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Lissenberg #2
Leading Lady
As Napoleon advances on the tiny principality of Lissenberg, Martha Peabody, Lissenberg's American-born princess, worries about the fate of Lissenberg's fledgling democracy and its new royal family
191 pages, Hardcover
First published April 19, 1990
About the author
Jane Aiken Hodge
54 books84 followersJane Aiken Hodge was born in the USA, brought up in the UK and read English at Oxford. She received a master's degree from Radcliffe College, Harvard University.
Before her books became her living she worked as a civil servant, journalist, publishers' reader and a reviewer.
She has written lives of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer as well as a book about women in the Regency period, PASSION AND PRINCIPLE. But her main output has been over twenty historical novels set in the eighteenth century, including POLONAISE, THE LOST GARDEN, and SAVANNAH PURCHASE, the beloved third volume of a trilogy set during and after the American War of Independence. More recently she has written novels for Severn House Publishers.
She enjoys the borderland between mystery and novel, is pleased to be classed as a feminist writer, and is glad that there is neither a glass ceiling nor a retiring age in the writers' world. She was the daughter of Conrad Aiken and sister of Joan Aiken.
Before her books became her living she worked as a civil servant, journalist, publishers' reader and a reviewer.
She has written lives of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer as well as a book about women in the Regency period, PASSION AND PRINCIPLE. But her main output has been over twenty historical novels set in the eighteenth century, including POLONAISE, THE LOST GARDEN, and SAVANNAH PURCHASE, the beloved third volume of a trilogy set during and after the American War of Independence. More recently she has written novels for Severn House Publishers.
She enjoys the borderland between mystery and novel, is pleased to be classed as a feminist writer, and is glad that there is neither a glass ceiling nor a retiring age in the writers' world. She was the daughter of Conrad Aiken and sister of Joan Aiken.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 8, 2020
17 chapters
191 pages
My Review (spoiler alert!)—What an absolutely pointlessly stupid sequel, which makes the first story also absolutely pointlessly stupid!
I think I’m just going to have to steer clear of Jane Aiken Hodge stories after, say, the 1980s because, to be blunt, something happened to her after a while. She started out such a great romance novelist, but somewhere along the way, she changed. I didn’t like Strangers in Company or Secret Island, and I hated this one.
How in the world does a romance authoress justify starting the first book out by pairing one hero and heroine together, getting the reader “stuck” on the two as a couple—only to end book two by throwing in a new “hero” and hooking them up instead of the first hero? It’s ridiculous! As far as I’m concerned, Max (said first hero) and Ishmael (the other heroine’s possible love interest—a sweetheart whom she should’ve picked) are better off without either of the “heroines.”
Out of the blue, Jane Aiken Hodge, in this story, chucks a new character, a new “hero” at you, Doctor-cum-Prince Joseph—a third prince and brother to both Max and Franz (the latter name being the man Martha, heroine #2, weds). And it’s Joseph for whom heroine #1, Cristabel, falls after rebounding from her woman-scorned feelings for Max to an utter cad of an Irishman, Desmond, whom I think she (a complete and utter fool) wholly deserved. Well, of course, Joseph falls head-over-heels for Cristabel—even though he knows his brother, Max, loves her, too. And conveniently, Desmond dies and Max, Cristabel claims, doesn’t really love her anymore after all. Yuck. Joseph and Cristabel deserve each other—they both suck.
As do Franz (hero #2) and Martha. If Martha can fall for a man who never once says he loves her in book one (until the very last page—and only as an afterthought) and only twice in this book (and at moments when it’s advantageous for him to do so, such as when he needs her support)—instead of sweetheart secondary character, Ishmael Brodski, who vows his love to her in book one and, though she’s married in book two, repeats his undying love to her again (just to let her know that he will always be around to help her out of the jams her pointlessly stupid husband thrusts her into)—then she deserves the creep, too.
Summary—Picking up from where book one leaves off, you find Martha married to Franz and learn that Cristabel has married Desmond through a rather strategic move on his part to “corner” the girl into marriage. Her guardian’s called away, and Desmond manages to get Cristabel on her own overnight so, in order to save her reputation, she has to marry him (which is good enough for her). So, she’s married to a creep and a scoundrel, and Princess Martha (because Franz, at the end of book one, turns out to be the separated-at-birth twin brother of Max, prince of Lissenberg) is married to Franz, who has been absent from her for almost a year, dancing attendance as he must on Napoleon. (And there’s this weird section in the story where you learn Martha, married a year, is still a virgin, and, from how I read the rather awkward telling, it was because Franz was impotent (from medical problems or lack of “oomph” on his part, I don’t know). So, both “heroines” are stuck in, to say the least, odd marriages. Desmond’s overly lusty and hurts Cristabel during sex; Franz is never home and couldn’t get the job done when he was. Now, of course, Lissenbergers begin to rethink the marriage between American-heiress Martha and Franz because, after a year, she should’ve gotten pregnant—Lissenberg needs an heir! (By the end of the book, she does get pregnant, though you’re never told exactly how Franz managed it this time—the whole storyline just didn’t make sense!) Cristabel begins to wake up to Desmond and how horrible he is, which is evidenced by the fact that he’s been drugging her to make her compliant and need him and to give her the ability to sing (she’s been losing her voice because he keeps her up too late in the marriage bed). Enter Doctor Joseph, some “stranger” taken in by the Trappist Monks. Doctor Joseph “examines” Cristabel, falling for her at the same time, and comes to her aid, telling Desmond he must take a mistress and leave Cristabel alone “if you want to save her opera career,” which he does because Desmond needs her coat tails (he’s an opera tenor but needs to rest on Cristabel, the prima dona’s, laurels in order to get anywhere in the business—which is, ultimately, why he married her). And then you learn Doctor Joseph’s an impostor sent to Lissenberg by none other than Napoleon himself. (It turns out that Joseph’s really the older brother to Max and Franz, whom their father unknowingly sired through non-Lissenberg blood.) Well, Cristabel, who’s been falling for the guy, gets angry because Joseph deceived them. But Joseph falls under the spell of the Lissenbergers and decides to run a game on Napoleon, who has left his niece, Minette, behind in order to watch over things (play spy for him) and get the people to take to her because she’s the girl slated for Joseph to marry (she also happens to be the girl Napoleon and Prince Gustav, Max’s father, set aside for Max in book one and the reason Cristabel gets angry at Max). However, Desmond has “the goods” on Joseph and how he’s deceiving Napoleon, so Minette and he leave to tell Napoleon, only Desmond, lusty louse that he is, can’t keep his hands to himself, so Minette throws him out into the snow. Desmond, overnight in the snow, takes ill and, eventually, dies. Now Cristabel’s free to marry Joseph, whom she, of course, forgives for lying and betraying all of them. So, at the end of the story, Joseph defies Napoleon (in an albeit “diplomatic” way), keeps his title of Prince of Lissenberg, and “gets the girl,” such as she is, who, of course, will become Princess Cristabel (and be allowed to continue her opera career). (And Ishmael and Max? Who knows? Max, says Cristabel, has really fallen in love with Minette (how convenient, right?), and we’re not told about poor Ishmael’s outcome.) Yuck.
This was yet another story where I was rooting for the bad guys (Desmond and Minette, Napoleon’s niece-in-law) to win! And, in truth, I only forced myself to finish it for the sake of actually finishing the book—though, by chapter 15, I’d become so thoroughly sickened by the whole farce of a “love” story, I didn’t really want to finish it. But I stuck it out because I’m trying to finish things I start, no matter how mind-numbingly awful they may be.
Grade: F
191 pages
My Review (spoiler alert!)—What an absolutely pointlessly stupid sequel, which makes the first story also absolutely pointlessly stupid!
I think I’m just going to have to steer clear of Jane Aiken Hodge stories after, say, the 1980s because, to be blunt, something happened to her after a while. She started out such a great romance novelist, but somewhere along the way, she changed. I didn’t like Strangers in Company or Secret Island, and I hated this one.
How in the world does a romance authoress justify starting the first book out by pairing one hero and heroine together, getting the reader “stuck” on the two as a couple—only to end book two by throwing in a new “hero” and hooking them up instead of the first hero? It’s ridiculous! As far as I’m concerned, Max (said first hero) and Ishmael (the other heroine’s possible love interest—a sweetheart whom she should’ve picked) are better off without either of the “heroines.”
Out of the blue, Jane Aiken Hodge, in this story, chucks a new character, a new “hero” at you, Doctor-cum-Prince Joseph—a third prince and brother to both Max and Franz (the latter name being the man Martha, heroine #2, weds). And it’s Joseph for whom heroine #1, Cristabel, falls after rebounding from her woman-scorned feelings for Max to an utter cad of an Irishman, Desmond, whom I think she (a complete and utter fool) wholly deserved. Well, of course, Joseph falls head-over-heels for Cristabel—even though he knows his brother, Max, loves her, too. And conveniently, Desmond dies and Max, Cristabel claims, doesn’t really love her anymore after all. Yuck. Joseph and Cristabel deserve each other—they both suck.
As do Franz (hero #2) and Martha. If Martha can fall for a man who never once says he loves her in book one (until the very last page—and only as an afterthought) and only twice in this book (and at moments when it’s advantageous for him to do so, such as when he needs her support)—instead of sweetheart secondary character, Ishmael Brodski, who vows his love to her in book one and, though she’s married in book two, repeats his undying love to her again (just to let her know that he will always be around to help her out of the jams her pointlessly stupid husband thrusts her into)—then she deserves the creep, too.
Summary—Picking up from where book one leaves off, you find Martha married to Franz and learn that Cristabel has married Desmond through a rather strategic move on his part to “corner” the girl into marriage. Her guardian’s called away, and Desmond manages to get Cristabel on her own overnight so, in order to save her reputation, she has to marry him (which is good enough for her). So, she’s married to a creep and a scoundrel, and Princess Martha (because Franz, at the end of book one, turns out to be the separated-at-birth twin brother of Max, prince of Lissenberg) is married to Franz, who has been absent from her for almost a year, dancing attendance as he must on Napoleon. (And there’s this weird section in the story where you learn Martha, married a year, is still a virgin, and, from how I read the rather awkward telling, it was because Franz was impotent (from medical problems or lack of “oomph” on his part, I don’t know). So, both “heroines” are stuck in, to say the least, odd marriages. Desmond’s overly lusty and hurts Cristabel during sex; Franz is never home and couldn’t get the job done when he was. Now, of course, Lissenbergers begin to rethink the marriage between American-heiress Martha and Franz because, after a year, she should’ve gotten pregnant—Lissenberg needs an heir! (By the end of the book, she does get pregnant, though you’re never told exactly how Franz managed it this time—the whole storyline just didn’t make sense!) Cristabel begins to wake up to Desmond and how horrible he is, which is evidenced by the fact that he’s been drugging her to make her compliant and need him and to give her the ability to sing (she’s been losing her voice because he keeps her up too late in the marriage bed). Enter Doctor Joseph, some “stranger” taken in by the Trappist Monks. Doctor Joseph “examines” Cristabel, falling for her at the same time, and comes to her aid, telling Desmond he must take a mistress and leave Cristabel alone “if you want to save her opera career,” which he does because Desmond needs her coat tails (he’s an opera tenor but needs to rest on Cristabel, the prima dona’s, laurels in order to get anywhere in the business—which is, ultimately, why he married her). And then you learn Doctor Joseph’s an impostor sent to Lissenberg by none other than Napoleon himself. (It turns out that Joseph’s really the older brother to Max and Franz, whom their father unknowingly sired through non-Lissenberg blood.) Well, Cristabel, who’s been falling for the guy, gets angry because Joseph deceived them. But Joseph falls under the spell of the Lissenbergers and decides to run a game on Napoleon, who has left his niece, Minette, behind in order to watch over things (play spy for him) and get the people to take to her because she’s the girl slated for Joseph to marry (she also happens to be the girl Napoleon and Prince Gustav, Max’s father, set aside for Max in book one and the reason Cristabel gets angry at Max). However, Desmond has “the goods” on Joseph and how he’s deceiving Napoleon, so Minette and he leave to tell Napoleon, only Desmond, lusty louse that he is, can’t keep his hands to himself, so Minette throws him out into the snow. Desmond, overnight in the snow, takes ill and, eventually, dies. Now Cristabel’s free to marry Joseph, whom she, of course, forgives for lying and betraying all of them. So, at the end of the story, Joseph defies Napoleon (in an albeit “diplomatic” way), keeps his title of Prince of Lissenberg, and “gets the girl,” such as she is, who, of course, will become Princess Cristabel (and be allowed to continue her opera career). (And Ishmael and Max? Who knows? Max, says Cristabel, has really fallen in love with Minette (how convenient, right?), and we’re not told about poor Ishmael’s outcome.) Yuck.
This was yet another story where I was rooting for the bad guys (Desmond and Minette, Napoleon’s niece-in-law) to win! And, in truth, I only forced myself to finish it for the sake of actually finishing the book—though, by chapter 15, I’d become so thoroughly sickened by the whole farce of a “love” story, I didn’t really want to finish it. But I stuck it out because I’m trying to finish things I start, no matter how mind-numbingly awful they may be.
Grade: F
Displaying 1 of 1 review