Miss Dornton's Hero - Elisabeth Fairchild

Fateful Attraction


It was lovely young Miss Margaret Dornton 's first London season. That was why she knew nothing of the fearful reputation of the dark and handsome Evelyn Dade until it was terribly too late.

To be seen in this notorious gentleman's company meant scandal and social disgrace. To be on close terms with him was to court the most dreadful of dangers. And to fall in love with the bitter and brooding Lord Dade went beyond folly into the realm of ruin. But this inexperienced, impressionable young lady did even more. She awoke the passions of this man driven by private demons, for whom love and war were one and the same. Which meant she not only had to fight her own desires but defeat his as well-in a battle to save what was left of her good name even after she had lost her heart....

Although the Napoleonic Wars are present in many regency novels it is not often that they deal with the traumas and scarring from the war. In Miss Dornton's Hero Elizabeth Fairchild brings us one such stories. Evelyn Dade led his men to war and saw every one of them die, now the Ton calls him Captain Death and believes death will follow wherever he goes.

When he first meets Margaret Dornton he saves her from a dog and takes her home. Unfortunately just being seen with such a notorious character is enough to damage Margaret's reputation in the eyes of society. Margaret is a bit naive. She has a few scars herself from having seen her brother die in a fire as a child, and she has an idealistic view of people and the world. She likes Dade, thinks him a hero for saving her and does seem to be much worried about being an outcast of society.

Margaret does grow out of it a bit but she never stops liking Dade and looking forward to be with him socially. Dade, knowing the damage he has done and continues doing to her reputation, would rather stay away but feels unable to do so as Margaret becomes the bright spot in his existence. He even concocts a plan to rescue her reputation and then stay away.

Part of the story is told from his point of view. I really liked that despite the fact that it means a separation for the couple. I think this is not light reading but it definitely is a nice one and we can't help but wish that Margaret and Dade are finally brought together in the end.

Grade: 4/5

A Regency Christmas Carol - Anthology

Hark, the herald angels sing as five of Signet's favorite Regency authors bring you a melodious collection of stories to make the season even brighter. Lush with the magic of the holiday, the stories in this Christmas Regency collection capture the true spirit of this special time of year--the giving and receiving of love. This exquisite treasury will warm you with Yuletide cheer and makes the perfect gift for you and your loved ones.

Mary Balogh – The Bond Street Carolers
A moving story where music and children bring two lonely adults together. Balogh is very good at creating believable character s in short story format and this one is no exception. Lord Heath doesn’t like Christmas ort children but he does love music and upon meeting a young singer he can’t help being attracted to his mother.
Grade: 4.5/5


Edith Layton – The Earl’s Nightingale
Another lovely story with a hint of magic. A young woman pawns a cage as she needs money for an emergency but plans to get it back. When she goes back she discovers it has already been sold and as she approaches the buyer they start a quest for the cage and fall in love in the mean time. A fairy tale like ending for this one.
Grade: 4/5


Elizabeth Fairchild – Mistletoe Kiss
A governess and her charges go visit a man known as the Devil to bring him some happiness and succeed in making a lonely man seek other people. I thought his devilish side was a bit overdone making is a darker story than the others but it was nice to watch their interaction with the children and his final dialogue trying to convince her to love him.
Grade: 3.5/5


Carla Kelly – Make a Joyful Noise
I’m starting to think Carla Kelly works better for me in short story format. Charged by his mother to form the Christmas choir Lord Wythe finds a new singer in the Wetherby’s poor relation, Rosie. Rosie is a widow, is pregnant and soon will have no house to live in but Lord Wythe won’t let that happen. As usual it’s the hero who has center stage.
Grade: 4/5


Anne Barbour – Melody
Lovely story, an American who finds himself an English earl and is emotionally wounded meet a young ladies's companion who is physically damaged by a facial scar and they both heal each other forming a special connection through music.
Grade: 4.5/5

Anthology grade: 4/5

A Regency Christmas Present - Anthology

The gifts of Christmas are priceless -- good cheer, warm hearts, and happy times with friends. And now five bestselling Regency authors have made a special present to you--five brand-new stories. High-spirited and humorous, heartwarming and romantic and full of the fun and flavor of the holiday season they're the perfect present to share with friends and loved ones. And in each delightful story you'll find that there's one Christmas present that lasts all year round--the gift of true love.…

Heart's Desire - Allison Lane
Emma Fairlawn is a widow and she is travelling back to her father's house when she meets Craig Curtiss, home from the war to inherit the title after the death of his brother. He has a veritable dragon of a grandmother who plans to order his life and Emma gives him the courage he needs to face his grandmother.
Grade: 3/5

Christmas Wish List - Barbara Metzger
A Lord Boughton changes his life for his sick child and does what he can to get a rare breed kitten for her. Unfortunately for him his first encounter with owner of the kittens, Geraldine Selden, didn't go very well and she is determined not to give him one. He thinks of so many plans to get that one kitten that the story almost resembles a farce and misses on the romantic element.
Grade: 3/5

An Object of Charity - Carla Kelly
Captain Lynch unexpectedly finds himself taking charge of his dead first mate niece and nephew. He plans to return home to visit the mother and brother he hasn't speak with in 20 years and develops a fondness the Sally Partlow, the mentioned niece. I found this the best story of the book mainly due to the hero who was wonderful. I have two complaints though, Sally is at first shown as a very young girl when she is in fact 25 years old and as in all of my previous Kelly reads I wanted a bit more emotion.
Grade: 4/5

A Christmas Canvas - Elizabeth Fairchild
This was a strange story. Maitland, a painter is sent by his uncle to paint his fiancée and while there falls in love with the girl himself (I wonder why as she was a rather strange girl) and realises her brother is a villain (I didn't understand his motives but he was a bad apple) and decides to elope with her. Enter the uncle who says he never asked the girl to marry him, he just wanted them both to be together and he just knew they would suit. Say what?
Grade: 2/5

The Last Gift - Edith Layton
Rewriting a classic children's tale is not always easy and Layton attempts here to do that with Sleeping Beauty. Lord Cameron wants an old fashioned bride and when he goes to spend a few days in a Scottish cottage he finds an old house with a sleeping girl he rouses with a kiss. I found it too unbelievable, there were many loose ends regarding Mirabelle's story and little of holiday cheer.
Grade: 2/5

Grade: 3/5

Marriage a La Mode - Elisabeth Fairchild

A Scandal Over Love

The ton was in an uproar! The King was bringing divorce proceedings against the Queen. And Lady Melody Bainbridge was doing the same against the cruel lord she had wed a fey years before. Now forced to hide her face behind the veil of he fashionable leghorn hat, Melody found she could not stop Dunstan Hays, Earl of Erroll, from gazing at her. He had come to Kent to fetch a cherry-tree sapling for his home in the Highlands. It was perfectly logical for the sightseeing Melody to mistake the strong Scotsman for a gardener--his warm words made hope blossom again in her heart.

As for Dunstan, he was enchanted by Melody, whose voice sounded like a song. Once wounded by a fickle woman, he had sworn to remain a bachelor. Now he was rapidly falling for a lady no respectable gentleman dared court. Could the scandal of the season become a romance to remember as a man and a woman who'd sworn off happiness plunged--heart first--into love?

This book has an original plot. Set during the reign of King George VI Fairchild establishes a parallel between the attempt the king made to divorce his queen and the situation the heroine was suffering through trying to divorce her husband. In both cases the women's rights are gravely injured and are very different from the husband's. Fairchild shows a very sympathetic heroine to Queen Caroline's plight.

Other than that I found the main characters to be interesting and engaging, especially the hero who searches for a way to free the heroine and hopefully in a way that she can remarry. That can only be obtained in a somewhat tortured way as at the time divorced couples could not remarry. I found the way that their relationship, and later courtship, develops really nice and sweet.

There are not many secondary characters, the only major one is the Earl of Erroll's mother who at first doesn't seem very happy with the fact that her son as chosen such a scandalous bride. There seems to be a mystery attached to his cousin and his wife (Erroll's former beloved) and I was left wondering if they have their own book.

Grade: 4/5