Come Be My Love - Diana Brown

IMPOSSIBLE ALEXANDRA
Beautiful, brilliant and headstrong Alexandra Cox-Neville was a thoroughly impossible young lady--with an even more impossible dream of love. If she could not wed Darius Wentworth, heir to the neighboring barony of Blandon, she would have no husband at all.
Thus when Darius took another for his wife, there was but one place for Alexandra to go: London, where a woman could make her living with her pen if she did not fear the censure of society and the scandal of being on her own. Unfortunately, Darius soon followed her to that capital of fashion and folly, and--as Alexandra soon found out --where Darius went, trouble was sure to follow. So it shouldn't have been a shock to a young lady who broke all the rules to find there was no escape from the one man who could break her heart....

I'm having a hard time writing a review of this book. It is definitely my least favourite Brown book so far but there were still some good interesting things in it.

I think my first problem is that Alexandra's love for Darius sounds too much like hero worship, she doesn't really know him, since he spends most of his time at school, and he does see her as a sort of younger sister so while I could understand those feelings in a teenager Alexandra I think she should have grown out of it after he married. But she doesn't.

Darius ends up unhappy in his marriage and when his wife dies in child birth leaving an orphan son everyone believes that he doesn't pay attention to the child because he is heartbroken. I immediately guessed where the author was leading us and I wasn't wrong. Alexandra refuses to wed another and fights with her parents about it. She has always been fond of reading and writing and after secretly publishing a book decides to run away to London to avoid marrying the neighbour her father wanted her to. She first attempted to declare her love for Darius and convince him to marry her but, after a mortifying scene he refuses her.

Alexandra writes powerful novels about women's feelings and passions that first make London's society curious and then leads them to condemn her when her poetry becomes too revealing. It seemed to me that it echoed a bit the reaction the Bronte sisters had when their first published their works that also seemed too passionate and coarse to society. But there the similarity ends because Alex, even after warned that she can be disgraced in the eyes of the world, persists in publishing the damaging poetry. This sets in motion a turn of events that could lead to hers and Darius destruction.

But the fact is that Darius never seemed worthy of such love and devotion, and for most of the book he just isn’t interested. And Alex proved to be immature by not measuring the consequences of her actions and in not accepting salvation when it was offered just because of her pride. Where previous books like The Emerald Necklace or St Martin's Summer had poignant moments where the character's misery really touched the reader, here such moments where merely humiliating and miserable for them.

I did feel the story had potential, the idea of a writer heroine was really good, but that the way it was developed wasn't the best one. Not to mention that Alexandra's father was a tyrant and in the end we are supposed to reach the conclusion that he was right after all. Too weird... But I do like Brown's writing, a lot, and I will definitely continue reading her books and see if the rest of her backlist proves to be winners like all the previous ones I read, or so so reads like this one.

Grade: 3.5/5

St. Martin's Summer - Diana Brown

Miss Josephina Trafford was quite happy tolive a safe distance from the fashionable frenzy of Regency London. Not only was she a young lady of good breeding and even better sense, she was busy enough trying to save her family estate, curb the extravagance of her flighty mother, and provide for the marriages of her two charming but helpless sisters.

But if Josephina would not go near the temptations of the city, they came to her--in the devilishly handsome form of Lord Conniston Venables. Venables was on an unwilling visit to the countryside, but the sight of Josephina made him eager to stay until he conquered her. He could not imagine she could resist a man who knew so well the ways of the world--until Josephina began to teach him how much he had to learn about the ways of a woman's untamed heart...

After her father’s death, Josephina Trafford became the head of her family. Left with considerable debts, she does everything she can to put her state in perfect order and settle her sisters dowry as stipulated by her father’s will.

When a problem arises, she seeks her new neighbor, Lord Conniston Venables, to help her solve it. Both Conniston and Josephina seemed intrigued by each other. But he has a wicked reputation with the ladies and is even accused of compromising the sister of a friend. Everything seemed to set them apart and yet, they are intensely drawn to each other.

Josephina is a strong-willed, independent and very intelligent heroine. Her family’s state is on her hands and she knows it’s their only source of income. She has no troubles refusing extravagances and childish requests to her vapid mother and foolish younger sister, Amelia. They both blame her constantly for not getting what they want and for living so above their station. In fact, everyone around Josephina seems to think her savings and care for her lands are exaggerated and those matters are not fit for a young lady like her. This annoys our heroine quite often, but she just ignores them all and does what she thinks is the best. How can we not admire someone like her?

Now, Lord Conniston Venables is another matter. He doesn’t seem a nice person when we first meet him. He sounds too arrogant, careless and too libertine. In other words, the perfect rogue. His reputation precedes him and he is clearly “persona non grata” among the local gentry. They all seem eager to see him go. He has other plans, especially after meeting Josephina.

The dashing Lady Eliza Coningsby reminds me a lot of Miss Caroline Bingley from Pride And Prejudice. The remarks about the locals, the lack of sophistication, Josephina’s manly occupations… Everything seems not good enough for her and when she learns our heroine has never been to London, she is absolutely shocked. Venables arrogant sister is no better with her concerns after Jo’s lowly social status might damage her own and worst, her son’s. What a pair of utterly despicable young ladies we have here.

The scene of the proposal is intense and filled with excruciating distress. This scene and even some details made me think sometimes about Pride and Prejudice. The arrogant handsome man who moves in different social circles, the local intelligent and witty young lady with a crazy family, the 1st refused proposal. Of course, here Jo is in love for Conniston and well aware of it, but his snobbish sister took care of any hopes she might had of a possible relationship.

I quite enjoyed the characters but felt somehow the upcoming marriages were just there to create some additional and unnecessary drama. Why suddenly someone so level headed as Jo would make something so rushed up?! She was hurting, saw herself alone and took this decision, but for me it just didn’t sound like Josephina Trafford.

Despite my opinion of the end, this book is a very pleasant surprise and certainly another recommendation for all the Regency fans out there.

Grade: 4/5

You can also read Ana T.'s review of this book here.

The Emerald Necklace - Diana Brown

A tragedy of errors. The first error was one of pride - pride that made Lady Leonora spurn the loving attentions of her commoner husband for the frivolous company of her aristocratic friends. The second error was one of vanity - the kind of vanity that made a beautiful young woman an easy victim for the flattery of an all-too worldly admirer. The third error was one of loyalty - loyalty to a father who would sell anything, even his daughter's honor, to save his own. For Leonora and Etienne Lambert, those were just the opening errors in a battle royal of willful misunderstanding that would give the word marriage a whole new meaning.

Lady Leonora Fordyce is a young lady sure of her place in society. She spends her days in leisure with her friend Penelope Oliphant and her brother Francis, to whom she imagines being married in a near future. After an exciting day in the park with her beau, she arrives home to find her father in deep conversation with an unknown man. Immediately she sees he is not from her class and dismisses him as a commoner and certainly someone without much interest. To Leonora’s deep shock, some days later, her father announces her that she is to marry the young man, Etienne Lambert, so he can help him with his heavy debts.

A convenience/forced marriage to help the family is not really an uncommon theme in traditional regencies, but this one was written with mastery. The first (and biggest) problem here seems to be the heroine, her father and even her dearest friends. All insufferable snobs filled with deep scorn for anyone who isn’t from their class. Leonora repeats many times how unworthy Lambert is of her. When she learns about her marriage, her first thought is that her father certainly refused the offer since it was unthinkable that someone like her would marry a tradesman. But in the other hand, it is completely acceptable for her father and other society members to be indebted to their necks and accept money from those they despise.

It’s impossible to like this little chit in the first 200 pages. She is everything I hate in a heroine: narrow minded, arrogant, stupid and selfish. I was so mad with her that I even thought of drowning her in the Tames several times. It’s not often I feel like this about a character, but I rarely stumbled upon someone so annoying. But then, with time and thinking with a bit more logic (which is not always easy while listening the heroine burping so many silly things), not everything was her fault. It’s true she was a brat, but she was bought by a man and forced into a marriage she never wanted, no matter her reasons. Her father and her husband never really tried to know her feelings about it.
Lord Fordyce was mostly interested in paying his debts and getting a monthly allowance from his son-in-law, while completely forgetting about Leonora’s happiness; and her husband was not really better. What was he thinking to buy a bride like this and expecting her to immediately love him without any suspicions and even some hurt pride?! Etienne was not always honest with his wife and despite their differences and their quarrels; the responsibility for their failed marriage was not solely Leonora’s.

After months of obstacles and misunderstandings, they finally take their separate ways, after a very dramatic situation, and, I must confess, I completely understood Leonora’s attitude and cheered her up. This girl was finally taking some action and making a life for herself. A new Leonora is born and I can’t help but admire her. She takes refuge in Yorkshire and there she builds a life for her. It’s the turning point of the story. Not only we actually see her changing, but it’s clear she wants to become someone different too. She becomes involved in the local activities and she impresses her neighbors and even her servants and workers with her interest for her estate affairs and even her wisdom.

It’s not often you follow a character grow like in this book. Slowly, and sometimes painfully, the spoiled brat becomes a strong woman, someone who knows what she wants, even if her relationship with her husband is still on the rocks and it’s climbing towards the unthinkable – a divorce. From a profound dislike for Leonora in the beginning of the story, I ended up suffering for her (and even Etienne) and the agony of some moments was quite powerful.

Etienne St. Clair Lambert was not an easy man. Born in the wrong side of the blanket, his upbringing was not a conventional one and he is a tough self-made man who never stops until he gets what he wants. In this case it was Leonora. He saw her once and it was all that it took. He marries her and never really expects to fail his conquest. We know he loves her but, at the same time, he never trusted her and there was absolutely no intimacy or even a desire to share his life with her.

As I said before, both characters had their flaws but he was a very guarded man. The only time he seems to loosen up was in company of another woman or when Leonora was not around. Each time she was present, he acted like he was expecting the worst from her. Nonetheless, he was the one who started to give Leonora’s some well deserved lessons about money and responsibilities. Something she knew nothing about since her father was not a good role model for anyone…

I spend the last 200 pages of the book holding my breath, dreading for the worst and ended up with a slight pain on my chest but a big smile on my face. I really must say I was very surprised with Diana Brown’s The Emerald Necklace which goes immediately to my Top 10 list of Best Traditional Regencies.

A little note, the book is written in the 1st person, which is something it often puts me off. Here it worked perfectly well, even if sometimes, I would have liked to know other characters perspectives of the story.

Grade: 4.5. / 5

You can also read Ana T.'s review of this book here.

St. Martin's Summer - Diana Brown

THE ARROGANT INVADER

Miss Josephina Trafford was quite happy to live a safe distance from the fashionable frenzy of Regency London. Not only was she a young lady of good breeding and even better sense, she was busy enough trying to save her family estate, curb the extravagance of her flighty mother, and provide for the marriages of her two charming but helpless sisters.

But if Josephina would not go near the temptations of the city, they came to her--in the devilishly handsome form of Lord Conniston Venables. Venables was on an unwilling visit to the countryside, but the sight of Josephina made him eager to stay until he conquered her. He could not imagine she could resist a man who knew so well the ways of the world--until Josephina began to teach him how much he had to learn about the ways of a woman's untamed heart....

I had already read two of Diana Brown’s books before starting this one. I enjoyed both of them very much and so I was saving this one for a special occasion hoping it was as good as the others. I am glad to say that it was and I’m now anxiously looking for the 2 books I’m missing from her back list.

Josephina is a smart, intelligent woman. On her father’s death she becomes responsible not only for her family, Mother and two sisters ,but also with the running of the farm they live in that is heavily in debt. Unlike most heroines Josephina has real knowledge of the agricultural methods and especially what concerns raising sheep.

Lord Venables is newly returned to his ancestral home, which he left as a young man after a fight with his father and the neighbouring squire. On arrival he meets Josephina, through her becomes aware of how much the local people have suffered under his bailiff, and decides to change thing.

For the following month and he and his friends become very much a part of the local society and he and Josephina frequently meet and talk on a variety of subjects. However his sophistication and rakish reputation intimidate Josephina and if she can’t quite believe he may have feelings for her she feels very much attracted to him and is quite angry at herself for it. Fans of Austen and Gaskell will be happy to know that this book follows the exact same type of story. A disastrous first proposal and then, slowly, the road towards new feelings, some regret and finally happiness.

Josephina and Venables have a rocky road to travel; the misunderstandings are more than a few and when they again seem on the brink of something Josephina has to go away due to a financial crisis. The second half of the book is a roller coaster of emotions, I just couldn’t stop reading and I was constantly wondering what would bring them together again, for a while it does seem that they missed the final opportunity and it really is very poignant story. If I have any complaints about the story is that Josephina’s final rash decision was a bit too much, we didn’t need one more failed opportunity, and I would rather have an emotional ending to fit with the rest of the story rather than a funny one but still this was one of my most memorable reads this year.

Grade: 5/5

The Emerald Necklace - Diana Brown

A tragedy of errors. The first error was one of pride - pride that made Lady Leonora spurn the loving attentions of her commoner husband for the frivolous company of her aristocratic friends. The second error was one of vanity - the kind of vanity that made a beautiful young woman an easy victim for the flattery of an all-too-worldly admirer. The third error was one of loyalty - loyalty to a father who would sell anything, even his daughter's honor, to save his own. For Leonora and Etienne Lambert, those were just the opening errors in a battle royal of willful misunderstanding that would give the word marriage a whole new meaning.

Another very emotional story this one starts with a marriage of convenience between a wealthy cit and a ruined nobleman’s daughter. Leonora is married against her will to save her father from debts to a man she dislikes. One sees from the beginning that Etienne, her husband, is very much in love with his wife and tries to please her but Leonora is a childish and selfish young girl and is unable to find any contentment in her marriage despite the fact that she does have an attractive and attentive husband. She keeps being influenced by her snobbish friends and can’t seem to think for herself. Although Etienne is very patient with her it comes to a point where she disappoints him so many times that he decides to give up. Unfortunately for Leonora one of the friends is only snob till she finds herself attracted to Etienne and Leonora finds herself unprepared to deal with that situation. We only see her grow up in fact when she runs away and has to fend for herself. Unlike other romance heroes Etienne, the husband, doesn’t follow her when that happens but seems to realize that maybe his wedding will never be what he wanted to.

This leads to a long separation between them and offers Leonora the possibility of growing up and make up her mind about what she wants. Since we see how Eleonora has changed and matured it is double hard to see her apparently betrayed by both her friend and her husband. Unfortunately the actions of both of them are coloured by the bitterness and distrust from the beginning. Even more than in The Sandalwood Fan, Brown does make her characters suffer either by their own actions or by easily explained misunderstandings. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions reading this story and one gets almost to the end without knowing how a HEA will come about. If there’s a complaint I have is that the ending was wrapped up too quickly and we deserved a better developed one.
Grade: 4.5/5

The Sandalwood Fan - Diana Brown

The best-laid plans...Penelope Bransom had learned how thoroughly unpleasant love could be during her brief marriage. She was little more than a girl when wed, and by the time her husband's death released her she was a young woman determined never to be ensnared by a man again. Handsome, dashing Lord Charles Mortimer had more adoration than he could possibly want as England's greatest hero and as the favorite of London's most ravishing lady, the beautiful, blue-blooded Georgina Staverton. Clearly Lord Mortimer could have no interest in the retiring Penelope. Clearly Penelope had no fear of ties to this man whose realm of pleasure was a world away from her quiet, sensible life. Then they were thrown together, and suddenly nothing was clear except certain feelings that both of them did not dare admit and that neither could ignore.

Lord Mortimer and Penelope Bransom first meet when she is in the park trying to save a young girl from her abusive father. He walks her home but they separate without knowing much of each other. They do meet again in society in the following days and we start to know more about them. Charles, Lord Mortimer had fallen in love a few years before with a woman who eventually married another, richer, man and now that he is returned to society titled and rich he hasn’t been able to refuse her and they’ve been having an affair. Penelope is a widow, everyone believes she loved and now mourns her husband but the truth is that she was abused by a cruel husband and now supports his illegitimate children.

The more they see each other the more they are attracted to one another but Penelope believes Charles to be far above her and he thinks she still has feelings for her husband. The perfect opportunity for them to reveal their feelings comes when they meet at an Inn and have a passionate affair. They go their separate ways promising to meet a few days later but Charles never shows up and Penelope believes he has gone back to his former mistress.

Brown conveys emotions perfectly. We feel Penelope's desperation and disappointment in Charles, her surprise at the unexpected development and how hard it is for her to find a solution to her problem. It seems a long time till the finally meet again. When Charles finally reveals what happened it seems too late to guarantee a happy ending as other people have become involved in their affairs. Fans of emotional angst wont fail to appreciate this story.
Grade: 4/5