Category: Regency Era (1811-1820)

The Regency in Great Britain was a period when King George III was deemed unfit to rule and his son ruled as his proxy as Prince Regent. On the death of George III in 1820, the Prince Regent became George IV. The term Regency can refer to various stretches of time; some are longer than the decade of the formal Regency which lasted from 1811–1820.
Preceded by: Georgian era
Followed by: Victorian era
Monarch: George III, George IV, William IV

The Girl With The Pearl Pin by Lynne Connolly

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

The Girl with the Pearl Pin (The Society for Single Ladies, #1)Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Society for Single Ladies #1
Publication Date: 9/10/19
Number of Pages: 247

This book was a lovely start to a new series. We met future characters and learned the start of The Society for Single Ladies. I was particularly intrigued by the founder of the Society, Miss Angela Childers who may be featured in a book with Col, Duke of Colston Magna. That could definitely be an interesting match.

Leo, delightful, delicious Duke of Leomore, is all that is proper and appropriate. He’s handsome and rich – and according to his grandmother – he’s in need of a bride. He’ll look around this season, but silly debutants just don’t appeal. The only one who might hold his interest is Angela Childers who has staunchly declared that she will never marry. Leo decides to approach her for a dance, but she foists him off on her cousin, Phoebe North, who is visiting from the country.

Phoebe stutters when she’s stressed and she’s also sometimes a bit awkward. Leo is incensed when others ignore her during the dance and when she trips and begins to fall he sees her chagrin and rescues her. Uncharacteristically, he scoops her up and carries her outside to help repair the damage to her ruffle and to calm her. He feels the need to kiss her, but before he can, there is a commotion and she dashes out to see what is happening. A heavily cloaked man runs into her – and the rest of the people in attendance at the ball are running behind him. When the worst gossip in London, Lady Latimer, points her finger at Phoebe and accuses her of being the thief, Leo steps forward and says that can’t be so because she has just been accepting his proposal.

Phoebe definitely doesn’t think she’s duchess material – and Leo isn’t sure either, but the more time he spends with her, the more he is attracted. He’s sure it is a physical attraction, but he likes her as a friend too and that is all he needs in a wife – he has absolutely no desire for love in his marriage.

I absolutely adore the way this author handled a scurrilous, underhanded, sly kidnapper. It is one of the best ‘punishments’ I’ve seen. I loved it. I didn’t love the non-punishment that the theft mastermind got – and I wasn’t thoroughly clear on whether there was one or two masterminds. I’ll be interested to see what happens to Lucinda in the future – if we ever get to see that.

This was a fun read and a great introduction to the series. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Marquis She’s Been Waiting For by Ella Quinn

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

The Marquis She's Been Waiting For (The Marriage Game, #9)The Marquis She’s Been Waiting For by Ella Quinn

Tracy’s rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Marriage Game, #9

Release Date: September 3, 2019

Alexander Endicott is on his Grand Tour when he learns that his father has passed and he is now the Marquis of Exeter, he returns to London and is overwhelmed with news – not only has he inherited a title he is woefully unprepared to assume, but his mother has cause a bit of a scandal by running off with the estate steward and leaving him with his young sisters to care for. When he seeks out help, everyone’s advice is the same – marry!

Lady Dorcus “Dorie” Calthorp is in her second season and will only marry for love, she was disappointed last season when she believed she had found a match and learned that the suitor did not feel the same, so now she has decided to focus her attentions on a “nice, steady” man and has made a list, a list that definitely does not include the handsome Lord Exeter!

Alex decides that Dorie is perfect for him – she will train his sisters, help him with the estate and begetting an heir will certainly be no hardship, but the lady doesn’t seem to agree and goes out of her way to introduce him to other eligible ladies! Alex is sure that Dorie is the “one” and uses any excuse possible to call on her and ask for help with his estate and his sisters. Dorie might not want to marry him, but she cannot say no to his requests for help and the two end up spending a lot of time together. But by the time she realizes that Alex is the man she has been looking for, it seems like her matchmaking may have worked and he has set his sights on another! Or has he??

This was a very mellow, low key story, it is slow moving and uneventful for most of the story, and while I had no problem with the writing, the characters, the imagery or the story, I was waiting for something to happen and when something finally did “happen” at the end, it was a bit anticlimactic and breezed over rather quickly. I am also a bit surprised that after reading 80% of a book with nothing more than touching while dancing or riding that the final 20% of the book managed to include three somewhat heated love scenes – I have nothing against a steamy love scene – but these felt out of character when compared to the behavior of Alex and Dorie in the rest of the book. Overall, this was an “OK” book, nothing spectacular, yet nothing objectionable, I personally felt like it was a little slow and dull, but it did hold my interest throughout. This is the ninth book in the series, but it can definitely be read as a stand-alone and while is it not part of The Worthingtons series, this story takes place the same time and does overlap with Lady Augusta’s story – Believe in Me

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an e-ARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*