What I've Read Lately

What I've Read Lately . . .

Robin by Frances Hodgson Burnett -- Historical Romance

This romantic drama by the author of A Little Princess and The Secret Garden takes place during WWI in a rapidly changing England where all the charm and beauty of the world seems to be disappearing. Lost in their own bubble of love, Robin and Donal Muir are elated to find each other again after being parted after their first meeting as children about 15 years earlier. Robin is the lonely only child of an uncaring mother, who upon the death of her husband, accepted financial support from the elderly Head of the House of Coombe. Assuming that Robin's mother is the mistress of the Marquis, other mothers did not allow their children to play with Robin. A chance meeting with a strange boy in the garden while her nanny wasn't paying attention introduced Robin to her one true love. Donal loved Robin instantly and wanted to protect her. He promised to return the next day but his mother cruelly whisked him away. Robin and Donal meet again at a house party given by Robin's employer, the Dowager Duchess of Darte. Donal is instantly smitten with Robin and she never stopped worshiping him. The two find ways to be together and romance blooms as if the pair were lost in a bubble of love. The world is at war however, and the love bubble bursts cruelly when Donal marches off to war and is missing, presumed dead. Robin's world is shattered and she feels as if life can not go on. It must though, for the sake of her unborn child. Robin discovers a beautiful, sacred thing that helps her get through long and dark nights. This book explores the powers of mysticism. Apparently this is a sequel to a book called The Head of the House of Coombe. One does not have to read the first to follow the plot of this book. I really wanted to like this novel because I love her children's books, but I just couldn't like it. It was very slow in the beginning and hard to get in to. I couldn't stand Robin who is far too selfless and innocent for me to relate to or like. I prefer heroines with some backbone. Donal is also quite silly and not a very strong hero. I have a hard time believing the mystic elements. The combination of innocent, doe-eyed heroine plus mysticism was just too much for me. If you like Eva Ibbotson's adult romance novels then you will probably like this one.

Snowflake Kittens by Carola Dunn, Mona Gedney, Valerie King -- Regency Romance novellas 

In "A Kiss and a Kitten" by Carola Dunn, Miss Mariana Duckworth is enjoying her new home in the country, despite the fact that the locals don't seem very friendly. She loves working in her garden. Her little Golden Retriever provides company and that's all she needs to get by. When Damian Perricourt returns from the wars after the death of his brother, he spies Mariana working in her garden and wonders who the improper female is. Though he finds her attractive, he's convinced she must be hiding something, or why else live alone? He convinces his mother to befriend her and Mariana becomes friendly with Mrs. Perricourt and her two young grandchildren who live with her. Damian, however, remains aloof, until a near-tragedy involving his niece's kitten helps break the ice. This is not Carola Dunn's best story. Her hero and heroine are boring. The romance happens too quickly and unrealistically. Damian acts like a royal jerk for most of the story that when he finally unbends it doesn't seem realistic. This story could have benefited from a few more chapters.

"A Feline Affair" by Mona Gedney is the second novella. Graham Livingstone is on his way to his brother's country home where Robert has lived like a hermit these last two years. Robert had his heart broken when his fiance Marian Piercey jilted him. He believes her to be a jaded fortune hunter. Graham thinks otherwise, which is why he's on his way to visit his brother even though it will put him in close proximity to a Miss Alyce Brightman, a lady who schemes to marry him. Graham hasn't counted on his brother's heart being minded by moldy old Roman ruins just when Graham is about to reunite Robert and Marian! Marian and her mother arrive for a visit and Robert wants nothing to do with them. Meanwhile, Graham has troubles of his own. A raggedy ginger cat has made herself at home on his bed and she insists on bringing him presents of jewels that do not belong to him! Marian pitches in to help solve the mystery and unknowingly, Ginger brings Marian and Graham closer than they had ever dreamed. This is another rushed romance which could benefit from more chapters. I liked the mystery but not the romance. Marian seems nice though we never really get to know her. Graham is a bit boring. He cares more for his clothes and his bachelor status than anything else, including Ginger, at least at first. He does grow throughout the story but it just doesn't seem very much like something that could actually happen.

In "Much Ado About Kittens" Lord Cherriton and Grace Haverstock are competing to see who can marry first. Whoever does will gain full guardianship of their orphaned nieces. The only problem is that Cherriton's fiance Lady Hilary Beaford won't set a date! Grace's fiance, Mr. Mollant, also continually puts off the wedding. Cherriton wonders whether he'll ever be married and gain custody of his beloved nieces. Cherriton takes Lady Hilary to his Aunt and Uncle Plymtree's home where Elizabeth and Emma reside with their Aunt Grace. The girls are to perform a series of plays with their kittens. The subjects of the plays hit a little too close to home for Cherriton and Grace. Once they were passionately in love but Grace blamed Cherriton for the accident that robbed them of their siblings and the previous Lord Cherriton. Lady Hilary and Mr. Mollant don't seem to care for cats or for children. The girls know that their guardians are making the wrong choices but can they, and their adorable kittens, convince the adults of their mistakes? This story sweet and heartwarming. Though it was extremely predictable, the plot seemed realistic. I liked Grace and Cherriton and they had good chemistry. I also adored Aunt and Uncle Plymtree. The children and their cats were a little too cutesy for my taste but not terribly so. I liked this novella the best of the three.

What I've Read This Week

What I've Read This Week . . .

Brightsea by Jane Gillespie -- Sequel to Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility
This book revisits the Steele sisters from Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. Remember them, the nieces of the kindly Mrs. Jenkins, whose daughter is married to Elinor and Marianne's relative. Lucy Steele was secretly engaged to Edward Ferrars but switched her allegiance to Robert when she learned he was to inherit and Edward to be a poor clergyman. It's not nine years lady and Lucy's sister Nancy is 40 years old and still silly, wanting in sense and on the lookout for a husband. Lucy is more disagreeable than ever with the cares and concerns of a profligate husband and a young family. Nancy bounces around from relative to relative ringing up massive debts until finally, Mr. Palmer decides he's had enough of her and recommends her to an acquaintance of his as a companion for a young lady just out of the school room. Nancy is reluctant to take employment (the horror!) but decides a house with servants and money to spend in a town by the sea outweighs the negative connotations of being a paid companion. Instead of the lively and gay young lady Nancy is expecting, Louisa is sober and bookish, she doesn't know how to dance and wants to learn Latin! While Louisa is busy studying Latin with the handsome young clergyman, Nancy spends money and flirts with the other visitors to Brightsea, in particular, a Mr. Forgan. Louisa begins to enjoy Brightsea society and the attentions of Mr. Forgan but her grandmother's old nurse warns her that Mr. Forgan is not what he should be and Louisa must decide what to do about Mr. Forgan. Lucy and her children pay a visit to needle Nancy and help move the action along and all concludes as it should. I read this book before but didn't remember until I had started reading. It didn't hold my interest very easily. The plot was rather slow moving until the end when it wrapped up in a quick summary of what happens next. Nancy is still disagreeable and Louisa is kind of a bland heroine. If you're looking for romance, or even as much romance as Jane Austen, this book isn't for you. The romance is quiet and blooms slowly and we're told what happens rather than seeing the action. If you loved to hate the Steele sisters and wonder what happens to them, then you'll enjoy this quick and imaginative sequel.


A Country Flirtation by Valerie King -- Regency Romance
After turning down 8 offers of marriage because she could not love the gentleman, Miss Constance Pamblerley is now nine and twenty and a confirmed spinster. She isn't bothered by that though and is happy being the mistress of Lady Brook Cottage and the surrounding estate. She has her hands full caring for her invalid mother and four younger sisters and soon she has two more charges on her hands when a treacherous bend in the road causes a young man to wreck his curricle in Lady Brook's yard. The young man can not recall his identity and is under doctor's orders to remain at Lady Brook until he does. Constance's younger sisters dote on "Mr. Albion" or "Alby" as they call him and Constance fears they are in danger of falling in love with a penniless man, which will not do. Constance has little time to consider whether Alby is faking his illness because soon, Alby's (real name Charles Kidmarsh) guardian, Lord Ramsdell comes crashing his curricle into Lady Brook's yard. Lord Ramsdell's accident causes a broken arm and a fever and Constance spends most of her time nursing the Viscount. When Lord Ramsdell awakens from his fever, he falls instantly in love with his nurse and she soon follows. They become close confidants and friends as well as flirting and kissing partners. Constance tells herself that it's only a summer country flirtation and that it doesn't mean anything but her heart has other ideas. Meanwhile, Alby/Charles thrives under the Pamberley sisters' care. He grows from a coddled boy into a man with chores and vigorous exercise. He also falls in love with the youngest sister, Augusta, and she helps him gather the courage to face his future. This is a silly, lighthearted romance. The characters continually behave out-of-bounds for that time period and the whole plot is unrealistic. I liked Charles and his coming-of-age story but I felt that Lord Ramsedell, whose name isn't revealed until Chapter 12, wasn't fleshed out enough to be a proper hero. I admired Constance in the way she managed her estate and took care of her sisters and mother, but this Cinderella story was a bit too much of a fairy tale for me. Hopeless romantics rejoice because this book is for you; hardcore historians, not so much.

Changing Seasons by Jessie Watson -- Regency Romance
When Charlotte Middleton discovers that her fiance and best friend Rupert Frost has been keeping company with a lightskirt, Charlotte is angry and embarrassed enough to break off the engagement. She and Rupert exchange heated words and threats they don't mean. In a fit of pique, Rupert enlists in the army and Charlotte marries a dull local man. Nine years later, with the wars over, Rupert has begun to think about how lonely he is. His correspondence with the uncle of a fallen comrade leads Rupert to the small English country village of Edenshade, where Charlotte resides. Charlotte is now a widow of means, happy performing charitable works and socializing with the neighbors. Rupert's return stirs up old feelings and she isn't sure she's ready to confront them or whether Rupert's attentions mean anything more than friendship. As the seasons change, Rupert, Charlotte and the people of Edenshade are consumed with the summer flower show/content, the biggest event in the area. The spring and summer bring new friends and new romances and the idea of marriage to mind. This is a nice, quiet story in the manner of Jane Austen. The small town locals are quirky and charming and Rupert quickly becomes part of life in Edenshade. While Rupert and Charlotte are kind of bland characters, I appreciate their quiet romance and their close friendship without all the adjectives in the dictionary describing their feelings. Much of the novel is taken up with gardening and the flower show. There are a lot of characters, which I found hard to keep track of but I liked meeting them and seeing life in this small town as an insider rather than an outsider. This is a nice novel for Jane Austen fanatics who prefer stories about country families to heady romance.