Set in an alt-Regency England in which race and sexuality are of no matter. Unfortunately, rumors are quite important--and there are enough surroundinSet in an alt-Regency England in which race and sexuality are of no matter. Unfortunately, rumors are quite important--and there are enough surrounding Catherine that she marries some random gentleman to end them. Luckily for her, he turns out to be a generous landlord and overall good guy. And luckily for him, she's not only rich and attractive, but quietly generous and kind herself. I really admired the way she tried to put everyone at ease when she moved into Andrew's house. The hang up is that Catherine only wants to be with someone she loves, and Andrew is sure he can't love anyone after a tumultuous relationship years before.
I liked the opportunity to read a Regency romance with pictures accompanying & supplementing the story. The characters themselves aren't a huge draw, but I liked the setting and art....more
Abigail Wilder was adopted by the Lord Sorcier of England after a terrifying adventure in Fairy. Her workhouse origins and whiff of magic render her uAbigail Wilder was adopted by the Lord Sorcier of England after a terrifying adventure in Fairy. Her workhouse origins and whiff of magic render her unpalatable to the Ton. Instead of further participating in the social whirl of the upper class, Abigail instead throws herself into investigating the recent and unexpected deaths of three young ladies. For allies she has her younger brother Hugh and Mercy, a beautiful and strange woman who is also investigating the deaths.
I disliked the first two thirds and only plodded through because I like the world and author. I didn't warm to Abigail or Hugh, and I was annoyed that all three of them talk in a lower class accent that's hard to read. Luckily Mercy and her magic are very cool, so once that was in play I raced through the last third.
The book ends with a chapter that just outright tells Abigail and Hugh's futures, which I thought entirely unnecessary....more
Valentine and Louisa are young, handsome, well-bred, and have a comfortable estate. After their domineering father dies, they are finally able to ventValentine and Louisa are young, handsome, well-bred, and have a comfortable estate. After their domineering father dies, they are finally able to venture into Society. They're both reasonable successes, but Valentine's love for a scandalous married woman threatens both their positions.
I really enjoyed this. The plots and characters are a thoughtful hodge-podge of successes from Austen, particularly Emma and Northanger Abbey. Louisa is a wonderful character to follow, being both a bit unworldly but also brave, loyal, sensible, and sensitive enough that I never lost patience with her....more
Doctor-in-training Nicholas Rokesby is called back from his studies to marry his childhood friend Georgiana Bridgerton. A cad kidnapped Georgie and wiDoctor-in-training Nicholas Rokesby is called back from his studies to marry his childhood friend Georgiana Bridgerton. A cad kidnapped Georgie and with her reputation now in tatters, a quick marriage to a good man is her best option. At first Nicholas and Georgie are awkward about the situation, but then Georgie see Nicholas treat a patient and realizes she is interested in both him and medicine. They rapidly get married and the next half of the novel is them setting up their first household in Edinburgh and (eventually) having sex.
Both Georgie and Nicholas are sensible, romantic, relatively plausible characters. The trademark Bridgerton "banter" (one person says something fairly benign, the next person repeats a word from it, the first person repeats it themselves, the next person says "What?!" This is repeated multiple times per Bridgerton book.) that turned me off this series is relatively light....more
From 1700 through the early 1800s, mental, social, and physical life in Britain was transformed, particularly for the middle class and above. Travel bFrom 1700 through the early 1800s, mental, social, and physical life in Britain was transformed, particularly for the middle class and above. Travel became far easier and more sought after. Newspapers, books, and literacy proliferated. Racing and boxing became far more popular, and the theater returned to England.
I love how many pictures of art and advertisements of the time are included in this; probably about half this book is made of images. What I didn't love was how scattered, imprecise, and repetitious this book was. Plumb puts ads from 1730 right next to 1880, with no acknowledgement of the huge swath of time between them. He'll say something about roads and then repeat it fifteen pages later, and another thirty pages after that. I found this read worthwhile to dip my toe back into the Georgian period, but look elsewhere for specifics and timelines in regards to inventions, personages, and trends of the period....more
Edward Percy Talbot just learned that his father the duke married someone else before he married Percy's mother. The first wife is still living, makinEdward Percy Talbot just learned that his father the duke married someone else before he married Percy's mother. The first wife is still living, making Percy and his baby half-sister Eliza bastards. Percy is determined to get revenge on the duke before this secret is revealed and he loses access. He hires a highwayman to help, and luckily the person he hires is Kit Webb, a highly principled, but unfortunately recently disabled, ruffian-turned-coffeehouse-owner.
Percy and Kit are delightful. Percy is that type of intelligent, sensitive fop that I love in fiction, and Kit's gruff demeaner quickly melts way to a very soft-hearted man. I really liked them, and this book, except for two things. One, it felt a bit long and dragging. I think the author wanted to give Kit and Percy time to get to know each other and have a reasonable cause to fall so deeply in love, but this means most of the book is them sitting in the coffeeshop. More heists needed! And two,(view spoiler)[Kit's long lost bff Rob is the blackmailer and true heir to the dukedom, as I suspected as soon as he turned up. Which is fine, but I don't understand why both he AND Marian (Percy's bff and the current illegitimate duchess) didn't say a single word to their supposed best friends and instead disappeared for months. Not least because this disappearance included leaving Marian's infant daughter Eliza with Percy?! Wtf? I know aristocratic mothers were used to leaving children with the help but that seems to strain credulity. It seems so odd that it reads as though the author just wanted to maintain the mystery of the blackmailer a bit longer and give Kit and Percy a baby to play happy families with.(hide spoiler)]
I'm tagging this "regency" for my ease, but it's actually set in 1751 and has a nicely refined sense of place and time. There are lots of nice little historical details that I quite liked....more
Beatrice Clayborn is well-born but not well-off. It's assumed that she must marry well, and in her very first Season, for her family to maintain theirBeatrice Clayborn is well-born but not well-off. It's assumed that she must marry well, and in her very first Season, for her family to maintain their socioeconomic position. Beatrice is sure that if she can just become a mage she can convince her father to let her help him in his business. She is aided by a sympathetic mother and careful practice with grimoires (hidden in plain sight as misspellings in ladies' books). But even as she makes progress in her quest to conjure a Major Spirit, her marital prospects close in. Beatrice is torn between marriage which will save her family but doom her to decades without magic or sensation, or pursuing magic which will socially doom her family.
I love the world this is set in, which is a more colorful and magical sort of Regency England playground. Some of the constraints of that sort of setting have been removed: two of the three main characters are people of color (their homeland is more prosperous and fashionable than Beatrice's, to boot) and there's no authorial classism. But the sexism, heterosexism, rigidity of the social rules of the upper class, and need for money are all still deeply embedded in there. The dialog makes no attempt to ape old greats like Jane Austen or Georgette Heyer. It's straightforwardly modern. But other things I love about historical romances, like the beautiful clothing, the yearning while having to maintain a face-saving facade, the balls, are all here. Plus--magic!
Two people fall in love, but he has little money and she thinks she ought to marry her late husband's cousin. What I liked best about this book is thaTwo people fall in love, but he has little money and she thinks she ought to marry her late husband's cousin. What I liked best about this book is that they basically fell in love while he taught her about estate management....more
A fairy stole half Dora's soul when she was a child, and ever since she's felt emotions only at a far remove. This puts her at a distinct disadvantageA fairy stole half Dora's soul when she was a child, and ever since she's felt emotions only at a far remove. This puts her at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to being bullied into proper ladylike behavior--she's forever shaming herself in social situations. But every once in a while it's helpful, like when she comes face to face with the irascible Lord Sorcier of England. She presents him with a challenge: help her get her soul back. But no sooner has their shared quest begun than another, much more important magical challenge appears: a sleeping sickness with no apparent cause or cure.
I liked the characters, I liked the magic (including a scary ball in Fairy!!!), the Regency setting felt fully realized, and I was surprised and pleased that(view spoiler)[in the end Dora doesn't take her other half of her soul back, which would've changed her a great deal, because I liked her as is(hide spoiler)]....more
Isabel is a young widow whose family is in debt. Laurence is a lonely duke with a limp and plenty of money. Isabel's mother arranges for them to marryIsabel is a young widow whose family is in debt. Laurence is a lonely duke with a limp and plenty of money. Isabel's mother arranges for them to marry, thus solving everyone's immediate issues. But once Isabel and Laurence are married, their super expected personal issues prevent them from a happy union. Isabel's last marriage was unhappy and so she expects this one to be. Laurence feels guilt that his parents died while they were taking a carriage ride together. Eventually they confess to each other and emotionally heal. Frankly this book is written with such stilted dialog, trite characterization, and so little in the way of historical accuracy or plot that by the end I was rooting against the main characters....more
This is not a complete picture, but it breezes by many useful, important, and just plain interesting personages, events, and trends of the Regency eraThis is not a complete picture, but it breezes by many useful, important, and just plain interesting personages, events, and trends of the Regency era. Lots of good, otherwise hard-to-find paintings and drawings of the time, with enough anecdotes to catch the reader's imagination and references if you're interested in verifying them or digging deeper....more
A young hoyden and her childhood playmate (now all grown up) are caught in an innocent-yet-seemingly-compromising clinch and forced to speedily marry.A young hoyden and her childhood playmate (now all grown up) are caught in an innocent-yet-seemingly-compromising clinch and forced to speedily marry. Although Ella has been in love with Oscar for years, he thinks of her as a platonic friend and struggles to think of her as a romantic or sexual partner. They both feel trepidation about stepping into the adult roles that are asked of them, and I liked seeing them overcome their fears and turning their energy and big personalities to help others.
I like when people get to know each other better and fall in love *after* they've married, and it's even better when they realize they have to improve themselves to be worthy of that love. Plus there's a real sense that Oscar and Ella have been friends for years. When they're angry or disappointed with each other, I could really feel the hurt, and there's a great amount of affectionate teasing and laughter between them that made me root for their relationship. I've read so many disappointing regency romances, but this one was fun to read and never annoyed me....more
Lady Isabella is cruel, spoiled...and in deep trouble. She's five months pregnant and unmarried, and when her social-climbing mother finds out, IsabelLady Isabella is cruel, spoiled...and in deep trouble. She's five months pregnant and unmarried, and when her social-climbing mother finds out, Isabella is turned out into the winter countryside in only her silk gown. She is saved by the local "madman," who agrees to marry her so he can use her as a model for his paintings.
I liked the first third of this so much more than I expected. Both Isabella and Henry have strong personalities and decided preferences that interfere with each other, and I enjoyed seeing them begin to understand and like each other. It had a wonderfully Beauty-and-the-Beast vibe to it. Alas once they really liked each other, Henry became more and more neurotypical and Isabella became so much more honest and kind, and really the whole thing became like any typical Regency romance novel, complete with all the couples from the author's previous novels showing up to show off their Happily Ever Afters, and of course a last chapter that showcases the ~fifty healthy children they all have....more
Matilda discovered a conspiracy and is on the run from its agents; Duncan's family has forced him to manage a rural estate for a year. She saves him fMatilda discovered a conspiracy and is on the run from its agents; Duncan's family has forced him to manage a rural estate for a year. She saves him from poachers on his land, and in exchange he invites her to make fair copies of his travel journals. Rather more memorable than most regency romances, with much more plot, but alas a month later and everything about it is already fading from memory....more
Matilda is in her 50s and resigned to being her mother's doting companion forever...until chance throws her back into the orb of a long lost love. AsMatilda is in her 50s and resigned to being her mother's doting companion forever...until chance throws her back into the orb of a long lost love. As soon as they see each other, their interest in each other rekindles, and they rapidly become engaged and marry.
I found this so bland and personality-free. It's a novella, so Matilda and her love interest already have less time than usual to be characterized, but there's no plot or conflict so there should've been plenty of pagetime left for the characters. Instead it's just an endless stream of Westcotts appearing, explaining their family dynamics and backgrounds from the 7 previous books, and then saying something supportive. Also? I think Balogh meant to be daring by writing a romance featuring two middle aged people, but the Viscount seems to think about Matilda's advanced age *constantly*. Never in mean terms, but the emphasis on how aged she was seemed very odd....more
Abigail Westcott was on the verge of making her debut when it was revealed she, and most of her siblings, were illegitimate. She's spent years since lAbigail Westcott was on the verge of making her debut when it was revealed she, and most of her siblings, were illegitimate. She's spent years since living a quiet life while her various family members find romance (note that this is #6 in the series, so that's a lot of romances!), and now has resolved to live independently, using her injured brother Harry as an excuse to do so. Meanwhile Gilbert Bennington is also a bastard with noble blood, who has already spent his life making his own way in the world and just wants a little peace. He too plans to spend time with convalescent Harry in order to do so. After being thrown together, they fall in love and decided to get married in order to get custody of Gilbert's child.
I didn't buy the storyline about Gilbert's noble dad, and the court scene in which ALL the Westcotts and their various spouses sit in solidarity felt pretty glurgy, but this is overall a nice sweet little tale with characters with recognizable personalities, thus setting it above many historical romances....more
Elizabeth Windham meets the Duke of Haverford. She intends to remain a spinster and champion lending libraries. His estate's finances are in such a peElizabeth Windham meets the Duke of Haverford. She intends to remain a spinster and champion lending libraries. His estate's finances are in such a perilous state that he won't be able to marry for decades, if ever. They recognize kindred spirits in each other and strike up an alliance at the beginning of a house party, but the alliance rapidly turns into love. But marriage is impossible between them, so at the end of the party they will need to part.
I was surprised by how much I liked this book. The writing style is contemporary, but with enough Regency flare to match the setting. Elizabeth and Haverford aren't hugely unique, but they've got personality and there's a sense that things they've lived through influence what they think and do in the present; they don't feel like paper dolls that were created just for this romance. They're sensible without being overbearing about it, romantic without being gothic, and communicate. Bless them, they actually talk to each other. Edited to add: woops, just two years later I reread this book without even realizing I was doing so. I still liked it, although I hated the greedy Shearbourne so much that I caught myself skimming in hopes of getting to his comeuppance. Alas, he is instead of his way to reform. I do not want reform and betterment, I want vengeance. He's a heartless little toad....more
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