Anne here, and for your entertainment, here's a quiz on a book you haven't yet read — The Scoundrel's Daughter, which comes out on August 24th.
A few reviewers and most of the wenches have read it, but that's all. And since it's the start of a new series, you won't know any of the characters from earlier books. So it's not testing anything — you can only guess at the answers — it's just for fun.
The intent is to give you a little taste of the book to come, something a bit different from an excerpt or a blurb. (Mary Jo is also interviewing me about the book on 25th August.
So here it is, a fun little quiz on a book you haven't read. Grab a pen and paper to make a note of your answers, then check them via the link at the bottom and come back and tell us how you went. I'll be giving a copy of The Scoundrel's Daughter to someone who leaves a comment.
1) The "scoundrel" in the title is:—
a) a blackmailer
b) a rake
c) a thief
d) a swindler
2) There are two couples in this story. The younger couple meet:—
a) at Almacks
b) during a curricle race
c) at a costume ball
d) in the garden at Bellaire Gardens
3) When the younger couple meet, Lucy, the scoundrel's daughter is carrying:—
a) a wet kitten
b) a goose
c) a picnic basket
d) a large bunch of flowers
4) When we first meet Alice (the main heroine in the book) she is :—
a) cleaning silver
b) getting fitted for a new dress
c) riding a horse
d) gardening
5) Of medium height, he was closer to fifty than forty and dressed expensively, if not particularly tastefully, in tight trousers, a florid waistcoat, a frilled shirt and a snugly fitted bottle-green coat. A number of gaudy fobs dangled from his gold watch chain, and he wore several large, glittery rings. His thinning gray hair was elaborately tousled, and he reeked of pomade.
This describes:—
a) Alice's romantic hero
b) a bailiff (debt collector)
c) her late husband's heir
d) the scoundrel of the title
6) A tall, grave-faced gentleman stepped into their path. Dressed in severe dark evening dress, the same as every other man in the room, there was, nevertheless, something about him. Perhaps it was his height or his broad shoulders, or maybe it was his unconscious air of command. Among the soft, pampered company, he stood out like an eagle among pigeons. Alice was aware of thick, dark hair cropped short; a bold, aristocratic nose, which looked as if it had been broken at least once; a firm chin and piercing gray eyes that bored into her.
This describes:
a) Alice's romantic hero
b) a bailiff (debt collector)
c) her late husband's heir
d) the scoundrel of the title
7) The scoundrel wants Alice to:—
a) pay the debts he claims her late husband owes him
b) help him steal a diamond necklace
c) get his daughter to marry a lord
d) accompany him to a society ball
8) Alice wanted to throw her husband's letters in the fire. She didn't because:—
a) the fire had gone out
b) she was still sentimentally attached to them
c) she was too shocked to move
d) the scoundrel pulled a gun on her
9) Alice becomes Lucy's godmother because:—
a) Alice is very religious
b) Lucy had never been baptized
c) baptism was necessary to legally change Lucy's name
d) she needed a socially acceptable connection to Lucy
10) Alice doesn't like going into society now that she's been widowed because:—
a) she can't afford nice clothes any more
b) men keep propositioning her
c) she's very depressed
d) she misses her husband
11) James hasn't seen his three small daughters for more than four years. This is because:—
a) he's been away at war
b) they've been at school
c) they're being held prisoner by their maternal grandparents
d) he's not very interested because they're only daughters.
12) When Alice and Lucy attend a masquerade ball, Alice dresses as Cleopatra. James surprises her by dressing:—
a) as the devil
b) as the Greek god Zeus
c) as St George (minus the dragon)
d) as Mark Antony
13) Bonus question: James's youngest daughter, Deborah, aged four, wants just one thing :—
a) a cat
b) a cat
c) a cat
d) any of the above
Now you have noted down your guesses, click here and find out the answers. Then come back and tell us how you went. Did you have fun with this, or was it annoying to be quizzed on a book you can't yet have read? (Be honest, I won't mind.) I'll be giving a copy of The Scoundrel's Daughter to someone who leaves a comment.