Rachel Knowles's Blog, page 5

Book review: A Dangerous Deal by Philippa Jane Keyworth

 

A marriage of convenience that turns into an emotional rollercoaster on the path to love

The scenario

The unconventional Lady Rachel Denby longs for independence from the men who have ruled her life. Having been pushed by her dictatorial father into marriage with an elderly man, Rachel is left a childless widow and will do anything to avoid returning to her father’s house. She proposes a marriage deal to Julius, Viscount Arleigh, who needs to marry quickly to secure his inheritance. Once this...

Book review: Lakeshire Park by Megan Walker

An engaging enemies-to-lovers romance set at a house party

The scenario

Amelia Moore’s stepfather is about to die and when that happens, Amelia and her sister Clara will be destitute. An invitation to Lakeshire Park, the home of Sir Ronald Demsworth, is their last chance to avoid penury. Sir Ronald admired Clara during their London season, and Amelia will do anything to secure this match for her sister. Unfortunately, Peter Wood and his sister Georgiana are at the same house party. And Peter is ...

Book review: Georgana's Secret by Arlem Hawks

A gripping story of courage and kindness, and love on the high seas during the Napoleonic wars.

The scenario

Georgana's Secret is not your typical Regency romance. It is set on a man-of-war during the Napoleonic wars, and the sea-loving Lieutenant Dominic Peyton doesn’t even realise that the downtrodden cabin boy George who arouses his compassion is actually a girl. And not just any girl – the captain’s daughter, Georgana Woodall, who has come to sea in disguise to escape her grandmother’s cruel...

Dinnertime in the Regency

A Table D'Hote or French Ordinary in Paris
by Thomas Rowlandson (1810) The Met Museum DP883708

When did a Regency lady eat her dinner?

When you’re writing a novel set in the Regency, it’s the simple things like mealtimes that can trip you up. It might not matter to everyone whether these facts are right or not, but I like to try and get the details as accurate as possible.

I’ve already blogged about breakfast here and lunch here. This post looks at dinnertime.

Did a Regency lady mean the same th...

Lunch in the Regency

Fruit on the table, Saltram (2014)
Did Regency ladies eat lunch?

I eat breakfast in the morning and usually eat dinner or supper (terms I use interchangeably) in the evening. The meal I eat in the middle of the day, I call lunch, and it is a lighter meal than dinner.

I have already blogged about breakfast in the Regency here. But what about lunch?

Did people eat a meal in the middle of the day in the Regency period? Was it called lunch? And if so, what did they eat?

Luncheon or nuncheon?

There a...

Breakfast in the Regency

Urns and tea caddy in the dining room, A la Ronde (2015)
Breakfast is defined in Samuel Johnson’s dictionary as “the first meal.”1

Now, I don’t know about you, but breakfast was a do-it-yourself meal in my family home when I was growing up. It was not a social meal, and we would eat at different times, still dressed in our pyjamas, soon after waking up.

Breakfast in the Regency was quite different.

Print by T Rowlandson (1802-11) after H W Bunbury
What time was breakfast?

A Regency breakfast was norm...

A Reason for Romance is out now!

A Reason for Romance is out on Kindle!1 This is the long-awaited sequel to A Perfect Match (now with a new cover2). It’s only taken me six years to publish it… 

Available now on Amazon UK and Amazon.com

And so a series is born – The Merry Romances.

What is A Reason for Romance about?

Set in 1810, 20 years after the close of the last book, A Reason for Romance is the story of Georgiana Merry, the eldest daughter of my hero and heroine from A Perfect Match.

The Earl of Castleford believes he’s ...

How to behave in a Regency ballroom

Ballroom, Scarborough, from Poetical Sketches of Scarborough
by F Wrangham, W Combe and J B Papworth Pub Ackermann (1813) from Metropolitan Museum of ArtWhy was dancing so important?

In Regency society, dancing was more than just a pleasurable activity. A young lady of quality taking part in the round of balls and other events that comprised the London season knew she was not there simply to have fun. Her aim (and even more so that of her parents) was to make a good match – to attract a suitable...

The Frost Fair of 1814

The Fair on the Thames Feb 4 1814
by Luke Clennell © The Trustees of the British Museum
Used under Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) It seems hard to believe now, but the winter of 1813-14 was so harsh that the River Thames froze solid! The ice was firm enough not only for skating, but also for a fair – a great Frost Fair.
Printed on the ice
Title page of Frostiana by George Davis (1814)In his book, Frostiana; or a history of the River Thames in a frozen state, George Davis gave a first-han...

Ice skating in Regency London

Skating Lovers (1800)
Drawn by Adam Buck; published William Holland; engraved by
Piercy Roberts & JC Stadler © The Trustees of the British Museum
Used under Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)  I love to use real historical events in my novels and in A Reason for Romance, the soon-to-be-published sequel to A Perfect Match , set in 1810, some of my characters go skating on the Serpentine in Hyde Park, London. The downside of wanting to be historically accurate is my...