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The Turnabout Twins
Lady Amelia Fairhaven and Lady Anne Fairhaven were twin sisters who shared more than their extraordinary beauty and their distinguished lineage as daughters of the Duke of Severn. They also shared the same tastes, the same talents, the same deep fondness for each other, and the same bevy of suitors who swarmed around society's most sought-after belles. But now they shared something else as well—a passionate attraction toward the Honorable James Galt, whom their father distrusted and neither of them could resist. Unfortunately, the good Mr. Galt could make only one of them the happiest young lady in the world while breaking the heart of the other.
- GenresRomanceHistorical
235 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 6, 1986
About the author
Barbara Hazard
57 books15 followersBarbara (Booth) Hazard, a resident of Exeter, NH, died on October 25, 2019 in Boston, MA surrounded by family. Born in 1931 in Fall River, MA, the daughter of Albert L. and Lillian (Holland) Booth, she was raised and educated in New England. She graduated from Rhode Island School of Design in 1953 and was briefly employed by Ginn & Company in Boston as a Technical Editor. She married Donald T. Hazard in 1954 and next worked as a Graphic Designer/Artist for a Concord, NH advertising firm.
Originally trained as a musician, Mrs. Hazard also studied oil painting with Amy Jones and for a time had several shows in New York and Vermont. She began to write historical fiction in 1978. First published in 1981, she went on to write and publish 48 books, several of which are also in circulation abroad. She won several awards for her writing.
Mrs. Hazard wrote that there were several things in her life that she was most proud of; being Concertmaster of the MA All State Orchestra in Symphony Hall in Boston, having a successful career as an artist and as a writer, which was her greatest love besides her husband, three sons and their wives.
She loved New England and in particular, Cape Cod, which she visited every year for most of her life. Her other loves included her family, reading and music. She also wrote under the pen name of Lillian Lincoln.
Originally trained as a musician, Mrs. Hazard also studied oil painting with Amy Jones and for a time had several shows in New York and Vermont. She began to write historical fiction in 1978. First published in 1981, she went on to write and publish 48 books, several of which are also in circulation abroad. She won several awards for her writing.
Mrs. Hazard wrote that there were several things in her life that she was most proud of; being Concertmaster of the MA All State Orchestra in Symphony Hall in Boston, having a successful career as an artist and as a writer, which was her greatest love besides her husband, three sons and their wives.
She loved New England and in particular, Cape Cod, which she visited every year for most of her life. Her other loves included her family, reading and music. She also wrote under the pen name of Lillian Lincoln.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 15, 2012
3.5
This ended up being totally different than I expected. I did like that it was well written and kept my interest, no skimming or jumping ahead. I’m not sure how to go about reviewing it, I guess since the book was about twins Anne and Amelia I will write a little about each of their stories.
Amelia is the younger twin, and more quiet than her identical sister Anne. Their parents send them on separate vacations so they can grow on their own and get used to being without each other. On one of these trips Amelia meets James Galt, a Scotsman in town doing some research. Their story soon takes a back seat as Anne becomes the main heroine of the story.
I never really liked Anne, but she does kind of grow on me. I guess in the end I just felt sorry for her. When Amelia start going off on her own, she feels quite lost and doesn’t really know what to do with herself. I liked her love interest, Hugh. I liked at first how he played kind of hard to get, which was something Anne was not used to. When he does finally make his feelings known he doesn’t hold anything back. Both stories were interesting, I wasn’t expecting marriages so early in the book. Anne finally agrees to marry Hugh, even though she says she does not love him. He is patient with her until he basically gets fed up with her cold treatment of him. He takes drastic measures to try and shake things up. I actually ended up liking their relationship more than Amelia and James. I felt like Hugh not only took the time to get to know Anne, but he let her take the time to fall in love with him. I felt like they were a good couple and I could believe their relationship.
So, overall I’m still going back and forth on this one. I liked that it kept my interest, but in the end I don’t know if I really liked the characters all that much. It was unique though and well written, I will have to check out more of Ms. Hazards work.
Content: Pretty clean.
Reading Order:
The Singular Miss Carrington
The Dreadful Duke
The Turnabout Twins
This ended up being totally different than I expected. I did like that it was well written and kept my interest, no skimming or jumping ahead. I’m not sure how to go about reviewing it, I guess since the book was about twins Anne and Amelia I will write a little about each of their stories.
Amelia is the younger twin, and more quiet than her identical sister Anne. Their parents send them on separate vacations so they can grow on their own and get used to being without each other. On one of these trips Amelia meets James Galt, a Scotsman in town doing some research. Their story soon takes a back seat as Anne becomes the main heroine of the story.
I never really liked Anne, but she does kind of grow on me. I guess in the end I just felt sorry for her. When Amelia start going off on her own, she feels quite lost and doesn’t really know what to do with herself. I liked her love interest, Hugh. I liked at first how he played kind of hard to get, which was something Anne was not used to. When he does finally make his feelings known he doesn’t hold anything back. Both stories were interesting, I wasn’t expecting marriages so early in the book. Anne finally agrees to marry Hugh, even though she says she does not love him. He is patient with her until he basically gets fed up with her cold treatment of him. He takes drastic measures to try and shake things up. I actually ended up liking their relationship more than Amelia and James. I felt like Hugh not only took the time to get to know Anne, but he let her take the time to fall in love with him. I felt like they were a good couple and I could believe their relationship.
So, overall I’m still going back and forth on this one. I liked that it kept my interest, but in the end I don’t know if I really liked the characters all that much. It was unique though and well written, I will have to check out more of Ms. Hazards work.
Content: Pretty clean.
Reading Order:
The Singular Miss Carrington
The Dreadful Duke
The Turnabout Twins
September 28, 2021
3.5
This is the story of the charming and vivacious twins in the previous book, and for some reason, I felt sad that they grew up. But I suppose its more realistic and I appreciate that the author gave them more depth and their stories were not as cookie cutter as might have been. I also appreciate that she did not let them stray from their given personalities, Amelia is still the more gentle twin, while Anne is the more dramatic wild one. These character traits play a large role in driving this story.
The twins are now 18 and the Duke is planning a big come out for his beautiful and talented daughters. Amelia has just come home from spending a month with the Blagdons (the characters in the first book) she has been taking painting lessons from Claire. While there we find out that she fell in love with James, a Scottish man, although he loves her back, he is trying to resist her. She keeps this all to herself, but her twin Anne and her step mother feel that she is hiding something from them. Anne, her twin is especially hurt since this is the first time they have kept things from each other.
They go to London for their debut, and of course with their beauty and their titles are immediately the belles of the balls. Although Amelia is enjoying herself she cant forget James and she writes to him. He cannot forget about her either so comes to London. The first time he arrives at their house, it is Anne he encounters, so overcome by emotion, he immediately declares his love and starts to kiss her. However, he knows immediately that this is not Amelia and he pushes her away.
Anne for her part, had suspected that this was the reason her sister was so unhappy, she was not really intending to kiss him, but she wanted to switch roles to find out what was going on. However, when James kisses her, she also falls in love with him. James, for his part is quite disgusted by Anne and is angry that she tried to deceive him.
Amelia and James do not have an easy time of it since of course the Duke does not give his consent, and forbids them to see each other. But James is very honorable, he will not do anything that would cause Amelia to be estranged from her family. Instead of encouraging her to elope, he tells her he will wait for her, for years if necessary. The Duke finally relents when he sees the sincerity of this young man. James assures him that he is not as rich as the Duke, but well off enough to support a wife. The Duke still wants someone titled for his daughter but he cant help but see the love and bliss on the faces of this couple when he gives his blessing. He gives them a grand wedding on the ducal estate.
Anne’s romance is not as straightforward. During her come out she is surrounded by all these love sick young men. There is an older man, Hugh, Earl of Burnham, who is attracted to her but refuses to pander to her ego by joining the coterie of young men surrounding her. He watches her though and he figures out that she is lonely and hurting. Especially after her twin marries and moves away. She starts partying harder acting rashly, and hanging around a wild crowd. The Earl steps in and saves her just as she almost ruins her reputation.
He convinces her to marry him because he loves her. She does admit that she cannot love him back. She is still convinced that she is in love with her brother in law. The Duke gives his consent because this is the kind of match he had wanted for both his daughters, but he cant help notice that Anne does not exhibit the happiness and bliss that Amelia did.
Anne and Hugh so not have a smooth romance. When they come back from their honeymoon, even the Duke and Duchess notice that all is not well between the couple. They visit Amelia, and this is where Hugh reveals to Anne that he knows she is harboring a secret love for her brother in law. They have a big fight because he is convinced that her love is all a dramatization of her feelings of loneliness and envy when her sister found love.
They go back to London, where there is coldness and misery between the couple for several weeks. It takes the rumors that Hugh has set up a mistress for her to come to her senses and realize that she loves her husband.
A lot of readers found Anne annoying, and indeed she was but I can understand her, she was 18yrs old, she had just lost her twin who was an essential part of her. She was, from the start the more reckless twin, so it stands to reason that her means of acting out will not be to mope around quietly.
All in all a very satisfying read!
Available on open library.
This is the story of the charming and vivacious twins in the previous book, and for some reason, I felt sad that they grew up. But I suppose its more realistic and I appreciate that the author gave them more depth and their stories were not as cookie cutter as might have been. I also appreciate that she did not let them stray from their given personalities, Amelia is still the more gentle twin, while Anne is the more dramatic wild one. These character traits play a large role in driving this story.
The twins are now 18 and the Duke is planning a big come out for his beautiful and talented daughters. Amelia has just come home from spending a month with the Blagdons (the characters in the first book) she has been taking painting lessons from Claire. While there we find out that she fell in love with James, a Scottish man, although he loves her back, he is trying to resist her. She keeps this all to herself, but her twin Anne and her step mother feel that she is hiding something from them. Anne, her twin is especially hurt since this is the first time they have kept things from each other.
They go to London for their debut, and of course with their beauty and their titles are immediately the belles of the balls. Although Amelia is enjoying herself she cant forget James and she writes to him. He cannot forget about her either so comes to London. The first time he arrives at their house, it is Anne he encounters, so overcome by emotion, he immediately declares his love and starts to kiss her. However, he knows immediately that this is not Amelia and he pushes her away.
Anne for her part, had suspected that this was the reason her sister was so unhappy, she was not really intending to kiss him, but she wanted to switch roles to find out what was going on. However, when James kisses her, she also falls in love with him. James, for his part is quite disgusted by Anne and is angry that she tried to deceive him.
Amelia and James do not have an easy time of it since of course the Duke does not give his consent, and forbids them to see each other. But James is very honorable, he will not do anything that would cause Amelia to be estranged from her family. Instead of encouraging her to elope, he tells her he will wait for her, for years if necessary. The Duke finally relents when he sees the sincerity of this young man. James assures him that he is not as rich as the Duke, but well off enough to support a wife. The Duke still wants someone titled for his daughter but he cant help but see the love and bliss on the faces of this couple when he gives his blessing. He gives them a grand wedding on the ducal estate.
Anne’s romance is not as straightforward. During her come out she is surrounded by all these love sick young men. There is an older man, Hugh, Earl of Burnham, who is attracted to her but refuses to pander to her ego by joining the coterie of young men surrounding her. He watches her though and he figures out that she is lonely and hurting. Especially after her twin marries and moves away. She starts partying harder acting rashly, and hanging around a wild crowd. The Earl steps in and saves her just as she almost ruins her reputation.
He convinces her to marry him because he loves her. She does admit that she cannot love him back. She is still convinced that she is in love with her brother in law. The Duke gives his consent because this is the kind of match he had wanted for both his daughters, but he cant help notice that Anne does not exhibit the happiness and bliss that Amelia did.
Anne and Hugh so not have a smooth romance. When they come back from their honeymoon, even the Duke and Duchess notice that all is not well between the couple. They visit Amelia, and this is where Hugh reveals to Anne that he knows she is harboring a secret love for her brother in law. They have a big fight because he is convinced that her love is all a dramatization of her feelings of loneliness and envy when her sister found love.
They go back to London, where there is coldness and misery between the couple for several weeks. It takes the rumors that Hugh has set up a mistress for her to come to her senses and realize that she loves her husband.
A lot of readers found Anne annoying, and indeed she was but I can understand her, she was 18yrs old, she had just lost her twin who was an essential part of her. She was, from the start the more reckless twin, so it stands to reason that her means of acting out will not be to mope around quietly.
All in all a very satisfying read!
Available on open library.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 15, 2019
It is a rare book that I come across where every single character is nauseating. It was really a competition for who was the most annoying. I'd have to say that William Fairhaven and his daughter Anne tied for first place. Juliet came in third and Amelia fourth.
The story is so predictable that there isn't even any point to thinking that anything other than what happens will happen. No point. You know what's going to happen to the twins from start to finish.
The writing about the twins was mindnumbing. It must have been two-hundred times that it was mentioned how pretty they were. Her lovely white bosom... her pretty white cheek... her delicate white hand... her beautiful white neck... her lovely white shoulders. I felt like screaming. Amelia and Anne are lovely and white and delicate and gentle. Check. Got it.
The other problem with the story is the strong dose of sexism, obviously you would expect that due to the times, heck I've read books set in the 1960's no better.
I got tired of William declaring that he would be obeyed and treating his daughters like eight instead of eighteen. "Go to your room and don't come out!" "I have the right to read your letter!" "Go home and stay there!"
Juliet was such a Stepford and her two step sons were really nonpoints in the book.
I can't really say the story was bad, but I just stopped enjoying it due to annoyance.
The story is so predictable that there isn't even any point to thinking that anything other than what happens will happen. No point. You know what's going to happen to the twins from start to finish.
The writing about the twins was mindnumbing. It must have been two-hundred times that it was mentioned how pretty they were. Her lovely white bosom... her pretty white cheek... her delicate white hand... her beautiful white neck... her lovely white shoulders. I felt like screaming. Amelia and Anne are lovely and white and delicate and gentle. Check. Got it.
The other problem with the story is the strong dose of sexism, obviously you would expect that due to the times, heck I've read books set in the 1960's no better.
I got tired of William declaring that he would be obeyed and treating his daughters like eight instead of eighteen. "Go to your room and don't come out!" "I have the right to read your letter!" "Go home and stay there!"
Juliet was such a Stepford and her two step sons were really nonpoints in the book.
I can't really say the story was bad, but I just stopped enjoying it due to annoyance.
October 13, 2019
Perhaps 2.5 stars. Identical twins Anne and Amelia Fairhaven are about to make their come-out into society. Not only are they beauties, but also the daughters of the Duke of Severn. Anne, in particular, is very proud, while Amelia is the quieter one. But on a visit to friends in the country, Amelia meets the Scotsman, James Galt, and falls in love. When she returns home, her family notices a difference in her, but she keeps her secret. Unfortunately, the book is more about Anne, the less likable twin, who on her first meeting with Galt, convinces herself she also loves him. At times the story plods. Quite frankly, I found myself wanting to shake Anne!
July 24, 2021
A worthy sequel
The Turnabout Twins, by Barbara Hazard, is a sequel to her delightful The Dreadful Duke. It follows the adventures and misadventures of the twins from that book as they make their debut at last.
They are beautiful and vivacious and take the ton by storm. Their romantic history could not have been more dissimilar, however.
While interesting and well-written, this book is not funny the way The Dreadful Duke was, and near the end it descends into melodrama.
For the Regency romance lover it is well worth a read, though.
The Turnabout Twins, by Barbara Hazard, is a sequel to her delightful The Dreadful Duke. It follows the adventures and misadventures of the twins from that book as they make their debut at last.
They are beautiful and vivacious and take the ton by storm. Their romantic history could not have been more dissimilar, however.
While interesting and well-written, this book is not funny the way The Dreadful Duke was, and near the end it descends into melodrama.
For the Regency romance lover it is well worth a read, though.
January 17, 2021
Turn of the Twins
The twins, Amelia and Anne, have now turned 18 and are about to make their comeouts this Season. But Amelia meets Mr Halt and falls madly in love as does he. As does Anne when she too meets him... The Duke of Severn is against the match with Amelia and even Juliet cannot change his mind.
The twins, Amelia and Anne, have now turned 18 and are about to make their comeouts this Season. But Amelia meets Mr Halt and falls madly in love as does he. As does Anne when she too meets him... The Duke of Severn is against the match with Amelia and even Juliet cannot change his mind.
May 30, 2024
At first I wasn't sure if I was going to like this story, and then later on it actually held my interest. I looked forward to picking it up each evening. It was quite a bit deeper, and more realistic than most Regencys are. I would read more from this author and will look up the other book that goes along with this one, which I didn't discover until after I was done reading this.
March 3, 2020
Good book
I thought this book was very enjoyable. I read a lot of books and a lot of them get very tiresome. This was enjoyable and easy to read.
I thought this book was very enjoyable. I read a lot of books and a lot of them get very tiresome. This was enjoyable and easy to read.
October 1, 2020
The last book of a 3 part series
Thought it a decent book, showed the twins marriage and relationship between their respective spouses, more realistic than most, recommend.
Thought it a decent book, showed the twins marriage and relationship between their respective spouses, more realistic than most, recommend.
January 4, 2026
Boring. Very little character development. Everyone acts like an idiot. Don't bother.
March 29, 2016
In THE DREADFUL DUKE we were introduced to the Duke of Severn and his rambunctious offspring, Amelia and Anne, who were in sore need of civilizing after years of running amok. THE TURNABOUT TWINS moves the story forward five years, and the twins have turned 18 and made their bows to society. They are still close as peas in a pod, still practically similar in almost every way; but that, unfortunately, leads to some jealousies and heartbreak.
For me, this was like returning to a family I hadn’t seen in a while. I’ve followed the Duke of Severn through two previous titles (from his ill-managed courtship in the first book, to his eventual wooing of his current wife Juliet in the second book) and was excited to read about his daughters’ love stories run amok, as well.
Amelia and Anne, despite being ‘tamed’, certainly haven’t lost any of their sparkle or vivacity—the two have grown into well-sought-after beauties. I admit that the triangle formed between Amelia, Anne, and Mr. James Galt was a little bit tiring—especially when it became clear that Mr. Galt preferred Amelia over Anne, but I was very happy to see that it didn’t lead to Amelia and Anne resorting to nasty tricks to secure Mr. Galt’s affections. It hurt her, greatly, but Anne wanted her sister’s happiness above her own and so she stepped aside, however reluctantly.
Her own romance was of a more solid understanding that grew over time. The only part I find difficult to negotiate was her abrupt turnabout from ‘loving James forever and ever’ to being head-over-heels for her love interest. It happened within twenty pages—her realization of the fact, I mean, not the romance itself—but since Anne was of a more mercurial temperament than Amelia, it made sense.
And for anyone wondering, the ‘proud name of Severn’ is very much remarked upon again. The Duke just can’t seem to help himself!
For me, this was like returning to a family I hadn’t seen in a while. I’ve followed the Duke of Severn through two previous titles (from his ill-managed courtship in the first book, to his eventual wooing of his current wife Juliet in the second book) and was excited to read about his daughters’ love stories run amok, as well.
Amelia and Anne, despite being ‘tamed’, certainly haven’t lost any of their sparkle or vivacity—the two have grown into well-sought-after beauties. I admit that the triangle formed between Amelia, Anne, and Mr. James Galt was a little bit tiring—especially when it became clear that Mr. Galt preferred Amelia over Anne, but I was very happy to see that it didn’t lead to Amelia and Anne resorting to nasty tricks to secure Mr. Galt’s affections. It hurt her, greatly, but Anne wanted her sister’s happiness above her own and so she stepped aside, however reluctantly.
Her own romance was of a more solid understanding that grew over time. The only part I find difficult to negotiate was her abrupt turnabout from ‘loving James forever and ever’ to being head-over-heels for her love interest. It happened within twenty pages—her realization of the fact, I mean, not the romance itself—but since Anne was of a more mercurial temperament than Amelia, it made sense.
And for anyone wondering, the ‘proud name of Severn’ is very much remarked upon again. The Duke just can’t seem to help himself!
May 4, 2014
enjoyed the serious tones of this regency romance, how it touched upon issues of family (the twins growing up and apart, the remarried father looking more towards his new family and while not ignoring the old, no longer caring but only doing his duty) jealousy, infatuations, built fantasies of ill-fated love, and misunderstanding of one's own feelings until it was almost too late. loved how hugh sees through anne, loved how he loves and accepts all her imperfections as part of who she is and the plot he hatches to win her.
fav quotes
"He chose the better twin for his wife after all. you are too used to attention and admiration and luxury to change, and James Galt is too strong a man, too determined on his course to change for you. You would have made each other miserable"
"I do not care a snap of my fingers about other wives....I am only concerned with my husband"
fav quotes
"He chose the better twin for his wife after all. you are too used to attention and admiration and luxury to change, and James Galt is too strong a man, too determined on his course to change for you. You would have made each other miserable"
"I do not care a snap of my fingers about other wives....I am only concerned with my husband"
November 12, 2017
Regency
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews