Delle Jacobs - Lady Valiant

To Lord Reginald Beauhampton, younger son of the Duke of Marmount, Miss Chloe Daventry is the perfect solution to his dilemma. And Reggie is Chloe's only hope to save her sisters from their abusive guardian. But they haven't counted on Reggie's strange and powerful father, who will stop at nothing to control his son. And Chloe is in his way.

Delle Jacobs has written a wonderful traditional Regency romance with LADYVALIANT. From the very first page, we get swept up into the Regency era, with the season and yachts and even the class differences. The characters are all wonderfully portrayed, from Chloe dealing with having no money to Reggie's father driving away his entire family by controlling them. Instead of just the heartfelt sigh at the end of this story, I actually shed a tear or two. I highly recommend LADY VALIANT to all lovers of traditional Regencies. Overall rating: 4 Hearts, Sensuality rating: Sweet
- Reviewer: Chere, The Romance Studio

Delle Jacobs is an excellent writer who packs her books with wonderful characters, a variety of scenes, conflicts aplenty, a fine feel for the time and place of her settings, and satisfying conclusions. The ending of LADY VALIANT was especially moving, and I urge you to add it to your must-read list.
- Reviewer: Jane Bowers, Romance Reviews Today

Ms. Jacobs is an extraordinary author; my first read from her work, Loki's Daughters was an eye-opener to her talent. She follows that same path with Lady Valiant. Her characters are unique in their emotions, the plot is regency with a twist, and the secondary characters are outstanding.
- Reviewer: Faith V. Smith

Delle Jacobs has created a wonderful story with memorable characters. In Lady Valiant the readers are introduced to a whole cast of people who make this story worth reading. Chloe's character develops throughout the story. She grows from just a lady of the ton to a real heroine just like in the book Reggie wrote. Lord Reginald himself is outstanding. He goes against a very controlling and manipulative father to pursue a career as an author. Ms. Jacobs did not stop with Chloe and Reginald, she also gave her readers the Duke of Marmount, Aunt Daphne Godelin, and Lord and Lady Mythe, each with a story of their own.

Lady Valiant is full of adventure and not a story with an expected ending. The ending itself is a surprise. Although it is not a mystery, Ms. Jacobs keeps her readers wanting to know what will happen next. Just like the title of Reggie's book, Adventuress, this book is full of adventure. Fans of historical romance will not want to miss out on reading Lady Valiant.
- Reviewed by Fallen Angels Reviews, 5 ANGELS

Reggie sees in Chloe, his soul mate. She's a bit of an adventurer, and it's that quality about her that led him to finish his book. Reggie is kind and funny. She cannot help but smile and acknowledge the stirring of her heart whenever he is around. When they finally come to realize that neither of them has the money the other thought, how could they possibly be together?

Everyone and everything is trying to keep these two people, who obviously love each other, apart. As the story unfolds, you are sympathetic to the plight of both Reggie and Chloe, but you want them to overcome their troubles together. With adventure, mischief and true love, this is an absolutely wonderful story!
- Reviewer: Jaymi

This is an interesting and fun story. The hero and heroine are besieged by problems not entirely of their own making. Their relatives are interfering and refuse to allow love to rule over all. Especially the Duke who wants to control everything. He should have learned his lesson years before when the Duchess left. But he is about to learn it now for Chloe is not going to let the Duke have his way.

Jacobs is one of those writers that need to be watched. The stories are intriguing with a hint of mystery, a load of romance hiding in the background, and a need to plant a seed of happiness in every reader’’s mind. Chloe is the perfect heroine and Reggie knows it. They just need to convince the Duke.
- Reviewer: Brenda Ramsbacher, Scribblers

"Lady Valiant by Delle Jacobs is a wonderful story of two black sheep who fall in love and through their love show society that love can defeat all rules. I personally loved this story. The characters come to life under Jacob's talented pen and enchanted me from the first chapter to the last. The story is a unique look at what life was like for those who did not fit in to the aristocracy in England during the Regency period. The love story between the two characters is funny, touching, and invigorating in turn. The secondary characters add to the vibrancy present thought the novel and many beg for a story of their own. Jacob's talent has shown the reader that the Lords and Ladies of the ton were real people with real problems, allowing a 21st century reader to connect with a 19th century character; this is a talent that should not be overlooked. I highly recommend Lady Valiant to any reader that loves a well written, touching Regency romance."
- Reviewed by Jen of A Romance Review

Excerpt:

As Chloe and Aunt Daphne reached the arched doors of Lady Mythe's lavender saloon, the noisily babbling music of feminine voices came abruptly to a halt. Every pair of eyes in the room turned on her and widened.

Chloe gulped as she cast about from one face to another. Miss Amy looked silly and closed a little red book in her hands. Lady Laverhorn smiled, but it was the kind of smile that made a person feel she was about to become a crocodile's lunch. Lady Constance and Lady Mythe looked mildly horrified, while Miss Nightengall merely stared with a frown. Whatever the on dit was, Chloe had no trouble discerning it was about her.

"Well?" Miss Amy asked in her girlishly breathless voice, as she hid the little book behind her back.

"Hush. It is none of your concern," said Lady Constance, and she grabbed for the book, but Miss Amy whirled away.

"Well, what?" Chloe returned.

"Well, did he ask?" The carefully constructed yellow ringlets on Miss Amy's head bobbed with her eager nodding.

Chloe hoped that was all this was about. The room was full of the female members of the conspiracy. Even Lady Laverhorn appeared to be one of them, but Chloe didn't quite believe that.

"I do not think I am prepared to discuss it just yet," she replied, trying to smile. How could she tell anyone when she had not puzzled out the answer herself?

"There! You see, I told you he would," Miss Amy gushed. "Are you? Are you going to marry him?"

"Miss Amy, you are above forward," said Lady Constance, her older cousin. "Let us allow Miss Daventry her privacy."

"Oh, do not be so high in the instep, Connie. We are all friends here, are we not? And it is all so very romantical! I wish I had a lover who wrote a book about me!"

An anguished moan hummed through the women.

"Miss Amy, how very shocking," retorted Lady Constance. "You do not have a lover, and neither does Miss Daventry, and you should never intimate so."

"Well, I did not mean precisely a lover. I am sorry, Miss Daventry, I did not mean it quite that way, but it is so romantical."

Chloe felt her heart starting to race. "What is so romantical?" she asked, her voice sounding a bit squeaky.

"The book. Oh, it is so grand." Miss Amy proudly held out the little leather-bound book in her hands, dodging Lady Constance's attempt to grab it away.

"I do not think this is a very good idea, Miss Amy," said Lady Mythe, stepping forward between the two ladies.

"Perhaps we should break it to her more gradually," said Lady Laverhorn.

"Break it to-- Let me see that." Chloe snatched the little book out of Miss Amy's hands just before Lady Mythe could intervene and take the book.

"Oh, no, now you've done it!" said Portia, folding her arms. "Just when everything was going just right."

Chloe walked over to a branch of candles for a little more light. It was just a little book, bound in red leather with gold lettering. Rather new, but it looked like it had been read several times, for the thin paper of the pages was starting to curl at the corners. Two tiny scraps of newsprint marked places.

"The Adventuress," she read. "By Roger Beauchef."

"Ooh, it sounds so romantical the way you say it," said Miss Amy. Her cooing was becoming annoying.

"Oh, do be still, Miss Amy." Lady Mythe moved next to Chloe. "Do take it in the vein it was meant, Miss Daventry. It is really sort of a tribute, you see."

"A tribute? What do you mean?" Chloe opened the pages to a torn paper bookmark in the middle and read silently.

As the fierce wind whipped her sodden golden curls and molded her wet garments against her ambrosially delectable form, Circe shouted...
Circe? Where had she heard that? Hadn't Reggie called her Circe once? His Siren of the Seas?

She flipped back to the cover. Roger Beauchef. Reggie Beauhampton.
Ambrosially delectable form? What was this?

Chloe flipped back the pages and kept reading, with each line seeing herself everywhere, with light green eyes and curls just like her own, described as a hoyden of the worst sort, a flagrant adventuress, blatantly displaying her charms like a light-skirt in Covent Garden!

But if you could, would you not like to have such an adventure? Reggie's words, from their first sailing trip.

He had! He'd written the book about her! Made her a laughingstock before the entire of the beau monde!

She slammed the book shut and whirled around, violent heat flushing her cheeks as she searched for escape.

Lady Mythe touched her shoulder. "Now, my dear, you mustn't take it that way. I am sure he did not mean--"

"Didn't mean? He told me he was writing poetry!"

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