What I've Read This Week . . .
The Banishment : The Daughters of Mannerling 1 by Marion Chesney -- Regency Romance
The Beverleys, sir William, LadyBeverley and their six beautiful daughters, love their grand 17th century mansion more than life itself. The Beverleys are so proud of their home, their pride is overbearing to the point of obsession and they consider everyone else to be beneath them, which is the reason why eldest daughter Isabella is still unattached after a Season in London. When Sir William gambles away Mannerling and all its' contents, the Beverleys are forced to downsize and move to a small home nearby with only a few servants hired from the village. Sir William considers this a temporary setback and is determined that Isabella should wed Mannerling's new owner, a Mr. Judd. Isabella will do anything to get Mannerling back so she is happy to oblidge her family and attract Mr. Judd. However, as Isabella becomes friendly with the handsome Irish Viscount Lord Fitzpatrick and his aunt, Mrs. Kennedy, some of her haughty airs begin to evaporate and she is conflicted in her feelings about Mannerling and for Lord Fitzpatrick. All she knows is that her family is counting on her to restore them to Mannerling. I found it hard to get into this book at first because the Beverleys were so unlikeable. Once Isabella began to thaw, I liked her and felt sorry for her and the terrible position her family put her in. The rest of her family remained unlikeable. The romance was believable and Lord Fitzpatrick is a very human character. There are some lighthearted moment involving the servants but nothing that is laugh out loud funny.
The Intrigue : The Daughters of Mannerling 2 by Marion Chesney -- Regency Romance Jessica Beverley is convinced that she can do what Isabella could not, bring the family back to Mannerling. Sadly, Sir William dies of illness before Jessica puts her plan into action. Lady Beverley hires an elderly governess to re-school the girls in what she consideres polite behavior so that Jessica may charm Mr. Harry Devers, the son of Mannerlings newest owners. Instead, Miss Trumble teaches the girls Latin and Greek, history and literature, and things that will occupy their minds and make them think less of Mannerling. Miss Trumble seems through Jessica's plan and thinks she can make Jessica see reason but doesn't count on the pressure from the other sisters and her mother. Jessica thinks she can remain strong and tries to ignore her growing attachment to Harry's professor cousin, Robert Sommerville. Jessica learns the hard way that doing what her family thinks is right isn't always the right thing and that true love doesn't only happen in novels. The plot of this book is almost exactly the same as the first in the series. The ending is a little silly. The only character I really like is Miss Trumble and I was hoping she would be the one to find true love in the end.
The Deception : The Daughters of Mannerling 3 by Marion Chesney -- Regency Romance
Third sister Abigail believes she has left the dream of Mannerling behind and relishes discussing military matters with the handsome Lord Burfield, who has befriended her. When the rakish son of the Mannerling owners, Harry Devers, is injured in a riding accident, Abigail's twin Rachel nurses Harry back to health and believing him to be misunderstood, she agrees to marry him. Harry's aim is to present himself as respectable until the wedding, then push out his parents and live his life the way he wants. Unfortunately for Rachel, Harry can't stick to his promises and becomes too forward in his advances before the wedding, which scares the innocent young Rachel. Abigail, beliveing she can make Harry do what she wants, proposes to change places with her twin and marry Harry instead so they can have Mannerling back. Abigail promises she won't consumate the marriage for awhile until she tells Harry the truth and they become properly wed. However, Harry has other plans which end up sending Abigail fleeing from him and innocently landing in bed with Lord Burfield. Scandal and drama interefere before the happy ending can occur. I liked this book better than the first two but it dragged on way too long.
The Folly : The Daughters of Mannerling 4 by Marion Chesney -- Regency Romance
Mannerling has been sold and Rachel accepts that she'll no longer live there again, but feels the need to wander the grounds once more to say goodbye. Tresspassing on the property, she meets the two young children of the new owner, Mr. Charles Blackwood, and learns of the neglet and cruelty the children have suffered under the rule of their governess. When Charles discovers Rachel with his children he is angry but she refuses to leave until she tells him how badly his children have been treated. Realizing that Rachel was right, Charles decides to employ the inestimable Miss Trumble as his children's new governess. The children begin attending lessons with Miss Trumble and the Beverley girls and Rachel and Charles become friendly. Rachel is embarassed by the machinations of her mother, who plans to marry General Blackwood, Charles's father, who has eyes only for Miss Trumble. Their friendship is also thereatened by Mannerling's beautiful, dashing houseguest Minerva, who is hoping for a proposal of marriage from Charles. Rachel finds a new suitor in a Mr. Cater, a West Indian plantation owner. Miss Trumble is suspicious of Mr. Cater and believes Mannerling is cursed and she fears for her girls and her own safety when the story takes a dramatic gothic turn. The characters in this story were not very well developed and the story ended too neatly and quickly. I liked this story best of the series so far. Rachel was the most likeable of all the Beverley daughters.
The Romance : The Daughters of Mannerling 5 by Marion Chesney -- Regency Romance
Third sister Abigail believes she has left the dream of Mannerling behind and relishes discussing military matters with the handsome Lord Burfield, who has befriended her. When the rakish son of the Mannerling owners, Harry Devers, is injured in a riding accident, Abigail's twin Rachel nurses Harry back to health and believing him to be misunderstood, she agrees to marry him. Harry's aim is to present himself as respectable until the wedding, then push out his parents and live his life the way he wants. Unfortunately for Rachel, Harry can't stick to his promises and becomes too forward in his advances before the wedding, which scares the innocent young Rachel. Abigail, beliveing she can make Harry do what she wants, proposes to change places with her twin and marry Harry instead so they can have Mannerling back. Abigail promises she won't consumate the marriage for awhile until she tells Harry the truth and they become properly wed. However, Harry has other plans which end up sending Abigail fleeing from him and innocently landing in bed with Lord Burfield. Scandal and drama interefere before the happy ending can occur. I liked this book better than the first two but it dragged on way too long.
The Folly : The Daughters of Mannerling 4 by Marion Chesney -- Regency RomanceMannerling has been sold and Rachel accepts that she'll no longer live there again, but feels the need to wander the grounds once more to say goodbye. Tresspassing on the property, she meets the two young children of the new owner, Mr. Charles Blackwood, and learns of the neglet and cruelty the children have suffered under the rule of their governess. When Charles discovers Rachel with his children he is angry but she refuses to leave until she tells him how badly his children have been treated. Realizing that Rachel was right, Charles decides to employ the inestimable Miss Trumble as his children's new governess. The children begin attending lessons with Miss Trumble and the Beverley girls and Rachel and Charles become friendly. Rachel is embarassed by the machinations of her mother, who plans to marry General Blackwood, Charles's father, who has eyes only for Miss Trumble. Their friendship is also thereatened by Mannerling's beautiful, dashing houseguest Minerva, who is hoping for a proposal of marriage from Charles. Rachel finds a new suitor in a Mr. Cater, a West Indian plantation owner. Miss Trumble is suspicious of Mr. Cater and believes Mannerling is cursed and she fears for her girls and her own safety when the story takes a dramatic gothic turn. The characters in this story were not very well developed and the story ended too neatly and quickly. I liked this story best of the series so far. Rachel was the most likeable of all the Beverley daughters.
The Romance : The Daughters of Mannerling 5 by Marion Chesney -- Regency Romance
Belinda Beverley wants Mannerling back in the family and she's determined to succeed where her sisters failed and marry the new owner of Mannerling, the young Lord St. Clair. In London for the Season, Belinda pretends to be the kind of silly young miss that Lord St. Clair admires, but when St. Clair's friend, Lord Gyre, sees through her mask and makes her feel guilty, she begins to regret her actions. However, she is being pushed towards St. Clair by her mother and when they attend a house party at Mannerling, the evil demons of the house take over. The romance plot was sweet but the gothic melodrama took over and overshadowed the romance which I didn't like.
The Homecoming : The Daughters of Mannerling 6 by Marion Chesney -- Regency Romance
Little Lizzie is now 19 and content with her life without Mannerling. The house has a strage pull though and she tresspasses once more to say goodbye to the house and is caught and soundly scolded by the Duke of Severnshire. The Duke comes to call when he discovers that the incomparable Miss Trumble is actually his aunt! Lizzie and the Duke cross verbal swords because Lizzie feels the Duke is too old and stuffy. She prefers the company of his young secretary, Peter Bond and the two quickly become good friends, sharing their dreams of love. Peter wishes to marry the daughter of a country squire from back home but as a servant, he isn't allowed to marry and the Duke doesn't even believe in love. A house party at Mannerling brings Lizzie, Miss Trumble, the Duke, Peter, Peter's beloved and some other young ladies together and the pull of the house is too great for some of the guests to resist. Meanwhile, Lizzie no longer feels the house and becomes friendlier with the Duke, but still pointing out all his faults. Her mother is determined to make a match between Lizzie and the Duke but Lizzie is determined to marry for true love. The plot moves forward quickly and finishes predictably with a rather shocking scene witnessed by Miss Trumble. The last chapter is an epilogue 10 years later which resolves nothing and only adds more to the gothic plot. The book would have been better without it. I usually enjoy love stories based on Pride and Prejudice but like Lizzie, I thought the Duke was too old and snobby to be interesting. This series lacked the humor and charm which make Chesney's other books so enjoyable. I'm not a fan of gothic romances or supernatural stories in general and this series would have been better without it.
The Homecoming : The Daughters of Mannerling 6 by Marion Chesney -- Regency RomanceLittle Lizzie is now 19 and content with her life without Mannerling. The house has a strage pull though and she tresspasses once more to say goodbye to the house and is caught and soundly scolded by the Duke of Severnshire. The Duke comes to call when he discovers that the incomparable Miss Trumble is actually his aunt! Lizzie and the Duke cross verbal swords because Lizzie feels the Duke is too old and stuffy. She prefers the company of his young secretary, Peter Bond and the two quickly become good friends, sharing their dreams of love. Peter wishes to marry the daughter of a country squire from back home but as a servant, he isn't allowed to marry and the Duke doesn't even believe in love. A house party at Mannerling brings Lizzie, Miss Trumble, the Duke, Peter, Peter's beloved and some other young ladies together and the pull of the house is too great for some of the guests to resist. Meanwhile, Lizzie no longer feels the house and becomes friendlier with the Duke, but still pointing out all his faults. Her mother is determined to make a match between Lizzie and the Duke but Lizzie is determined to marry for true love. The plot moves forward quickly and finishes predictably with a rather shocking scene witnessed by Miss Trumble. The last chapter is an epilogue 10 years later which resolves nothing and only adds more to the gothic plot. The book would have been better without it. I usually enjoy love stories based on Pride and Prejudice but like Lizzie, I thought the Duke was too old and snobby to be interesting. This series lacked the humor and charm which make Chesney's other books so enjoyable. I'm not a fan of gothic romances or supernatural stories in general and this series would have been better without it.
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