of fun.

The tale starts in typical Holmesian fashion. During the beginning, Watson gets to play second fiddle while Holmes makes several detailed (though irrelevant) observations and deductions purely to demonstrate how clever he is. This sort of thing will be very familiar to fans of the Sherlock Holmes stories. Their involvement in this case begins with an important client hiring them to discover the whereabouts of several books that have been stolen from a strange and secretive library. During the course of their investigation, their travels intersect with the path of that mysterious and eccentric gentleman -- the Doctor (portrayed here as alternatively goofy and cynical). The two fictional juggernauts actually interact quite well. I was hugely entertained by their initial meetings; there's a very amusing sequence in which Holmes is totally unable to determine much of the Doctor's origins from telltale bits of dust and dirt. What could have gone so poorly ends up feeling really right.

The trail leads them first to India, and then to an alien world known as Ry'leh. The reactions of the two Victorians as their surroundings become more and more bizarre are handled realistically (or as realistically as possible) without being over the top. The conclusion to the story is satisfying, though the book suffers from having a beginning that is so wonderful that even an extraordinary ending would seem vaguely inadequate.

The story is told primarily from the journals/diaries of Dr. John Watson and Professor Bernice Summerfield. Andy Lane is excellent at recreating Arthur Conan Doyle's prose style without appearing to be doing a mere cut'n'paste job. The process of the investigation of missing books is very much in keeping with the flavor of the Holmes stories. The Library of St. John The Beheaded is a fantastic creation, and its description is pure Holmesian. A wonderful combination of concepts and prose.

The Lovecraftian additions near the conclusion are not quite as well handled as the Holmes portions. I am, of course, not the first reviewer to note this, and I'm afraid that I cannot break with conventional thinking here. Lovecraft succeeded by keeping his baddies just out of the corner of one's eye, where one wasn't quite sure what was there or what was going on. While this story does eventually come up with a good reason why it's breaking with the formula, the explanation doesn't make up for the fact that it simply isn't executed as pleasingly. This portion at times seems as if it was hastily bolted on to the main plot. Apart from some fairly superficial name-checks, the Lovecraft villains could have been almost any great evil.

The first time I read this book, I did feel that Holmes was horribly underused during the later series of events. While rereading the story, I was mentally prepared for this, and to my surprise, Lane didn't quite sideline Holmes as much as I had remembered. The great detective certainly doesn't have the same forceful impact on the story that he does in the beginning, but my memory had only retained the portions dealing with his shock and bewilderment. There are in fact several moments where Holmes does arrive at plot-advancing conclusions despite his unfamiliarity with the environment. On the other hand, Benny does seem to enjoy taking the mickey out of the famous sleuth at times and while those who take the detective very seriously may not be entirely pleased with that approach, I couldn't help but giggle. A slight mocking of Sherlock Holmes, perhaps, but one that allows him to come through the story with his dignity intact.

There are just too many little things that the book does well to mention them all. I was greatly amused by Watson's infatuation with Benny, perfectly in keeping with his enchantment for seemingly all of his female clients. The descriptions of the Holmes style of Victorian London are excellent. The delightful puns and jokes in the chapter titles are delightful, and had me flipping back to the beginning of the chapter after I had read it in order to get the joke. Too many fun things to recommend about this one.

You cannot deny the wonderful quality that this book has. Judging from the very negative review the person below gave, I'd have to say they were looking for your traditional Aliens-n-spaceships story, and wasn't prepared for this type of storytelling. It's really a shame, because if you're open to it, this is one of the most entertaining, exciting and humorous New Adventures ever. There are even illustrations in the book to further the mood. Solid grip on the characterizations of the TARDIS crew, as well as Holmes and Watson. True fans of Doctor Who know that Doctor Who isn't all about aliens and technobabble, and in fact that's the quality that seperates it from the other sci-fi series... the humanity, the charm, humor, style, intelligence... this book has it all. (It also has aliens in it) It's facinating to see Holmes out of his environment in the scenes set on the alien world... There is even an appearance from the 2ndary Console Room (the wooden one), that fits the style of the book. This book is a good read, and a good RE-Read, which really says something about it.

As a fan and writer of Lovecraftian fiction as well as a Sherlock Holes fan (not to mention one of Doctor Who), I was very pleased with this novel. The author was well versed on the writings of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and it sounds exactly like one of Watson's writings. Of course the Seventh Doctor, Ace and Benny are themselves and they team up very well with Holmes and Watson. My only grip is that Azathoth (who is supposed to be "the blind idiot god at the center of chaos" seemed too intellegent to me. But, hey it's no worse than what August Derleth did to the Mythos. A superb novel and shows that a literary crossover can't always be bad.

This book starts off by defining the Open Source Movement and the General Public License. It then moves on to everything else...
As a newbie (2 months of using the free download of Mandrake 8.1 after doing the free online course...and 5 months of basic networking skills), I found this book an excellent read. It covered almost everything I needed to know to secure my network at home (I don't use windows anymore), and gave me confidence enough to want to apply for Network Administration somewhere.
CD included, you get tricks for locking down your system, or your whole network even, and the apps to help you do it (the entire book is in HTML on the CD, too!) I recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn linux, or anyone wanting to learn linux security.
I took half a star because it mainly refers to Red Hat Linux over others, and another half because I could see how a college professor might want a much more technical manual over this textbook style guide. Great book!

Follow simple step by step procedures to hardening your linux system, i was able to read the meat of this book in a 4 hour airplane flight. Easily install and configure Linux, firewalls, etc.

Hack Proofing Linux does the following very accurately:

1. It shows you how to deploy IPsec using FreeSWAN.
2. Readers learn detailed information about how to configure packet filters and proxy servers.
3. Although many theoretical references exist, few resources have practical advice concerning how to implement Kerberos. Before publication of this book, no authors had the common sense to show all of the steps necessary for a practical implementation. Other references either omitted steps or simply remained on a general level. I've never seen a book that does such as good job on this, in such a handy way.
4. After reading this book, you will have more than enough accurate information to scan systems for vulnerabilities, and you will also be able to accurately map and manage networks. For those who need more explanation, all they have to do is implement the tools as described, and they can then actually learn by doing. Seeing as how most of these people can't even buy or read the book all the way through, no matter they are impatient with a practical approach.
5. The book focuses on the pliability of Linux. Do you want to use a Linux server as a firewall? Read this book. Do you want to use it to audit systems? Read this book. Do you want to use Linux to securely centralize authentication? Read this book. Even though this book doesn't appear to be popular to people in Texas who don't understand that a mount point can be any directory on a Linux system, or who don't realize that Xinetd is a defacto standard, this California professor thinks it does an
excellent job.

Pick the right premises and you can prove anything. All universes are ultimately, if not proximately, random vacuum fluctuations. No information is passed, so they are not "caused". The first premise is therefore false. That said, the book becomes a decent argument against the existence of a single god, but I can do better, faster, without quoting Aquinas or any other philosopher.

The other reviews here are quite comprehensive, so it will be difficult to add something new. However, I will try.

I have seen Craig in debate numerous times, read one of his other books ("Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics) and he is the best intellectually respectable defenders of Christianity alive today. Comparing his debates to this book shows that Craig has a wide range and knows how to argue at a level appropriate to his audience. Craig can talk to the interested public and academic philosophers alike. This book definitely falls into the second category (Craig did his first Ph. D on it) and it is aimed at those who want a comprehensive defense of this one particular argument for God's existence.

The book is divided into two main sections. A historical review of the argument as it was originally presented by various Islamic philosophers about a thousand years ago starts the book. I found most of the arguments here comprehensible because Craig had the foresight to put the arguments into a chart, so that you can visually see the progression of the ideas. For most readers, this material will be completely new. Islamic philosophers are rarely covered in first year university and courses on such topics are few and far between.

The second section is the modern defense of the kalam cosmological argument. Craig arguments are of two types; philosophical (using mathematics as his evidence) and scientific or empirical (using astronomy and physics as his evidence). The mathematics arguments are extremely difficult to follow and I think most readers will only understand parts of it. Some of his observations are as follows; even if an actual infinite exists in mathematics, it is generally thought that mathematical concepts have no concrete existence (this is something of a simplification, but that is unavoidable in the space available), that an infinite cannot be formed by addition and so on. I get the impression that the mathematics Craig uses (primarily set theory) is a simply a modern presentation of the Islamic arguments, which I founder easier to comprehend. The basic conclusion offered is that an actual infinite is mired in contradictions and thus cannot exist.

The second part of his evidence deals with astronomy, the Big Bang, thermodynamics and so on. Craig refutes the non-Big Bang models of the universe. The Big Bang model of the universe asserts that the universe began to exist approximately 15 billion years ago. The steady state model (which asserts that the universe is eternal) was refuted by empirical evidence in the 1960's while the oscillating model is confronted by major physical problems that make it quite implausible. Craig prefaces this section with a comment that some people find abstract philosophical argumentation too difficult and thus prefer the "concrete" sciences. Personally, I think that philosophy is better equipped, as a discipline, to address questions such as: Is the universe eternal? Did the Universe have a cause?

Briefly, near the end of the book, Craig defends what he rightly regards as the causality principle. The principle holds that whatever begins to exist has a cause. Craig presents the arguments of some other philosophers who attempt to show that this principle is self-evident or otherwise inescapable.

This is, without a doubt, the most difficult book I have read this year. Yet, it is quite rewarding. Craig successfully argues against all those who disagree with him and it is challenging to imagine a refutation of his position. If you have taken "Philosophy of religion" courses at the university level, you would definitely appreciate the book although some of the math-based arguments may be difficult to follow. I would only recommend it to people with a broad understanding of philosophy and or apologetics. If you would like an beginner's introduction on how to defend the Christian faith, I recommend, "The Case for Faith," by Lee Strobel (very readable and easy to understand), "Mere Christianity," by C.S. Lewis (a classic defense of Christianity, but it is quite short and not quite as rigorous as I would like). For a more in-depth defense of Christianity that covers both the existence of God, miracles, and Jesus Christ, J.P. Moreland's book, "Scaling the Secular City" (which I have reviewed) is bar none the best. Craig's book, "Reasonable faith," is also fairly good.

P.S. If you intend to offer a substantive critique of the argument, you must undermine the philosophical and scientific arguments for both of them independently establish the beginning of the universe, one of the key elements of the argument. One of the reviewers, George Tucker, "refuted" the argument in less than 100 words without addressing any of Craig's evidence. This is a poor attempt to refute an brilliantly argued book.

You said in your review,"All universes are ultimately, if not proximately, random vacuum fluctuations." Ponder this. In fluctuation vaccuum theory it is admitted that all we can empirically examine or have knowledge of is our universe ONLY! This is what the orginal proponants of the theory stated. That is why they abandoned the theory and no one has been able to support it empirically. How can one propose to ever give evidence for the existence of physical realities that are supposed to be outside of our physical reality. Translation: That is not science. That is someones imagination. True our universe probably does have vaccuum fluctuations but that doesn't have anything to do with whether or not the universe came from the emergence of the singularity of the Big Bang or abandoned fluctuation theories. Entropy is real and everything, the totality of the universe is at its mercy. The universe is moving toward its total death by loss of usable energy, til it will be at a stand still. That being the case, there is only evidence for the beginning of our universe from the Big Bangs singualarity. If all that there is had been infinite why didn't the universe die trillions of years ago? Was't there enough time? There are only two kinds of causation. An impersonal causation from eternity would have had existing with it an eternal effect, therefore agent causation is true by default. An agent is the only causal condition that can exist prior to what it willfully causes, its effect. Therefore Craig is right. God exist!

The Ultimate Colle is an introduction into a simple but dangerous opening. Well, it has been good to me and a score of 70% against good players. All the games are explained and while not all are perfect for White the idea is to learn the basic plans. There are lots of attacking opportunities and it is a safe line to play.
This book is a real help if you want to win with White. I like it.

The Colle has been my 1st choice for years. This book has managed to point me in the right direction on some of the lines I had previously been having problems with. Lane has done an excellent job of using the latest games and making it simple to understand. I think this is easily the best book on the opening that I have and I probably have them all! By the way I do use it against strong players and my results have been positive , which I think is more to do with the soundness of the opening than me.
A good investment for players of either color.

I have been playing the Colle off and on for years with mixed results. With some years experience I thought I knew a lot but was delighted to find out new tricks and plans. Gary Lane presents new games but does not forget the lessons of the old masters. My results have been improved and that is the ultimate test. An easy opening to learn and the prefect way to seek a win.

I had a miscarriage last year after a long attempt at conception and I'm trying everything to get pregnant again. When I saw this book in the discount bin, I grabbed it. What a mistake. For about two months, I felt WORSE. The book suggests that I miscarried because I wasn't "thinking" correctly about my pregnancy or had doubts about it. All the specialists encourage you not to blame yourself but this author does just the opposite. If this book helps you, with it's silly exercises, more power to you. My suggestion is to save your money. The discounted price that I spent for it was way too much.

I am three-fourths through this book and have found it to be a great exploration of both my emotional and family history. Being a counselor, I have spent a great deal of time examining my family patterns, however, the author guided me through the process in a slightly different way, than the conventional Genogram. I found her twist on the basic Genogram to be very enlightening. It even lead to a conversation with my husband, that might not have happened otherwise. I am finding that no matter what infertility book I open, I am not finding "the answer." With this book, I found answers to questions I wasn't even asking.

I felt that this book was very encouraging. Though I am not pregnant yet, this book helped me to address some issues that I have regarding conception. I believe that this book is important for those people that want to conceive a healthy pregnancy. This book addresses mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of fertility. It is truly inspiring and helpful.

This is a reasonably well researched book on the 1814 Niagara campaign. It's good to see that the War of 1812 is finanlly beginning to receive some of the attention that the Revolution and the Civil War has always received in US History. Despite the reviews that state this is an unbiased account of the pivital campaign fought on the Niagara Peninsular in 1814, I found Mr. Barbuto's account suffered from pro-American sentiments, even if they are were more subtle than Elting's earlier work on the war.

Barbuto's main thesis seems to be that the American militia gave a better account of itself in the war than most historians give them credit for. Is this a valid point? He cites the battle of Chippewa as one example where Porter's militia roughly handled the British-lead Indians and Canadian Militia, but even still the US Militia broke when confronted by Pearson's Light companies. Scott had to use Jesup's 25th Infantry to cover his left flank during the battle after Porter's militia were streaming to the rear. Granted, the militia did better here, but they still could not stand up to regulars.

At Lundy's Lane Porter's 300 odd men from his brigade gave a pretty good account of themselves, but the were defending, always easier for militia to do, and in the end along with the rest of the US army they retired from the field giving Drummund's battered British regulars a hard fought victory.

Under Gaines at the sortie of Fort Erie the Militia did manage to overrun some British gun emplacements, but the battle becomes a confused affair in the rain, and the British reserves from the 6th & 82nd foot shatter the American militia with heavy vollies as they mill around in the captured British works. The fighting also took place in broken ground and was not a stand up fight, also more favorable circumstances for US militia. These facts are
not mentioned in Barbuto's work. The American militia can do adequately when properly lead, but even on these occasions they really can't stand up to British regulars, as much as Mr. Barbuto would like to make us think they could.

The book spends a lot of time going over the first two years of the war. I thought a bit too much time was used covering this background information which can be found in many of the other general histories on this conflict. Also, the author repeated information in this background study.

The main strength of this work is the operational perspective it provides on the Niagara campaign. Barbuto's work is basically a study of the campaign's background, preparation and exicution. As such it succeeds adequately. But those seeking a more detailed description on the major battles of Chippewa, Lundy's Lane and Fort Erie should read Donald Grave's work on these subjects. Where Mr. Barbuto excels is in his analysis of the battles and how they shaped the 1814 campaign. He provides cogent reasons for why certian decisions were made, and how they influenced events. This to me is the main strength of this book, which sets it apart from the geneal histories of the conflict.

Barbuto gives too much attention trying to prove that the American army was the equal to the British after Scott's intensive training. Again, the only clear-cut victory of the campaign in the open is at Chippewa, where Scott's spendid brigade bests the British in a fair firefight. At Fort Erie they do heavily repulse the British assult, but this is not a fair fight in the open. Fortunately Barbuto does not make the twin mistakes of claiming the British attacked in colume or that they
were routed at Chippewa. At Lundy's Lane the Americans fought hard, but in the end they retreated and give up the guns they captured from the British. Even at Fort Erie where Gaine's sortie makes initial progress, the attack bogs down and the British repulse the attack.

Given these circumstances it is difficult to support Mr. Barbuto's claim that after Chippewa American regulars and militia never gave ground again. In this regard the author allows his nationalism to unbalance his perspective somewhat.

Despite these drawbacks, this is still a worthwhile overview of the 1814 campaign. There is a lot of information about US regiments and leaders, while somewhat less on British units and their commanders. The perspective is mostly seen from the American side, with some attempts to describe what the British were doing. Probably for the most detailed and non-biased accounts of the battles of 1814 Donald Graves remains the best, but Barbuto has made a worthwhile effort. It would be nice if he or another author might do the same analysis on the 1812 or 1813 campagns, but few American historians want to study this embarrassing aspect of the war in any depth! Can we blame them!Deffinitely a good buy for War of 1812 fans if the slight pro-American bias is taken into account.

I found Mr Barbuto's book well written and very easy reading.
He not only covers the personalities and strategies of the 1814 campaign but also reviews each engagement from both British and American points of very, opportunities lost, blunders as well as succesful strategies and places all in the context of the personalities involved.
The only shortfall may be alittle slowness to the beginning of the book as Mr Barbuto sets the stage and puts the action in context.

I grew up in the Niagara Frontier but I only knew of these battles by the plaques on the side of the road or rare weekend visits to the old forts. This is a professional and thorough treatment of a history that was all around me, hidden no longer. Thanks for this book and the excellent work Dr. Barbuto.

That should be the title of Barbara Lane's book. I can't tell if she is trying to write reincarnation commedy or just a guide for idiots.

She starts off the book by telling us how she went to a bar to ask drunk people who they thought Howard Stern could have been in a past life. (Because, she claimed, drunk people would have fun with it rather than wonder if they believed in reincarnation or not.) She takes herself lightly enough to use this style occasionally. At other times she takes herself really seriously ("proving" who Bill and Hilary and Monica were in Sixteenth Century England.)

As for my second theory that this is the reincarnation guide for idiots, she tells us that if we are obsessed with the Civil War and spend vacations acting out battle scenes, we were probably involved. Well, what can you say to that?? DUH--to use the most basic syllable I can think of.

If you enjoy reading about reincarnation (which I do), read all of Brian Weiss' books, starting with Many Lives, Many Masters. Don't waste your money or insult your intellect here. As for those dying to know who Howard Stern actually was, the answer is a member of a HAREM.

This particular author is a little hard to figure out... First, she DOES seem to have done extensive research, but then she destroys her credibility by making claims that Bill Clinton may have been Henry VIII, Howard Stern was a harem girl, etc. Her method of determining past lives is by having the reader analyze their interests in THIS lifetime... while I don't doubt for one second that the interests and themes of past lives DO carry on into the next, most of the phenomena she points to could be the product of forgotten childhood experiences.

This book IS entertaining, though. It would be good for someone who is only exploring the concept of past lives for the first time, and its exercises are somewhat fun to do.

16 Clues to Your Past Lives is a MOST delightful book and one of the best I have ever read on past lives...For sure, it is one of those keeper books. It is a book that makes a GRAND gift. I loved how author Barbara Lane, took famous people and gave us clues to their past lives..I could not believe the negative comment I just read on this book...as it is number one with me. I just bought her book as a gift for my newspaper reporter friend here in Yukon, Oklahoma, hometown of Garth Brooks. Yea for Aries Barbara Lane...she and her 16 Clues book sit on a throne in my mind and home.

I've *actually* read the entire book and it's a peice of trash, I actually threw it away it disgusted me so much. The author said that if you don't tell people you're pregnant your baby will think he/she is not wanted and you can miscarry because of that! Unbelievably ignorant, this author has obviously never dealt with miscarriage or infertility. I picked up this book thinking it would have natural remedies(you know like herbs) and it's a lot of meditations and visualizations which is fine and good for anyone trying to conceive but with infertility I don't care how many times I pray to buddah it's just not going to happen without a doctor's help. Don't waste your time on the rest of the book, it's not worth it and they wouldn't give a huge preview if it was

I purchased this book since I haven't been able to conceive after many years of trying, and it was recommended in "Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom". I believe in the mind/body connection but there is an inherent risk in focusing on this: we feel even MORE guilty when we don't conceive since it MUST be in our minds! This book is written in a very positive, supportive tone, however.

I was turned off by the focus on older, "professional" infertile women and lesbian couples. Why not give examples of a more average type of woman? I understand that these minority groups need support and perhaps their stories exemplified what the author was trying to convey, but I just couldn't relate to them. I also have a hard time believing that the mind is to blame for all ailments. One example is a woman with "hard" eggs who became a softer person and got pregnant. Please! Perhaps unbalanced hormones are caused by an unbalanced psyche but I hesitate to blame my "family patterns" for my fibroid, polyps and blocked tubes.

I tried doing the suggested exercises but found myself yawning and procrastinating. Hopping on the wings of a butterfly...all I could think of was that the butterfly's wings were going to break and I would fall to my death in the lovely meadow below.

I would only recommend this book to women who have unexplained infertility, especially older women.

Great book with lots of providing lots of insight to all the things we carry with us from childhood and adulthood that affect the way we handle infertility. It helped me face my fears and realize how my families attitudes towards pregnancy and failure have affected me. Highly reccommend...

but I'll give that Ms. Lane does create a highly unlikely heroine and a rather unusual hero. Joanna is the sort of bespectacled plain chaperon that seem to pupulate the Regency period in romance novels; Lord Sedgewick Wylie, on the other hand, is not your typical rake--Behind his fastidiously groomed appearances and haughty demeanor hides a gentleman who cares deepy about the well-being of other people. However, this is not to say Sedge, as he's called, is a likeable character.

For one thing, he assumes the worst of Joanna throughout their acquaintance--he either considers her a dim-witted woman far beneath his social class or accuses her of being a scheming fortune-hunter who is set out to marry his older brother for the title & fortune. In fact, Sedge appears paled when compared to his brother Reggie, who quickly sees past Joanna's unflattering clothing and realizes how intelligent, witty and precious she is. And I still can't be sure if Sedge truly loves Joanna even after I turn the last page, for it seems that his feelings for her are mainly physical....

BIRDS OF A FEATHER has so many (sometimes tiring)plot twists and villainous characters (Praise the Lord my parents do not even remotely resemble Sedge's)that readers who like their Regencies light and fast-paced probably should look elsewhere. To me, it is not so much about two people falling in love as it is about how one man's attempt to rescue his brother from a schemer/fortuen hunter ends up awry.

Joanna takes her responsibilities as chaperone to her cousin Harriet very seriously indeed, and she needs a friend like Reggie to help her vet Harriet's suitors in order to find the best candidate. Reggie's arrogant younger brother, Lord Sedgewick Wylie, believes her to be a scheming fortune hunter pursuing Reggie's title and riches. How ironic, then, when Sedge is the one who ends up marrying Joanna after his clumsy attempt to foil a tete-a-tete backfires and her reputation is compromised. Not only do Joanna and Sedge have to work very hard to combat the rumor-mongers-his parents among them-but they must find a way to make something of their mesalliance of a marriage.

The biggest problem with this book is the hero. He has a cruel tongue and a temper, and although he tries to control himself at the end of the book, I still cannot believe a "happy ever after" ending for this couple. The love he proclaims for Joanna seems more like lust than anything else. And the problems with the parents just makes the situation more hopeless. No, Joanna should have run back home to the vicarage when she had the chance!

Actually, Reggie would have been a marvelous hero. What a shame that the author didn't go that way instead of turning to the dandy-brother! He obviously loves her and appreciates her a lot more than Sedge does! As for his problem, well, I am a great believer in the healing power of true love!

This is a great book as funny as it is romantic and it is very romantic...... He is Lord Sedgewick Wylie, a seemingly careless and carefree arbiter of London fashions and more's ala Beau Brummel. She is Joanna Patterson, bespectacled and plainly dressed, careful and caring of others feelings. As similar as sand and sequins, they nonetheless keep meeting( tripping, bumping and falling) and soon the physical body scars are replaced by indelible markings on each heart. A remarkable romance that neither realize exists until yet another clumsy meeting renders them a Scandalous couple. I have always enjoyed Ms. Lane's books and this book is definitely one of her best- Read it and laugh, wince, Enjoy!!!