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The Country Duo #2
The Country Cousins
A female can easily meet with an accident...
Canons Grange was the perfect setting for a romantic adventure-- and its handsome owner was suitably mysterious.
Robert Hartwell seemed the perfect English gentleman. But why was he absent so frequently? Who were his midnight visitors. Where did he acquire military secrets?
Such questions tormented Caroline. She must find the answers-- or forfeit any hope of happiness. She must know if the man she loved was a daring patriot-- or a ruthless traitor.
Canons Grange was the perfect setting for a romantic adventure-- and its handsome owner was suitably mysterious.
Robert Hartwell seemed the perfect English gentleman. But why was he absent so frequently? Who were his midnight visitors. Where did he acquire military secrets?
Such questions tormented Caroline. She must find the answers-- or forfeit any hope of happiness. She must know if the man she loved was a daring patriot-- or a ruthless traitor.
253 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1986
About the author
Dinah Dean
29 books14 followersDinah Dean is known mainly for the historical romances she wrote in the 1980s for the Mills & Boon Masquerade Historical Romance imprint. Historical romances then, as now, included a wide range of both writing quality and historical accuracy. Dinah Dean is at the top end of the scale for both. While she does not confine herself to any one period or place, most of her books are set during the early 19th century, in either Waltham Abbey, Essex, England, or in Russia. As a resident of Waltham Abbey and the secretary of the Waltham Abbey Historical Society Dinah Dean is well informed about the history of the town and she uses this in her books which are set between 1060 and 1808. She is also knowledgeable about Russia and, as well as her romances about the early 19th century, she set one book there in the late 11th century.
Dinah Dean also published under the names Jane Hunt and Marjorie May.
Dinah Dean also published under the names Jane Hunt and Marjorie May.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 24, 2017
I read this duo in reverse order, so this book before the other. I'm surprised that the ratings for this duo are lower than her late Middle Ages/Renaissance books, given how well it was written.
Caroline's mother was the younger daughter of landed gentry who married into the merchant class and thereafter cast off by her older sister who married a widowed baron. One day, the son of the baron's previous marriage came to visit them, saying that his half-sister (the older sister + baron's daughter) was in dire need of some company and would they be willing to spend time at Canons Grange? For people who are familiar with the author's other books, this name and Robert Hartwell will not be new -- this is indeed the setting for the author's Maid of Honour, set during the Black Plague. It turns out that the baron, his second wife, and their younger daughter were traveling in Europe after the Treaty of Amiens, only to be captured when that brief peaceful lull failed.
Caroline, who has never set foot in the countryside before, goes reluctantly. There is much to admire about this lady. She is level-headed and calm, and she's not ashamed of her background in trade. She proves to be as good an influence on Julia as Robert could wish. Julia is another interesting character. She is spoiled beyond reckoning, bored, and without the intellectual wherewithal to pick up hobbies. She mopes about the house all day and hates any kind of dirt or exercise -- so never steps out of doors. She is a typical mopey teenager that, were she in modern times, would be completely bereft without her cell phone. And yet, there is an endearing quality about her all the same - she is not mean-hearted, only she is impetuous and never had good guidance and she is willing to listen to Caroline. I found their interaction charming and Caroline's championing of her over Robert's constantly criticisms (also understandable) uplifting.
Robert also has a lot on his plate, what with his underground activities that has Caroline taking him for a French agent, and having to deal with Julia, who was brought out by a flibbertigibbet of a godmother who subsequently allowed her to elope with an unsuitable man. Julia mopes over her love for this man but eventually falls in love with another man equally as handsome, of course. There was a little bit of the Northanger Abbey to this book, because there are numerous references to Caroline's imagination running away from her, reading too many novels, and having flights of fancy. However, I thought Robert's downplaying her concerns as being too gothic rather condescending, because his actions, combined with other mysterious things going on in the village could allow any person with a little bit of imagination to think paranoid thoughts. And I don't necessarily think it has to do with novels, but anyone with access to literature/media/education would think things other than what's told them. It just so happens that women think a lot of stuff all the time, so add that onto "education," this broadens the frame of thoughts that they could have.
Anyway, the book is entertaining and I could understand Robert's attraction to Caroline, as there was much to admire about her, just as I could see how she would detest him for the initial impression he gave (coupled with her previous beliefs and encounters about people being against her Trade background). Later, she realizes that some people give an impression of arrogance when they're feeling ill-at-ease, and it was true that Robert's attempts at flirting were pretty awkward, but in a good way.
The book fell slightly apart for me at Chapter 14, because it seemed that as soon as Caroline had an understanding with Robert that she started to denigrate Julia, who she had championed through the whole book, and she started viewing her as lazy or spoiled. I didn't think that was necessary, as that was clear to the reader the whole time, without detracting from any of the relationships throughout the book. All in all, a very solid read and recommended for those who enjoy traditional Regencies.
Caroline's mother was the younger daughter of landed gentry who married into the merchant class and thereafter cast off by her older sister who married a widowed baron. One day, the son of the baron's previous marriage came to visit them, saying that his half-sister (the older sister + baron's daughter) was in dire need of some company and would they be willing to spend time at Canons Grange? For people who are familiar with the author's other books, this name and Robert Hartwell will not be new -- this is indeed the setting for the author's Maid of Honour, set during the Black Plague. It turns out that the baron, his second wife, and their younger daughter were traveling in Europe after the Treaty of Amiens, only to be captured when that brief peaceful lull failed.
Caroline, who has never set foot in the countryside before, goes reluctantly. There is much to admire about this lady. She is level-headed and calm, and she's not ashamed of her background in trade. She proves to be as good an influence on Julia as Robert could wish. Julia is another interesting character. She is spoiled beyond reckoning, bored, and without the intellectual wherewithal to pick up hobbies. She mopes about the house all day and hates any kind of dirt or exercise -- so never steps out of doors. She is a typical mopey teenager that, were she in modern times, would be completely bereft without her cell phone. And yet, there is an endearing quality about her all the same - she is not mean-hearted, only she is impetuous and never had good guidance and she is willing to listen to Caroline. I found their interaction charming and Caroline's championing of her over Robert's constantly criticisms (also understandable) uplifting.
Robert also has a lot on his plate, what with his underground activities that has Caroline taking him for a French agent, and having to deal with Julia, who was brought out by a flibbertigibbet of a godmother who subsequently allowed her to elope with an unsuitable man. Julia mopes over her love for this man but eventually falls in love with another man equally as handsome, of course. There was a little bit of the Northanger Abbey to this book, because there are numerous references to Caroline's imagination running away from her, reading too many novels, and having flights of fancy. However, I thought Robert's downplaying her concerns as being too gothic rather condescending, because his actions, combined with other mysterious things going on in the village could allow any person with a little bit of imagination to think paranoid thoughts. And I don't necessarily think it has to do with novels, but anyone with access to literature/media/education would think things other than what's told them. It just so happens that women think a lot of stuff all the time, so add that onto "education," this broadens the frame of thoughts that they could have.
Anyway, the book is entertaining and I could understand Robert's attraction to Caroline, as there was much to admire about her, just as I could see how she would detest him for the initial impression he gave (coupled with her previous beliefs and encounters about people being against her Trade background). Later, she realizes that some people give an impression of arrogance when they're feeling ill-at-ease, and it was true that Robert's attempts at flirting were pretty awkward, but in a good way.
The book fell slightly apart for me at Chapter 14, because it seemed that as soon as Caroline had an understanding with Robert that she started to denigrate Julia, who she had championed through the whole book, and she started viewing her as lazy or spoiled. I didn't think that was necessary, as that was clear to the reader the whole time, without detracting from any of the relationships throughout the book. All in all, a very solid read and recommended for those who enjoy traditional Regencies.
October 13, 2011
I finally got the last Dinah Dean Regency for my collection and I was not disappointed. This is a sequel to The Country Gentleman, but there's less action and mystery than that one. I find it stupid that this heroine also doubts the patriotic allegiance of her hero, but at least the ending was quite different. I won't say this was my favorite Dinah Dean novel, but I still enjoyed it and am glad to finally have it in my collection.
September 18, 2023
(3.5 stars) This is close to a 4-star book for the comfort read that it was. (I apparently need a lot of comfort nowadays.) However, I read this immediately after The Country Gentleman by the same author, and the similarities between the two took away some of the charm I would have felt by reading just one of them.
Intrepid heroine, obviously heroic hero who does mysterious things that make the heroine somewhat suspicious of him all the while she is falling in love with him, possible spies running around the countryside near where British troops are camped, some slight Perils of Pauline activity, and a happy ending. Many secondary characters, nobody developed very deeply, but all interesting enough to engage me for the short read.
The only HR by Dean that I had read previously was The Cockermouth Mail some years ago in paperback. I accidentally happened upon the Kindle version of it and then saw the long list of works this author had written years ago. (1985 and 1986 for this Country duo.) A good find for me because Dean writes a lot better than your average HR author of today, although with no sex, only kisses, and no more depth of character than you usually find in old Regencies. Predictability of plot is to be expected most of the time in romance and it is definitely found here, but I didn't care. The chemistry between the MCs is very good in both of these Country books.
Intrepid heroine, obviously heroic hero who does mysterious things that make the heroine somewhat suspicious of him all the while she is falling in love with him, possible spies running around the countryside near where British troops are camped, some slight Perils of Pauline activity, and a happy ending. Many secondary characters, nobody developed very deeply, but all interesting enough to engage me for the short read.
The only HR by Dean that I had read previously was The Cockermouth Mail some years ago in paperback. I accidentally happened upon the Kindle version of it and then saw the long list of works this author had written years ago. (1985 and 1986 for this Country duo.) A good find for me because Dean writes a lot better than your average HR author of today, although with no sex, only kisses, and no more depth of character than you usually find in old Regencies. Predictability of plot is to be expected most of the time in romance and it is definitely found here, but I didn't care. The chemistry between the MCs is very good in both of these Country books.
July 20, 2024
Book two in the series. Set in a small rural town not far from london. Caroline is surprised first to learn her mother has a sister she's never heard of, but that she encouraged by her mother to go to her sisters house,and become companion to her cousin, as her parents are trapped in France due to Napoleon.
Caroline is also sure she doesn't like her cousins older half brother Robert, who she's informed is mean to his sister and stopped her eloping with an undesirable. Caroline knows her cousins complaints are over stated but does feel Robert is too strict and controlling, he has odd visitors at odd hours of the day and disappears on some odd business, something a gentleman wouldn't normally do.
Good to see Lucinda and her Viscount from book one, and lovely to see Vassily Karachev from the Russian Eagles series making a cameo appearance. Recognised him from his description before his name was revealed.
I'm enjoying reading this series written in the eighties so a different style from modern books, am enjoying young gently need women not jumping into bed every other page.
Well done whoever is republishing these books/authors.
Caroline is also sure she doesn't like her cousins older half brother Robert, who she's informed is mean to his sister and stopped her eloping with an undesirable. Caroline knows her cousins complaints are over stated but does feel Robert is too strict and controlling, he has odd visitors at odd hours of the day and disappears on some odd business, something a gentleman wouldn't normally do.
Good to see Lucinda and her Viscount from book one, and lovely to see Vassily Karachev from the Russian Eagles series making a cameo appearance. Recognised him from his description before his name was revealed.
I'm enjoying reading this series written in the eighties so a different style from modern books, am enjoying young gently need women not jumping into bed every other page.
Well done whoever is republishing these books/authors.
January 14, 2022
I didn't like this one as much as the previous book, The Country Gentleman. Here, Caroline didn't seem to have a good reason to distrust the hero's loyalties, and I prefered the mystery element of the first book more. I also guessed the identity of "Mr. Bell" right off the bat.
June 23, 2024
Quattro stelle, e devo ritoccare il mio precedente giudizio su questa scrittrice. Un regency decisamente ben scritto, con il ritmo giusto, qualche brivido di suspense, e quel po' di ironia che (a partire dalla grande Georgette Heyer) dovrebbe caratterizzare il genere. Ed eccomi alla ricerca di un altro libro di Dinah Dean (che per questo genere usa lo pseudonimo di Marjorie May), per vedere se sarò ancora fortunata
December 3, 2022
This was a bit of a repeat of the plot of the first in the series, although there was more peril in this one. Dinah Dean seems to like to write heroes who feel the need to make themselves unnecessarily mysterious. I did enjoy the moment when Mr Hartwell quotes Shakespeare to Caroline and she informs him it was actually Marlowe.
July 4, 2025
It is so nice to read (listen to) a nice, clean romance with just a smidgen of intrigue. No worries about being assaulted with profanity, explicit sex or excessive violence. Just a fun story based in England in the early 1800s.
January 29, 2026
Sweet historical romance with a touch of mystery. The little mischievous dog, Horatio, is a cute addition to the story. This is the first book I've read in the series and it didn't seem to affect my enjoyment, but I'll read book 1 (The Country Gentleman) now.
August 30, 2024
4.5⭐️ Audiobook. Very cute traditional regency with smart, brave, and sensible heroine. A little prejudice..a little mystery..convincing slow burn romance.
December 12, 2024
An entertaining bit of fun. Smart, calm, manly hero; intelligent, modest, gentle heroine. A good match.
I detect a bit of Northanger Abbey and perhaps a bit of The Nine Tailors here.
I detect a bit of Northanger Abbey and perhaps a bit of The Nine Tailors here.
Read
February 16, 2025Too much unnecessary details about the country life, the village and the church etc. that just killed the pacing.
October 24, 2023
This is the second book in the series, following after The Country Gentleman, and this is but a pale imitation of that one. It’s set in the same village, features several of the same characters and even the plot has many points of similarity, but it lacks the rural charm of the previous book, and the heroine is, frankly, irritatingly stupid. And despite all that, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Here’s the premise: Miss Caroline Barnes lives on the fringes of London. Her mother has moved down in the world by marrying Mr Barnes, who’s in trade, although clearly prosperous and well-respected. Caroline is perfectly content, but one day Mr Robert Hartwell arrives on the doorstep and reveals the existence of a family Caroline never knew. Caroline’s mother has a sister who married a widowed baron. Mr Hartwell is the son of the first marriage, but there were two daughters from the second marriage. Lord and Lady Hartwell and the younger daughter are currently in France, being held prisoner by the French, but the elder daughter, Julia, is staying at Mr Hartwell’s house, Canons Grange. She’s lonely, bored and a bit wilful - could Caroline, as her cousin, come to stay, and be company for Julia?
Of course she could, and there’s some fairly dull, oh-my-goodness-why-do-the-sheep-have-horns business from Caroline, who is painted as the ignorant city girl who’s not sure how to cope with the real world. Julia is exactly the spoilt, wilful girl her brother described, but her wilfulness mostly manifests itself in refusing to do anything or to go anywhere, exclaiming how bored she is, and quarrelling with her brother. Caroline slowly and rather cleverly, it has to be said, gets her out of doors and occupied again.
So far, so slightly predictable. But Mr Hartwell is the star of the show, for me. I never got a good sense of what he looked like as a person (maybe he was described, but I don’t remember it), and I don’t even know how old he is, but his personality is intriguing. It’s really hard to tell whether he’s being nasty to Julia, or whether it’s just a quirky manner, or maybe just sarcasm. Whatever it is, they snipe at each constantly, in a low-key sort of way. Maybe he just doesn’t know how to deal with her, or maybe he feels that being ascerbic will drag some sort of reaction from her. Or is he just exasperated with her? I can’t tell at all, which makes him very intriguing. He’s a little snippy with Caroline sometimes, too. Later, when he gets round to proposing to her, he’s shockingly abrupt, but she decides he’s just not had much practise in the romantic arts, and I think I can go along with that. I have to say, it’s one of the most charming proposal scenes I’ve encountered.
And so to Caroline. She starts off well, a smart, sensible lady who stands up for herself, argues her points with spirit and is well on the way to being a thoroughly admirable heroine. And then things start going bump in the night and she starts creeping about the house in her nightgown and tripping over things and getting caught, and in a different sort of book she’d be dead by the halfway point. I know authors are very fond of the whole gothic vibe, but really, it’s hard to do gothic without making the heroine totally someone you just want to slap some common sense into, frankly. As it is here. I counted at least three times that she set off into the darkness, barefoot and inadequately dressed, and that’s not intrepid, that’s stupid. Foolish, foolish Caroline.
However, despite all that and some repetition in the plot (French spies again? Really?) this was an enjoyable read, very well written and with a totally believable Regency. I found it a little slow to get going, but once underway, it rattled along. The similarity with the previous book and the so-irritating heroine keep this to four stars for me.
Here’s the premise: Miss Caroline Barnes lives on the fringes of London. Her mother has moved down in the world by marrying Mr Barnes, who’s in trade, although clearly prosperous and well-respected. Caroline is perfectly content, but one day Mr Robert Hartwell arrives on the doorstep and reveals the existence of a family Caroline never knew. Caroline’s mother has a sister who married a widowed baron. Mr Hartwell is the son of the first marriage, but there were two daughters from the second marriage. Lord and Lady Hartwell and the younger daughter are currently in France, being held prisoner by the French, but the elder daughter, Julia, is staying at Mr Hartwell’s house, Canons Grange. She’s lonely, bored and a bit wilful - could Caroline, as her cousin, come to stay, and be company for Julia?
Of course she could, and there’s some fairly dull, oh-my-goodness-why-do-the-sheep-have-horns business from Caroline, who is painted as the ignorant city girl who’s not sure how to cope with the real world. Julia is exactly the spoilt, wilful girl her brother described, but her wilfulness mostly manifests itself in refusing to do anything or to go anywhere, exclaiming how bored she is, and quarrelling with her brother. Caroline slowly and rather cleverly, it has to be said, gets her out of doors and occupied again.
So far, so slightly predictable. But Mr Hartwell is the star of the show, for me. I never got a good sense of what he looked like as a person (maybe he was described, but I don’t remember it), and I don’t even know how old he is, but his personality is intriguing. It’s really hard to tell whether he’s being nasty to Julia, or whether it’s just a quirky manner, or maybe just sarcasm. Whatever it is, they snipe at each constantly, in a low-key sort of way. Maybe he just doesn’t know how to deal with her, or maybe he feels that being ascerbic will drag some sort of reaction from her. Or is he just exasperated with her? I can’t tell at all, which makes him very intriguing. He’s a little snippy with Caroline sometimes, too. Later, when he gets round to proposing to her, he’s shockingly abrupt, but she decides he’s just not had much practise in the romantic arts, and I think I can go along with that. I have to say, it’s one of the most charming proposal scenes I’ve encountered.
And so to Caroline. She starts off well, a smart, sensible lady who stands up for herself, argues her points with spirit and is well on the way to being a thoroughly admirable heroine. And then things start going bump in the night and she starts creeping about the house in her nightgown and tripping over things and getting caught, and in a different sort of book she’d be dead by the halfway point. I know authors are very fond of the whole gothic vibe, but really, it’s hard to do gothic without making the heroine totally someone you just want to slap some common sense into, frankly. As it is here. I counted at least three times that she set off into the darkness, barefoot and inadequately dressed, and that’s not intrepid, that’s stupid. Foolish, foolish Caroline.
However, despite all that and some repetition in the plot (French spies again? Really?) this was an enjoyable read, very well written and with a totally believable Regency. I found it a little slow to get going, but once underway, it rattled along. The similarity with the previous book and the so-irritating heroine keep this to four stars for me.
December 29, 2014
synopsis:
caroline is the daughter of a city merchant and a lady of minor gentry who married down and has been cast off from her family. one day, her sister's stepson visits, and wants to take caroline to live with him as a companion to his sister. robert's father and step-mother have been trapped in france for years, so julia has grown up without her parents. julia, of course, has no love lost for her step-brother, and he just wants someone with good sense to calm her down. caroline's mother agrees to let her go, and caroline heads off to the country for all kinds of new experiences.
what i liked: this story was so well told, with robert being seen clearly, although erroneously, through caroline's eyes. caroline doesn't like robert at first, and then when she realizes that her perceptions may be coloured unjustly by julia, she starts to have suspicions that robert is a traitor to england. in spite of her growing feelings for robert, caroline is determined to not let him get away with it.
what i didn't like: not much.
caroline is the daughter of a city merchant and a lady of minor gentry who married down and has been cast off from her family. one day, her sister's stepson visits, and wants to take caroline to live with him as a companion to his sister. robert's father and step-mother have been trapped in france for years, so julia has grown up without her parents. julia, of course, has no love lost for her step-brother, and he just wants someone with good sense to calm her down. caroline's mother agrees to let her go, and caroline heads off to the country for all kinds of new experiences.
what i liked: this story was so well told, with robert being seen clearly, although erroneously, through caroline's eyes. caroline doesn't like robert at first, and then when she realizes that her perceptions may be coloured unjustly by julia, she starts to have suspicions that robert is a traitor to england. in spite of her growing feelings for robert, caroline is determined to not let him get away with it.
what i didn't like: not much.
May 31, 2020
Masquerade 201.
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