Monday, January 4, 2010

A Rather Charming Invitation-C.A. Belmond

A Rather Charming Invitation
C.A. Belmond
Berkley, Feb 2010, $15.00
ISBN: 9780451229083

American heiress Penny Nichols and her fiancé London barrister Jeremy Laidley are planning their wedding when her French cousin Honorine arrives in England. They need to return her young relative to her parents in Mougins, France. There her Aunt Leonora and Uncle Phillipe offer the use of an ancient bridal tapestry and their chateau for their wedding vows.

However, Jeremy’s very British grandmother wants the ceremony in England so the couple has to convince her to cross the Channel. As they struggle to persuade his family’s matriarch that her specific demands will be met in France, the tapestry is stolen. Jeremy and Penny return to France to investigate who robbed her family’s valuable heirloom.

The third Rather tale (see A Rather Lovely Inheritance and A Rather Curious Engagement) is an engaging contemporary that contains several mysteries re their respective families’ secrets and obviously the missing tapestry. The story line starts slow yet is insightful as Penny is a nervous wreck and it picks up once the heirloom is stolen. Although the whodunit has too many holes, fans of the Rather charming saga will enjoy the latest entry wondering if Penny needs to wear rubber underwear when she says oui.

Harriet Klausner

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