Month: February 2019

The Discerning Gentleman’s Guide by Virginia Heath

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Regency Era (1811-1820)2 Comments

The Discerning Gentleman's GuideThe Discerning Gentleman’s Guide by Virginia Heath

Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: None – Standalone
Publication Date: 11/1/2016
Number of Pages: 288

Believable characters and witty dialogue populate this well-paced, excellently written, character-driven story. I loved that the heroine is very self-aware and the hero discovers that he really isn’t who he has been pretending (even to himself) to be. His metamorphosis is a sight to behold! You like each of the characters from the beginning, but as you learn more about them and their respective backgrounds you come to like and respect them even more.

Bennett Montague, sixteenth Duke of Aveley, has plans to be Prime Minister within the next few years. He is stodgy, extremely correct, pompous, and austere. He’s followed his father’s plans for his life to the letter and now, the next part of that plan is to find a wife – after all – a Prime Minister must be married. A year ago, he wrote down and then published, some words of wisdom his father gave him for finding a wife. He’s put those into action and has now narrowed his choices down to five ladies who seem to meet all of the criteria. Some of the words of wisdom are:
• Marry a woman who thinks before she speaks. It will save you a great deal of time having to correct her …
• A wife’s first duty is to obey her husband. Therefore, it is the husband’s first duty to enlighten her as to what he wants her to do …
• Do not allow your passions to control your decisions. Passion soon dies, attraction fades, but a pragmatic union to an obedient wife will stand the test of time …
• When selecting a bride, choose a biddable woman who defers to your superior opinion in all matters of importance …

Amelia Mansfield pulled herself up out of the gutter through sheer will and determination. She’s a beautiful, petite woman who spent quite some time living in Seven Dials alone and on her own. She’s gone from living and working in the workhouse to being the companion to Lady Worsted whose nephew is the Duke of Aveley. Amelia loathes and detests anyone with a title – and she has good reasons – which you’ll learn as you read the book.

I’ve read a number of books with the ‘stodgy aristocrat shown the error of his ways by enlightened reformer’ trope. Those were good, but the reformers usually come across just a bit like cardboard. That isn’t the case here. You see and understand why Amelia feels as she does. Why she fights for the poor. Why she crusades for workers rights. It is because she has lived it and she understands it. This author does that very, very well in this book.

Bennett does his dead-level best to adhere to all of his father’s principles for finding the perfect bride – until he meets the outspoken, opinionated, disrespectful companion to his aunt. She certainly has no respect for him or his title. As a matter of fact, she thinks of him as His Royal Highness the Duke of Pomposity and wonders if being so adored becomes wearing on him.

Bennett really is a reformer at heart, but what he believes is fact, really isn’t. He wants to help the slums of Seven Dials, but believes what most folks think about the poor – that they are slovenly, lazy and much prefer to be on the dole. In his mind, he sees them living in homes – just poorer homes, etc. He has no idea that many of them, even though they work, are forced to sleep on the street along with their children. With their meager earnings, they have to choose between a place to sleep for the night or something to eat. Bennett is aghast and heartsick when he learns the truth. His awakening and transformation are a wonderful thing to read!

This delightful story is almost conflict-free and totally character driven. To me, the only thing that would have made it better would have been the addition of an epilogue. I would have loved to see them 5 years out (or even less) with a baby or two and their reform projects up and running, etc.

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Mr. Hunt, I Presume by Valerie Bowman

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Novella, Regency Era (1811-1820)3 Comments

Mr. Hunt, I Presume (Playful Brides, #10.5)Mr. Hunt, I Presume by Valerie Bowman

Barbara’s rating: 3.5/4 of 5 stars

Series: Playful Brides #11.5
Publication Date: 2/8/19
Number of Pages: 120

My rating is 3.5 stars rounded up to 4

This is a lovely second-chance romance novella. It is well-written, but I felt it was a bit rushed and I didn’t feel as if I were ‘finished’ with it at the end. I loved the storyline, I liked the main characters, I adored the secondary couple, and the children were wonderful. I just felt like there were chunks of story that were missing or things progressed much too fast. Too fast? Consider the scene during their first dinner and then moving to the library. I don’t want to say too much and spoil it, but when you read it you’ll see what I mean.

I loved that we got to spend time with Lucy and Derek again. Catching up with them and seeing their love and their life as a married couple was wonderful and their two children were a great addition to the story. It was nice to see that Derek has resigned himself to Lucy’s matchmaking and just loves her to distraction. This time, Lucy is matchmaking for Derek’s brother, Collin and their childhood neighbor Erienne Stone. I would have thought that Collin’s story would have come earlier in the series since Lucy and Derek were the featured H/h in the first book, but maybe it took a while to find just the right lady for him.

Collin and Erienne had a relationship of some sort when they were younger. You learn what that relationship was in bits and pieces as you move through the story. It is a story of family betrayal and feelings of unworthiness that cost these two fourteen years of being miserable and apart. Neither of them ever married.

Collin Hunt and his two brothers are basically ‘from the wrong side of the tracks’. Their father was put out of the army because of his overindulgence in alcohol. Their father was also cruel to them because he was training them to be soldiers. Both Collin and Derek were very good at soldiering. Derek’s success earned him the title of Duke of Claringdon for his heroism during the war and Collin is now a general and a high ranking member at the Home Office. Most of Collin’s career can’t be mentioned because he spent his time as a spy.

Erienne defied her parent’s marriage expectations and left home to become a governess. Now, fourteen years later, the children she was caring for are grown and it is time for her to move on to her next family. When the agency sets her up with an interview with the Duchess of Claringdon, she doesn’t feel she can turn it down. She’s truly surprised at herself when she finally – after much persuasion by the Duchess – accepts the job. She’s torn – she wants to know about Collin, but she’s afraid she can’t handle actually seeing him.

It really is a nice story, but I think I could have lived with a little less backstory if it bought me more time with the couple in the ‘now’. More time for me to know them and them to know each other and especially more time for a less abrupt ending. There was a distinct lack of conversation and discussion between them. They just go straight to lust and remain there. The proposal is entertaining but certainly lacks romance. As I read, I thought “What, this is it?” and it was.

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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given w