April Lady
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- Create Date：2021-08-27 09:53:53
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Georgette Heyer
- ISBN：0099476347
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Summary
Despite the scandalous blemish on the family name of his 18 year old bride， Lord Giles Cardross is convinced beautiful Helen cares for him。 When newlywed begins to fill her days with fashion and frivolity， her husband has to wonder whether she really did marry him for his money， as his family so helpfully suggests。 He thought they were marrying for love， but as the bills and extravagant debts begin to mount up， Giles begins to suspect that perhaps his adored wife isn't as innocent as he supposed。 Especially since， as of late， she's been unable to look him in the eye。。。
Impetuous Lady Helen Cardross had collected quite a basket of little white lies in her efforts to help those less fortunate than herself。 There were， for example; her own dashing， debt-ridden brother， and her husband's love-sick， youthful sister。 But to her adored （and adoring） lord and master， there could be no dissembling of integrity， honor， or truth。 One faced up to grim reality -- unless one were Lady Helen。
When his family's priceless jewels disappear， Lord Cardross is aghast at the idea that his lovely new wife might be the culprit， but he soon discovers the truth about Lady Nell's situation。 And between his concern over his wife's spending sprees， rescuing her impulsive brother from one scrape after another， and attempting to prevent his own half--it's no wonder the much-tried earl can't see where he's gone wrong。 And now owing a shocking amount of money， Nell doesn't dare tell him the truth--that she's loved him from the first， and thought he'd married her for convenience。
Impetuous Lady Helen Cardross had collected quite a basket of little white lies in her efforts to help those less fortunate than herself。 There were， for example; her own dashing， debt-ridden brother， and her husband's love-sick， youthful sister。 But to her adored （and adoring） lord and master， there could be no dissembling of integrity， honor， or truth。 One faced up to grim reality -- unless one were Lady Helen。
When his family's priceless jewels disappear， Lord Cardross is aghast at the idea that his lovely new wife might be the culprit， but he soon discovers the truth about Lady Nell's situation。 And between his concern over his wife's spending sprees， rescuing her impulsive brother from one scrape after another， and attempting to prevent his own half--it's no wonder the much-tried earl can't see where he's gone wrong。 And now owing a shocking amount of money， Nell doesn't dare tell him the truth--that she's loved him from the first， and thought he'd married her for convenience。
Reviews
Elizabeth
，
A Regency insta-love marriage of convenience？ Huh？ （Please don't tell me I'm the only one confused about that paradox。） Well， it is rather interesting how Heyer plays that out。 April Lady utilizes a lot of Heyer's favorite tropes。 For example， a drunken duo encroaching on an important scene and being a comic relief。 And the whole brother trying to help the sister while also keeping everything secret from the sister's husband。 It reminded me of a few of Heyer's other works， The Convenient Marriag A Regency insta-love marriage of convenience？ Huh？ （Please don't tell me I'm the only one confused about that paradox。） Well， it is rather interesting how Heyer plays that out。 April Lady utilizes a lot of Heyer's favorite tropes。 For example， a drunken duo encroaching on an important scene and being a comic relief。 And the whole brother trying to help the sister while also keeping everything secret from the sister's husband。 It reminded me of a few of Heyer's other works， The Convenient Marriage in particular。 （But I thought April Lady was much better。）Recommended to fans of Heyer's other works。 Certainly not as good as the more popular ones， and I suggest starting with those。 （Arabella， Frederica， and Sylvester all come to mind， as well as These Old Shades and The Grand Sophy。） But April Lady is fairly clean， making it a nice light read。 。。。more
Gabrielle
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What a mixed bag。 Many of the scenes were humorous， but the overall plot was pretty dumb and the pairings not very believable。 Not one of Heyer's best， but I enjoyed it nonetheless。 What a mixed bag。 Many of the scenes were humorous， but the overall plot was pretty dumb and the pairings not very believable。 Not one of Heyer's best， but I enjoyed it nonetheless。 。。。more
BM Zimmerman
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Mixed ReviewSomewhat tedious reading for the first half。 Heyer wrote with LONG sentences and LONG paragraphs， at times confusing， but worth the read。
Vanessa
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I'm continuing to read more of Georgette Heyer books。 I am very fond of Jane Austen's writing。 I've been told this is similar。 It is， but it isn't。 Going to try a four book series by Ms。 Heyer starting with "These Old Shades"。 Hope I continue to like the books more and more。 I'm continuing to read more of Georgette Heyer books。 I am very fond of Jane Austen's writing。 I've been told this is similar。 It is， but it isn't。 Going to try a four book series by Ms。 Heyer starting with "These Old Shades"。 Hope I continue to like the books more and more。 。。。more
Puse Muckel
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Awful characters， boring story。I have read better books of Georgette Heyer。Why would I want to read hundreds of pages disgusting behaviour of spoiled and dumb females。
Diana
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Boring ，boring 。。。。couldn’t finish。
SheSwmz
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I've come late to the Georgette Heyer fan club， but even when I account for a different culture and mores in Regency UK （and the 1950/60s （when this was written））， I can't in good faith recommend this novel。 I finished it only because I'm compulsive about these things; I kept hoping matters would improve; and， because I'm a GH fan， I wanted them to。 They didn't。 All of the characters are universally unappealing （and that is an understatement）。 The heroine， Nell， is one of the stupidest protagoni I've come late to the Georgette Heyer fan club， but even when I account for a different culture and mores in Regency UK （and the 1950/60s （when this was written））， I can't in good faith recommend this novel。 I finished it only because I'm compulsive about these things; I kept hoping matters would improve; and， because I'm a GH fan， I wanted them to。 They didn't。 All of the characters are universally unappealing （and that is an understatement）。 The heroine， Nell， is one of the stupidest protagonists I've ever met in fiction。 Don't waste your precious time on this。 。。。more
Kate Millin
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Nell is a lovely，sweet heroine with a sense of humour who loves her older husband but has been told by her mother that she must not presume he loves her。 She comes from a family of gamers although she doesn’t play， but she uses some of her considerable allowance to help her brother and ends up in debt。 Then an amusing series of events when her brother tries to help her raise money for the biggest outstanding bill。
Lacy
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Classic clean romanceI really enjoy Georgette Heyer's novels。 I struggle a bit with the amount of regency slang she uses， but it's still enjoyable。 It at least seems more historically correct than current books set in the regent era。 This was a fun love story with Ms。 Heyer's typical happy ending and loyal heroine。 Classic clean romanceI really enjoy Georgette Heyer's novels。 I struggle a bit with the amount of regency slang she uses， but it's still enjoyable。 It at least seems more historically correct than current books set in the regent era。 This was a fun love story with Ms。 Heyer's typical happy ending and loyal heroine。 。。。more
Jenny
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Missing in action: the hero。Wherefore art thou hero。Starting the book the hero and heroine are already married， there is tiny snippets of romance but it is more about the heroine （who is a bit of a twit）， her sister in law （an actual twit）and her brother （who is in some way the real hero of the story but also kind of the villain）。 There is barely any interaction with her husband。
Rita
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I know it's %v_array_gen[0]%， but you have to wonder about some of the things taking place。 Are these things types of things going on today？ I know it's %v_array_gen[0]%， but you have to wonder about some of the things taking place。 Are these things types of things going on today？ 。。。more
Amanda
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This is full of people acting foolishly and not communicating but I still loved it
Christine
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I really really enjoyed this one。 It's a tough nut and Heyer 100% cracks it。In "April Lady，" Helen， Lady Cardross （aka "Nell" to her friends & family） has been wed to the very well-born and wealthy Lord Cardross for about a year。 Nell comes from a family with a lot of debt and money problems and not nearly as much social standing as Cardross。 She finds Cardross absolutely charming when they first meet and （more or less） falls in love at first sight。 Unfortunately， she soon learns that Cardross h I really really enjoyed this one。 It's a tough nut and Heyer 100% cracks it。In "April Lady，" Helen， Lady Cardross （aka "Nell" to her friends & family） has been wed to the very well-born and wealthy Lord Cardross for about a year。 Nell comes from a family with a lot of debt and money problems and not nearly as much social standing as Cardross。 She finds Cardross absolutely charming when they first meet and （more or less） falls in love at first sight。 Unfortunately， she soon learns that Cardross has a mistress and， according to her mother， is only interested in Nell so he can have a conveniently discreet and beautiful wife。 This is a marriage of convenience， not a love match。 And Nell should， as a polite lady of a certain class （says her mother）， let Cardross have his space and not demand his attention beyond mere politeness。So Nell， already reeling at the difficulties of managing more money than she's ever had at her disposal， and trying to fit in with a wealthier circle， has absolutely no idea that Cardross is SMITTEN with her。 And， in light of his being older than Nell and essentially a stranger， he wants Nell to have her independence and space so she can get to know him （and hopefully grow to love or at least like him） at her own pace。He has no idea that when Nell first met him， she had no idea he would propose nor how rich he was。 She was just swept off her feet and went along， more sadly， with the idea of a convenient albeit loveless marriage。The surface conflict begins when Nell， acutely aware and embarrassed of her messy spending & money management， hides a large debt from Cardross。 In hiding the debt， she becomes increasingly nervous and distant， all while hijinks happen with her and her brother （who is always in debt and has creative ways of getting money in weird circumstances）。 Cardross， already insecure at his wife's heretofore distant behavior， begins to really believe she has only married him out of convenience and has not feeling for him whatsoever。 It's a horrible situation where Nell realizes why Cardross is so upset but can't exactly fix it when she's badly in debt and will not， under any circumstances， ask for more money while professing her love。All in all， it's a very interesting exploration of two people who do love each other but do not want to show their feelings lest they be deemed pushy。 Not so much a fear of rejection as a fear of imposing oneself on the other， and then feeling the rejection all the more acutely before the actual rejection happens。Recommended as a very angsty and also hilarious Heyer romance， accessible to anyone who likes historical fiction and character-driven conflict。 。。。more
Danielle
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Ditsy bride who doesn’t realise her husband is in love with her。 Dressmakers’ bills and a wild brother lead to stressful adventures before all is resolved。
Kelsey Dangelo-Worth
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Lady Nell Cardross is in love with her new husband， the rich Lord Cardross， but her mother warns her that her new husband might not reciprocate those feelings and have a mistress。 Nell enjoys her new life of spending， even bailing her brother out of his gambling debts， and escorting her young sister-in-law Letty to balls。 But when Nell gets herself in debt to a dressmaker， she realizes she must find the money herself or risk losing the affections of her husband。 Meanwhile， her brother tries to h Lady Nell Cardross is in love with her new husband， the rich Lord Cardross， but her mother warns her that her new husband might not reciprocate those feelings and have a mistress。 Nell enjoys her new life of spending， even bailing her brother out of his gambling debts， and escorting her young sister-in-law Letty to balls。 But when Nell gets herself in debt to a dressmaker， she realizes she must find the money herself or risk losing the affections of her husband。 Meanwhile， her brother tries to help her by staging a robbery， and her sister-in-law hopes to elope with her beloved， who is too down-to-earth to agree。 I liked that this was a love story between a married couple， and I particularly liked the ne’er-do-well brother， who gambles away the small amount of money he has， wants to dash off to war （sort of）， and laughs at his sister’s seriousness。 I also liked Seline， the comic relief who reads too many romantic novels but utterly fails in her dramatics。 The love story between the dramatic Letty and the poor， hard working and honorable （but very dull） Allansdale was pretty great。 I read this book as a treat during vacation， and it was kind of dull and plodding for a good part of it （just Nell fretting about the bill）， but the ridiculous comedic climatic ending with the brother and his rowdy friends， all drunk in the study， as Lord Cardross learns the truth and Letty is returned， was great payout。 。。。more
Debbie
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This is the only Georgette Heyer novel I've read that I struggled to finish。 The characters are all patently stupid and/or absurd and/or spoiled rotten。 The only exception， Lord Cardross， is sadly absent through most of the book。It failed to charm me， but even a below-standard Heyer is well-written and well-plotted enough to earn an "it's okay" rating。 It's just not up to the high standards of the two dozen or so other Heyer novels I've read。 This is the only Georgette Heyer novel I've read that I struggled to finish。 The characters are all patently stupid and/or absurd and/or spoiled rotten。 The only exception， Lord Cardross， is sadly absent through most of the book。It failed to charm me， but even a below-standard Heyer is well-written and well-plotted enough to earn an "it's okay" rating。 It's just not up to the high standards of the two dozen or so other Heyer novels I've read。 。。。more
Jacqueline
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3。5I found some of the dialogue difficult to understand I’m this which got in the way of my enjoyment a bit。 I expect if I read a few more I’d find it easier to follow what’s being said for all of the period details made this an absorbing read。Complete story。
Sally
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I discovered Georgette Heyer when I was a student， Her regency romances were an absolute delight and the best distraction from academic texts。。 This was my first return to her work since those days and I found the same lovely comedy - a bit like a less serious Jane Austen。 This is the story of Nell， a young and beautiful young woman who is married to Cardross in what she perceives to be a marriage of convenience。 It is also the story of Nell's brother Dysart who is a bit of a lad， and Cardross' I discovered Georgette Heyer when I was a student， Her regency romances were an absolute delight and the best distraction from academic texts。。 This was my first return to her work since those days and I found the same lovely comedy - a bit like a less serious Jane Austen。 This is the story of Nell， a young and beautiful young woman who is married to Cardross in what she perceives to be a marriage of convenience。 It is also the story of Nell's brother Dysart who is a bit of a lad， and Cardross' sister Letty who will do anything to achieve her desires。 The story is funny， full of mishap/ missed chances。 and misapprehensions！ I greatly enjoyed my return to Georgette Heyer。 The narrator had a lovely clear voice， however I found it much harder to listen to a Heyer novel than to read it and this surprised me。 I could not get into the swing of it to start with and found it a little fast。 I wasn't sure about the voicing of the male characters and I think that this was in part due to the very archaic language the male characters seemed to use - this sounded particularly awkward。 However， I did really enjoy my return to Heyer and will definitely be revisiting some of my favourites。 With thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House UK Audio for a digital copy of this lovely book。 。。。more
Susan
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My favorite fun， champagne of an author， always the perfect diversion！
Lynn
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Cute enough， but frustrating at times。
Sandy Anderson
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Neither the heroine nor the hero are typical in the first part of this novel -- except for their aristocracy and wealth。 They are already married when the novel opens。 Helen is much younger than the Earl and in the opening scene， he is scolding her for being in debt and she reacts like a chastened schoolgirl。In fact， this forms the crux of the plot -- Nell's attempt to hide from Cardross one more forgotten debt while looking for a way to pay it back with the help of her beloved brother -- who se Neither the heroine nor the hero are typical in the first part of this novel -- except for their aristocracy and wealth。 They are already married when the novel opens。 Helen is much younger than the Earl and in the opening scene， he is scolding her for being in debt and she reacts like a chastened schoolgirl。In fact， this forms the crux of the plot -- Nell's attempt to hide from Cardross one more forgotten debt while looking for a way to pay it back with the help of her beloved brother -- who seems to have inherited the family trait of excessive drinking and gambling。 She is also， at the ripe old age of 18， expected to chaperone her husband's stubborn and flighty half-sister -- only a year younger -- and keep her from becoming a disgrace to the family。 But never fear; after a distressing number of white lies， misunderstandings and anguish， things come to a head。 The last third of the book has some laugh-out-loud scenes， Nell reveals herself to be the pragmatic and heroic heroine Heyer has accustomed us to， Cardross recovers his wit and understanding of the vagaries of the younger ones， solves everyone's problems including his own and all ends well。 。。。more
Julie
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Best thing about this is， it was written by Georgette Heyer。
Tolu Ajala
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Not sure if class this as a romance as there is very little romance in the book。 A historical comedy for sure because it was hilarious and in that， I found the characters endearing and so I did find that I felt for their silly misunderstandings and struggles。 It isn't quite the historical romance I was expecting but still a sweet and enjoyable romance and I very much enjoyed the audiobook， Tanya Reynolds did a grand job。 Not sure if class this as a romance as there is very little romance in the book。 A historical comedy for sure because it was hilarious and in that， I found the characters endearing and so I did find that I felt for their silly misunderstandings and struggles。 It isn't quite the historical romance I was expecting but still a sweet and enjoyable romance and I very much enjoyed the audiobook， Tanya Reynolds did a grand job。 。。。more
Sandra Burke
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Not on my re-read list for Georgette Heyer。 There’s not enough interaction between the two main characters for my liking， and the misunderstandings drive me crazy。
Pixie 🍜
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I’d like to thank the publishers and netgalley for an audio arc of this in exchange of an honest review。Until recently I’d never heard of georgette heyer， but it was entirely through chance I stumbled across her first novel， the black month。 Remembering the name， I then had to request this when I saw it hoping to try out some delicious regency novels。 I wasn’t disappointed， this story is charming and heartwarming and absolutely hilarious。 There’s nothing more I can say because it’s really just l I’d like to thank the publishers and netgalley for an audio arc of this in exchange of an honest review。Until recently I’d never heard of georgette heyer， but it was entirely through chance I stumbled across her first novel， the black month。 Remembering the name， I then had to request this when I saw it hoping to try out some delicious regency novels。 I wasn’t disappointed， this story is charming and heartwarming and absolutely hilarious。 There’s nothing more I can say because it’s really just lovely。 Perhaps if you’re unfamiliar with the uk and regency period some stuff may be a trifle confusing but overall it’s a wonderful tale。 I highly recommend， especially with this narrator who was utterly delightful and perfect。 。。。more
Curlemagne
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Antisemitic。 :（
Alexandra
，
April Lady is usually described as a poor man’s The Convenient Marriage as both stories deal with a young girl who recently marries an older gentleman， placing themselves in a loveless marriage but both are too chicken to acknowledge their feelings， the bride as a hairbrained brother addicted to gambling along with a missing necklace being center conflict which leads into the climax and the resolution of the two main leads now moving forward into their marriage。 I would disagree and agree with t April Lady is usually described as a poor man’s The Convenient Marriage as both stories deal with a young girl who recently marries an older gentleman， placing themselves in a loveless marriage but both are too chicken to acknowledge their feelings， the bride as a hairbrained brother addicted to gambling along with a missing necklace being center conflict which leads into the climax and the resolution of the two main leads now moving forward into their marriage。 I would disagree and agree with the statement as April Lady does have a lot of problems， but I think it does fix many issues I had with The Convenient Marriage。 One instance， I honestly buy the romance between Nell and Giles as you do get an idea of how much they care for one another and Nell’s flaws are she takes bad advice from her mother resulting in an overpaid bill leading Giles to believe Nell is no better than the rest of her family even though he does want to desperately give her the benefit of the doubt。 Nell while still a child and prone to being silly， does mean well as she attempts to help Giles’s sister Letty with much of her scheming， particularly in marrying a Mr。 Allandale who does not have the money to marry her and she is too young to touch her inheritance。 The two biggest problems I have with this story are Letty herself， I found her to be so insufferable as her scheming is partially responsible for why Nell and Giles spend so much time not getting along， she basically commits theft and proves how immature she is for not only marriage but in obtaining her fortune。 All of this could have been forgiven if she were not taking so much time within the story where you would think the book was mainly about her。 My second problem was Nell and Giles’ relationship itself was not the central focus， it told to us in secondhand accounts where they barely interact as they spend most of their time dealing with Letty。 I read somewhere April Lady is all over the place because Heyer was in a hurry to write it to avoid some tax issues as it kept halting her attempt at writing her magum opus。 If true， you can see some moments where this book does need a second draft as much of the story is told to us until the end。 The conflict with the necklace I did enjoy and Nell attempting to set things right as brilliant。 It was great to see Letty getting some comeuppance as well as Giles and Nell reconciling。 A definite way of describing a comedy of errors。 。。。more
Emma
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Given that I have decided to read lots of Regency Romances this year as a Guilty Pleasure。。。 I was looking forward to some Heyer， but this was in no way even in the same league as the other book I had read previously。Absolutely no chemistry between our couple， a messy scenario and wholly unlikable secondary characters。 It passed the time but did not enthrall me which is a real shame。
Christine
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Another adorable Regency novel。 Heyer always gives you new vocabulary， slang， and historical tidbits in her romances。 Sadly， this novel left me annoyed with all of the main characters， except Dysart。 The characters were personally annoying， and didn’t make any sort of development in the book。 Instead， they barf up their secrets， magically in the last few pages。 I’m not saying this wasn’t realistic—just that the characters were either helpless or tending towards psychic vampirism。Hethersett at le Another adorable Regency novel。 Heyer always gives you new vocabulary， slang， and historical tidbits in her romances。 Sadly， this novel left me annoyed with all of the main characters， except Dysart。 The characters were personally annoying， and didn’t make any sort of development in the book。 Instead， they barf up their secrets， magically in the last few pages。 I’m not saying this wasn’t realistic—just that the characters were either helpless or tending towards psychic vampirism。Hethersett at least is a voice of reason， but both he and Mr Allandale serve to act as the good consciences of Nell and Letty， respectively。 Still—no one does Regency like Heyer。 I’ll leave you to Google the club Dysart belongs to on yourself own。 ;-） 。。。more
Jennifer Siegrist
，
This story focuses on the relationships of a woman and her sister and the family she married into。 I wouldn’t call it a romance story; it is a CV period drama and relevant at the moment with the popularity of “Bridgerton” and other similar dramas。 I found the first couple of chapters to be slow， but then it picked up pace well as soon as I understood the characters。 I noticed a few audio issues with long pauses and bits that needed further audio editing。 Overall， a good story。 I’d give it 4。5 st This story focuses on the relationships of a woman and her sister and the family she married into。 I wouldn’t call it a romance story; it is a CV period drama and relevant at the moment with the popularity of “Bridgerton” and other similar dramas。 I found the first couple of chapters to be slow， but then it picked up pace well as soon as I understood the characters。 I noticed a few audio issues with long pauses and bits that needed further audio editing。 Overall， a good story。 I’d give it 4。5 stars， rounded up to 5， 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=April Lady
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=April Lady&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,April Lady&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0