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Bad Husbands #2
His Lordship's Pleasure
With the sudden death of her rakish, inebriate husband, Annabelle Carruthers is burdened with his gambling debts and headed for the poorhouse--unless she gives herself to the dashing Lord Darkwood
172 pages, Paperback
First published March 31, 1991
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205 people want to read
About the author
Marion Chesney
139 books750 followersMarion Chesney Gibbons
aka: Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Charlotte Ward, M.C. Beaton, Sarah Chester.
Marion Chesney was born on 1936 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK, and started her first job as a bookseller in charge of the fiction department in John Smith & Sons Ltd. While bookselling, by chance, she got an offer from the Scottish Daily Mail to review variety shows and quickly rose to be their theatre critic. She left Smith’s to join Scottish Field magazine as a secretary in the advertising department, without any shorthand or typing, but quickly got the job of fashion editor instead. She then moved to the Scottish Daily Express where she reported mostly on crime. This was followed by a move to Fleet Street to the Daily Express where she became chief woman reporter. After marrying Harry Scott Gibbons and having a son, Charles, Marion went to the United States where Harry had been offered the job of editor of the Oyster Bay Guardian. When that didn’t work out, they went to Virginia and Marion worked as a waitress in a greasy spoon on the Jefferson Davies in Alexandria while Harry washed the dishes. Both then got jobs on Rupert Murdoch’s new tabloid, The Star, and moved to New York.
Anxious to spend more time at home with her small son, Marion, urged by her husband, started to write historical romances in 1977. After she had written over 100 of them under her maiden name, Marion Chesney, and under the pseudonyms: Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Charlotte Ward, and Sarah Chester, she getting fed up with 1714 to 1910, she began to write detectives stories in 1985 under the pseudonym of M. C. Beaton. On a trip from the States to Sutherland on holiday, a course at a fishing school inspired the first Constable Hamish Macbeth story. They returned to Britain and bought a croft house and croft in Sutherland where Harry reared a flock of black sheep. But Charles was at school, in London so when he finished and both tired of the long commute to the north of Scotland, they moved to the Cotswolds where Agatha Raisin was created.
aka: Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Charlotte Ward, M.C. Beaton, Sarah Chester.
Marion Chesney was born on 1936 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK, and started her first job as a bookseller in charge of the fiction department in John Smith & Sons Ltd. While bookselling, by chance, she got an offer from the Scottish Daily Mail to review variety shows and quickly rose to be their theatre critic. She left Smith’s to join Scottish Field magazine as a secretary in the advertising department, without any shorthand or typing, but quickly got the job of fashion editor instead. She then moved to the Scottish Daily Express where she reported mostly on crime. This was followed by a move to Fleet Street to the Daily Express where she became chief woman reporter. After marrying Harry Scott Gibbons and having a son, Charles, Marion went to the United States where Harry had been offered the job of editor of the Oyster Bay Guardian. When that didn’t work out, they went to Virginia and Marion worked as a waitress in a greasy spoon on the Jefferson Davies in Alexandria while Harry washed the dishes. Both then got jobs on Rupert Murdoch’s new tabloid, The Star, and moved to New York.
Anxious to spend more time at home with her small son, Marion, urged by her husband, started to write historical romances in 1977. After she had written over 100 of them under her maiden name, Marion Chesney, and under the pseudonyms: Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Charlotte Ward, and Sarah Chester, she getting fed up with 1714 to 1910, she began to write detectives stories in 1985 under the pseudonym of M. C. Beaton. On a trip from the States to Sutherland on holiday, a course at a fishing school inspired the first Constable Hamish Macbeth story. They returned to Britain and bought a croft house and croft in Sutherland where Harry reared a flock of black sheep. But Charles was at school, in London so when he finished and both tired of the long commute to the north of Scotland, they moved to the Cotswolds where Agatha Raisin was created.
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July 24, 2024
Review from 2015
B- for narration / C- for content , so that's 3 stars overall.
Originally published in 1991, His Lordship’s Pleasure is the second book in a trilogy which tackles an issue I suspect wasn’t often featured in Regency Romances back then – that of wives who were not only unhappily married, but whose husbands were cruel, violent and neglectful.
The three heroines are friends, so the books are loosely connected. In this one, Mrs Annabelle Carruthers is married to Guy, an habitual drunkard and gambler. They are deeply in debt and Annabelle’s only consolation is that they are now so short of funds that her husband can no longer afford to gamble with his peers for large sums of money and has to stick to gaming with the lower orders for lesser stakes.
Annabelle is mortified when one of the local shopkeepers refuses to extend her any more credit because his bills have not been paid – and to make things even worse, he tells her in front of the other two people in the shop, the Earl of Darkwood and his snobbish sister. The handsome earl is surprised to see a beautiful young woman in such circumstances, and offers to pay Annabelle’s bill – which embarrasses her further, as she has no intention of accepting charity. And while she knows of the earl’s rakish reputation, she can’t help wondering what it would be like to be kissed by a man who knows what he’s doing and who genuinely desires her.
At the ball given by Darkwood shortly after this encounter, Annabelle is surprised and disturbed to discover that her husband has money enough to admit him to the gaming tables. What she doesn’t know is that he was recently offered a large sum in exchange for passing on whatever information he can glean from his government and military contacts that will help a group of revolutionary sympathisers to bring about Napoleon’s escape.
When a fire burns down their house and claims Guy’s life. Annabelle has no alternative but to remove to their town house in London. But she hasn’t been there long when she is confronted by a money-lender who informs her that Guy had borrowed extensively using the house as security, and that as the loans cannot now be repaid, the house now belongs to him.
Annabelle is bewildered and frightened. She has no family and nowhere to go. Her only friend in London, the Duchess of Hadshire, is married to a man so possessive of her that he does not allow her to have any friends, and eventually, she does the only thing she can think of to do, and turns to the one man who has ever shown her any compassion – the Earl of Darkwood. She has nothing to give in return for his assistance other than herself, so she offers to become his mistress.
Darkwood is stunned at her proposition, but has no intention of taking Annabelle up on her offer, no matter that she’s incredibly beautiful and stirs his interest in a way that the young woman he is planning to marry does not. But he neglects to inform Annabelle of that fact, knowing she will view any help from him as charity if she does not feel their arrangement is a reciprocal one.
So Darkwood lets her believe he will be taking her up on her offer, and Annabelle settles into her new life in the house he has provided for her. As time passes, he becomes increasingly suspicious of the circumstances surrounding Guy Carruthers’ death. Knowing he has to be careful not to involve Annabelle, because it’s not uncommon for the wives of criminals to be found guilty by association, Darkwood uncovers a web of treason and betrayal which ultimately threatens Annabelle’s safety.
I suspect that I enjoyed this audiobook as much as I did because of the skilful way Lindy Nettleton breathes life into what is actually a rather thin story. I came away from it wishing it had been longer so as to have allowed time for the central relationship to be sufficiently developed and the espionage sub-plot to have been made stronger; as it is, it’s almost irrelevant. The issues surrounding Annabelle’s predicament could also have been more thoroughly explored, although the author does paint an accurate picture of her situation as the wife of a selfish man, and a woman who has suffered physical violence. In spite of this, though, she’s no doormat; she’s scared and facing an uncertain future, but she doesn’t wallow in self-pity or let her fears prevent her from taking action.
Darkwood is your stereotypical rakish aristocratic hero; rich and handsome, though rather arrogant and cold. He’s underdeveloped as a character, athough there are some moments where he is very perceptive and compassionate towards Annabelle and her situation, such as when he closes the gaming room at the ball to try to prevent Guy losing any more money. The assistance he extends to Annabelle after Guy’s death is far above and beyond the call of duty, especially considering he hardly knows her. He saves her life, finds her somewhere to live at his expense and pursues the inquiry into Guy’s death discreetly. But it’s rather problematic when the hero of a romance spends most of the book determined to marry someone other than the heroine and when his eventual proposal to her is actually somewhat insulting!
Lindy Nettleton has a number of audiobooks to her credit, although this is the first time I have listened to her. She acquits herself very well, differentiating effectively between all the characters and delivering the narrative at a good pace. She has a pleasantly deep, melodious voice which enables her to portray the male characters convincingly and without struggling to maintain a lower pitch. I noticed a few odd mispronunciations here and there but otherwise there was nothing in her performance that bothered me unduly. This audiobook is under six hours in length, but given the thinness of the material (as I’ve discussed above), Ms Nettleton’s performance is sufficiently accomplished and engaging as to have put some flesh on the bare bones of the characters and made me want to keep listening to find out what happened to them. If you’re in the mood for a Traditional Regency, then this might appeal, although it’s really Ms Nettleton’s narration I’m recommending, because while the story certainly has potential, it’s not strong enough to be one I’d recommend without reservation.
B- for narration / C- for content , so that's 3 stars overall.
Originally published in 1991, His Lordship’s Pleasure is the second book in a trilogy which tackles an issue I suspect wasn’t often featured in Regency Romances back then – that of wives who were not only unhappily married, but whose husbands were cruel, violent and neglectful.
The three heroines are friends, so the books are loosely connected. In this one, Mrs Annabelle Carruthers is married to Guy, an habitual drunkard and gambler. They are deeply in debt and Annabelle’s only consolation is that they are now so short of funds that her husband can no longer afford to gamble with his peers for large sums of money and has to stick to gaming with the lower orders for lesser stakes.
Annabelle is mortified when one of the local shopkeepers refuses to extend her any more credit because his bills have not been paid – and to make things even worse, he tells her in front of the other two people in the shop, the Earl of Darkwood and his snobbish sister. The handsome earl is surprised to see a beautiful young woman in such circumstances, and offers to pay Annabelle’s bill – which embarrasses her further, as she has no intention of accepting charity. And while she knows of the earl’s rakish reputation, she can’t help wondering what it would be like to be kissed by a man who knows what he’s doing and who genuinely desires her.
At the ball given by Darkwood shortly after this encounter, Annabelle is surprised and disturbed to discover that her husband has money enough to admit him to the gaming tables. What she doesn’t know is that he was recently offered a large sum in exchange for passing on whatever information he can glean from his government and military contacts that will help a group of revolutionary sympathisers to bring about Napoleon’s escape.
When a fire burns down their house and claims Guy’s life. Annabelle has no alternative but to remove to their town house in London. But she hasn’t been there long when she is confronted by a money-lender who informs her that Guy had borrowed extensively using the house as security, and that as the loans cannot now be repaid, the house now belongs to him.
Annabelle is bewildered and frightened. She has no family and nowhere to go. Her only friend in London, the Duchess of Hadshire, is married to a man so possessive of her that he does not allow her to have any friends, and eventually, she does the only thing she can think of to do, and turns to the one man who has ever shown her any compassion – the Earl of Darkwood. She has nothing to give in return for his assistance other than herself, so she offers to become his mistress.
Darkwood is stunned at her proposition, but has no intention of taking Annabelle up on her offer, no matter that she’s incredibly beautiful and stirs his interest in a way that the young woman he is planning to marry does not. But he neglects to inform Annabelle of that fact, knowing she will view any help from him as charity if she does not feel their arrangement is a reciprocal one.
So Darkwood lets her believe he will be taking her up on her offer, and Annabelle settles into her new life in the house he has provided for her. As time passes, he becomes increasingly suspicious of the circumstances surrounding Guy Carruthers’ death. Knowing he has to be careful not to involve Annabelle, because it’s not uncommon for the wives of criminals to be found guilty by association, Darkwood uncovers a web of treason and betrayal which ultimately threatens Annabelle’s safety.
I suspect that I enjoyed this audiobook as much as I did because of the skilful way Lindy Nettleton breathes life into what is actually a rather thin story. I came away from it wishing it had been longer so as to have allowed time for the central relationship to be sufficiently developed and the espionage sub-plot to have been made stronger; as it is, it’s almost irrelevant. The issues surrounding Annabelle’s predicament could also have been more thoroughly explored, although the author does paint an accurate picture of her situation as the wife of a selfish man, and a woman who has suffered physical violence. In spite of this, though, she’s no doormat; she’s scared and facing an uncertain future, but she doesn’t wallow in self-pity or let her fears prevent her from taking action.
Darkwood is your stereotypical rakish aristocratic hero; rich and handsome, though rather arrogant and cold. He’s underdeveloped as a character, athough there are some moments where he is very perceptive and compassionate towards Annabelle and her situation, such as when he closes the gaming room at the ball to try to prevent Guy losing any more money. The assistance he extends to Annabelle after Guy’s death is far above and beyond the call of duty, especially considering he hardly knows her. He saves her life, finds her somewhere to live at his expense and pursues the inquiry into Guy’s death discreetly. But it’s rather problematic when the hero of a romance spends most of the book determined to marry someone other than the heroine and when his eventual proposal to her is actually somewhat insulting!
Lindy Nettleton has a number of audiobooks to her credit, although this is the first time I have listened to her. She acquits herself very well, differentiating effectively between all the characters and delivering the narrative at a good pace. She has a pleasantly deep, melodious voice which enables her to portray the male characters convincingly and without struggling to maintain a lower pitch. I noticed a few odd mispronunciations here and there but otherwise there was nothing in her performance that bothered me unduly. This audiobook is under six hours in length, but given the thinness of the material (as I’ve discussed above), Ms Nettleton’s performance is sufficiently accomplished and engaging as to have put some flesh on the bare bones of the characters and made me want to keep listening to find out what happened to them. If you’re in the mood for a Traditional Regency, then this might appeal, although it’s really Ms Nettleton’s narration I’m recommending, because while the story certainly has potential, it’s not strong enough to be one I’d recommend without reservation.
December 21, 2023
Regency, romantic-suspense novel
The deceased parents of Mrs. Annabelle Carruthers were of the gentry class, but they were quite poor. Six years ago, they pushed 18-year-old Annabelle into marriage with handsome, charming Guy Carruthers, whom they deemed eminently suitable husband material for their dowerless daughter. He was in his late 20s and had served in the army as an officer during the Napoleonic wars and was also of the gentry. Annabelle barely knew Guy at the time, and she was not in love with him, but he clearly loved her, and early in their marriage, she was optimistic that she might eventually grow to love him in return. Unfortunately, he soon revealed himself to be a florid alcoholic and a gambling addict, who beat her the few times over the years that she summoned the courage to beg him to drink and gamble less. As a result, they constantly lived in poverty, barely outrunning the baliffs because of their unpaid bills, and she frequently wished her dissolute husband would die since, in that era, a woman could not get a divorce. The only fortunate circumstance of their tragic marriage was that they never had any children, who would have been dragged down to destruction by Guy.
At the start of this story, Annabelle and Guy are rusticating in the country, to enable Guy to escape his debtors in London. They are living in a large, rundown house owned by Guy, which is mortgaged to the hilt. When Guy dies in a house fire, which the local authorities conclude was accidentally caused by Guy's drunkenly knocking over a candle before he passed out in bed, Annabelle feels no sadness at losing him, and he unsurprisingly left her destitute. The night before he died, he lost ownership of his country house in a game of cards. As far as Annabelle knows, the only thing of any value that exists in his estate is a heavily mortgaged and rundown house in London. She flees to that house as her only refuge, but a moneylender shows up with the deed to the house, stating that Guy gave it as security for a loan, and now that he is dead, the house belongs to the moneylender. He throws Annabelle out, allowing her to take only her clothing and a few personal items with her. Her sole hope is the compassionate Earl of Darkwood, who owns the estate abutting the Carruthers' country property. At Guy's funeral he had given her his card with the address of his home in London.
Charles, Lord Darkwood, is a handsome, ruggedly fit man in his early 30s. He has recently resigned his commission from the army where, similar to Guy, he spent years fighting in the Napoleonic wars. But because of his being from the aristocracy, his rank was much higher than Guy's. Because Charles is a very conscientious landlord and generous neighbor, in spite of Annabelle's protests, he paid for Guy's funeral, and he compassionately offered to help her if she ever needed it. But he never expected her to take him up on his suggestion in the manner in which she does. He is shocked when respectable Annabelle shows up at his London mansion, with several small trunks in tow. In order to protect her good name, he orders his butler to make sure none of his staff breathe a word to anyone about her presence in his bachelor establishment. He already knows, from his interactions with the beautiful, refined Mrs Carruthers in the country, that she is absolutely opposed to being an object of charity. But he is unwilling to destroy the reputation of a gently bred widow by taking her up on her outrageous offer that he make her his mistress in exchange for his financial support. Of course, an alternate possibility would be to marry her, a more than passing temptation, because he has been strongly attracted to her from the moment he met her in the country. But he instantly represses that preposterous thought, because he knows what is due to his name, and he is determined to marry a woman of his class. Seeing no immediate alternative, he temporarily allows Annabelle to believe that he will go along with her proposition, in order to prevent her from self-destructively fleeing out the door to preserve her pride. He is determined to ultimately convince her to become his pensioner, by setting her up in a small house in London with a respectable female chaperone and a regular allowance. But before he can put this charitable plan into action, he collapses from the physical strain of a recurrent fever (which is apparently malaria, but never named as such in this novel), which he caught on the peninsula.
Believing her reputation is already in tatters and she has nothing to lose, Annabelle immediately appoints herself as the earl's nurse. And while she is doing that, she also briskly takes over the management of his filthy, poorly run household. She marshalls the slovenly staff into cleaning it from top to bottom and hires a decent cook who can prepare him nutritious food.
This story is the second in a trilogy about three female friends, who are each trapped in an abusive marriage, until fate intervenes early in all three stories, and the evil husband dies. After that, a romance gradually develops with a handsome, wealthy, aristocratic MMC. In the case of this novel, similar to the first book in this trilogy, there is a romantic-suspense subplot, but there aren't as many murderous villains in this novel as in the first one, and Annabelle is not put in as many life-threatening situations as the previous FMC. However, similar to the structure of the first book, Annabelle does not save herself from any of the many physical and social dangers she faces. Instead, she is always rescued either by Charles or by her female friends.
Compared to many other soapy, Regency melodramas that MC has written, which frequently include bizarre villains, this particular novel does not go over the top in that direction. The romance is enjoyable, especially when Annabelle takes care of Charles when he becomes ill, but Annabelle and Charles are not onstage together more than about 25% of the book. The strongest emphasis in this story is on female friendship, which is the linking theme of this trilogy. While I enjoyed the strong connection between the three women, the relatively small amount of interactions between Annabelle and Charles was disappointing to me as a longtime fan of romance. By cramming in so many villains, female friends, and scenes of Charles courting a beautiful, 17-year-old, narcissistic debutante, MC left little room for the courtship of Annabelle and Charles, which is almost non-existent. He makes no attempts to woo her until the book is almost over.
As is typical for MC, there are no overt sex scenes in this story. There is some passionate kissing onstage at the very end of the novel, but she always wrote "closed bedroom door" romances, and that is the case in this novel as well, with only an implied consummation of the inevitable HEA marriage on the last page of this novel.
I experienced this novel as an audiobook, which is available through Hoopla. The narrator does a fairly good job. She is excellent with female voices, but she apparently is unable to deepen her voice, so all of her renderings of male characters is accomplished by hoarsening her voice into a rather irritating, laryngitis rasp.
The deceased parents of Mrs. Annabelle Carruthers were of the gentry class, but they were quite poor. Six years ago, they pushed 18-year-old Annabelle into marriage with handsome, charming Guy Carruthers, whom they deemed eminently suitable husband material for their dowerless daughter. He was in his late 20s and had served in the army as an officer during the Napoleonic wars and was also of the gentry. Annabelle barely knew Guy at the time, and she was not in love with him, but he clearly loved her, and early in their marriage, she was optimistic that she might eventually grow to love him in return. Unfortunately, he soon revealed himself to be a florid alcoholic and a gambling addict, who beat her the few times over the years that she summoned the courage to beg him to drink and gamble less. As a result, they constantly lived in poverty, barely outrunning the baliffs because of their unpaid bills, and she frequently wished her dissolute husband would die since, in that era, a woman could not get a divorce. The only fortunate circumstance of their tragic marriage was that they never had any children, who would have been dragged down to destruction by Guy.
At the start of this story, Annabelle and Guy are rusticating in the country, to enable Guy to escape his debtors in London. They are living in a large, rundown house owned by Guy, which is mortgaged to the hilt. When Guy dies in a house fire, which the local authorities conclude was accidentally caused by Guy's drunkenly knocking over a candle before he passed out in bed, Annabelle feels no sadness at losing him, and he unsurprisingly left her destitute. The night before he died, he lost ownership of his country house in a game of cards. As far as Annabelle knows, the only thing of any value that exists in his estate is a heavily mortgaged and rundown house in London. She flees to that house as her only refuge, but a moneylender shows up with the deed to the house, stating that Guy gave it as security for a loan, and now that he is dead, the house belongs to the moneylender. He throws Annabelle out, allowing her to take only her clothing and a few personal items with her. Her sole hope is the compassionate Earl of Darkwood, who owns the estate abutting the Carruthers' country property. At Guy's funeral he had given her his card with the address of his home in London.
Charles, Lord Darkwood, is a handsome, ruggedly fit man in his early 30s. He has recently resigned his commission from the army where, similar to Guy, he spent years fighting in the Napoleonic wars. But because of his being from the aristocracy, his rank was much higher than Guy's. Because Charles is a very conscientious landlord and generous neighbor, in spite of Annabelle's protests, he paid for Guy's funeral, and he compassionately offered to help her if she ever needed it. But he never expected her to take him up on his suggestion in the manner in which she does. He is shocked when respectable Annabelle shows up at his London mansion, with several small trunks in tow. In order to protect her good name, he orders his butler to make sure none of his staff breathe a word to anyone about her presence in his bachelor establishment. He already knows, from his interactions with the beautiful, refined Mrs Carruthers in the country, that she is absolutely opposed to being an object of charity. But he is unwilling to destroy the reputation of a gently bred widow by taking her up on her outrageous offer that he make her his mistress in exchange for his financial support. Of course, an alternate possibility would be to marry her, a more than passing temptation, because he has been strongly attracted to her from the moment he met her in the country. But he instantly represses that preposterous thought, because he knows what is due to his name, and he is determined to marry a woman of his class. Seeing no immediate alternative, he temporarily allows Annabelle to believe that he will go along with her proposition, in order to prevent her from self-destructively fleeing out the door to preserve her pride. He is determined to ultimately convince her to become his pensioner, by setting her up in a small house in London with a respectable female chaperone and a regular allowance. But before he can put this charitable plan into action, he collapses from the physical strain of a recurrent fever (which is apparently malaria, but never named as such in this novel), which he caught on the peninsula.
Believing her reputation is already in tatters and she has nothing to lose, Annabelle immediately appoints herself as the earl's nurse. And while she is doing that, she also briskly takes over the management of his filthy, poorly run household. She marshalls the slovenly staff into cleaning it from top to bottom and hires a decent cook who can prepare him nutritious food.
This story is the second in a trilogy about three female friends, who are each trapped in an abusive marriage, until fate intervenes early in all three stories, and the evil husband dies. After that, a romance gradually develops with a handsome, wealthy, aristocratic MMC. In the case of this novel, similar to the first book in this trilogy, there is a romantic-suspense subplot, but there aren't as many murderous villains in this novel as in the first one, and Annabelle is not put in as many life-threatening situations as the previous FMC. However, similar to the structure of the first book, Annabelle does not save herself from any of the many physical and social dangers she faces. Instead, she is always rescued either by Charles or by her female friends.
Compared to many other soapy, Regency melodramas that MC has written, which frequently include bizarre villains, this particular novel does not go over the top in that direction. The romance is enjoyable, especially when Annabelle takes care of Charles when he becomes ill, but Annabelle and Charles are not onstage together more than about 25% of the book. The strongest emphasis in this story is on female friendship, which is the linking theme of this trilogy. While I enjoyed the strong connection between the three women, the relatively small amount of interactions between Annabelle and Charles was disappointing to me as a longtime fan of romance. By cramming in so many villains, female friends, and scenes of Charles courting a beautiful, 17-year-old, narcissistic debutante, MC left little room for the courtship of Annabelle and Charles, which is almost non-existent. He makes no attempts to woo her until the book is almost over.
As is typical for MC, there are no overt sex scenes in this story. There is some passionate kissing onstage at the very end of the novel, but she always wrote "closed bedroom door" romances, and that is the case in this novel as well, with only an implied consummation of the inevitable HEA marriage on the last page of this novel.
I experienced this novel as an audiobook, which is available through Hoopla. The narrator does a fairly good job. She is excellent with female voices, but she apparently is unable to deepen her voice, so all of her renderings of male characters is accomplished by hoarsening her voice into a rather irritating, laryngitis rasp.
February 11, 2015
Annabelle Carruthers is trapped in a loveless marriage to a gambler who has almost exhausted their resources. When the handsome Lord Darkwood returns to his estates after a long absence he is curious about Annabelle and tries to help her but she is too proud to accept his help with her bills.
Then her husband dies when their house is burned down and it begins to look as though maybe Annabelle can make a fresh start. However Guy's debts were greater than she feared and she finds herself homeless and penniless and she offers herself to Lord Darkwood as his mistress. What happens when her late husband's illegal activities threaten to involve both of them in some life threatening situations makes for exciting and entertaining reading.
I found I was turning the pages faster and faster as I neared the end of this book as I wanted to make sure everything worked out all right in the end. This is romance mixed with adventure and danger and sometimes that is just what you need to read to escape from the mundane everyday world. I liked Annabelle as a character and Lord Darkwood has more depth to him than many romantic heroes.
Then her husband dies when their house is burned down and it begins to look as though maybe Annabelle can make a fresh start. However Guy's debts were greater than she feared and she finds herself homeless and penniless and she offers herself to Lord Darkwood as his mistress. What happens when her late husband's illegal activities threaten to involve both of them in some life threatening situations makes for exciting and entertaining reading.
I found I was turning the pages faster and faster as I neared the end of this book as I wanted to make sure everything worked out all right in the end. This is romance mixed with adventure and danger and sometimes that is just what you need to read to escape from the mundane everyday world. I liked Annabelle as a character and Lord Darkwood has more depth to him than many romantic heroes.
July 21, 2019
Delightful
This story is a clean, amusing and wonderful Historical Romance. It is charming per usual for MC Beaton. Read all the books she has written and you won’t be disappointed. Try all her Hamish Macbeth series. Her Agatha Raisin video series was annoying to me. Some of her characters are often unconventional such as Miss Davenant and her poor friends.
This story is a clean, amusing and wonderful Historical Romance. It is charming per usual for MC Beaton. Read all the books she has written and you won’t be disappointed. Try all her Hamish Macbeth series. Her Agatha Raisin video series was annoying to me. Some of her characters are often unconventional such as Miss Davenant and her poor friends.
March 14, 2018
This is not a genre that I would usually pick up but I have read a few other books by this author so I thought I would try it out.
It follows Annabelle who is married to a man who is a drunk and has gambled all their money away. He dies in a fire and Annabelle is left with nothing which sees her offering to become Lord Darkwood's mistress.
This is a romance novel and right from the start, you know that Annabelle and Lord Darkwood are going to end up together. However, I felt that there was very little chemistry between the two characters and they spent the majority of the book apart.
I picked this book from up the library not realising that it is the second book in the series, however, I don't think that affected my reading of this book as although the characters appear in the first novel I feel that this can be read as a standalone.
I think that the author could have made of a mystery about Guy's death but I appreciate that this is classed as a romance novel but I did feel that the romance was a bit lacking seen as the characters barely saw each other.
It follows Annabelle who is married to a man who is a drunk and has gambled all their money away. He dies in a fire and Annabelle is left with nothing which sees her offering to become Lord Darkwood's mistress.
This is a romance novel and right from the start, you know that Annabelle and Lord Darkwood are going to end up together. However, I felt that there was very little chemistry between the two characters and they spent the majority of the book apart.
I picked this book from up the library not realising that it is the second book in the series, however, I don't think that affected my reading of this book as although the characters appear in the first novel I feel that this can be read as a standalone.
I think that the author could have made of a mystery about Guy's death but I appreciate that this is classed as a romance novel but I did feel that the romance was a bit lacking seen as the characters barely saw each other.
January 8, 2016
Another kindle free book. These regency romances are clean & comfortable reading, but like a hallmark movie...the end wraps up too quick!!
As they are, the middle is written well if not amazing & the author keeps you interested.
Just comfortable reading for those who enjoy a cute regency romance!!
As they are, the middle is written well if not amazing & the author keeps you interested.
Just comfortable reading for those who enjoy a cute regency romance!!
February 8, 2015
I bought this basically because of who it was written by and I love Agatha Raisin. It was quite an easy read, set in Victorian times with a bit of a love story. I used it to read on a plane. Very good if you already like MC Beaton.
February 4, 2021
I genuinely liked all of this book, not just most of it.
June 11, 2023
Short story, cleverly created. Love story, spy story and historical background. I really like it.
February 14, 2024
3.5 i did like this better than the first.
Definitely the Hero was much more intelligent.
Definitely the Hero was much more intelligent.
May 9, 2020
This book was entertaining and I was interested in the story. I loved the tension between our Lord and our protagonist. You get a good sense of the complicated relationship between her and her husband as well with hints of their once happy times before the gambling, drinking, and abuse began. The complicated dynamics between the characters were great.
There were several things mentioned in the book that never come full circle and left me feeling like the ending was a bit abrupt.
This was a super fast read and I had a great afternoon being drawn into this historical romance.
There were several things mentioned in the book that never come full circle and left me feeling like the ending was a bit abrupt.
This was a super fast read and I had a great afternoon being drawn into this historical romance.
January 8, 2024
A lovely romp
Poor Annabelle lives with her drunk, wastrel husband in genteel poverty. Married young she accepts her miserable life as her lot. She encounters Darkwood, her noble neighbour who immediately offends her by offering charity.
Fast forward and Annabelle is a widow, homeless with no-one to help her. This book is so very readable, a true Beaton tale. The journey leading both these characters towards their fate is very satisfying and can be read as a stand alone book despite past characters featuring in the story. Highly recommended.
Poor Annabelle lives with her drunk, wastrel husband in genteel poverty. Married young she accepts her miserable life as her lot. She encounters Darkwood, her noble neighbour who immediately offends her by offering charity.
Fast forward and Annabelle is a widow, homeless with no-one to help her. This book is so very readable, a true Beaton tale. The journey leading both these characters towards their fate is very satisfying and can be read as a stand alone book despite past characters featuring in the story. Highly recommended.
April 18, 2019
Lady Annabelle, ( whom we met in the previous book, THE SCANDALOUS LADY WRIGHT ), had married a handsome drunk gambler, left alone to fend herself after her husband died.
Darkwood, a devilish Duke who helped lady Annabelle in protecting her from her husband's killer who works in A ring of spies.
Love is kind of weak in this story as it not well written, lovers they should meet and fall in love, not only talk for 5 minutes and then decide whether there is love or not.
Darkwood, a devilish Duke who helped lady Annabelle in protecting her from her husband's killer who works in A ring of spies.
Love is kind of weak in this story as it not well written, lovers they should meet and fall in love, not only talk for 5 minutes and then decide whether there is love or not.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 26, 2022
My first read of this author, was a delight to read, funny and loved Annabelle and Lord Darkwood (how can you not love a name like that!)
I will be sure to read more of her books.
I believe the next book is Her Grace’s Passion, and will be interesting to see if Matilda can escape her cruel husband.
I will be sure to read more of her books.
I believe the next book is Her Grace’s Passion, and will be interesting to see if Matilda can escape her cruel husband.
January 14, 2023
Engaging and Engrossing
As always MC Beat on is at her finest with this romantic and humorous account of love between an earl and an attractive widow. Add in the kind hearted aunt and some good friends, a few gossips and a mystery in between and you won't be able to put the book down .
As always MC Beat on is at her finest with this romantic and humorous account of love between an earl and an attractive widow. Add in the kind hearted aunt and some good friends, a few gossips and a mystery in between and you won't be able to put the book down .
November 12, 2024
My rating system:
5 stars: The best I've read in a while & for sure will re-read in the future. Definitely recommending to friends.
4 stars: Still a great book, and will re-read in the future. Would possibly recommend.
3 stars: Good book, but probably too predictable.
2 stars: Finished the book, but didn't like it.
1 star: Hated it; wouldn't even finish it.
5 stars: The best I've read in a while & for sure will re-read in the future. Definitely recommending to friends.
4 stars: Still a great book, and will re-read in the future. Would possibly recommend.
3 stars: Good book, but probably too predictable.
2 stars: Finished the book, but didn't like it.
1 star: Hated it; wouldn't even finish it.
February 17, 2017
Reads like an 80s Mills and Boon novel. Quick, easy read but no substance to the story.
Read
March 25, 2018The plot is vague and ends with Beaton's usual, instant, overpowering [commonsense to be sure] attraction between the main characters, ending.
January 10, 2018
While I appreciated the lack of trite sex, there wasn't much else going on.
March 25, 2018
There's a complete plot in this one. Spies, unfortunately, which and whom, I find boring but otherwise a decent read.
November 5, 2018
Annabelle is plagued with an awful husband and debt from his gambling. Soon she is free but is caught up with spies, poor relations and her complicated relationship with Lord Darkwood.
May 15, 2020
Incredibly fun!
December 10, 2020
3.5 stars. The relationship between main characters left me wanting more definition. Storyline was okay, but it too left me with “something’s missing”.
December 27, 2020
An easy, light hearted read, not to be taken very seriously. I enjoyed it but wouldn’t put it in my recommended list.
January 16, 2021
A mostly fun read with a few points which irritated me (especially the thing where she doesn't want to be kissed, he ignores her 'no', she starts to enjoy it) and a fast-moving plot.
Read
February 22, 2023Another winner
Clever plotting and superb craftsmanship made this novel a pleasure to read. I enjoyed every word of this book and recommend it to all who read of historical romance.
Clever plotting and superb craftsmanship made this novel a pleasure to read. I enjoyed every word of this book and recommend it to all who read of historical romance.
April 1, 2023
Annabelle and Lord Darkwood. Her gambling wastrel husband dies. The earl s impoverished aunt becomes her companion. A bit of mystery too.
July 28, 2023
Waiting for the 19th century equivalent of Jessica Fletcher to enter stage left. But Brava to the mob of spinsters!
January 8, 2024
Loved this one
May 19, 2024
Quizá uno de los Regencys de Beaton que más he disfrutado y por eso se lleva las 5 estrellas
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