The Switch

In my research to discover which books are considered the best of the best, using the star rating system reviews written by the wonderful readers of the world on the store, I came across this book "The Switch", by Lynsay Sands. This book appealed to my tastes and after many months of attempting to track it down, in person (because the hunt is the fun part!), I finely found my quarry in a used book store. Wow, was it a shock to finely find it! It was very hard to find because it's one of those beloved books that readers hang onto. Forever. I read it immediately and here is what I think. I'm keeping mine!

I really enjoyed it! It did live up to my expectations that I had formed from reading what others thought about it. So the reviews DO help greatly! The only thing that I found that I did not like about this book, that one reviewer had mentioned and warned about, was true. At chapter nineteen "The Switch" shifts and changes into another type of story, kind of. It becomes very silly and I felt a loss of the main two characters connection to one another. And the ending was strange. Even though it changed, I thought it was still a very good book. I would have loved and enjoyed reading more about Radcliffe's feelings about Charlie at the end of this story. Over all though, I laughed a lot and thoroughly enjoyed this gender switching romp. I will read this book again. "The Switch" goes on my keeper shelf and is highly recommended! Enjoy!

Grade: A-

This is the story of identical twins Charlotte (Charlie) and Beth, who are being forced by their uncle into unwanted marriages. They manage to escape him and flee to London by disguising Charlie as a young man. They think that it would be too obvious a trail if two identical twin girls are seen together. The pair are taken under the wing of Jeremy Radcliffe, who admires young Charlie's efforts to protect his sister Beth. He offers to let them pose as his cousins so that Beth may have a coming out and find a husband before their uncle catches up to them. The girls decide to start switching their roles, so that they can take turns being the girl and both find husbands. Radcliffe, their rescuer, is starting to have confusing feelings, sometimes he is attracted to Beth, other times he has nothing but brotherly feelings towards him. Sometimes, he even finds himself attracted to Charlie and he starts doubting his sanity. He isn't aware that he is attracted to one person only (Charlotte). In order to cure himself of his feelings for Charlie, he and Charlie visit a brothel. What follows is hilarious as Charlie tries to escape over zealous madame Aggie. Beth meets and falls in love with a young lord named Tomas and they finally elope. Then their uncle catches up to them and Charlie is put in danger. The two are exposed as twin sisters and it is up to Radcliffe to rescue the woman he loves and wants to marry. This is a really cute and fun story. My only complaint is that I wish we'd had a little more depth to Radcliffe to find out what makes him as he is....Otherwise really good.

Lynsay sands has moved up on my list to one of my favorite authors. She knows how to blend humor with sensuality, and where to put the more serious parts in the book. Her villains are always the last person you would expect and her secondary characters are essential for the plot.

In this book we are introduced to Charlie and Elizabeth Carland, twins who are escaping their greedy uncle through the window at the inn they are staying at. Lord Jeremy Radcliffe just happens to see them sneaking out and assumes that the two are lovers and are on their way to Gretna Green. When they correct him and explain their circumstances he decides to help them stay safe from highway robbers. What he doesn't realize is that Charlie is actually *Charlotte*, disguised as a male. After days on the road, Charlie and Elizabeth decide to take up his offer of help and stay with him at his estate.

There are plenty of funny moments in this book. For example: Charlie ends up tied to a bed in a brothel by an old hag who is supposed to be initiating "him" into the sensual world.

Another funny thing is the fact that Radcliffe is trying to figure out how come he seems to be attracted to Charlie, when he had never been attracted to a man before. It's funny to read of how he explains the reasons and how he fights it. I also have a couple of complaints, small really, but still turned me off some. Charlie doesn't reveal herself until almost the end of the book, and there is one scene where Radcliffe has to dress as a woman. It should have been hilarious, but somehow, it fell flat. But, all in all, it's a delightful read. Fans of Lynsay Sands should love this one.

[Purchased book]

The Switch, my gawd!!! One of my favorite historical romance I've read. The story is fun and there's no dull moments in every page. Charlie, Beth and Lord Radcliffe and Tomas, love them all!! Also the minor characters are amazing. Overall, this book is fantastic!!! Loved it very much!!!

I highly recommend!

Well this was another book which I couldn't put down. If it hadn't been for that pesty thing called work and the fact that I need to eat and pay rent I would have read this straight through. I first discovered Lynsay Sands with ALWAYS and I've loved every book since. I love the humor she puts into her books. This one had me laughing out loud and getting strange looks from people. Her heroine in this book is very strong and has a innocent but experienced air about her. She gets herself, her twin sister and the hero into tons of trouble all the time. She seems to collect poor unfortunate souls and gather them together to make for a wild household, much to the dismay of the hero. He takes it all in stride though and eventually comes to the conclusion that he likes the way she helps all her "strays" as he calls them.
Now at first the heroine is dressed like a boy called Charlie who is traveling with his twin sister Beth. Actually Charlie is Charlotte but out hero has no clue but is very upset when he finds himself strangly attracted to Charlie. He even finds himself attracted to "Beth" at times and at other times he feels nothing towards her more than friendship. He doesn't realize that the twins have been switching places. When he finds out the whole truth he is greatly releived.
On the whole I loved this book and will read it again but I wish that there had been a little more romance between the hero and the heroine. They are actually together more when she's dressed as a boy than as a woman. Other than that I would highly recommend this book and any other of Lynsay Sands books.

Boy, oh boy. First off, let me start by saying that I did enjoy this book. I won't lie... I'm not a big fan of stories where women try passing themselves off as men. In this story, women of their class were soft, fair-skinned, pampered, and often too sheltered... and the fact that here we have identical twin sisters with one disguised as a man kinda had me wondering what was in store. So, let's just see...

Charlie and Elizabeth are trying to make their way to their cousin's estate to escape an uncle who has sold the sisters off to undesirable husbands. Refuge at cousin Ralphy's may mean spinsterhood, but that is better than a fate worse than death. With Charlotte (who is nick-named Charlie) posing as a boy named Charles, she escorts her sister on their journey. After all, a brother and sister travelling alone is certainly safer and less conspicuous than a pair of twin girls. But along the way, they meet Lord Radcliffe who is making his way back to London. Learning their plight, (which is semi-fabricated and focused on Elizabeth's well-being) and showing genuine concern for their safety, he offers to help them by escorting them to London where they would have a chance to find an alternate husband for Elizabeth. But as the journey continues, Radcliffe finds himself strangely drawn to the boy. Radcliffe concedes that Charlie has probably never spent time with anyone other than family and his twin sibling, so he writes off Charlie's rather feminine mannerisms. But when Radcliffe takes Charlie to a brothel in an attempt to help make a man out of him, Charlie suddenly finds herself with much more than she bargained for in this whole charade.

After reaching London, Radcliffe offers the twins protection in his home, introducing Charlie and Elizabeth as his cousins. With the opportunity to meet potential husbands, the twins decide to switch things up and share the boy and girl roles so they each have a chance to meet men at society events. But when Elizabeth takes her turn playing the boy, Radcliffe's strange feelings suddenly switch to "Elizabeth" (who is now being played by Charlie). Unable to control himself any longer, he kisses "Elizabeth" and realizes he's in a fix -- kissing and having feelings for a girl he has agreed to protect until safely married. But when the sisters switch roles again, Radcliffe is back to having strange feelings for Charlie, the boy. Will Radcliffe figure out the game being played? Will Charlie and Elizabeth find the husbands they need before their uncle forces them to submit to the arranged marriages? And will the blackmailer reveal their secrets?

I give the author lots of credit... she did an excellent job with making sure you knew who was who and who was playing who. It impressed me because never once did I feel confused about which sister was playing which role. Poor Radcliffe and his questioning thoughts over attraction to a boy! While I found it a bit humorous that he was clueless and couldn't figure out that it was two girls he had in his house, it was kinda fun to see him struggle with his thoughts and scratch his head when his strange feelings suddenly shifted from boy to girl and back to boy. And that actually brings me to my next point...

I've read some reviews for this book where readers thought it was the most hilarious book they've read! Really?? I thought the story had a nice dose of wit and humor, but really the situation these girls were in was serious (you know, story-wise). I definitely smiled and chuckled my way through the book, but never did I find it hilarious. I guess the fact that Radcliffe couldn't figure out his feelings - and why those feelings kept switching from Charlie to Elizabeth (played by Charlie) - was just downright hilarious to some readers. Ok... so I'm more of a realist, and sympathized with Radcliffe's confusion of feelings rather than laughed at him. And I was happy for Radcliffe when he learned the truth of the sisters and began to put the pieces in place because now those feelings could actually go somewhere!

With that said, I did thoroughly enjoy this story... until chapter 19. I am not sure what happened here, but once you hit chapter 19 the flavor (if you will) of the story really changes... almost as if a ghostwriter stepped in to finish things up. The last four chapters just seemed completely unnecessary to me and I will tell you why: First, Radcliffe got his turn to dress up as a woman. It was completely stupid, embarrassing to read and totally cheapened what was, up to that point, a great book. The scenes could have easily been edited out without being missed but the author chose to wrap up every last little detail and unfortunately the only way Radcliffe could apparently save the day with the whole blackmailing scheme was to dress up as a woman. Dear readers, I was ready to tear this book to shreds and feed it to my fireplace. Secondly, the relationship between Charlie and Radcliffe completely changes. My question is... why?? It didn't need to! Believe me, I could go on about the ending, including a certain scuffle that involved a woman in the advanced stages of pregnancy attacking a man by climbing on his back. Ridiculous, really. I leave you to form your own opinion but don't say I didn't warn you!

Prior to chapter 19, this book had earned a firm seat on my keeper shelf, but after finishing the last chapters and pondering over it, I've downgraded my rating. Yes, it was a pleasant read and I enjoyed it but I honestly don't think I'll pick this book up again and any recommendations I make to friends will come with a warning label. However, I have NOT written off Lynsay Sands! I have another Sands title, Love is Blind, en route and I'm crossing my fingers that this time I will love the whole thing! The Switch appears to be a stand-alone novel.

Contains spoilers
Charlie and her sister run away from their uncle after they learn they are to be married off. Charlie disguises herself as a boy. They encounter Jeremy, earl of Radcliffe who offers to travel with them to their destination. Soon after, Radcliffe takes her to a brothel, rescues drowning puppies, and goes to a gaming hell.

All the while, Radcliffe develops feelings for her in her boy form, which was hilarious. He believes it because the boy looks like his sister. He ends up sleeping with her, believing her to be Elizabeth. Next morning, he asks her to marry him. She believes he doesn't love her. She and her maid are later forced to go to Gretna Green. Radcliffe learns the truth by the man who ended up marrying the other sister. Charlie thinks of a plan. Radcliffe arrives and all is well. Book was good except the twins kept on deceiving everyone and couldn't ended up worse than it was.

This book is magnificent! I couldn't stop laughing while reading it, much to my husband's regret who was desperately trying to sleep and the fact that I kept re-reading the funny passages again and again didn't help at all! The way poor Radcliffe finds himself attracted to a young boy "Charles" and starts to wonder for his sexual preferences is incredibly hilarious.
In a few words, the story goes as follows: The earl of Radcliff meets a yound couple, a brother named "Charles" and his sister "Beth" trying to escape from their uncle. Much to their dismay (!), he offers to escort them to London, settle them in his house and introduce them to the ton as his relatives so that Beth can find a husband to escape from her uncle's plans. Although Beth is a very attractive woman, he finds himself attracted to her brother, Charlie! Radcliff is shocked by his response, but when he finally admits to himself that he is indeed attracted to "him", he finds out that he is also attracted to Beth... only at certain times! Little does he know that the brother and sister are in fact twin sisters and keep switching places as Charlie and Beth. As if this is not enough, a blackmailer appears that threatens to reveal the twins' secret.
How much longer can the twins keep their secret? Who is the vilain? Will Radcliff find out the truth before he loses his mind? Get the book and find that out!! I only regret that this book has been in my "to read list" for over a year and I only decided to read it last week. I will certainly not loose time again and go right away to order the other books of Mrs Sands! Don't make the same mistake with me if you haven't read this book. Go and get it right away!

Hey I was looking forward to this book. I liked how it started out but it got ridiculous. Seriously it was really asking a lot as a reader to accept that the H couldn't work out what was happening & why didn't the girls fess up to him, they trusted him!! The book was completely lost to me when poor old Radcliffe had to dress up as a woman...Imagine a the storeian woman in all proportions...nope couldn't see it. There were some amusing incidents but no way were they 'hilarious' ...everyone has their own sense of humour I suppose. 2-1/2 to 3 stars

I bought this book at the supermarket. I usually like to read reviews, but I was pressed for time and grabbed this book. I did laugh out loud during some point in the beginning and had high hopes for the rest of the book. The male lead character could or should not have been so naïve. The charade was great in the beginning and would have been wonderful if it ended way earlier. I know these are fiction, but come on, I want to be entertained and romanced. I do not want a naïve male lead to be wimpy and unaware. This is the first and last for me with Lynsay Sands unless I read some rave reviews worthy of trying her again. I enjoy some humor and better character development as well as plot.

Audiobook

3-1/2 out of 5 stars. Sisters pass for each other and men easily (the man part is hard to believe). The romance was okay - a lot of mad cap stopping bad things with widows, children and puppies. Cute, fluffy story.

My favorite part was when Radcliff - to his horror & dismay - found himself reacting to the sight of Charles' lovely bare derriere the same way as he reacted to Beth's. So much for thinking that he had a normal sexual preference before he met the twins ! Charlie is my kinda heroine, impulsive, inventive, quick-witted, mature, soft-hearted ( when it comes to people & animals in plight ), prone to disaster, and 1 weakness, a loathing for confined carriages. Radcliffe, not to be outdone, also had a scene-stealing performance of his own when he had to save his beloved from the villain's clutch. Extremely funny, fast-paced, engrossing characters & eye-catching book title, too. Another author to cherish on my growing list & what a rare find indeed. YAY !

Hilarious! Identical twin sisters run away from their uncle, who is trying to marry them off. One is to marry a so-so noble and the other is to marry a man who has already buried 3 wives and has come under suspicion for a couple of the deaths. So - one dresses as a man to lessen their chance of discovery. It's kind of like the old movies where a door opens & you're not sure who is going to come out.

Lynsay Sands is on my auto-buy list no matter the genre. The Switch is one of her hysterical historicals. It had some truly funny moments (like the moment Radcliffe realizes he took Charlie (a woman) to a brothel) but I will admit this isn’t a re-read for me. It is a fun, check your brain at the door, easy read but then pass it on.

I just finished The Switch. I feel a sense of loss. Each time I had to put the book down, I could not completely draw myself away from the characters. I carried them with me through out my time away. They were each made so real through Ms. Sand's portrayals, I felt in touch with them. The chemistry between Charlie and Radcliffe was so excellent, I looked forward to each and every encounter of theirs, simply for the thrill they gave. I wish though the love scenes between these two were a little more elaborated on. I am going to seek another Lynsay Sands novel on the store.com as soon as I finish this review. Here I go.

Well, another good funny story line with great characters. I enjoy this author because of the different story lines she comes up with. Just enough action, mystery, humor and steamy parts. I didn't want to put the book down. It was just different and even though I doubt the switch could acually happen I had fun reading it. I would recommend this book especially if you like Lynsay Sands stories.

I enjoyed it and would recommend it. I just wonder how such an amusing premise didn't inspire gales of laughter. I only laughed out loud once and don't recall any tears at all. I read these types of books for the emotions they evoke, and even though the plot of this one was good, with scenes that could have been fantastic, I didn't get pulled into the characters far enough. It was like watching a well written script brought down by substandard acting, if that makes any sense.

This was a recommended choice ..., and I am so thrilled they were right. I love to be able to read a romance and laugh.
Beth & Charlie (short for Charlotte) are twins running away from their greedy uncle who plans to marry them off to dirty old men for money - having practically run through any of their assets he could find already. They escape their uncle and decide that they will be less noticable as a boy and a girl instead of two twin girls.
They are noticed by Lord Radcliff escaping, he escorts them to London and invites them to live with him while they find "Beth" a husband. The girls take turns switching roles of who is the boy and who is the girl. Every time Charlotte switches identities, it leaves Lord Radcliff wondering his sexual orientation. One moment Beth is a sister to him and the next she is everything he would have in a woman. At times, he is inexplicably turned on by Charlie and other times he is relieved that it must have been a figment of his imagination. His confusion is hilarious.
READ IT!

I bought this book because of all the five-star reviews here, and although I enjoyed it at first, by the time I got about two-thirds of the way through I was really feeling let down.
The basic plot, though far-fetched, was amusing. Charlie is a witty and daring heroine, and seems to make a convincing boy; however, her sister Beth seems far too feminine and missish to be at all convincing in the role of a boy - and so, when Charlie and Beth change places, I couldn't believe that Radcliffe didn't work out that something was wrong - quite apart from his hormonal reactions altering according to which twin was playing which role.
I enjoyed the scenes with Radcliffe and Charlie-as-a-boy very much. The brothel scene, and the earlier ones in the tavern, were very well written and amusing. But later elements of the plot became farcical - the trip to Gretna, Radcliffe's disguising himself as a woman, and so on. Like the other reviewer, I was also disappointed in the aftermath of the revelation of Charlie's real identity.
Of course, this book also requires a huge amount of suspension of disbelief. I overlooked the typos and grammatical errors, as well as the Americanisms in dialogue which were completely wrong for the location and the period. But Sands actually suggests that it became widely known that Charlie was really a woman - well, Charlie, Beth and Radcliffe would have faced social disgrace and ostracism. Charlie would have been branded a strumpet. Many more details were incorrect - for instance, it was a blacksmith and not a fisherman who married couples at Gretna.
This is a one-time read, for me.

I enjoyed reading this book because it was everything wrapped up in a one book. It has romance,comedy,and excitement all wrapped up together! I would recommend this to everyone that likes to read! Keep it up Lynsay Sands!

This was the first book I've read by Ms.Sands and I was not disappointed.I love a book that makes me laugh (and this one certainly did!) and entertains me as well. Enjoyed it soooo much I have since read at least three others and laughed and loved them all. Definitely adding Ms. Sands to my list of favorite authors!

This is my all time favourite! After reading many novels of similar plotting, "The Switch" is a real original. I loved the humor and couldn't help laughing out loud and hard. The characters are so well drawn and Charles/Charlotte is just the best heroine. There is so much in this story that one must feel blessed to have sampled it. The best feature of this novel is the affections Lord Radcliffe feels for Charlie when in her disguise as a boy. Radcliffe's confusion of his own sexual preferance is something to laugh at. The humour and wit and mishaps I so thoroughly enjoyed. It is entertaining when these two characters are thrown together, especially when Charlie plays "Charles". From the scene where Radcliffe wakes to find Charles tangled in his arms I could not put it down. This is a must read again and again!

My favorite part was when Radcliff - to his horror & dismay - found himself reacting to the sight of Charles' lovely bare derriere the same way as he reacted to Beth's. So much for thinking that he had a normal sexual preference before he met the twins ! Charlie is my kinda heroine, impulsive, inventive, quick-witted, mature, soft-hearted ( when it comes to people & animals in plight ), prone to disaster, and 1 weakness, a loathing for confined carriages. Radcliffe, not to be outdone, also had a scene-stealing performance of his own when he had to save his beloved from the villain's clutch. Extremely funny, fast-paced, engrossing characters & eye-catching book title, too. Another author to cherish on my growing list & what a rare find indeed. YAY !

I just finished The Switch. I feel a sense of loss. Each time I had to put the book down, I could not completely draw myself away from the characters. I carried them with me through out my time away. They were each made so real through Ms. Sand's portrayals, I felt in touch with them. The chemistry between Charlie and Radcliffe was so excellent, I looked forward to each and every encounter of theirs, simply for the thrill they gave. I wish though the love scenes between these two were a little more elaborated on. I am going to seek another Lynsay Sands novel on the store.com as soon as I finish this review. Here I go.

When I brought this book the first thing I said to myself was just how funny could it be,it's a romance. Reading it was the proof positive that it was very funny.What I found so amusing was Lord Radcliffe's reaction to Charlie. The poor man thought he was a sure canidate for Bedlam.The constant scrapes and misadventures Charlie/Charlotte Westerly got herself and Lord Jeremy into were exciting. Lord Radcliffe's reactions to Charlie however, were to me much more priceless and hilarious, and when Charlotte dressed as Charlie is to spend the night in the same bed as Lord Radcliff...well his sanity is bound to go thru some confusing changes.It's just to funny for words. This book is a must read!

I really enjoyed this book. Twin sisters, one disguised as a boy, escaping their uncle's evil plans for dangerous marriages, get help from Lord Radcliffe, who falls in love with one of the sisters but has some confusion thrown in when that sister is dressed as a boy. Its truly a funny book with a lot of great scenes. I laughed before I turned the first page. Most definitely an enjoyable read.

The Switch was my first book by Ms. Sands and it was delightful. She captures your interest within the first few pages then keeps you reading because of the two delightful sisters and their dilemma. Add a wonderful hero and you have a great read.

This was my first Lynsay Sands read, and I'm now a fan for life. It was just fabulous. The author is LOL funny. She is to historicals what Susan Elizabeth Phillips is to contemporaries. Thank you, Lynsay!

Well, another good funny story line with great characters. I enjoy this author because of the different story lines she comes up with. Just enough action, mystery, humor and steamy parts. I didn't want to put the book down. It was just different and even though I doubt the switch could acually happen I had fun reading it. I would recommend this book especially if you like Lynsay Sands stories.