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Mandy
Mandy’s brother, Ned is in trouble. He has been accused of murdering the woman who had been clearly trying to seduce him.
Their guardian, the Duke of Margate is summoned to help.
Mandy had always assumed he was an old man. But, the duke was far from old. He was, in fact, virile, dashing and oh so good looking.
The duke enjoyed being a confirmed bachelor…and then he met Mandy.
But, first things first—they had to prove Ned innocent.
**note: this is an updated version of an earlier novel written as Claudette Williams. The updated versions of Claudy's Claudette Williams titles are more sexually explicit than the original versions.
Their guardian, the Duke of Margate is summoned to help.
Mandy had always assumed he was an old man. But, the duke was far from old. He was, in fact, virile, dashing and oh so good looking.
The duke enjoyed being a confirmed bachelor…and then he met Mandy.
But, first things first—they had to prove Ned innocent.
**note: this is an updated version of an earlier novel written as Claudette Williams. The updated versions of Claudy's Claudette Williams titles are more sexually explicit than the original versions.
316 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 1978
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870 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
February 10, 2015
Slow, weak story and difficult to read.
This was a free download and it's been sitting on my kindle for a few weeks now, when I originally downloaded it there were 3 reviews and all were 5 star, that plus I liked the sound of the synopsis meant it was on my 'to read' list. Having just finished a couple of darker books I thought this would be a nice light read.
I will say that it's always been my opinion that historical romance books are just that, a romance they are not history books and so small inaccuracies have never bothered me, it's always been the story I've been interested it.
That said I have to say I found this book incredibly difficult to read this was mainly due to the language used for conversations.
"Put your fambles to the sky, m'buck....Out now covey. Whot? Be ye asleep?... Stubble it, gent! ..Retrieve your barking iron when ye have a mind. We no longer have a fancy to prig ye..."
On top of the dreadful conversation the story is pretty weak and goes exactly as you'd expect, I like a strong female lead but Mandy just annoyed the hell out of me most of the time.
So in summary this was a very disappointing read, slow, predictable and difficult to read.
This was a free download and it's been sitting on my kindle for a few weeks now, when I originally downloaded it there were 3 reviews and all were 5 star, that plus I liked the sound of the synopsis meant it was on my 'to read' list. Having just finished a couple of darker books I thought this would be a nice light read.
I will say that it's always been my opinion that historical romance books are just that, a romance they are not history books and so small inaccuracies have never bothered me, it's always been the story I've been interested it.
That said I have to say I found this book incredibly difficult to read this was mainly due to the language used for conversations.
"Put your fambles to the sky, m'buck....Out now covey. Whot? Be ye asleep?... Stubble it, gent! ..Retrieve your barking iron when ye have a mind. We no longer have a fancy to prig ye..."
On top of the dreadful conversation the story is pretty weak and goes exactly as you'd expect, I like a strong female lead but Mandy just annoyed the hell out of me most of the time.
So in summary this was a very disappointing read, slow, predictable and difficult to read.
August 5, 2016
Nothing much to tell except that Mandy is short and entertaining. Most of the story is already in the summary so you know what to expect.
I liked the twins a lot. Mandy goes nuts a bit when he meets the duke but she is aware of it, so it's not really annoying. The duke works fast (after you read the book you'll know what I mean). There is no drama between them expect for one or two jealous outbursts.
As for the other side, you are offered two choices of who might be the murderer. And the person is pathetic.
I liked the twins a lot. Mandy goes nuts a bit when he meets the duke but she is aware of it, so it's not really annoying. The duke works fast (after you read the book you'll know what I mean). There is no drama between them expect for one or two jealous outbursts.
As for the other side, you are offered two choices of who might be the murderer. And the person is pathetic.
January 3, 2015
Hot-headed, stupid heroine
Our feckless heroine's brother is accused of murder and she, with the help of a loyal servant, breaks him out of jail. Brother and sister go into hiding, depending upon that servant to bring them food and news. They are sent to a friend's house for assistance and what must they do but compound their idiocy by masquerading as highway robbers. Yes, it's our heroine's stupid idea. They're so ill fortuned as to hold up their guardian, a duke, whom they have never met and who is coming to their aid. Then they have the gall to wonder why trouble follows them.
I utterly lost patience at that point and quit reading. Why is it that "lively" and "spirited" seem to mean "impulsive" and "stupid" in romance novels?
Our feckless heroine's brother is accused of murder and she, with the help of a loyal servant, breaks him out of jail. Brother and sister go into hiding, depending upon that servant to bring them food and news. They are sent to a friend's house for assistance and what must they do but compound their idiocy by masquerading as highway robbers. Yes, it's our heroine's stupid idea. They're so ill fortuned as to hold up their guardian, a duke, whom they have never met and who is coming to their aid. Then they have the gall to wonder why trouble follows them.
I utterly lost patience at that point and quit reading. Why is it that "lively" and "spirited" seem to mean "impulsive" and "stupid" in romance novels?
January 30, 2015
This came over as formulaic, written in haste and with numerous editing errors. The plot was far-fetched as was the behaviour of Mandy, who came over as more of a trollop than a young lady.
dnf
July 17, 2023I don't know why, I just am not interested in finishing it, though I am curious to know who killed their cousin. If I do eventually return to the book and finish it, I'll update this!
January 7, 2015
Another Amazing Regency!!!!
Mandy's brother Ned is accused of murder and must prove her brother's innocence. Mandy breaks Ned out of jail and they go into hiding. They write a letter to their guardian the Duke of Margate. The Duke is a friend of their grandfather's and Mandy had always thought him an old man. When the Duke shows up to help them, Mandy sees the Duke is not old at all. He is in fact a young, virile man. The Duke is smitten by Mandy the instant he sees her and wants to make her his.
I loved this book by Claudy. Claudy Conn is one of my go to authors and am never disappointed when I read one of her books. Well done Claudy.
Mandy's brother Ned is accused of murder and must prove her brother's innocence. Mandy breaks Ned out of jail and they go into hiding. They write a letter to their guardian the Duke of Margate. The Duke is a friend of their grandfather's and Mandy had always thought him an old man. When the Duke shows up to help them, Mandy sees the Duke is not old at all. He is in fact a young, virile man. The Duke is smitten by Mandy the instant he sees her and wants to make her his.
I loved this book by Claudy. Claudy Conn is one of my go to authors and am never disappointed when I read one of her books. Well done Claudy.
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January 5, 2015
Silly
The plot revolves around the murder of Celia, cousin to Ned and Mandy, a pair of twins who are under the guardianship of the Duke of Margate. The Duke is, of course, dashing and handsome and falls in love with Mandy who is his ward as she and he try to clear Ned's name, him having been accused of Celia's murder.
My chief complaints with this novel are the extremely slow pacing and a female heroine, Mandy, who is annoying in the extreme. I used the search feature to determine how often her "hands flew to her hips" (9), how often she stomped her foot (3), and how often she acted willfully and recklessly through out the novel. In the last instance the occurrences are too numerous to count. Minor complaints involve a secondary story line that is unnecessary to the main plot and some editing errors that shouldn't have been overlooked. The 'love scene' was so awkwardly written it just felt weirdly obligatory rather than a necessary to move the story or character development along. There was certainly no chemistry between the H/h.
Bottom line: the writing is unsophisticated and the plot is marginally engaging. Your money and time could probably be better spent elsewhere.
The plot revolves around the murder of Celia, cousin to Ned and Mandy, a pair of twins who are under the guardianship of the Duke of Margate. The Duke is, of course, dashing and handsome and falls in love with Mandy who is his ward as she and he try to clear Ned's name, him having been accused of Celia's murder.
My chief complaints with this novel are the extremely slow pacing and a female heroine, Mandy, who is annoying in the extreme. I used the search feature to determine how often her "hands flew to her hips" (9), how often she stomped her foot (3), and how often she acted willfully and recklessly through out the novel. In the last instance the occurrences are too numerous to count. Minor complaints involve a secondary story line that is unnecessary to the main plot and some editing errors that shouldn't have been overlooked. The 'love scene' was so awkwardly written it just felt weirdly obligatory rather than a necessary to move the story or character development along. There was certainly no chemistry between the H/h.
Bottom line: the writing is unsophisticated and the plot is marginally engaging. Your money and time could probably be better spent elsewhere.
January 16, 2016
Mandy by Claudy Conn
He's a rake and a libertine but Brock Haydon, the Eighth Duke of Margate, will not stand back while his ward is falsely accused of a crime. He may have been a bit remiss of his guardian duties so far, but with this latest missive from his friend Viscount John Skippendon, he will finally do his duty.
Lord Edward Sherborne and his twin sister Amanda enjoy life to its fullest. When her brother is accused falsely of a crime, Mandy refuses to sit back and do nothing. And at the moment she trusts no one, but their faithful servants. She especially don't want to trust the handsome blue-eyed devil who is their guardian.
Murder, secrets, clandestine meetings, robberies, missing persons and romance. This tale is filled with people to suspect of committing heinous crimes along with plenty of suitors for a young beautiful hoyden who comes with a dowry that's as appetizing as her looks. Jump into the past and enjoy the adventure.
**Sexual content
http://justjudysjumbles.blogspot.com/...
He's a rake and a libertine but Brock Haydon, the Eighth Duke of Margate, will not stand back while his ward is falsely accused of a crime. He may have been a bit remiss of his guardian duties so far, but with this latest missive from his friend Viscount John Skippendon, he will finally do his duty.
Lord Edward Sherborne and his twin sister Amanda enjoy life to its fullest. When her brother is accused falsely of a crime, Mandy refuses to sit back and do nothing. And at the moment she trusts no one, but their faithful servants. She especially don't want to trust the handsome blue-eyed devil who is their guardian.
Murder, secrets, clandestine meetings, robberies, missing persons and romance. This tale is filled with people to suspect of committing heinous crimes along with plenty of suitors for a young beautiful hoyden who comes with a dowry that's as appetizing as her looks. Jump into the past and enjoy the adventure.
**Sexual content
http://justjudysjumbles.blogspot.com/...
January 4, 2015
I got this as a free e-book, and I'm very glad I didn't spend any money on it. It was full of stupid actions made by two dimensional characters, annoying conversations, and really obvious plot twists. It was one of those books where you feel like the only research the author did into the time period was to read other poorly written books about the time period--the actions of the characters, their behaviors towards others, their decisions, etc., were so atypical of the Regency time that I spent most of the book cringing. The conversations in the story dragged on and on, usually with really annoying pointless banter. The sex scenes were just a trial to get through.
Luckily the book was very short and I could skim through the worst of it. It was stubbornness more than anything that kept me going, although I don't know why I bothered, really.
Luckily the book was very short and I could skim through the worst of it. It was stubbornness more than anything that kept me going, although I don't know why I bothered, really.
February 11, 2015
I give it 2 stars for the story line. I made it half way through before I deleted it from my Kindle. It was too hard to follow with all "cant" wording and character thoughts through out the book. The slang was the worse of the two evils for me. I really liked the setting and the story line from the parts that I did read, I just couldn't stumble through it anymore.
June 24, 2016
This was one of the most poorly written and edited books I have ever read. It featured weak, predictable characters, an idiotic heroine and grammar mistakes that would not pass a basic high school English class. It's a shame, because the plot could've had potential had it been better organized and not so slow.
February 20, 2016
Like an episode of The Love Boat. Harmless way to waste an hour.
December 16, 2017
Delightful - a Regency romp whodunit. One hoyden heroine, one scapegoat suspect, five possible perpetrators, and a dashing duke to the rescue. After breaking her brother out of jail, Mandy and Ned, together with their guardian Brock and retainer Chauncy, hunt for the person who killed their cousin to keep her from revealing her secret and who then pointed the finger at Ned. Was it their Aunt Agatha? Their Uncle Bevis? Their cousin Alfred? Their friend Viscount Skippendon? Or, was it perhaps Sir Owen? They had motve. Each had opportunity. Their actions aroused suspicion. And, they all cast blame on Ned. So whodunit?
I notice one reviewer complained it was all conversation without enough emotion. Yes, there is a love story embedded in the plot but it is first and foremost a quickly moving tale full of action, most of it impulsive, which land Mandy and her twin in hot water, over and over again.
A quick read.
I notice one reviewer complained it was all conversation without enough emotion. Yes, there is a love story embedded in the plot but it is first and foremost a quickly moving tale full of action, most of it impulsive, which land Mandy and her twin in hot water, over and over again.
A quick read.
November 5, 2017
It was fine at first then I got annoyed by Mandy's actions. It has an American feel to it. She is too fast and easy for the timeline/genre plus a bit contentiously irritating and unreasonable when it comes to her guardian. And then turns sluttish on that same guardian that I had just enough of her. I would have been fun to try to speculate on Celia's murderer and as to the reason why Skip was spending too much time in the country as opposed to his usual routine but reading more about Mandy is just not worth it.
November 29, 2017
Ugh.
I stopped reading about midway? Through the twins playing at Highwayman, because it was just SUCH a stupid situation, even for teenagers, especially when one of them is accused of murder AND they’re both wanted for jail breaking.
Grammar, structure, and conveying what’s going on was fine, but the story was just too stupid for me to bother with. I’m glad I didn’t pay actual money for this, having found it on one of the free books of the day lists.
I stopped reading about midway? Through the twins playing at Highwayman, because it was just SUCH a stupid situation, even for teenagers, especially when one of them is accused of murder AND they’re both wanted for jail breaking.
Grammar, structure, and conveying what’s going on was fine, but the story was just too stupid for me to bother with. I’m glad I didn’t pay actual money for this, having found it on one of the free books of the day lists.
February 23, 2019
An interesting tale of murder and lies and greed that gets a breath of fresh air when the Duke the guardian of a set of young adult twins has to rescue the young man from charges of murder for which he was framed. Mandy his twin sister is out to prove he didn't do it and in the process is able to figure out who did. Happiness prevails and the Duke finds he is capable of love after all. Convoluted and cute . :)
February 24, 2018
This was a cute little story. The characters weren't complicated; the good were good, the bad were bad, and a few were just misguided. The plot is exactly what the back of the book says it is with very few, if any, surprises.
Mandy and Brock are the best part of this book. They are frustrating and endearing in turns with well written chemistry!
It was worth grabbing for free.
Mandy and Brock are the best part of this book. They are frustrating and endearing in turns with well written chemistry!
It was worth grabbing for free.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 9, 2017
Was quite OK to read but I thought the period of the ‘hiding out’ was too long and there could have been ‘a season’ for Mandy so that could be say some jealous tension and a change of scenery...way to long to solve the mystery. Also she gave herself too early.
November 18, 2017
Regency murder mystry
Twins protecting each other, harebrained schemes, the voice of authority being thwarted, murder, jail break, robbery. It all add up to a adventure that keeps the reader engaged till the finish
Twins protecting each other, harebrained schemes, the voice of authority being thwarted, murder, jail break, robbery. It all add up to a adventure that keeps the reader engaged till the finish
October 2, 2018
Excellent
storyline. Love murder and adventure. It covered everything. Never read this author before. Looked at Free Kindle books for new authors to read. Will look for more by this author.
storyline. Love murder and adventure. It covered everything. Never read this author before. Looked at Free Kindle books for new authors to read. Will look for more by this author.
July 13, 2020
Pretty good! The story had some holes in it. For instance, they never would have put a peer in lock up and he didn't have a solicitor. Even with the plot holes in the story it was pretty good thoughpredictable. I like the author's other books better but still it was free..
November 7, 2022
Innocent or Guilty
What do you do when your twin brother is accused of murder? When Ned is accused of this horrible crime, Mandy decides to prove his innocence. Read about the adventure these twins have. Read and enjoy.
What do you do when your twin brother is accused of murder? When Ned is accused of this horrible crime, Mandy decides to prove his innocence. Read about the adventure these twins have. Read and enjoy.
October 23, 2017
Loved it!!!
Enjoyed the book a lot, even though at times the words used sometimes were confusing. The storyline was good. Kept me guessing till the end.
Enjoyed the book a lot, even though at times the words used sometimes were confusing. The storyline was good. Kept me guessing till the end.
November 4, 2017
Wonderful love story with great characters and plots
November 4, 2017
good shallow read.
November 14, 2017
Ok
Had all the elements of a regency romance but lacked something for me. I didn’t warm to the characters but that was more personal taste than flawed writing.
Had all the elements of a regency romance but lacked something for me. I didn’t warm to the characters but that was more personal taste than flawed writing.
November 20, 2017
Not a bad read - The author does a great job of keeping her writing style in line with the era.
November 27, 2017
Cute
This book is cute but written with alot of silliness. The characters are not strong and change from smart to stupid attitudes. It could use a rewrite.
This book is cute but written with alot of silliness. The characters are not strong and change from smart to stupid attitudes. It could use a rewrite.
December 10, 2017
Good
Good. Good easy read. Bit fast but a good beach holiday read for something simple. Enjoyed it. Would read more her books
Good. Good easy read. Bit fast but a good beach holiday read for something simple. Enjoyed it. Would read more her books
Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews