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Delsie
Even a schoolteacher is entitled to romantic fantasies, but Delsie Sommers was eminently practical. She never dared to dream of a wealthy, handsome, and titled husband. Then one day fate turned her world upside down and flung her into a marriage with a man she scarcely knew. Fortunately for Delsie, he died within hours of the wedding; leaving her his house, much of his fortune, and his young daughter. Then fate stepped in again. This time in the guise of the wealthy and handsome Lord deVigneâ her late husband's brother-in-lawâ whose attempt to run her life aroused her spitfire temperâ and her hopes.
222 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 12, 1982
29 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Joan Smith
360 books155 followersJoan Smith is a graduate of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, and the Ontario College of Education. She has taught French and English in high school and English in college. When she began writing, her interest in Jane Austen and Lord Byron led to her first choice of genre, the Regency, which she especially liked for its wit and humor.
Her favorite travel destination is England, where she researches her books. Her hobbies are gardening, painting, sculpture and reading. She is married and has three children. A prolific writer, she is currently working on Regencies and various mysteries at her home in Georgetown, Ontario.
She is also known as Jennie Gallant
Her favorite travel destination is England, where she researches her books. Her hobbies are gardening, painting, sculpture and reading. She is married and has three children. A prolific writer, she is currently working on Regencies and various mysteries at her home in Georgetown, Ontario.
She is also known as Jennie Gallant
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 2, 2024
I probably shouldn’t have enjoyed this as much as I did, being the standard-for-the-era domineering hero and the short-sightedly stubborn heroine, but I guess I was in the right mood to take it all as light-hearted fun.
Here’s the premise: Delsie Sommer hasn’t had an easy life. Her father’s various money-making ventures all failed, and when he died, Delsie and her mother were left very little to live on. Nevertheless, her mother had once known a better life, so she made sure that Delsie had a lady’s education. But when she, too, dies, Delsie doesn’t quite fit in anywhere. She’s a little too grand to make friends of the labouring classes, and she’s far below the local aristocrat, Lord deVigne, and his family. She ekes out a precarious existence as a schoolteacher at the village school, thinking herself quite unnoticed by the great ones at the hall.
But one of them has noticed her. Lord deVigne’s brother-in-law, Mr Grayshott, now a widower, turns up on Delsie’s doorstep one day, quite unannounced and without any prior acquaintance, and proposes marriage to her. He’s not an appealing man, with the smell of drink about him, so she indignantly turns him down. A second proposal when he is clearly drunk is treated the same way. Some time after this, an approach is made by Lord deVigne himself. Grayshott has drunk himself almost into the grave, but there is his six-year-old daughter to consider, who will be shipped off to unsympathetic relations if nothing is done. But if Delsie will marry Grayshott on his deathbed, she will be saved from a life of hardship, the daughter will have a stepmother and everyone will be better off.
Delsie’s tempted by the whole business of being saved from a life of hardship, naturally, but Grayshott is even less appealing as a husband now, and what if he recovers and she has to live with him for years? So she says no again, but Lord deVigne is a determined man. He leaves her to consider the offer for a month, which she does every time she walks to the school in the rain or eats bread and cheese in her tiny lodging room, and then he basically says: he’s about to pop off, it’s now or never. And sweeps Delsie away to be married.
This part of the book is very like Georgette Heyer’s The Reluctant Widow, although with a better excuse for the marriage than Heyer’s version. At least Grayshott had a yen for Delsie beforehand and the motive was to rescue the daughter. Delsie, not surprisingly, finds her new life very much to her taste, but she quickly finds that there’s something odd going on in the orchard at night, and there are bags of gold coins everywhere. So part two of the book is about uncovering the mystery, Delsie wanting to be on hand to witness the uncovering and Lord deVigne wanting very much to keep her out of danger by not letting her witness anything.
As is usual in a book of this age, the romance is subtle. I was quite a way into it before I realised that Lord deVigne was the hero, having, for some reason, assumed he was older than he must have been (perhaps mid-thirties?). But once I twigged, it was obvious that he had set his sights on Delsie almost from the start. Mind you, I disapproved violently of some of his behaviour. Delsie was a new widow, so she should have been free from any importunement from hopeful suitors. Instead, he steals a kiss from her in the garden at night, and makes rather racy remarks to her (when she says she will just have to share stepdaughter Bobbie’s bed, he says, ‘Lucky Bobbie’). Which, frankly, is not at all the thing. But aristocrats will be aristocratic, so I suppose it’s par for the course, and Delsie doesn’t seem to mind.
This was a fun read. I liked the other characters, especially gossipy Lady Jane and her bookish husband Sir Harold, a mismatched pair if ever there was one. I liked the hero, too, despite his autocratic ways, because he only got autocratic when it really mattered; the rest of the time he made sterling efforts to defer to Delsie. She was a little too stubborn, but I can understand her reasoning. There was a good sprinkling of Americanisms like visit with, gotten, fall, and so on, but I’m used to that with this author. In many ways this was a standard Regency romp, but some of the early chapters, describing Delsie’s pre-marriage life and the way she saw the deVignes as they passed through the village in their fancy carriages was a cut above the usual for this genre, and I enjoyed it hugely, so I’m going for the full five stars.
Here’s the premise: Delsie Sommer hasn’t had an easy life. Her father’s various money-making ventures all failed, and when he died, Delsie and her mother were left very little to live on. Nevertheless, her mother had once known a better life, so she made sure that Delsie had a lady’s education. But when she, too, dies, Delsie doesn’t quite fit in anywhere. She’s a little too grand to make friends of the labouring classes, and she’s far below the local aristocrat, Lord deVigne, and his family. She ekes out a precarious existence as a schoolteacher at the village school, thinking herself quite unnoticed by the great ones at the hall.
But one of them has noticed her. Lord deVigne’s brother-in-law, Mr Grayshott, now a widower, turns up on Delsie’s doorstep one day, quite unannounced and without any prior acquaintance, and proposes marriage to her. He’s not an appealing man, with the smell of drink about him, so she indignantly turns him down. A second proposal when he is clearly drunk is treated the same way. Some time after this, an approach is made by Lord deVigne himself. Grayshott has drunk himself almost into the grave, but there is his six-year-old daughter to consider, who will be shipped off to unsympathetic relations if nothing is done. But if Delsie will marry Grayshott on his deathbed, she will be saved from a life of hardship, the daughter will have a stepmother and everyone will be better off.
Delsie’s tempted by the whole business of being saved from a life of hardship, naturally, but Grayshott is even less appealing as a husband now, and what if he recovers and she has to live with him for years? So she says no again, but Lord deVigne is a determined man. He leaves her to consider the offer for a month, which she does every time she walks to the school in the rain or eats bread and cheese in her tiny lodging room, and then he basically says: he’s about to pop off, it’s now or never. And sweeps Delsie away to be married.
This part of the book is very like Georgette Heyer’s The Reluctant Widow, although with a better excuse for the marriage than Heyer’s version. At least Grayshott had a yen for Delsie beforehand and the motive was to rescue the daughter. Delsie, not surprisingly, finds her new life very much to her taste, but she quickly finds that there’s something odd going on in the orchard at night, and there are bags of gold coins everywhere. So part two of the book is about uncovering the mystery, Delsie wanting to be on hand to witness the uncovering and Lord deVigne wanting very much to keep her out of danger by not letting her witness anything.
As is usual in a book of this age, the romance is subtle. I was quite a way into it before I realised that Lord deVigne was the hero, having, for some reason, assumed he was older than he must have been (perhaps mid-thirties?). But once I twigged, it was obvious that he had set his sights on Delsie almost from the start. Mind you, I disapproved violently of some of his behaviour. Delsie was a new widow, so she should have been free from any importunement from hopeful suitors. Instead, he steals a kiss from her in the garden at night, and makes rather racy remarks to her (when she says she will just have to share stepdaughter Bobbie’s bed, he says, ‘Lucky Bobbie’). Which, frankly, is not at all the thing. But aristocrats will be aristocratic, so I suppose it’s par for the course, and Delsie doesn’t seem to mind.
This was a fun read. I liked the other characters, especially gossipy Lady Jane and her bookish husband Sir Harold, a mismatched pair if ever there was one. I liked the hero, too, despite his autocratic ways, because he only got autocratic when it really mattered; the rest of the time he made sterling efforts to defer to Delsie. She was a little too stubborn, but I can understand her reasoning. There was a good sprinkling of Americanisms like visit with, gotten, fall, and so on, but I’m used to that with this author. In many ways this was a standard Regency romp, but some of the early chapters, describing Delsie’s pre-marriage life and the way she saw the deVignes as they passed through the village in their fancy carriages was a cut above the usual for this genre, and I enjoyed it hugely, so I’m going for the full five stars.
November 12, 2018
This was ok, but it felt like a complete ripoff of The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer.
August 23, 2014
I enjoy a Regency romance. They are my go-to, guilty pleasure, relaxing read. That being said, I like them to actually be romantic.
There are several things wrong with this story. Some are things I personally dislike in a romance, and other things that should never show up in a lite read. I don't favor books with children. I find the children distracting and often poorly drawn in these romance. They can add depth to a character when done right, but that is rare. Bobbie, Delsie's step-daughter, is not one of those rare cases. Nor am I particularly fond of the "mystery" romances, and quite a lot of the plot revolves around mysterious goings on in the orchard. So it seems I was never destined to enjoy this book.
On a more disturbing note, the hero is a bully. He railroads Delsie into a marriage she doesn't want, insists on his own way throughout the story, and is overall passive aggressive when not being an outright tyrant. Once again, if done well, with the right heroine, the story can work with a very aggressive hero. No so much this tale.
**Spoilers***
The worst and most unforgivable aspect of this tale is the way Max, the hero, treats Delsie. At the climax of the story he needs her away from home. She does not with to leave. When demanding she leave doesn't work, nor stealing her servants/ protection, Max takes the next logical step: he drugs her. Instant failure in the story for me. How could Delsie ever trust him again? Not only does he drug her, he locks her in a room, and when she escapes, chases her through the woods until his fumbling causes her to fall and crack her head open. Not romantic!! Delsie seems more interested in the goings on in the orchard and accepts his one sentence apology, but I did not. It was outrageous behavior from a romantic hero and I was thoroughly disappointed by the story.
There are several things wrong with this story. Some are things I personally dislike in a romance, and other things that should never show up in a lite read. I don't favor books with children. I find the children distracting and often poorly drawn in these romance. They can add depth to a character when done right, but that is rare. Bobbie, Delsie's step-daughter, is not one of those rare cases. Nor am I particularly fond of the "mystery" romances, and quite a lot of the plot revolves around mysterious goings on in the orchard. So it seems I was never destined to enjoy this book.
On a more disturbing note, the hero is a bully. He railroads Delsie into a marriage she doesn't want, insists on his own way throughout the story, and is overall passive aggressive when not being an outright tyrant. Once again, if done well, with the right heroine, the story can work with a very aggressive hero. No so much this tale.
**Spoilers***
The worst and most unforgivable aspect of this tale is the way Max, the hero, treats Delsie. At the climax of the story he needs her away from home. She does not with to leave. When demanding she leave doesn't work, nor stealing her servants/ protection, Max takes the next logical step: he drugs her. Instant failure in the story for me. How could Delsie ever trust him again? Not only does he drug her, he locks her in a room, and when she escapes, chases her through the woods until his fumbling causes her to fall and crack her head open. Not romantic!! Delsie seems more interested in the goings on in the orchard and accepts his one sentence apology, but I did not. It was outrageous behavior from a romantic hero and I was thoroughly disappointed by the story.
February 27, 2020
Where does boundary between plagiarism and inspiration ends? I think Heyer's "The Reluctant widows" is still the better one out of these two despite of being her weaker work and annoying heroine. Because "Delsie"'s protagonists are even worse.
January 24, 2022
How a Regency and Smugglers Work Together
Delsie is a short Regency romance very like Georgette Heyer's The Reluctant Widow. It starts out much the same way but then allows Lord DeVigne to get to know Delsie, a schoolteacher, who is left without money and is the perfect lady to marry his dying brother in law. They become involved with smugglers and Delsie becomes a widow and a mother in one day.
Delsie is a short Regency romance very like Georgette Heyer's The Reluctant Widow. It starts out much the same way but then allows Lord DeVigne to get to know Delsie, a schoolteacher, who is left without money and is the perfect lady to marry his dying brother in law. They become involved with smugglers and Delsie becomes a widow and a mother in one day.
August 17, 2019
Joan Smith mi ha regalato, ancora una volta, una lettura gradevole. Si tratta di un 'libro da spiaggia', senza pretese, ma divertente e ben scritto. Come capita spesso con questa autrice, la conclusione è piuttosto precipitosa, e non lascia quasi spazio allo scontato 'happy end'; ma si tratta, tutto sommato, di un peccato veniale.
December 31, 2024
A very enjoyable read. The first few pages were hilarious. After that, it got a bit melancholic as there was too much mentioning of death.
A light mystery kept me reading the book all night. I loved both MCs, the FMC was sometimes too pig headed though. I wish I could find one new author that could write as well as Ms. Smith.
A light mystery kept me reading the book all night. I loved both MCs, the FMC was sometimes too pig headed though. I wish I could find one new author that could write as well as Ms. Smith.
April 19, 2019
2 1/2 stars
November 19, 2020
Smile. Sweet. I like Delsie, Max, Roberta 6, Aunt Jane, even professorial Harold, the growing family warmth of shared meals and time. Racy repartee more 1980s than 1890s. All fun. Typos
15.1 Miss Marjoram IS Marjoram
15.8 girts IS girls
14.28 you bag IS your bags
15.1 Miss Marjoram IS Marjoram
15.8 girts IS girls
14.28 you bag IS your bags
February 21, 2021
My first Joan Smith Regency read, and I wasn't sure if I would read a lot more. Not one of the better ones, but on the whole, I would recommend all of her books.
July 21, 2024
Better.
January 16, 2025
Boring plot . Dull dialogue. Bully hero. TSTL heroine . Can't believe I read the whole thing.
February 18, 2025
Plot was good
The plot was pretty good, and it was enjoyable to read. But the hero did not treat the heroine well at all, and there was no reason at all for them to be in love.
The plot was pretty good, and it was enjoyable to read. But the hero did not treat the heroine well at all, and there was no reason at all for them to be in love.
March 30, 2013
I'm normally a big fan of Joan Smith but this is blandsville. The dialogue is flat and the plot rather boring. Give this one a miss. DNF.
February 2, 2016
Sweet and simple regency with a bit of an incredible storyline. Cindrella story with some smugglers thrown in
March 9, 2016
A fun story of an unwilling bride and a mystery in the backyard.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews