What I've Read Recently... Regency edition . . .
Julia and the Master of Morancourt by Janet Aylmer -- Regency Romance
Julia Maitland is being pressured by her family to choose a wealthy husband soon. Her family has fallen on hard times lately : first, her only brother died fighting Napoleon's troops in Spain; then, the local bank failed and Papa lost his investments; after that, Papa's health began to decline. Julia is willing to please her family but she is not too happy about either of the prospects her parents have chosen for her. Mama wishes Julia to marry Dominic Brandon, an Earl's heir and cousin to Julia's best friend Emily. Papa prefers Jack Douglas, the son of his friend Harry, a self-made man. Julia doesn't know Dominic at all, she likes his younger brother Freddie though, and Jack prefers farming and animals to people. Julia's headstrong younger sister Sophie seems to get along well with Jack, but Julia doesn't feel they have anything in common. She prefers conversing about books with Jack's younger brother, Kit. Though she would like to marry for love, she would at least prefer to have some degree of common interests and friendship with her husband. Kit Douglas may be the one to steal Julia's heart; certainly he seems interested, but he is a younger son, a wounded soldier with no prospects. When her Aunt Lucy in Bath sends for Julia, her Papa agrees she needs a break and so Julia heads off to fashionable Bath and leaves her past behind her. Traveling with Emily, she learns some shocking secrets about Dominic. In Bath she meets a man who claims to know Dominic and lets slip an interesting piece of information about Dominic. Julia and Emily are perplexed and determined to discover the truth. Then Aunt Lucy's old friend dies and her heir, Christopher Hatton, writes to Aunt Lucy to come to Dorset and choose a souvenir as a memory of her friend. At Morancourt, Julia receives a huge surprise and discovers some surprising secrets about herself and her suitors and uncovers a mystery. Will the path to true love lie in Dorset? Can she ever find perfect happiness? The title of the book is a pretty big spoiler! Even so, it's still a good story. The period details are amazing and the settings are perfectly described so I felt like I was there. Any newcomer to the Regency genre can easily learn about the social customs of the about herself and her suitors and uncovers a mystery. Will the path to true love lie in Dorset? Can she ever find perfect happiness? The title of the book is a pretty big spoiler! Even so, it's still a good story. The period details are amazing and the settings are perfectly described so I felt like I was there. Any newcomer to the regency genre can easily learn about the social customs of the day. It's obvious Janet Aylmer has done her research. The writing style is also very accessible. She captures the tone of the era without being overburdened with copying Jane Austen's every word. The writing style is a bit dry though and the characters never really come to life. It lacks Jane Austen's wit and gentle humor. The story is a blend of traditional and sweet Regency styles. The plot is a bit slow to start with but picks up about 2/3 of the way through. The mystery plot could have started sooner. The ending is a bit rushed and I wish the book was a bit longer. The characters are interesting and likeable. Julia is a sensible heroine who acts and thinks appropriately for her time. The other two sisters are two-dimensional but they don't factor much into the story. Julia's mother is also a bit stereotypical but her Papa is not. The romantic lead is wonderful! He's kind, caring, romantic and really connects with Julia. I enjoyed the development of their relationship and how they worked together to solve a mystery. I would recommend this to Janites and those who love the old-fashioned sweet and traditional Regencies.
Mr. Jeffries and the Jilt by Joy Reed -- Regency Romance
The Honorable Mr. Raymond Jeffries is visiting his aunt at the fashionable watering hole of Shelton-On-Sea. He's bored and longs for intelligent company and is trying to steer clear of the matchmaking Mama's. When he learns the notorious jilt, Caroline Sedgewick is also staying in Shelton-On-Sea, he is intrigued. He vaguely remembers meeting her in London and his curiosity and sympathy are aroused when he learns she has most recently jilted a man he knows to be a scoundrel, Robert Cullen. Caroline is hiding out with her friend Lady Katherine. Caroline has her reasons for doing what she did and is embarrassed to be the talk of the town. As she gets to know Mr. Jeffries she comes to believe he may be the one to capture her heart at last, but she couldn't let him saddle himself with someone so notorious. Mr. Jeffries admires Caroline's plain speaking and her witty conversation. He feels like her knight in shining armor. The more he sees of her, the more he longs to make her his wife, but his aunt doesn't approve based of gossip and hearsay. If he can only get Caroline to trust him enough to tell him the truth and see that they belong together. Then there's Cullen who isn't used to being told no. Will he succeed in winning over Caroline again? Mr. Jeffries is the type of hero any girl would love to swoon over. He's pretty much perfect. Caroline has a few flaws but mostly she's a nice girl. I felt very sympathetic towards her but by the end of the book I wanted to strangle her for her self-sacrificing attitude. The story has some good dialogue between the hero and heroine and there are a few amusing moments that come primarily from the secondary characters. This is a nice, light, sweet romance. It's not fabulous but it's not bad either. I wouldn't put it in my top ten category but I would recommend it to fans of the sweet Regency style.
Julia Maitland is being pressured by her family to choose a wealthy husband soon. Her family has fallen on hard times lately : first, her only brother died fighting Napoleon's troops in Spain; then, the local bank failed and Papa lost his investments; after that, Papa's health began to decline. Julia is willing to please her family but she is not too happy about either of the prospects her parents have chosen for her. Mama wishes Julia to marry Dominic Brandon, an Earl's heir and cousin to Julia's best friend Emily. Papa prefers Jack Douglas, the son of his friend Harry, a self-made man. Julia doesn't know Dominic at all, she likes his younger brother Freddie though, and Jack prefers farming and animals to people. Julia's headstrong younger sister Sophie seems to get along well with Jack, but Julia doesn't feel they have anything in common. She prefers conversing about books with Jack's younger brother, Kit. Though she would like to marry for love, she would at least prefer to have some degree of common interests and friendship with her husband. Kit Douglas may be the one to steal Julia's heart; certainly he seems interested, but he is a younger son, a wounded soldier with no prospects. When her Aunt Lucy in Bath sends for Julia, her Papa agrees she needs a break and so Julia heads off to fashionable Bath and leaves her past behind her. Traveling with Emily, she learns some shocking secrets about Dominic. In Bath she meets a man who claims to know Dominic and lets slip an interesting piece of information about Dominic. Julia and Emily are perplexed and determined to discover the truth. Then Aunt Lucy's old friend dies and her heir, Christopher Hatton, writes to Aunt Lucy to come to Dorset and choose a souvenir as a memory of her friend. At Morancourt, Julia receives a huge surprise and discovers some surprising secrets about herself and her suitors and uncovers a mystery. Will the path to true love lie in Dorset? Can she ever find perfect happiness? The title of the book is a pretty big spoiler! Even so, it's still a good story. The period details are amazing and the settings are perfectly described so I felt like I was there. Any newcomer to the Regency genre can easily learn about the social customs of the about herself and her suitors and uncovers a mystery. Will the path to true love lie in Dorset? Can she ever find perfect happiness? The title of the book is a pretty big spoiler! Even so, it's still a good story. The period details are amazing and the settings are perfectly described so I felt like I was there. Any newcomer to the regency genre can easily learn about the social customs of the day. It's obvious Janet Aylmer has done her research. The writing style is also very accessible. She captures the tone of the era without being overburdened with copying Jane Austen's every word. The writing style is a bit dry though and the characters never really come to life. It lacks Jane Austen's wit and gentle humor. The story is a blend of traditional and sweet Regency styles. The plot is a bit slow to start with but picks up about 2/3 of the way through. The mystery plot could have started sooner. The ending is a bit rushed and I wish the book was a bit longer. The characters are interesting and likeable. Julia is a sensible heroine who acts and thinks appropriately for her time. The other two sisters are two-dimensional but they don't factor much into the story. Julia's mother is also a bit stereotypical but her Papa is not. The romantic lead is wonderful! He's kind, caring, romantic and really connects with Julia. I enjoyed the development of their relationship and how they worked together to solve a mystery. I would recommend this to Janites and those who love the old-fashioned sweet and traditional Regencies.
The Honorable Mr. Raymond Jeffries is visiting his aunt at the fashionable watering hole of Shelton-On-Sea. He's bored and longs for intelligent company and is trying to steer clear of the matchmaking Mama's. When he learns the notorious jilt, Caroline Sedgewick is also staying in Shelton-On-Sea, he is intrigued. He vaguely remembers meeting her in London and his curiosity and sympathy are aroused when he learns she has most recently jilted a man he knows to be a scoundrel, Robert Cullen. Caroline is hiding out with her friend Lady Katherine. Caroline has her reasons for doing what she did and is embarrassed to be the talk of the town. As she gets to know Mr. Jeffries she comes to believe he may be the one to capture her heart at last, but she couldn't let him saddle himself with someone so notorious. Mr. Jeffries admires Caroline's plain speaking and her witty conversation. He feels like her knight in shining armor. The more he sees of her, the more he longs to make her his wife, but his aunt doesn't approve based of gossip and hearsay. If he can only get Caroline to trust him enough to tell him the truth and see that they belong together. Then there's Cullen who isn't used to being told no. Will he succeed in winning over Caroline again? Mr. Jeffries is the type of hero any girl would love to swoon over. He's pretty much perfect. Caroline has a few flaws but mostly she's a nice girl. I felt very sympathetic towards her but by the end of the book I wanted to strangle her for her self-sacrificing attitude. The story has some good dialogue between the hero and heroine and there are a few amusing moments that come primarily from the secondary characters. This is a nice, light, sweet romance. It's not fabulous but it's not bad either. I wouldn't put it in my top ten category but I would recommend it to fans of the sweet Regency style.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Leave comments and or suggestions for QNPoohBear, the modern bluestocking.