Helpful Score: 3
Barbara Metzger's books can be counted on to brighten any day. They will regularly produce chuckles, giggles or a mostly silent, internal "heh, heh, heh." "Miss Westlake's Windfall" does not disappoint. Ada Westlake is a practical, determined young woman trying her best to keep her family's heads above water. She gets almost no help at all from any of them. Her neighbor and best friend Viscount Charles Ashmead has proposed every month for a year or more, but Ada feels he's just being generous and and does not really love her. He was overflowing in money. She was impoverished. However, that was not the case! He loves Ada deeply and had no idea how to make her see it. Her most recent declining of his marriage proposal had him drowning his sorrows in a local tavern when he has a brilliant idea of planting a bag of money in an apple tree on Ada's property. She finds it and spends most of the book trying to return it to various people - the smugglers she believes left it or give it away to charity. And when Charles, getting wind of her intentions, makes sure that no one will accept her money. That's the bare bones of the plot. What also endeared me to this well-told story were the secondary characters all the way down to Chas's dog. They were written with charm and drawn with humor. I loved them all. Even the evil characters were interesting.
I loved the fact that Chas loves Ada from the very beginning of this book and his feelings for her never changes. Sigh, I LOVED the fact that he had no problems declaring his love for her first. Even his sexy hunk of a half-brother went ga-ga for Ada's ditsy creative sister and didn't try to fight his feelings either.
Loved the ending....
I loved the fact that Chas loves Ada from the very beginning of this book and his feelings for her never changes. Sigh, I LOVED the fact that he had no problems declaring his love for her first. Even his sexy hunk of a half-brother went ga-ga for Ada's ditsy creative sister and didn't try to fight his feelings either.
Loved the ending....
A really good book.
Ada Westlake is a woman of principles. When Viscount Ashmead asks Ada to marry him for the umpteenth time (and she refuses again), Chas gets drunk and decides to deposit a bagful of money in her trees for Ada to find. Ada is nearly destitute, with a cadre of leeches living with her. They will do nothing to improve the situation (like getting a job) but lean on Ada heavily when she admits that she found money.
Ada spends much of the book trying to find the rightful owner of the funds. This is a rollicking good book, with lots of humor. It is surprising that the author is able to clearly define each character in such a thin tome. Delightful.
Ada spends much of the book trying to find the rightful owner of the funds. This is a rollicking good book, with lots of humor. It is surprising that the author is able to clearly define each character in such a thin tome. Delightful.
