Allison Lane: The Second Lady Emily

The Second Lady Emily was published by Signet in May 1998 for Allison Lane. This is an interesting time travel story about Cherlynn Cardington who falls unconscious and wakes as Lady Emily Fairchild! Cherlynn has the chance to stop the tragedy of the family but can she convince everyone that she is a Regency lady?

You'd be hard pressed to identify the pretty heroine as a modern lady in this delightful cover by Allan Kass! I like that the heroine is so dark complected and the little touches like the yellow creeper roses and the deer in the background.

Allison Lane: The Prodigal Daughter

The Prodigal Daughter by Allison Lane was published by Signet in November 1996. Lane is a prolific author and wrote other regencies for Signet. This story is about Amanda Morrison, a widow, who eloped with her soldier and returns home after his death to her tyrannical father. Her father is trying to match her step-sister to the Duke of Norwood and doesn't want Amanda to interfere. But they meet!

This is a lovely landscape cover by Allan Kass. I really like the sweep of scenery while our couple are in the foreground as focus. Since we only see one horse, it's hard to tell if they had been riding together, but the heroine's outfit does look like a riding habit. I love the colors and textures here along with the evident love that the hero has for the heroine.

Allison Lane: Lord Avery's Legacy

Lord Avery's Legacy was published in February 1998 by Signet and one of the last books illustrated by Allan Kass. Penelope Wingrave's sister is being courted by a man who she doesn't approve and neither does his cousin, so when Penelope meets Richard Avery, the sparks fly! In the process of trying to keep their loved ones apart, they end up falling in love!

Considering that Allan was in his 80's by now, this is a wonderful cover. He told me that some of the demands were beginning to get crazy with the publisher wanting animals on the covers. He felt like the beauty of the Regency period was beginning to make way for gimmicks in order to sell books. Even though this cover has ostriches on it, we also get the elegance of the Regency in the clothing of the couple and see Allan's talent with a landscape.

Allison Lane: The Impoverished Viscount

The Impoverished Viscount is the first of four books by Allison Lane that were illustrated by Allan Kass. This title was published by Signet in July 1996. Lady Melissa Stapleton found herself at the mercy of Lord Heflin and fleeing from him, went straight into the arms of another rake, Charles Rathbone, who asked her to play a masquerade as his bride and to outwit Heflin, she did so.

This cover by Allan Kass shows our couple dressed for an actual masquerade with our heroine as a Grecian beauty and our hero looking like a count from Transylvania! The room shows other party goers and could be a foyer since it isn't decorated. It's unusual to see a heroine with her hair long and down on a regency cover.