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A Gentleman in Love
Thalia walked slowly across the lawn, through the rose garden, to the lily pond. "It is a place for lovers," she thought instinctively. Then she drew her breath as if the thought stabbed her like a sharp dagger.
"You are not crying, Thalia?" came an unexpected voice. It was the Earl, standing beside her, his grey eyes holding her captive. Then he pulled her into his arms, holding her close against him. She was trembling with the ecstasy he had evoked in her and she thought he was trembling too.
Then he was kissing her wildly, passionately, and a fire leapt within them both, until Thalia seemed to break under the strain of it and she hid her face against his shoulder.
"How soon will you marry me?" he asked at last.
"You are not crying, Thalia?" came an unexpected voice. It was the Earl, standing beside her, his grey eyes holding her captive. Then he pulled her into his arms, holding her close against him. She was trembling with the ecstasy he had evoked in her and she thought he was trembling too.
Then he was kissing her wildly, passionately, and a fire leapt within them both, until Thalia seemed to break under the strain of it and she hid her face against his shoulder.
"How soon will you marry me?" he asked at last.
165 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1980
24 people are currently reading
862 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Cartland
1,075 books835 followersBorn in 1901, Barbara Cartland started her writing career in journalism and completed her first book, Jigsaw, when she was just 24. An immediate success, it was the start of her journey to becoming the world’s most famous and most read romantic novelist of all time. Inspiring a whole generation of readers around the globe with her exciting tales of adventure, love and intrigue, she became synonymous with the Romance genre. And she still is to this day, having written over 644 romantic fiction books.
As well as romantic novels, she wrote historical biographies, 6 autobiographies, plays, music, poetry and several advice books on life, love, health and cookery – totalling an incredible 723 books in all, with over 1 billion in sales.
Awarded the DBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991 in honour of her literary, political and social contributions, she was President of the Hertfordshire branch of the Royal College of Midwives as well as a Dame of Grace of the Order of St John of Jerusalem and Deputy President of the St John Ambulance Brigade.
Always a passionate advocate of woman’s health and beauty, she was dubbed ‘the true Queen of Romance’ by Vogue magazine in her lifetime. Her legend continues today through her wonderfully vivid romantic tales, stories that help you escape from the day to day into the dramatic adventures of strong, beautiful women who battle, often against the odds, eventually to find that love conquers all.
Find out more about the incredible life and works of Dame Barbara Cartland at www.barbaracartland.com
As well as romantic novels, she wrote historical biographies, 6 autobiographies, plays, music, poetry and several advice books on life, love, health and cookery – totalling an incredible 723 books in all, with over 1 billion in sales.
Awarded the DBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991 in honour of her literary, political and social contributions, she was President of the Hertfordshire branch of the Royal College of Midwives as well as a Dame of Grace of the Order of St John of Jerusalem and Deputy President of the St John Ambulance Brigade.
Always a passionate advocate of woman’s health and beauty, she was dubbed ‘the true Queen of Romance’ by Vogue magazine in her lifetime. Her legend continues today through her wonderfully vivid romantic tales, stories that help you escape from the day to day into the dramatic adventures of strong, beautiful women who battle, often against the odds, eventually to find that love conquers all.
Find out more about the incredible life and works of Dame Barbara Cartland at www.barbaracartland.com
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 1, 2014
The thing about Barbara Cartland novels is that after a wile you can't remember much about them. They are nice and easy to read but you forget then easy enough. Only few plots are remembered well enough. This was pretty much a fun read minus the fact that they fall in love so quickly. That is always strange for me in this stories: only few of them have enough time to be convincing, everywhere else it's like three days time and already everyone is madly in love and can't live w/o the other but still needs to leave him :)
I wonder however how easily father dismissed the fact that his daughter found somewhere 1000 pounds and didn't question her more about that. That's a lot of money!
I wonder however how easily father dismissed the fact that his daughter found somewhere 1000 pounds and didn't question her more about that. That's a lot of money!
April 2, 2015
This is one of my absolute favorite romance novels-- especially of Barbara Cartland's. She truly knows love and how to express it; she knows women's worth and expresses it also. Cartland's books are a must-read. They're clean, delightful, and enchanting.
July 21, 2008
My husband said that I need to be more honest about what I read, even if they are regency romances. This is fun fluff but I liked it.
October 17, 2011
Blame Barbara Cartland for my secret passion towards romantic novels!!
Hehehe, she is the author of my very first romantic novel...back then, my school library was so full of her books. Don't get it wrong, unlike her colleagues, her book (that have been translated to bahasa) were mostly decent and appropriate for 15 years old's mind. :P
Hehehe, she is the author of my very first romantic novel...back then, my school library was so full of her books. Don't get it wrong, unlike her colleagues, her book (that have been translated to bahasa) were mostly decent and appropriate for 15 years old's mind. :P
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October 7, 2012She is amazing author for romantic novels. Lovely stuff
Currently reading
January 22, 2014It this site only to maje reviews on or should it be possible to read Books
September 2, 2023
One of the better ones by BC since the Hero is truly besotted!
He encounters the lovely heroine when she is delivering a bonnet to a popular new actress. At first he is entranced with her voice and is intrigued.
He knows the heroine works at a particular bonnet shop so he goes looking for her there to see if her face is as lovely as her voice. Needless to say she more than exceeds his expectations, so he attempts to pursue her.
As we can already guess, due to the dozens of Dame Cartland books I’ve already read, the heroine is not an ordinary shop girl. She is a lady, but due to circumstances, she and her mother are now destitute. They survive on the small wage the heroine brings home from making her unique and beautiful bonnets.
The heroine tries to put the Hero off, because, of course, no well brought up young lady would ever dine with a man alone! 😱 But the Hero persists, and uses a bit of blackmail to get his way. The heroine goes along to the dinner but she takes a gun 😉 and though they have a lively discussion, where they establish that they have a meeting of true minds, the heroine is firm in her principles and will not allow the Hero to treat her disrespectfully by offering her the position of mistress. The Hero continues to see her, but promises that he would behave himself.
The heroine and her mother are destitute because the father had to run away to America. They believe that all will be better when he returns, which they expect is soon. However, one day in the shop she overhears a gentleman and a lady discussing her father and the gentleman claims, her father still owes him a thousand pounds! The gentleman further implies that he will have the father arrested as soon as the ship docks because of this.
So the heroine desperately tries to borrow money from the Hero. The Hero makes sure to tell her that the loan is a gift, but it comes with no strings attached, and they can continue their friendship. The heroine is more than grateful and she arranges to have the £1,000 delivered to the club of the gentleman with a note.
When she goes home, unbelievably the father is back. He has been super successful in America and now owns gold mines. He immediately whisks his wife and daughter back to the country to live a life of luxury. The heroine tells her father she had a loan from someone and he gives her bonds to pay it off. Which she does, but then leaves without telling the Hero. She thinks, that if he knows her true identity, he would feel obliged to offer her marriage.
The Hero is beyond desperate to find the heroine and is getting more and more depressed. He went to their house and finds out that they went away with someone in a very fancy coach.
One day at his club he hears a gentleman who exclaims that he has been paid his £1,000 by (heroine’s father)! The Hero is suspicious because it’s exactly the same amount the heroine needed. He sees the writing on the note and knows it is written in the penmanship of the heroine.
So he eventually finds her. Shows her the marriage license he procured in her fake name to prove that he had wanted to marry her all along. 🥰
He encounters the lovely heroine when she is delivering a bonnet to a popular new actress. At first he is entranced with her voice and is intrigued.
He knows the heroine works at a particular bonnet shop so he goes looking for her there to see if her face is as lovely as her voice. Needless to say she more than exceeds his expectations, so he attempts to pursue her.
As we can already guess, due to the dozens of Dame Cartland books I’ve already read, the heroine is not an ordinary shop girl. She is a lady, but due to circumstances, she and her mother are now destitute. They survive on the small wage the heroine brings home from making her unique and beautiful bonnets.
The heroine tries to put the Hero off, because, of course, no well brought up young lady would ever dine with a man alone! 😱 But the Hero persists, and uses a bit of blackmail to get his way. The heroine goes along to the dinner but she takes a gun 😉 and though they have a lively discussion, where they establish that they have a meeting of true minds, the heroine is firm in her principles and will not allow the Hero to treat her disrespectfully by offering her the position of mistress. The Hero continues to see her, but promises that he would behave himself.
The heroine and her mother are destitute because the father had to run away to America. They believe that all will be better when he returns, which they expect is soon. However, one day in the shop she overhears a gentleman and a lady discussing her father and the gentleman claims, her father still owes him a thousand pounds! The gentleman further implies that he will have the father arrested as soon as the ship docks because of this.
So the heroine desperately tries to borrow money from the Hero. The Hero makes sure to tell her that the loan is a gift, but it comes with no strings attached, and they can continue their friendship. The heroine is more than grateful and she arranges to have the £1,000 delivered to the club of the gentleman with a note.
When she goes home, unbelievably the father is back. He has been super successful in America and now owns gold mines. He immediately whisks his wife and daughter back to the country to live a life of luxury. The heroine tells her father she had a loan from someone and he gives her bonds to pay it off. Which she does, but then leaves without telling the Hero. She thinks, that if he knows her true identity, he would feel obliged to offer her marriage.
The Hero is beyond desperate to find the heroine and is getting more and more depressed. He went to their house and finds out that they went away with someone in a very fancy coach.
One day at his club he hears a gentleman who exclaims that he has been paid his £1,000 by (heroine’s father)! The Hero is suspicious because it’s exactly the same amount the heroine needed. He sees the writing on the note and knows it is written in the penmanship of the heroine.
So he eventually finds her. Shows her the marriage license he procured in her fake name to prove that he had wanted to marry her all along. 🥰
April 8, 2023
Battaglia di cuori è uno dei romanzi rosa storici di Barbara Cartland, autrice considerata la Regina del romanzo rosa ai suoi tempi.
Si tratta di romanzo un po’ datato quindi non ci sono scene spinte (l’autrice difendeva i valori tradizionali e credeva nella verginità prima del matrimonio e questo traspare tanto nelle sue opere).
Un romanzo carino ma in questo caso, l’amore tra i due protagonisti sboccia davvero molto velocemente. Mi sono piaciute molto le interazioni tra i due e la trama ma resta una lettura estremamente leggera e che tempo qualche giorno hai già dimenticato.
Probabilmente a causa della brevità tutto è trattato in maniera superficiale. Le descrizioni di ambienti e vestiario non sono troppo dettagliate e non appesantiscono la lettura che resta sempre molto scorrevole.
I romanzi (forse sarebbe il caso di chiamarli racconti lunghi) di Barbara Cartland sono storie adatte a chi ha voglia di iniziare a leggere romanzi rosa storici.
Per chi legge da anni potrebbe trovarli troppo sempliciotti e datati.
Si tratta di romanzo un po’ datato quindi non ci sono scene spinte (l’autrice difendeva i valori tradizionali e credeva nella verginità prima del matrimonio e questo traspare tanto nelle sue opere).
Un romanzo carino ma in questo caso, l’amore tra i due protagonisti sboccia davvero molto velocemente. Mi sono piaciute molto le interazioni tra i due e la trama ma resta una lettura estremamente leggera e che tempo qualche giorno hai già dimenticato.
Probabilmente a causa della brevità tutto è trattato in maniera superficiale. Le descrizioni di ambienti e vestiario non sono troppo dettagliate e non appesantiscono la lettura che resta sempre molto scorrevole.
I romanzi (forse sarebbe il caso di chiamarli racconti lunghi) di Barbara Cartland sono storie adatte a chi ha voglia di iniziare a leggere romanzi rosa storici.
Per chi legge da anni potrebbe trovarli troppo sempliciotti e datati.
December 16, 2017
Sweet romantic story
Having read about 400 books by BC I must say this one is certainly one her best. I love the conversations between the hero and heroine. Witty and amusing. Yet another memorable romance by BC :)
Having read about 400 books by BC I must say this one is certainly one her best. I love the conversations between the hero and heroine. Witty and amusing. Yet another memorable romance by BC :)
April 19, 2021
Very good
She writes such wonderful stories. I read them over and over. Her heroines are all virtuist women and I like that.
She writes such wonderful stories. I read them over and over. Her heroines are all virtuist women and I like that.
June 1, 2022
One of Barbara Cartland's better romances. The heroine is nicely sparky.
May 27, 2023
Una storia molto carina, dolce e romantica, una lettura piacevole, rilassante e intrigante che si legge in un soffio.
June 29, 2025
"«Accompagnatemi a casa, vi prego.»
«Desidero disperatamente che restiate. Non significa niente per voi?»
Nella sua voce risuonava di nuovo quella nota alla quale trovava difficile resistere.
«Vi prego» ripeté.
Sollevò lo sguardo al suo, e fu perduta.
Rimasero a guardarsi immobili, e Thalia aveva l’impressione che il mondo scomparisse in due grigi occhi d’acciaio.
Le riempivano il cuore, diventando parte di ogni suo respiro. Non avrebbe saputo dire in seguito se fosse stata lei a muoversi, o il conte.
Sapeva solo che quasi senza avvedersene si era trovata tra le sue braccia, e lui la stringeva a sé."
Gli eroi della Cartland sono spesso uomini tanto nobili quanto cinici ed egoisti, tentano con la prepotenza di conquistare la loro lei.... ed è per questo che è sempre bello alla fine vederli disperarsi e strisciare per farsi perdonare XD Inutile dirlo, alla fine l'amore trionfa sempre ma con un adeguata pulizia della coscienza e un po' di struggimento che non fa mai male.
«Desidero disperatamente che restiate. Non significa niente per voi?»
Nella sua voce risuonava di nuovo quella nota alla quale trovava difficile resistere.
«Vi prego» ripeté.
Sollevò lo sguardo al suo, e fu perduta.
Rimasero a guardarsi immobili, e Thalia aveva l’impressione che il mondo scomparisse in due grigi occhi d’acciaio.
Le riempivano il cuore, diventando parte di ogni suo respiro. Non avrebbe saputo dire in seguito se fosse stata lei a muoversi, o il conte.
Sapeva solo che quasi senza avvedersene si era trovata tra le sue braccia, e lui la stringeva a sé."
Gli eroi della Cartland sono spesso uomini tanto nobili quanto cinici ed egoisti, tentano con la prepotenza di conquistare la loro lei.... ed è per questo che è sempre bello alla fine vederli disperarsi e strisciare per farsi perdonare XD Inutile dirlo, alla fine l'amore trionfa sempre ma con un adeguata pulizia della coscienza e un po' di struggimento che non fa mai male.
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March 24, 2019fun quick read
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews