Customer Reviews

Tiger By The Tail

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I read this book in one sitting, which speaks well for the pacing and the writer's voice. There's not much original about this marriage of convinience tale but Claybourne tells it with plenty of wit and humor. Melisande is a fun and endearing heroine. William is missing some important details - why did he run away to America and such.

I'll hold on to my copy of this book for now and be happy to lend it to a friend, but I won't fret if it doesn't come back.

OK I guess I'm in the minority here, but I just could not get into this book...

After reading the first chapter of Tiger by the Tail, I was very impressed and excited. Ms Claiborne's writing style was witty, and the interactions between Melisande and the goalkeeper Mr. Bell was delightful. The part about the "She-Devil of Mooresby Hall" was a hoot, and Mr. Bell's reaction to the She-Devil's offer of marriage was one terrific piece of writing. After reading only a few pages of the book I was well and truly "hooked", so I settled in for a long night of reading.

Unfortunately, my enthusiasm for the book began to fade as the character of William Tiger Taggart took shape. After a few chapters I started getting irritated with this Will person, and after a few more I really started to dislike him. I found him conniving and underhanded, and mercenary to an extreme. About halfway through the book William's financial predicament is explained and Ms Claybourne starts to accentuate Will's more redeeming qualities, but unfortunately I never got over my initial dislike of Will.

I also found that there were a lot of loose ends in the book and a lot of actions that were not completely explained. I can't go into too much detail without giving away the story, but I never really understood why Will left Scotland or why he came back. Another compliant I have about the book was the abrupt ending. It took 295 pages of text to develop the problems, conflicts and misunderstandings between the characters, and FOUR pages to resolve everything. Frankly I felt a little cheated. The Epilogue was also painfully brief (a little over a page) and uninformative. I would have like to know if the distillery succeeded, did Wildcat go back to America, did the prison reform experiment work, was Melisande brother able to manage the estate on his own, did Sister Maggie ever visit again, did the people of Devonshire miss the She-Devil?

I absolutely loved this book! This was the first Claybourne book I had read, but have just ordered all the rest of her books from Amazon. Great heroine and hero. Truly entertaining, and not at all like Johanna Lindsay, who I also find boring sometimes.

This was my first Casey Claybourne book and I really enjoyed it. Mel and Wil were very funny together. The story moved quickly through the pages and the supporting characters were very colorful.

It was funny to see that Mel was not the only one to pay Wil for a fake marriage. Her brother and grandfather both wanted Wil to stay marry to her and tame her to stopping bossing every one around. It was quite touching and funny at the same time to see Mel pretending to be blind (after she recovered) in order to stay with Wil. The only minor complaint I have is that the hero and heroine did not discuss how they feel about each other at all even after they freely acted as husband and wife. He kept thinking she looked down at hims and wanted to leave; and she kept thinking he was not attracted to her and wanted her to leave. Otherwise, a fun read any time.

This is one not to be missed! As a first time reader of Casey, I found this work delightful. It is the classic romance novel at its best with a twist. Her hero is not the typical rich Lord, with a stern (but handsome) demeanor...actually, he's basically broke. But rather than tell you the story I encourage you to read it and see for yourself. I know you'll have fun with this one.

Melisande is such a lovable charater. You can see why Will is attracted to her from the beginning. I love a book that makes me laugh out loud, when reading it. This is most definitely one of those books! Ms. Claybourne has a quick wit, and a quirky sense of humor. Definitely a great read. I can not wait for her next book!

This book read like a Johanna Lindsey book. Alot of cutesy stuff but kind of boring and dry. Not very sensual.

This is the first Casey Claybourne book I've read and I was very impressed. I read alot of romances and am always looking for something a little different. I thought the book did a great job of combining romance, drama and humor to make it an enjoyable read. Mel is so used to being in charge of everything and everyone. She meets her match in Will Taggert who agrees to marry her so that her pregnant younger sister can marry too. Though she plans to annul the marriage, Will and the rest of her family have other ideas. They think he's just what she needs! I thought both the families as well as Will's friend W.C. were very good supporting characters who enhanced the relationship between Mel and Will. Also, I just love a romance that doesn't take it self too seriously. The little bits of humor and the use of italics to indicate certain thoughts were great touches. I'm looking forward to reading more of her books.

This is the first book I've read by this author so I had no idea what I was in for when I bought it. Well, it gave me a wonderful surprise! The characters in the book & plot are wonderful. Grab it from the bookstores if you haven't yet.

This is my first book by Ms. Claybourne and I loved it. I am definitley going to order more. It's always great when looking for a new author, you find a book you can't put down. Keep them coming!