What do you think?
Rate this book
The Sinister Spinster
A Passionate Spirit...
Adam Darrach, Marquess of Falconer, is on a mission to enlist the wealthy Earl of Derring's support for a diplomatic cause. Duty has its limits, however, and spending time with the earl's insufferable family has Adam at the end of his tether. His saving grace is Miss Elizabeth Mattingale, the household's only genuine treasure. Despite her efforts to appear diffident and demure, the charming young lady captures Adam's attention--and more--with her quick wit and feisty nature. But attraction battles suspicion as he learns more about her past...
Or A Treacherous Soul?
It is difficult indeed for a woman of Elizabeth Mattingale's caliber to tolerate the indignities of her employment as Lady Derring's companion, but she has her reasons for doing so, and will bear the drudgery for as long as she must. Only the dashing Lord Falconer treats her with respect. From the moment he intervenes on her behalf in a potentially dangerous situation, she is drawn to the enigmatic man who has appointed himself her protector. But even in love Elizabeth must tread carefully, for she harbors secrets that could endanger both their lives, forcing her to choose between old loyalties and new desires....
Adam Darrach, Marquess of Falconer, is on a mission to enlist the wealthy Earl of Derring's support for a diplomatic cause. Duty has its limits, however, and spending time with the earl's insufferable family has Adam at the end of his tether. His saving grace is Miss Elizabeth Mattingale, the household's only genuine treasure. Despite her efforts to appear diffident and demure, the charming young lady captures Adam's attention--and more--with her quick wit and feisty nature. But attraction battles suspicion as he learns more about her past...
Or A Treacherous Soul?
It is difficult indeed for a woman of Elizabeth Mattingale's caliber to tolerate the indignities of her employment as Lady Derring's companion, but she has her reasons for doing so, and will bear the drudgery for as long as she must. Only the dashing Lord Falconer treats her with respect. From the moment he intervenes on her behalf in a potentially dangerous situation, she is drawn to the enigmatic man who has appointed himself her protector. But even in love Elizabeth must tread carefully, for she harbors secrets that could endanger both their lives, forcing her to choose between old loyalties and new desires....
Paperback
First published August 1, 2001
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 7, 2021
The hero is not that good as a spy. Should the protagonist be good at what he does? I wanted to read more about Elinore, and this story read like there might have been a novel about her but it seems not. I wondered if some readers might find the political beliefs of the heroine a bit uncomfortable (it isn't a important issue in the book, it is used as a condiment, for a Russian prince attached to the czar, but the heroine shares the same sentiment)
May 31, 2020
This was a fun read. The way the gender roles were played tended toward anachronism, but the rest of the details were true to the times.
March 28, 2015
Have you ever been haunted by a book? I have; this one. I read this book many years ago...back in the 90's I think. In recent years I found myself thinking about this book and I really, really wanted to read it again. Unfortunately, although I could remember almost every detail of the story, I could not for the life of me remember the title or the name of the author, thus I could never find it. Every once in a while I'd make a concerted effort to find it, and finally, finally after a lot of time and effort I finally found it! I was sooooooo excited! After reading it this second time I have to say that it is just as good as I remembered, and so worth the time and effort I put in to find it! The story that unfolds is riveting; it's a wonderful blend of romance, humor, and intrigue. Ms. Overfield has a wonderful writing style that is very engaging, and she does a beautiful job of creating her characters. Elizabeth is a strong heroine; no she's not a heroine that is supposed to by strong but acts like an insipid milk and water miss at times, I mean she's really strong. Elizabeth is determined, independent, smart, and courageous. Adam is the perfect hero. He's honorable, loyal, kind, and protective.
Elizabeth Mattingale is a paid companion to the Countess of Derring, a most unpleasant woman. Adam Darrach, Maquess of Falconer, and Elizabeth meet when he is a guest at the Derring's house-party. Although the reader is not privy to the initial meeting between Adam and Elizabeth, we are given insight into their initial impressions of one another. When the story begins Adam rescues Elizabeth from the unwanted attentions of her employer's son and his derelict friends. From that point on a rapport develops between the two as Adam becomes Elizabeth's self-appointed protector. Elizabeth, that oh so independent lady, is not the least bit happy with the marquess' insistence in inserting himself in her life, but there is nothing she can do about it. LOL
When a sexy Russian prince who clearly has a special relationship with Elizabeth, shows up at the house-party, Adam is thrown for a loop. Prince Alexi is a loose cannon. He loves Elizabeth, who he affectionately calls "little queen", like a sister and is extremely unhappy at the way Elizabeth is treated by the Countess and the ladies in attendance at the house party. Elizabeth has her hands full trying to convince Alexi not to interfere; she doesn't want to lose her job and is well aware that the Countess is displeased at the obvious affection Alexi has for Elizabeth.
There is a lot of intrigue in the story by way of missing government documents, spies, kidnapping, and attempted murder. Relations between England and Russia are strained, but the alliance between the two countries must be maintained at all costs. Prince Alexi, having the ear of the Grand Duchess of Russia, is a key player in the game, and Adam has been assigned to keep an eye on the unpredictable prince. However, Adam very quickly comes to respect the other man; a respect that is shared, as each man recognizes that the other holds Elizabeth in high regard and has only her best interests at heart. There is a lot of humor in the story, most of which involve Alexi. Because he is not allowed to defend Elizabeth as he would like, Alexi takes great delight in insulting the ladies in Russian, while pretending not to know the English translation. At one point he calls one particularly woman a pig!! There were several scenes with Alexi that had me ROTFL!
Between Alexi and Adam, Elizabeth is well and truly protected, and well and truly smothered--at least as far as she is concerned. When Elizabeth is accused of stealing government documents and faces the possibility of being hanged for treason, Adam becomes frantic to prove his beloved's innocence, while Alexi offers to make the ultimate sacrifice to save her. Eventually, of course, all works out and the couple gets their HEA. I really loved this book. It is one of my all-time favorite Regency romance novels. Ms. Overfield does a magnificent job creating an authentic background for the story; the characters behavior and speech are perfectly in tune with the time period. As such this is a clean romance; there are a few passionate kisses, but nothing more. This is a book that I will definitely reread and most likely I will read it again and again. I loved it and highly recommend it. Happy reading!
Elizabeth Mattingale is a paid companion to the Countess of Derring, a most unpleasant woman. Adam Darrach, Maquess of Falconer, and Elizabeth meet when he is a guest at the Derring's house-party. Although the reader is not privy to the initial meeting between Adam and Elizabeth, we are given insight into their initial impressions of one another. When the story begins Adam rescues Elizabeth from the unwanted attentions of her employer's son and his derelict friends. From that point on a rapport develops between the two as Adam becomes Elizabeth's self-appointed protector. Elizabeth, that oh so independent lady, is not the least bit happy with the marquess' insistence in inserting himself in her life, but there is nothing she can do about it. LOL
When a sexy Russian prince who clearly has a special relationship with Elizabeth, shows up at the house-party, Adam is thrown for a loop. Prince Alexi is a loose cannon. He loves Elizabeth, who he affectionately calls "little queen", like a sister and is extremely unhappy at the way Elizabeth is treated by the Countess and the ladies in attendance at the house party. Elizabeth has her hands full trying to convince Alexi not to interfere; she doesn't want to lose her job and is well aware that the Countess is displeased at the obvious affection Alexi has for Elizabeth.
There is a lot of intrigue in the story by way of missing government documents, spies, kidnapping, and attempted murder. Relations between England and Russia are strained, but the alliance between the two countries must be maintained at all costs. Prince Alexi, having the ear of the Grand Duchess of Russia, is a key player in the game, and Adam has been assigned to keep an eye on the unpredictable prince. However, Adam very quickly comes to respect the other man; a respect that is shared, as each man recognizes that the other holds Elizabeth in high regard and has only her best interests at heart. There is a lot of humor in the story, most of which involve Alexi. Because he is not allowed to defend Elizabeth as he would like, Alexi takes great delight in insulting the ladies in Russian, while pretending not to know the English translation. At one point he calls one particularly woman a pig!! There were several scenes with Alexi that had me ROTFL!
Between Alexi and Adam, Elizabeth is well and truly protected, and well and truly smothered--at least as far as she is concerned. When Elizabeth is accused of stealing government documents and faces the possibility of being hanged for treason, Adam becomes frantic to prove his beloved's innocence, while Alexi offers to make the ultimate sacrifice to save her. Eventually, of course, all works out and the couple gets their HEA. I really loved this book. It is one of my all-time favorite Regency romance novels. Ms. Overfield does a magnificent job creating an authentic background for the story; the characters behavior and speech are perfectly in tune with the time period. As such this is a clean romance; there are a few passionate kisses, but nothing more. This is a book that I will definitely reread and most likely I will read it again and again. I loved it and highly recommend it. Happy reading!
May 3, 2012
Probably a 3.5
I thought this one was just okay. I liked the setting, a house party with a murder mystery mixed in. While I liked the main characters Adam and Elizabeth, I didn’t understand Adam’s feelings of protectiveness and trust so early in the story. He’s barely spoken with her and is so quick to trust her and feel that he is her protector. It just felt rushed. I would have liked a little more buildup between the two. I don’t think someone of his station would have been so quick to fall for an employee of his host. Elizabeth was kind of a mystery, I couldn’t understand why she was a paid companion, it’s explained, but it just didn’t make sense. The only people who treated her as such were her actual employers; just about everyone else treated her as an equal. Including the Russian prince that she was close with. I just didn’t get who she was. Anyway, I did enjoy the story. I think if their relationship had developed a little more believably I would have like the story a little more. They did have good chemistry though. As for the murder mystery aspect, I thought it was a bit obvious, but still thought it made for an intersting story.
(Joan Overfield also uses the pseudonym Carolyn Madison.)
Content: Overall, pretty clean. There is one kissing scene that gets a little steamy, PG-Red. There is a bit of swearing including the B word a few times.
I thought this one was just okay. I liked the setting, a house party with a murder mystery mixed in. While I liked the main characters Adam and Elizabeth, I didn’t understand Adam’s feelings of protectiveness and trust so early in the story. He’s barely spoken with her and is so quick to trust her and feel that he is her protector. It just felt rushed. I would have liked a little more buildup between the two. I don’t think someone of his station would have been so quick to fall for an employee of his host. Elizabeth was kind of a mystery, I couldn’t understand why she was a paid companion, it’s explained, but it just didn’t make sense. The only people who treated her as such were her actual employers; just about everyone else treated her as an equal. Including the Russian prince that she was close with. I just didn’t get who she was. Anyway, I did enjoy the story. I think if their relationship had developed a little more believably I would have like the story a little more. They did have good chemistry though. As for the murder mystery aspect, I thought it was a bit obvious, but still thought it made for an intersting story.
(Joan Overfield also uses the pseudonym Carolyn Madison.)
Content: Overall, pretty clean. There is one kissing scene that gets a little steamy, PG-Red. There is a bit of swearing including the B word a few times.
November 14, 2013
This story takes place during the peace talks in 1814 while England was at war with America. Though the reader knows, or thinks they know, the answer to the mystery, the story is exciting and kept me reading until the very end. The romance, on the other hand, is horrible. There's no connection between the hero and heroine at all. There are some sensual kissing scenes so I suppose there's physical attraction, but there's no real relationship development. I was intrigued by the Marquess in The Scotsman and the Spinster, but here he's overbearing, rude and way out of line. I could not condone his behavior at all. He had no reason for it. Elizabeth is a good heroine. She's intelligent, brave and has a firm conscience. All this makes her a little too good though. She's almost unrealistic in the way she calmly deals with everything that goes on around her. I found Elinore a far more interesting character. There is a hint of future romance for her but it doesn't seem as if the author wrote Elinore's story. Despite a mystery with a plot twist to keep me interested, the romance didn't work for me so I just didn't enjoy this book much and wouldn't recommend it.
January 12, 2017
Romance and Suspense at an English House Party
I really enjoyed the plot of this story. It is a sweet romance laced with a dash of mystery and spying. Elizabeth is an intelligent young woman. Adam is a man of honor and duty. They meet at a house party and grow close. When Elizabeth is accused of a crime, Adam works to exonerate her. Add to this mix a colorful Russian Prince and several questionable house guest and a suspenseful story evolves.
This story could do with a bit more editing to remove errors. For example take this excerpt of a sentence... "and more man half the guests rooms had been searched."
This sentenced stopped the flow of my reading. It should read... "and more than half" not, "and more man half".
An excellent read.
I really enjoyed the plot of this story. It is a sweet romance laced with a dash of mystery and spying. Elizabeth is an intelligent young woman. Adam is a man of honor and duty. They meet at a house party and grow close. When Elizabeth is accused of a crime, Adam works to exonerate her. Add to this mix a colorful Russian Prince and several questionable house guest and a suspenseful story evolves.
This story could do with a bit more editing to remove errors. For example take this excerpt of a sentence... "and more man half the guests rooms had been searched."
This sentenced stopped the flow of my reading. It should read... "and more than half" not, "and more man half".
An excellent read.
December 7, 2014
Very entertaining
I very much enjoy reading romance novels but seldom find a well written story that is not more graphic sex than plot. This author produces an excellent story line and manages to incorporate love and respect instead of insatiable lust. I look forward to reading more of her books.
I very much enjoy reading romance novels but seldom find a well written story that is not more graphic sex than plot. This author produces an excellent story line and manages to incorporate love and respect instead of insatiable lust. I look forward to reading more of her books.
September 25, 2009
Regency
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews