Tangled in bath--deception, dissuasion and despair

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The Bath Quadrille (Bath Trilogy series) by Amanda Scott 

So a regency romp with a bit of mystery thrown in for good measure.
I must say that by the end of the first chapter I was ready to throw up my hands in despair and walk away from our heroine Sybilla. She can be appealing but mostly she's stubborn and annoying. If I'd been Lord Ramsbury (Ned) I would have walked away long ago. Mind you he's no 'walk in the park' either.

Might I say that Sybilla's whole family's cracked. Sybilla's brother Brandon's bear escapades only went from bad to worse. I wanted to buy him his colors or whatever it is they used to do with self-centred arrogant brats like him.
Fathers obviously gave difficulties and are selfish and self-centred on both sides of Ned and Sybilla's family. This in part contributes to the personas of Sybilla and Ned and the behaviours of their respective family members.
I liked the character of Sydney Saint-Denis, Sybilla's 'cicisbei', from the start--mysterious gentleman that he is, with a seemingly languid cover, but able to move quickly if needed. Charming and interesting, for me, he stole a good chunk of the limelight. As he appears again in another Bath Trilogy novel, The Bath Charade (The Bath Trilogy), I'm quite delighted and look forward to seeing who he is.
Then there's the catching of the mysterious letter writer asking for monies. This person's identity had wandered across my thoughts which I had dismissed as too far fetched. That intuit proved to be correct.
The story is mostly inhabited by likeable characters who display more depth as situations develop. Wisps of Georgette Heyer float around the plot line but didn't quite solidify with the same certitude.

A NetGalley ARC

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