London Season (Paperback)

1) seeing the characters grow up, fall in love, mature, and resolve their difficulties. I don't usually like childhood sweetheart stories, but this was fantastic.

2) the remarkable hero and heroine. Yes, Jane is sometimes headstrong and almost always self-centered. But you can really feel her love for David, even as she herself realizes it. And the hero? Well, a gorgeous man is always fun to read about, especially when he is not conceited about it. Joan Wolf is also shrewd in that she portrays David having an affair with a married woman; he is not perfect, but he doesn't want Jane to know about it.

3) the stunning authenticity. I am not a horse person, but I felt that I was there in the stables, on the training grounds, and at the races. The same thing with the London season. And Wolf's awareness of the tremendous obstacles between hero and heroine is realistic, as is the initial solution planned for the couple. [This book, I should warn, has some surprises about people].

Find this book, if you can, and read it please. Actually, I would recommend nearly all of Wolf's earlier novels. She packs so much into a thin little Signet Regency, it is simply unbelievable. In terms of intensity of feeling, she reminds me of Carla Kelly, Mary Jo Putney (who writes longer books), and Mary Balogh. But her heroes are not usually angst-ridden, and the poignancy in Wolf's stories (if any) is well under control.

If you like strong heroines, you will love Jane as much as everyone does including her David and me. I've read hundreds of books but never read of a heroine that is stronger than Jane.

I also adore love stories about a H/H who are sure of themselves and Jane and David definitely fit that mold. There are no words to express how deeply this book affected me. I could easily put it at the top ten of all the books I've ever read. I could not put this book down once I started. If you can find a copy, get it. It took me months to find a very used copy.

Here's the basic story but it's the way Ms. Wolf draws the love story that is more breathtaking than anything else: Jane's parents die when she is six. By this time, she's into ponies and riding since her parents ignore her to hide their disappointment because she was born a female. When her father's title goes to her Uncle in England, she has to go to him too. She doesn't cry for her parents but she does for her pony since she's told she'd have to leave her pony when she leaves her Ireland for England.

Her Uncle gains her favor by giving her two ponies as a welcome gift. The ponies are cared for by a stablehand David who is a year older than Jane at seven.

Jane and David become inseperable. She has finally found someone who loves ponies as much as she.

The complications come once David reaches sexual maturity but Jane stays ignorant of everything but the few people she knows and of course, her horses. The class distinctions, Jane learning to ride astride and her being given a London Season are all woven just wonderfully by Ms. Wolf.

It's a wonderful book to lose yourself in. I know I will. Again and again.