If this were a satirical view of Regency books, I might have bought the far-fetched storyline, the flat, idiotic characters, and the absolute silliness of the rather dull plot. As I rather suspect it is not a satire - Catherine Coulter being a best-selling Romance novelist - it was disappointing to say the very least. I only, I repeat, only listened to it in its entirety because I hadn't brought anything else to listen to at work one day. If you like historical romance that's fun and funny, try Katie MacAlister's book "Improper English", or for some more serious historical fiction, check out Phillippa Gregory's Wideacre series.

This book was sooooo bad, I didn't even finish it. Thank goodness I read a library copy, as I would have been very perturbed had I paid money for it.

I was hesitent about choosing this book based on the cover blurb. Two elderly ladies with a valet? In Regency England? How shocking! But I suspended my disbelief and decided to give it a try. (I usually like Catherine Coulter's books) I wish I had just trusted my first instincts.

What didn't I like? The conversations were just simply bizarre. There is absolutely no consideration given to the mores of the time period. (In one scene the "hero" bathes the naked heroine. In a small country inn. Where the doctor who's been treating her knows she's a girl. And he's told the entire countryside. The local squires wife has donated her night gown for the "heroine" to wear. The vicar has been by to give her last rights. And yet, the young unmarried "hero" is permitted to nurse a young,naked, unmarried "heroine" who has been impersonating a boy, but everyone knows is a girl. It is at this point that the book banged against the wall.

I did pick it up again...but I couldn't go more than a chapter beyond before I gave up. This book was just inane. Skip it.

Mad Jack by Catherine Coulter got placed back on my bookshelf with her other works!. This was a fun read because it was so different than anything else I had read by Coulter. It's set in 1811 London and Mad Jack turns out to be a young woman who has run away from her stepfather who plans to have her marry a sinister old man. She is aided by becoming the "male" valet to two lovely aunts of, of course, an attractive single Lord of the manor. Now, you may think, oh,this is just another love story...Not true! For instance, Lord Durban meets Mad Jack after "he" has stolen Durban's horse and when he catches "him," he attacks "him" as the horse thief Mad Jack is...well, you get the picture...soon he finds out that he has been beating up on a young lady--quite a pretty young lady indeed. Only to have her kidnapped... Ah, quite a romp around merry ole England...what?

This rating dont even deserve 1 star this book sucks!!!!!!!!! Do not waste your money on this crap!

This was the first book I had ever read by this author, and I can sincerely state I will not read another.
The way the characters described what the others were doing in conversation was ridiculous. No one - and no one, speaks that way. It made the story feel rushed and stilted, and I am sad to say, much of the humor was lost on me. Something funny being told to you is not as funny as witnessing it. I felt the situations would have been much humorous if she described what was happening instead of having her characters describe it in their dialogues.
I found it offensive that the women were protrayed by the men as being silly (something that made me wonder what it was exactly the men saw in them other then the prospect of having sex with them), and the abuse situations Ms. Coulter touched on, then so neatly wrapped up with two of the characters being so heroic was disgusting. She should have never touched on such deep subjects and solved them with MORE physical violence. The conclusion to this still very real problem rubbed me completely the wrong way. If she was trying to make a social statement on the issue - she failed....miserably.
Reading this book was an utter loss of time. Don't bother.