For the Love of Lila
Grade : B

For the Love of Lila took me by surprise. I expected another tale of a determined bluestocking who finds passion after a series of TSTL moves. While Lila Covington may be a little too indepentant at times, she is definitely not stupid. Early on, the characters establish themselves and their motives, then remain true to their beliefs and the times in which they live. The early 19th Century in which the story takes place is not used as mere wallpaper, but shapes what the characters think and do, and adds impetus to the choices they each ultimately make. A fairly slow pace, then a somewhat hurried ending detract from the story a little, but not enough to spoil a good, solid read.

Lila Covington is a liberated woman, or hopes to be. She is twenty-five and old enough to know her own mind. Her late father left her an inheritance that she is now eligible to collect, however, he stipulated that the money be left in trust and not simply given over to her in a lump sum to do with as she wished. This irks Lila, because her father was a forward-thinking man, and she feels he has done her a disservice by forcing her to live by the dictates of the trust (and the whims of the bank). It is Lila's plan to get her hands on her money, then leave London and go live with her cousin in Paris where she will write novels and live as a modern woman.

Tristan Wyndham is the younger son of a viscount and therefore must work for a living. He is a solicitor whose mentor was Lila Covington's esteemed father. When Lila approaches Tristan to enlist his help in securing her money, he is surprised to discover she is distractingly beautiful, and so independent as to be thoroughly frustrating. Her plan is to move to Paris, and since he has business in Paris, he offers to escort her as it would be dangerous to make the journey alone.

While this is a common premise in many romance novels, what makes this different is that both Lila and Tristan are very aware how ruinous this could be to not only Lila's reputation, but to Tristan's as well. She doesn't care about her reputation because she doesn't plan to marry, but she is concerned about his future. Should anybody discover he took her to Paris unchaperoned, his career and his family name could be ruined. This was a new twist and a refreshing one. Tristan is extremely concerned that he do the right thing and stay away from Lila, even though he desires her. Convention and his upbringing have taught him restraint, and he goes out of his way to make sure he does nothing to cause Lila's reputation to be ruined, even though she says she doesn't care.

Lila is a reasonable heroine. When they begin their trip, Lila insists that dressing like a boy will be a much safer way for her to travel. Tristan tries to convince her to travel as his wife, which would make more sense. She does it her way then discovers she has made a mistake, admits her mistake, then does it his way. How refreshing - a heroine who isn't stubborn to her own detriment or endangerment.

After they arrive in Paris, Lila is forced to reconsider her future after taking up residence with her cousin, a modern woman in her own right. Lila is no longer certain what being a "modern woman" in reality entails, but it seems to involve elements she has never considered before. When her cousin makes a decision Lila finds shocking, she must decide whether to follow along or return to London with Tristan. Her dilemma is made worse in that she and Tristan realize they are in love. But Lila has vowed never to marry. She has read Mrs. Wollstonecraft and Mrs. Shelley and has elevated her idealism of the independent woman to an art form. Tristan (and the reader) find this frustrating even while trying to understand why Lila is so driven.

Tristan is a man of his time. He loves his family, is good at his work, and is terribly in love with Lila. But she has placed herself out of reach and he tries very hard to respect her wishes even while arguing with her about why she should see things his way. Eventually, Tristan and Lila do fall victim to their physical desires, which brings them even closer together yet, at the same time pushes them further apart. The love scenes are nice and Tristan is a very sweet and tender lover. In another twist, it is Tristan who realizes what they must do to make things right, and Lila who resists.

As I mentioned above, the pace is somewhat slow, but this is a character driven story, so that's okay. The ending is tied up a little too quickly and involves the intervention of a character only seen in the final pages of the book, which was too convenient to suit me. Even so, For the Love of Lila is a book I can recommend. I hope you like it as much as I did.

Reviewed by Marianne Stillings
Grade : B

Sensuality: Warm

Review Date : June 7, 2002

Publication Date: 2002

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Marianne Stillings

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