What I Read Last Week . . .
Irish Autumn by Margaret Evans Porter -- Regency Romance
Miss Berengaria Ivory is a six-and-twenty year old Irish spinster with her own estate. She has no time for romance for she's busy raising her three young stepbrothers. She adores them as if they were her own flesh and blood and lives in dread that their scandalous mother will return from India to claim them. She wants to give the boys everything they could ever need or desire, and for that she needs money. She is considering marrying her solicitor and friend Mr. Ruan, but she is hesitant to marry without love. Her father's old friend and neighbor, the Earl of Lindal died and now his grandson has returned from wandering to take up his duties. The Earl's return is bound to cause gossip, for ten years ago he was contracted to marry Garia and then ran off with the chambermaid! Garia has never met the new Earl and is sure she can meet him with the calm indifference of a neighbor. Her brothers want to continue the free reign of the property the old Earl allowed them. The eldest boy, Jeremy, a serious lad of 14, loves to hunt. Egan, shy and studious, wants free reign of the Earl's library and young Bennet, age 8, loves to roam the country and tends to get into mischief. Torin, the new Earl is tired of his nomadic life. He's tired of being a rake and has come back to Ireland to settle down, if his reputation isn't permanently damaged. His cousin Thomas and Estate Manager is there to support him and help him, but when Torin discovers the marriage contract still in his grandfather's desk, Thomas is shocked and suggests burning it. Torin isn't so sure he wants to do that for when he met Garia for the first time, he found her quite lovely. He comes to know Garia and her brothers as a friend and neighbor. He doesn't wish to force her into anything she doesn't want to do, but when it seems as if Garia will give in to Ruan, Torin may have to play his trump card. Can he win the love of such an exceptional woman? Garia feels strange whenever she is around Torin; could this feeling be love? How can she marry a man who doesn't love her? Does she even really want to marry and give up her independence? If only she could find a man she loved who would love her and allow her to be independent... Neither man is used to not getting what he wants and they won't give up until Garia is wed.
This is a pretty good story. It's not super light but it's not dark and angst filled. The Howard boys provide plenty of comic relief and the servants and tenants add a bit of comedy as well. The boys are similar to Frederica's brothers so if you love them, you'll like Garia's brothers. The plot is good though it could be a bit tighter. I would have preferred the romantic dilemma without a villain. The romance builds nicely. At first it seems as if their relationship is going to be based on physical attraction or love at first sight, but the story develops from there. The hero and heroine becomes good friends and he falls in love with her brothers too. The story starts to falter a bit towards the middle and the misunderstanding doesn't make a lot of sense. It picked up again after that was resolved and I liked how the relationship developed from there. The villain preys on Garia's doubts and fears but she knows her own mind and heart so the plot doesn't go wildly off track. The ending is a bit too tidy. It's straight out of a novel and I didn't find it all that realistic but it's all that a novel reader could wish for.
The characters are all really good. I especially loved Garia. She's independent and strong. She is an admirable landlady and truly loves her estate and all the people on it. She's a doting sister though the boys are not her flesh and blood. She could be too selfless and self-sacrificing but she's not. She seems realistic. She has valid fears and realistic hopes and dreams. If you don't like heroines who blindly accept the hero has had mistresses in the past, then you probably won't like her, but I liked that she accepted his past and even referenced it frequently. I didn't really like the hero. He's kind and caring but yet I found his past exploits really turned me off. It's one thing to be a rake in London with opera dancers and high flyers but chambermaids who act like harlots are more likely to be diseased and also he had a responsibility to protect a woman in his employment, not take advantage of her even if she was willing. I far preferred Thomas who is kind and noble; or at least we don't hear about his past liaisons. The villains seem a bit cartoonish at first but there's more to them than what is shown on the surface. They have stories that have shaped their character. I do think though, the chief villain's intentions were obvious and an intelligent woman like Garia should have seen right through them. However, even Elizabeth Bennet was fooled by Mr. Wickham and that book wasn't published yet in Autumn 1812 so Garia couldn't have known to beware of Wickhams.
The romance is kisses only. The hero does describe his checkered past a bit but not in graphic detail and the heroine brings it up in conversation. There's a very tiny amount of sensuality but it's done in a nice way to show the growing attraction between the hero and heroine. The characters' inner thoughts don't get graphic in any way shape or form.
The Adventures of Sally by P.G. Wodehouse -- Romantic Comedy
Sally Nicholas and her brother Fillmore have been on their own for three years struggling to make ends meet through dead-end jobs on Broadway. Now they have come of age and inherited the money their father left them. Everyone in their boarding house has opinions on how to spend the money. Fillmore intends to get richer quick through some investments while Sally intends to travel to Europe, move to an apartment and maybe open a dress shop. Then, when her fiance's play is a success, they'll finally marry. He's on the verge of greatness and unable to travel with Sally. While visiting the seaside in France, she overhears a conversation between two men. One is hard and unattractive. The other is red haired and looks like he has a temper, but seems kind. Sally is dying to know why the red haired man was fired from his job and is embarrassed and a bit pleased to hear the red haired man praise her beauty. He helps her out of a sticky situation and is mortified to discover she speaks English. Sally quickly takes "Ginger" Kemp under her wing and treats him as she does her brother, with a firm but gentle guiding hand. Ginger introduces her to his cousin, Bruce Carmyle, a wealthy lawyer. Sally thinks Mr. Carmyle is a bit rude and snobbish and wants nothing more to do with him. When she returns home, she discovers everything is in chaos and her fiance's grand plan is about to crumble. Her brother comes up with the perfect solution and Sally has faith that everything will turn out. Just when things are looking up, she has a setback. Then Europe follows Sally to America. To get away, she heads back to England where she still can't escape! Finally she runs back to New York where her problems multiply and she discovers something about herself and her problem she never knew before.
This is another great Wodehouse classic! The characters in this novel are fairly stereotypical. Sally is sooooo unselfish and forgiving and so beautiful every man falls in love with her. The men are basically types: there's the success-driven men; diva leading lady; earnest but bumbling men; moneyed English men and annoying, nosy landlady with yappy dog. It sounds like they would be boring but mixed into the plot, they're delicious. They make the story come alive and add to the screwball aspect of the plot. The one stand out who doesn't get a lot of page time is Gladys. Unlike Sally, she isn't beautiful or ambitious but she knows how to handle her man with skill and charm.
The plot starts off slow with too many characters thrown at the reader to make sense. Once Sally leaves New York for the first time, the plot picks up pace. I couldn't put it down. I HAD to know how things turned out with Sally and whether she found true love and with whom! I absolutely didn't know how it would turn out. I thought perhaps it might be an update of a beloved 19th century classic. I was with Sally through all the drama and romantic entanglements. It sounds melodramatic but it's not. Wodehouse had a light touch and knew exactly how to get a smile from his reader. The prose is witty, funny and sometimes even deserving of a chuckle. The only graphic content in this novel is a boxing scene that goes on too long and a depiction of how the loser looks afterwards. Since the book was written in 1922, there's a couple of very minor somewhat racist line or two and a possible antisemitic scene. The romance is squeaky clean.
Miss Berengaria Ivory is a six-and-twenty year old Irish spinster with her own estate. She has no time for romance for she's busy raising her three young stepbrothers. She adores them as if they were her own flesh and blood and lives in dread that their scandalous mother will return from India to claim them. She wants to give the boys everything they could ever need or desire, and for that she needs money. She is considering marrying her solicitor and friend Mr. Ruan, but she is hesitant to marry without love. Her father's old friend and neighbor, the Earl of Lindal died and now his grandson has returned from wandering to take up his duties. The Earl's return is bound to cause gossip, for ten years ago he was contracted to marry Garia and then ran off with the chambermaid! Garia has never met the new Earl and is sure she can meet him with the calm indifference of a neighbor. Her brothers want to continue the free reign of the property the old Earl allowed them. The eldest boy, Jeremy, a serious lad of 14, loves to hunt. Egan, shy and studious, wants free reign of the Earl's library and young Bennet, age 8, loves to roam the country and tends to get into mischief. Torin, the new Earl is tired of his nomadic life. He's tired of being a rake and has come back to Ireland to settle down, if his reputation isn't permanently damaged. His cousin Thomas and Estate Manager is there to support him and help him, but when Torin discovers the marriage contract still in his grandfather's desk, Thomas is shocked and suggests burning it. Torin isn't so sure he wants to do that for when he met Garia for the first time, he found her quite lovely. He comes to know Garia and her brothers as a friend and neighbor. He doesn't wish to force her into anything she doesn't want to do, but when it seems as if Garia will give in to Ruan, Torin may have to play his trump card. Can he win the love of such an exceptional woman? Garia feels strange whenever she is around Torin; could this feeling be love? How can she marry a man who doesn't love her? Does she even really want to marry and give up her independence? If only she could find a man she loved who would love her and allow her to be independent... Neither man is used to not getting what he wants and they won't give up until Garia is wed.
This is a pretty good story. It's not super light but it's not dark and angst filled. The Howard boys provide plenty of comic relief and the servants and tenants add a bit of comedy as well. The boys are similar to Frederica's brothers so if you love them, you'll like Garia's brothers. The plot is good though it could be a bit tighter. I would have preferred the romantic dilemma without a villain. The romance builds nicely. At first it seems as if their relationship is going to be based on physical attraction or love at first sight, but the story develops from there. The hero and heroine becomes good friends and he falls in love with her brothers too. The story starts to falter a bit towards the middle and the misunderstanding doesn't make a lot of sense. It picked up again after that was resolved and I liked how the relationship developed from there. The villain preys on Garia's doubts and fears but she knows her own mind and heart so the plot doesn't go wildly off track. The ending is a bit too tidy. It's straight out of a novel and I didn't find it all that realistic but it's all that a novel reader could wish for.
The characters are all really good. I especially loved Garia. She's independent and strong. She is an admirable landlady and truly loves her estate and all the people on it. She's a doting sister though the boys are not her flesh and blood. She could be too selfless and self-sacrificing but she's not. She seems realistic. She has valid fears and realistic hopes and dreams. If you don't like heroines who blindly accept the hero has had mistresses in the past, then you probably won't like her, but I liked that she accepted his past and even referenced it frequently. I didn't really like the hero. He's kind and caring but yet I found his past exploits really turned me off. It's one thing to be a rake in London with opera dancers and high flyers but chambermaids who act like harlots are more likely to be diseased and also he had a responsibility to protect a woman in his employment, not take advantage of her even if she was willing. I far preferred Thomas who is kind and noble; or at least we don't hear about his past liaisons. The villains seem a bit cartoonish at first but there's more to them than what is shown on the surface. They have stories that have shaped their character. I do think though, the chief villain's intentions were obvious and an intelligent woman like Garia should have seen right through them. However, even Elizabeth Bennet was fooled by Mr. Wickham and that book wasn't published yet in Autumn 1812 so Garia couldn't have known to beware of Wickhams.
The romance is kisses only. The hero does describe his checkered past a bit but not in graphic detail and the heroine brings it up in conversation. There's a very tiny amount of sensuality but it's done in a nice way to show the growing attraction between the hero and heroine. The characters' inner thoughts don't get graphic in any way shape or form.
The Adventures of Sally by P.G. Wodehouse -- Romantic ComedySally Nicholas and her brother Fillmore have been on their own for three years struggling to make ends meet through dead-end jobs on Broadway. Now they have come of age and inherited the money their father left them. Everyone in their boarding house has opinions on how to spend the money. Fillmore intends to get richer quick through some investments while Sally intends to travel to Europe, move to an apartment and maybe open a dress shop. Then, when her fiance's play is a success, they'll finally marry. He's on the verge of greatness and unable to travel with Sally. While visiting the seaside in France, she overhears a conversation between two men. One is hard and unattractive. The other is red haired and looks like he has a temper, but seems kind. Sally is dying to know why the red haired man was fired from his job and is embarrassed and a bit pleased to hear the red haired man praise her beauty. He helps her out of a sticky situation and is mortified to discover she speaks English. Sally quickly takes "Ginger" Kemp under her wing and treats him as she does her brother, with a firm but gentle guiding hand. Ginger introduces her to his cousin, Bruce Carmyle, a wealthy lawyer. Sally thinks Mr. Carmyle is a bit rude and snobbish and wants nothing more to do with him. When she returns home, she discovers everything is in chaos and her fiance's grand plan is about to crumble. Her brother comes up with the perfect solution and Sally has faith that everything will turn out. Just when things are looking up, she has a setback. Then Europe follows Sally to America. To get away, she heads back to England where she still can't escape! Finally she runs back to New York where her problems multiply and she discovers something about herself and her problem she never knew before.
This is another great Wodehouse classic! The characters in this novel are fairly stereotypical. Sally is sooooo unselfish and forgiving and so beautiful every man falls in love with her. The men are basically types: there's the success-driven men; diva leading lady; earnest but bumbling men; moneyed English men and annoying, nosy landlady with yappy dog. It sounds like they would be boring but mixed into the plot, they're delicious. They make the story come alive and add to the screwball aspect of the plot. The one stand out who doesn't get a lot of page time is Gladys. Unlike Sally, she isn't beautiful or ambitious but she knows how to handle her man with skill and charm.
The plot starts off slow with too many characters thrown at the reader to make sense. Once Sally leaves New York for the first time, the plot picks up pace. I couldn't put it down. I HAD to know how things turned out with Sally and whether she found true love and with whom! I absolutely didn't know how it would turn out. I thought perhaps it might be an update of a beloved 19th century classic. I was with Sally through all the drama and romantic entanglements. It sounds melodramatic but it's not. Wodehouse had a light touch and knew exactly how to get a smile from his reader. The prose is witty, funny and sometimes even deserving of a chuckle. The only graphic content in this novel is a boxing scene that goes on too long and a depiction of how the loser looks afterwards. Since the book was written in 1922, there's a couple of very minor somewhat racist line or two and a possible antisemitic scene. The romance is squeaky clean.
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