A Flight Of Fancy by Laurie Alice Eakes (The Daughters of Bainbridge House)

Hi Everyone,

I rather enjoyed this new book A Flight Of Fancy by Laurie Alice Eakes. Cassandra is engaged to Whittaker, and they are very much in love with each other. They have already had to postpone their wedding, and waiting isn't easy. Then an accident, or maybe something on purpose happens and alters Cassandra for life. She is now physically wounded as well as emotionally and has called off her wedding, and  is doing her best to force Whittaker out of her life. There is a LOT of guilt going on in this book! 

I was sad that Cassandra was so sure that what happened to her was God punishing her. That isn't how He is, and several people's lives were really hampered by the rather false guilt that Cassandra and Whittaker are carrying around. If they are ever going to have normal friendships or anything else this has to get resolved.

I did enjoy Cassandra's ballooning and formulas, and her Scientific mind set. The balloon parts were fun to me, maybe because I have photographed hot air balloon festivals before. They are quite exciting - although, like Whittaker, I haven't liked heights and have not been up in a balloon myself. Quite a mystery and a drama is also occurring in that someone seems to want Whittaker dead, and he keeps winding up in peril as he works to win Cassandra's trust back.

The down sides to this book is that there was a great deal of back and forth-ing with Whittaker and Cassandra. However, I know people who have gone through this so I didn't feel that it hampered the story too much, as I was quite focused on the other issues such as who is behind the issues with the looms and mills. The other down side was how frusterated I got with our leading couple not being able to figure out what love is and how it makes people feel. That became really annoying and I was glad when it finally changed. 

Carol 

About the Book:

Her head is in the clouds. His feet are planted firmly on the ground. Can love cover the distance?
Cassandra Bainbridge may be a bit of a bluestocking, but when Geoffrey Giles is near, love seems a fine alternative to passion for Greek and the physics of flight. With his dashing good looks and undying devotion to her, the earl of Whittaker sets Cassandra's heart racing with his very presence. It seems his only flaw is his distaste for ballooning, the obsession that consumes so much of her thoughts.

When a terrible accident compels her to end her betrothal, Cassandra heads for the country to recover from both her injuries and her broken heart. With time on her hands and good friends to help her, she pursues her love for ballooning and envisions a future for herself as a daring aeronaut. But when Lord Whittaker slips back into her life, will she have to choose between him and her dream?

Reviews

 Praise for A Necessary Deception, book 1 in the Daughters of Bainbridge House series

"Eakes seamlessly blends romance and intrigue, faith and history, into a story that readers won't want to put down."--Booklist

"Masquerades, English manners, romance, and intrigue abound in this historical series. Regency romance aficionados and fans of Nicole Jordan will adore this."--Library Journal

"Eakes weaves the fine silk threads of historical richness, dangerous intrigue, and forbidden romance into a flawless literary tapestry . . . that will leave readers breathless."--Louise M. Gouge, award-winning author of At the Captain's Command

About the Author:

Laurie Alice Eakes is the author of Lady in the Mist, A Necessary Deception, A Flight Of Fancy, and several other novels. She won a National Readers Choice Award for Best Regency in 2007 for Family Guardian. Laurie Alice writes full-time from her home in Texas, where she lives with her husband and sundry dogs and cats.

Her web site is: http://www.lauriealiceeakes.com/

Book Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Flight-Fancy-Novel-Daughters-Bainbridge/dp/080073467X

Available October 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.