Celia's Grand Passion - Lynn Kerstan

EVEN OUTRIGHT REJECTION WOULDN'T STOP HER FROM PURSUING HER GRAND PASSION. . . .


No man in London could match Lord Kendal's cool elegance nor rival his skills as a diplomat. His icy calm was as notorious as his untouchable heart. And few women had any illusions of finding love in his arms. Lady Celia Greer, however, was not among them.

Young and very determined, she has made it her mission to melt the ice around his lordship's heart. Though charmed by the exuberant young widow, he is not willing to toy with one still innocent in the ways of love. But if ever there was a gentleman worth saving from his own cold prison, it was Kendal. And if ever there was a woman for the job . . . 'twas she!

I've put Kerstan on my WL after reading Lord Dragoner's Wife, that was a MOC story between a titled gentleman and a cit's daughter and I greatly enjoyed it. Celia's Grand Passion is completely different but it was also a nice story.

It starts in a surprising way with a lady of the ton hiding in a closet to spy on the gentleman of her dreams. Naturally she couldn't be an ordinary lady and Celia does have a strange story behind that we get to know as the action progresses. The lover of her dreams is Lord Kendall and he ends up catching her spying on him.

When they meet again at a society ball Kendall seems as interested in Celia as she is in him. Since they are both free, she is a widow and he a widower, the eventually decide to engage in a love affair. But everything goes wrong when Kendall discover something about Celia's past, something that makes him distrust her as he did his wife and that left him scarred about trusting people.

I did like Celia's quiet dignity; she knew she was not in the wrong and that men are often only interested in their own pleasures so she actually bests him and makes him feel the worse about his attitude. They separate, determined not to see watch other again but fate brings them together when Celia meets Kendall's son and brother in the country and he eventually comes home.

I did like them more the better I knew them and although Kendall's past wasn't that original I thought Celia's story was a bit different from the ordinary. For a while I thought it would be difficult for those two to find their way to happiness because they kept bickering and fighting each other but in the end I am glad they found a way to make up and confess their feelings.

Grade: 4/5

The Plumed Bonnet - Mary Balogh

DECEIVING THE DUKE

There was no reason for a lord as handsome and high and mighty as the Duke of Bridgewater even to glance at a humble vicar's daughter like Miss Stephanie Gray. No reason except the Duke was in need of amorous amusement, and the he was mistakenly convinced that Stephanie was precisely the kind of woman that she was decidedly not.

It was one thing for Stephanie to be grateful to the Duke for rescuing her from a horrific highway mishap. It was quite another, however, to repay him by accepting what she long had been told was a fate worse than death. So when the Duke stooped to conquer, Stephanie rose to defend her virtue - only to find that even the most proper young lady on the brink of the deepest of dangers could nonetheless fall in love . . .

The Plumed Bonnet is part of a series that starts with Dark Angel. I have read the previous books some time ago and I never wrote the reviews but reading this one actually made me want to go back and revisit those soon.

In the beginning of this story we find Stephanie Gray walking along the road in a very colourful hat and destitute. When the Duke of Bridgewater's carriage comes along he sees a lady of easy virtue who might help him pass a few comfortable hours and he offers her a ride. Stephanie is naturally grateful and tells him the story of how she ended up like that and who she is. The story sounds so fantastic that Bridgewater believes it to be made up just to gain his interest. Amused he plays along and they both spend a night in an Inn albeit in separate rooms. When Bridgewater realises she was telling the truth he feels duty bound to offer for her because he knows he has compromised her.

Stephanie accepts as she feels she has no option (she has to marry to receive her inheritance) and she does admire the Duke very much for what she feels was a good deed towards her. But the easy communication between the two is now at an end. Stephanie feels like a country bumpkin next to Bridgewater's family and despite being coached in her new duties by the dowager Duchess she feels she may never be sophisticated enough to fulfill her new duties, and Bridgewater realises he wants a true marriage between them but seems unable to express his feelings in a way she understands them.

On their wedding day he decides to be truthful and tell her what he really thought about her when they met. This makes Stephanie realise that he also has flaws; the man she thought had been so kind to her simply thought she was a trollop. While this causes her some pain it was also a much needed conversation to clear the air between them. After the initial big misunderstanding (which I usually don't like) that was quite funny and then the smaller ones that contributed to make this a very angsty read during their engagement. Bridgewater and Stephanie will have to build their relationship on who they really are.

I found this a lovely, entertaining story with very funny moments in the first half and then some poignant ones in the second. It covers the dangers to women alone on the road, the insecurity of meeting one's in laws and how difficult it is sometimes to understand others, be it words or looks, when you don't actually know them. Another winner!

Grade: 4.5/5

The Obedient Bride - Mary Balogh

LOVE WAS NOT PART OF HER MARRIAGE BARGAIN

Miss Arabella Wilson knew perfectly well that the handsome, dashing Lord Geoffrey Astor was marrying her only out of a sense of duty. She knew she could be only grateful to this man who so generously offered her a life of aristocratic privilege. Surely she could not imagine she could ever claim his heart as well as his hand. Surely she could not object to his mistress, the ravishingly sensual Ginny Cox.

Surely she should be content with the attentions of the gentlemen of the ton who swarmed around her.

But Arabella had committed the most scandalous of sins. She had fallen in love with her own husband...

After a few less than wonderful Baloghs here's one that I truly enjoyed. The Obedient Bride is a "MOC" story; both the hero and the heroine marry out of a sense of duty. Him because he is helping the last Viscount's family and she because she will be able to help her family if she does.

The way they approach the marriage however is very different. The hero sees it has something he has to do but that it won't disrupt his private life, he will continue to keep his usual mistress and doing his usual activities with the exception that now he will accompany his wife to social functions and will present her sisters to society. The heroine, however, is determined to make the best of her marriage and be the perfect wife. In part because she feel he is entering a bad bargain as she is not as beautiful as her sister.

They do adjust well to married life and in fact Bella, the heroine, likes her new social life so much that she becomes a vibrant young woman always surrounded by friends and admirers. However, one evening she hears that her husband is keeping a mistress and decides to confront him about it.

I loved how Bella was so very hurt and disappointed but managed to hold on to her her dignity while making it very clear how mad she was. Geoffrey really couldn't see how his actions could be seen as wrong (which I suppose was accurate for the time and type of marriage) but he felt her displeasure and decided to change. He ended things with the mistress and worked on gaining Bella's trust again. Mind you he did not change overnight, in fact his first reaction was to get very angry that Bella should think and speak in such a way with him. But when he decided to reform he did his best to please her and I felt he actually won her over.

There's a subplot with Bella's sister and a rake that I felt was a bit unnecessary unless it was to show how noble Geoffrey was in contrast. In the end I found this a very nice little story although readers with strong feelings about adultery should probably stay away. I always feel Balogh has more original/outrageous plots in her earlier titles than in the more recent ones and this is the perfect example!

Grade: 4/5

The Constant Heart - Mary Balogh

THE ROGUE'S RETURN


Miss Rebecca Shaw had lost her heart once in her young life - lost it and had it broken.

At last it had mended - mended enough for her to say yes when the handsome, high-minded young Reverend Phillip Everett asked her to be his wife and share a life of the purest propriety and best of good works.

But now Christopher Sinclair had returned. He was fee now of the marriage that had given him fabulous wealth at the price of leaving Rebecca behind and betrayed. He was free now to turn Rebecca's head again... away from the man who soon would be her lawfully wedded husband. And Rebecca was also free to change her mind - but was she foolish enough to turn toward a love that had proven faithless once and now could be utterly ruinous. . . .?

Another one of Balogh's oldies The Constant Heart tells the story of Rebecca Shaw, a young woman who suffered a big disappointment a few years before when her beau tells her that he is marrying a rich heiress he met in town and leaving her behind. Now she is engaged to be married to the village Reverend but the return of the man who betrayed her, now a rich widower, does make her heart feel divided.

 

Besides her disappointment with him Rebecca keeps hearing about how Christopher mistreated his wife. But she can't seem to stay away from him as they keep seeing each other everywhere and he is always very civil to her. When they meet by accident in the forest and Christopher tells her he still cares for her Rebecca has a hard time dealing with the feelings that his declaration bring to surface.

 

But soon she finds out that maybe not all that has been said about him is true, that he has been helping her through the years without her knowledge and the real reasons behind his actions.

 

I thought this plot had great potential for an angst ridden story. Unfortunately, although there are some emotional moments, that potential is not fulfilled. Maybe because we only know Rebecca's side of it or because Christopher actually does seem like a nice guy and there isn't much misunderstanding on that score. That lack of emotion prevented me from being totally engaged in the story and it didn't quite work as I was expecting it to.

 

The secondary characters were really nice and the love stories they developed also made for a good read. They were the kind of people I wouldn't mind revisiting at a later date to see how well they deal with each other.

Grade: 3.5/5

Gentle Conquest - Mary Balogh

THE BASHFUL BRIDEGROOM

It should have been the perfect marriage for beautiful Georgiana Burton. The husband her parents had picked for her, Lord Ralph Chartleigh, was wealthy, handsome, noble, and kind. Unfortunately, he did not measure up to Georgiana's firm notions of what a man should be. He was uninterested in society, impervious to fashions, had the worst of tailors, knew little of women -- and was wary of the little he knew. Clearly Georgiana had to teach him a great deal about life and even more about love...forgetting until it was almost too late how much she had to learn herself.

Another Balogh oldie (yes I read quite a few last month) and one that I started worrying about once I was introduced to the heroine. She seemed the ultimate shallow girl, marrying because her parents so decided but determined to make fun of her husband. The husband was intelligent, honourable, charming even although a bit shy with his bride. He fell head over heels in love with at first sight and seemed unable to utter more than a couple of words in her presence. Georgiana pretends to also be shy and delicate while she is being courted but while Ralph never even kissed a girl she has already been kissed by a couple of her friends and sees nothing wrong with a light flirtation.

Ralph's inexperience and Georgiana’s behaviour lead them to an awkward situation on their wedding night and they do not consummate it. Instead Ralph decided to wait till they get to know each other better. He is quite surprised by the vivacious girl she becomes after the wedding and feels even more enchanted by her. Although seems as shallow as in the beginning we can see that she doesn't have a bad heart and would like to make a go of her marriage. She is a bit impulsive and sometimes her actions really are a bit too much but she is the kind who learns from her mistakes.

They eventually return to London and the ton's social life. Georgiana meets her old friends and makes the acquaintance of one of Ralph's cousins. The more she gets to know her husband the more she wants their marriage to be consummated, you can see her growing up, appreciating her husband as she should and he deserves. But Ralph doesn't seem in any hurry to do the deed. With the help of her husband's cousin she eventually comes up with a plan to seduce him, but since he feels intimidated by her she pretends to be someone else.

I must admit that Georgiana's crazy plan was quite funny. Because of that I could suspend my disbelief regarding the fact that Ralph slept with his wife believing her to be a stranger and never realising it. But I could see a mile away that someone would eventually believe Georgiana to be carrying on an affair and that might have some trouble explaining what she had been up to. How she was found out and how Ralph dealt with the situation was also quite funny.

Despite what I would think to be a crazy plot if I had just read about it I think the story worked very well, showing two young people (18 and 21) getting to know each other and falling in love while still showing some adolescent behaviour. While this isn't one of my favourite Balogh's it was still a very nice read.

The secondary romance was also a nice touch.

Grade: 4/5

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

Mannerby's Lady - Sandra Heath

SHE REFUSED TO BE A BARTERED BRIDE--AND BECAME A CAPTIVE IN AN ARISTOCRATIC CAGE


To some, the great manor of Mannerby might have seemed a lovely country retreat. To beautiful Sarah Jane Stratford, it was a hateful prison to which she had been consigned for the crime of spurning the odious boor whom her noble father had ignobly chosen to be her husband.

Always close at hand was her captor, the infuriatingly arrogant Paul Ransome, who clearly believed every scandalous rumor about Sarah Jane. Frustratingly far away was the handsome, gallant Jack Holland, to whom Sarah Jane was eager to give her hand, her good name, and anything else he chose to desire.

Sarah Jane vowed to brook no obstacle of social censure nor pitfall of prudish propriety on her path to true love--only to discover what sinister snares passion could set, and how treacherous a guide the heart could be....

Heath is a hit and miss author for me. I always open her books with a lot of expectation and sometimes they end being a bit a letdown. Fortunately that was not what happened with this one although I did find it to have some problems. The blurb is also a bit misleading as I thought that what happens before Sarah Jane goes to Mannerby is as important as what happens there and Ransome is not exactly a captor.

Sarah Jane is an illegitimate daughter that her father recognised when she was already an adult so that she could marry his heir. Neither Sarah Jane nor her fiancé love want the marriage but she is practical enough to realise that if she refuses she will be condemning herself to a life of poverty. The only person who has been nice to her is a young man and when he proposes to meet her in the woods she accepts despite some misgivings. Her fears were well founded as he proceeds to try to force but she is saved by the appearance of another gentleman, Jack Holland.

Despite having a terrible reputation Holland behaves in an honourable fashion and takes Sara Jane home. However later in the day he hears the other bragging to friends how he succeeded in forcing Sarah Jane and challenges and kills him. To Sarah Jane he becomes a romantic figure, her saviour who promises to return for her. But his actions and her future mother-in-law malicious gossip make everyone believe that she was his lover and her father decides to send to one of his estates in the country - Mannerby.

Throughout all this Sarah Jane behaves in a dignified manner but on her way to Mannerby her strength is once again tested has her maid, indeed her only friend, dies when crossing a river. Paul Ransome, the tenant of Mannerby, believes the worst of her behaviour but always treats her with proper respect; the same cannot be said of his sister who seems to have something against her. At first Sarah Jane believes that Melissa was the woman her fiancé wanted to marry and that is way she dislikes her but soon is apparent that there is something more at stake as Melissa's behaviour turns more secretive.

The problem I had with this story was that it was part romance and part gothic and there seemed to be a bit of hesitation about which should be the stronger element in the story. Sarah Jane finds herself without friends, and indeed almost surrounded by enemies, during her stay in Mannerby and stranger things keep happening has a mysterious man keeps appearing in the woods, a fire is set in a nearby inn and Melissa ends up running away with tragic results.

Ransome eventually discovers that Sarah Jane is not the person he thought but when they start to spend more time together Holland returns. All the feelings that Sarah Jane had for him come rushing back and they eventually admit their love for each other.

I had a feeling from very early about who the bad guy really was and I was proved correct. The convoluted plot that was behind his actions wasn't as easy to guess but I couldn't believe how Sarah Jane couldn't see it as clearly as I did. That detracted a bit from my enjoyment of the mystery plot and the ending came about so abruptly that I felt a bit cheated on the romance part. It was an interesting story but I think it would have felt stronger if it had been entirely a gothic or entirely a romance.

Grade: 4/5