Customer Reviews
Well written - By: Book Buff, 10 Jul 2008 
If i could give this more than 5 stars i would.
The heroine is the lost soul who feels she is not worthy of love for a mistake she did when she was young & lonely. Awsome, she was never wicked but lonely & than she meets her match in the hero.
Read it..
this continues from the precious jewel where some ref were made to Helena.
Keeper..
Unexpectedly delightful - By: CJ, 19 Nov 2007 If you have read 'Precious Jewel' you don't expect to like the 'heroine' of this book at alll but Mary Balogh is very good at taking an unlikely & unlikeable protagonist & getting the reader to see behind the scenes. She leads you little by little to understand that Helena Stapleton is a damaged soul with a hard outer shell with which she protects herself. Edgar Downes is the brother of Cora (Famous Heroine) & has a very passionate one night fling with the dashing widow, Helena. The night has unlooked for consequences which eventuallly lead them into marriage - one that no one has very high hopes of. Edgar is a lovely character, lots of old friends appear from previous books & the ending is a happy one - surprise suprise. Definitely worth reading.
Stunk. - By: , 19 Mar 1999 
This book reallly stunk. I was very disappointed in the end & thought the bride shouldn't have married the man. Besides who gets married on Christmas anyway. You don't want to ruin the spirit by not getting enough presents or anything like that.
A lost soul who finds redemption. . . - By: , 30 Dec 1998 
I like this one because usuallly the lost soul is the hero. This time it's the heroine. She was the "wicked" stepmother of "Precious Jewel". . . but this is her story & not her stepson's. She gains humanity in the eyes of the reader & wins the love of a good man (the brother of the Cora from "The Famous Heroine"--the one who thought Francis was gay.)
I really loved this book. A very good sequel to a favorite. - By: , 30 Jan 1998 I reallly,reallly loved this book.This is a sequel to "A Precious Jewel".I reallly liked the way Ms.Balogh made Lady Helena Stapleton very un- lovable so that her reconciliation with her step son & his wife was alll the more believable.Hel- ena Stapleton reminded me of Lord Edmond Waite of "The Notorious Rake" in his hard shell of cynicism that hid a very wounded heart & soul.
