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Lord Nightingale's Debut
A LORD OF NOTE...
Nicholas Chastain, the Earl of Wickenshire, is in dire straits. His inheritance included three crumbling country estates, one tumble--down London townhouse, and a coach full of debts. His one hope for coming up with cash is to fulfill an outrageous and seemingly impossible condition in an old aunt's will. He must teach Lord Nightingale to sing.
A LADY OF SONG...
When a distant relative inherits her father's title, serendipity is at her lowest ebb. She hasn't a shilling to her name and now her home is lost to her as well! She and her sister, the delightful Delight will end up on the streets unless Serendipity finds employment. Providing singing lessons for the ward of the handsome Earl of Wickenshire seems perfect--until she discovers her pupil is the incorrigible Lord Nightingale. Now Wickenshire's future depends on striking the right note.
Nicholas Chastain, the Earl of Wickenshire, is in dire straits. His inheritance included three crumbling country estates, one tumble--down London townhouse, and a coach full of debts. His one hope for coming up with cash is to fulfill an outrageous and seemingly impossible condition in an old aunt's will. He must teach Lord Nightingale to sing.
A LADY OF SONG...
When a distant relative inherits her father's title, serendipity is at her lowest ebb. She hasn't a shilling to her name and now her home is lost to her as well! She and her sister, the delightful Delight will end up on the streets unless Serendipity finds employment. Providing singing lessons for the ward of the handsome Earl of Wickenshire seems perfect--until she discovers her pupil is the incorrigible Lord Nightingale. Now Wickenshire's future depends on striking the right note.
251 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2000
About the author
Judith A. Lansdowne
31 books22 followersSince the publication of Amelia's Intrigue in 1995, Judith A. Lansdowne's Regency romances have received critical acclaim, garnered awards and entertained thousands of romance readers. Ms. Lansdowne began writing full-time in 1992, but it was only after her daughter introduced her to Regency romances that her work was published.
She grew up in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Following graduation from St. Joseph High School, she attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, then spent several years touring the country as an actress and puppeteer with Nicolo Marionettes and the Sid and Marty Krofft organization.
Tiring of the constant travel, she returned to Kenosha to attend the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, where she met her husband Al, a retired submariner, and graduated with highest distinction. Following graduation she worked variously as a journalist, instructional television writer/producer, textbook production editor, college instructor, and television news videographer. When her husband finally got a real job, she settled down to writing full time, producing a horror novel, a vampire novel and a Restoration historical novel, all still unpublished, before finally "making it" with Regency romance. When her husband retired (he didn't like the real job) they moved to the shores of Lake Guntersville, Alabama, where she is pursuing a career in fishing and he moves dirt around the yard. They write when the weather is bad.
She grew up in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Following graduation from St. Joseph High School, she attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, then spent several years touring the country as an actress and puppeteer with Nicolo Marionettes and the Sid and Marty Krofft organization.
Tiring of the constant travel, she returned to Kenosha to attend the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, where she met her husband Al, a retired submariner, and graduated with highest distinction. Following graduation she worked variously as a journalist, instructional television writer/producer, textbook production editor, college instructor, and television news videographer. When her husband finally got a real job, she settled down to writing full time, producing a horror novel, a vampire novel and a Restoration historical novel, all still unpublished, before finally "making it" with Regency romance. When her husband retired (he didn't like the real job) they moved to the shores of Lake Guntersville, Alabama, where she is pursuing a career in fishing and he moves dirt around the yard. They write when the weather is bad.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 29, 2021
Another unlikely story not very true to the times, but wonderfully entertaining nevertheless. I thoroughly enjoyed Lord Nightingale, Stanley Blithe, and Sweetpea and only wish that they might have existed or pets like them other than in the author's imagination. I can believe in a kitten that thinks it's a dog, since I once had a dog who thought it was a cat. That's the problem with raising a kitten and puppy at the same time. One of them tends to copy the behavior of the other.
April 24, 2014
Nicky Chastain, Earl of Wickenhire has worked hard these many years since the death of his father when Nicky was 13, to make his estates pay off. Now he has come to his rundown country house Willowsweep to work the land and make it profitable. He finally has a chance to live his life thanks to a bequest from his aunt's will, however, he only gets his money if Lord Nightingale will sing in public on June 1. Who is Lord Nightingale? Lord Nightingale is Nicky's late uncle's irascible parrot! Lord Nightingale swears like a sailor and will bit any fingers that come near him. Teaching him to sing when he's so cranky and Nicky can't carry a tune, seems an impossibility. Miss Serendipity Bedford's Papa has died and her distant cousin Henry Wiggins has inherited the title. The new Lord Upton wants to take up residence in the family's London home and of course it isn't proper for an unmarried lady to stay with a bachelor, so Serendipity and her little sister Delight are shortly to be homeless. Serendipity is searching for a position and writes to her school friend Eugenia Chastain to employ her maid Bessie. Eugenia happens to be visiting her cousin Nicky when she receives the letter. Nicky knows of the new Lord Upton, a friend of his wastrel cousin Neil and feels for Serendipity. He tells Eugenia to send for her friend and he will employ her as a singing teacher for Lord Nightingale. It's fate, or serendipity! When Serendipity views the crumbling house with boarded windows and hears screams late at night and early in the morning, she lets her imagination run wild. How can a man who is so kind to her shy little sister Delight be a villain out of a gothic novel? Then she discovers her pupil is a lusty parrot! How can she ever teach him to sing? Did the earl of Wickenshire hire her out of charity? Her cousin Henry and his friend Neil have their own reasons for not wanting the plan to succeed and are determined to make sure that they get their own way. Serendipity thinks her first impressions might have been wrong. The Earl seems kind but yet the house is so gothic. Her cousin seems cruel and heartless but now is kind and thoughtful. Who should she trust? Meanwhile, someone wants Nicky off the property, but who and why? Is it safe to stay there with his mother, cousin and the Bedford ladies?
I stayed up too late again reading. The charm of this book lies in the plot. There's the plot about Lord Nightingale, a plot with villains and a mystery plot. I guessed the mystery almost right away. It was obvious and Nicky should have figured out why. I never figured out who and that came as quite a shock. There's another plot with villains that I didn't much like but they provide a lot of humor. The romance is subtle and takes a back seat to the adventure plot. It's a very sweet romance with only a kiss at the end. There's nothing else except friendship and trust. I could have used a little more interaction between the hero and heroine. Most of his scenes are by himself or with someone other than the heroine. It makes it hard to believe in the romance if the hero and heroine are not together. The plot would have made a cute short story without the villains and mystery. As is, it's too long and I found myself skimming passages to get to the action.
The best character in the novel is Lord Nightingale. He's anything but a Nightingale. His former owner must have been quite the character for Lord Nightingale's vocabulary is... interesting. Lord Nightingale is a colorful character both literally and figuratively. He's a beautiful bird physically and has quite a large personality. He provides a lot of laughs. The other animal companions are also a lot of fun. I'm a sucker for a good animal story.
The humans are less interesting. I liked Eugenia the best of the humans. She's smart, non-nonsense but loving and very generous. I am hoping she finds a man to love her despite her lameness and bluestocking spinster manner. I also liked Nicky's mother who is loving and wise and sweet, shy Delight.
Nicky is a paragon of a hero. Since the age of 13, he has been working hard to repair his estates with no money. This means working on the land himself. He seems himself as a frog in a fairy tale. He thinks his soul is disfigured. Nicky is very kind to damsels in distress, accepts Delight for herself and knows just how to charm the little girl. He's also great with animals. What's not to love? He makes a good change from the rakish heroes but he's not much of a ladies man which drags the romance plot down.
Serendipity, on the other hand, is TSTL. She has read too many gothic novels and lets her imagination run wild. She makes up stories in her imagination and then shares them as fact. She doesn't know enough to trust her instincts. She is optimistic and has utmost faith that everything will turn out. I suppose the hero loves her for her optimism and support but I found her silly and stupid. I wish the hero waited for Delight to grow up because the younger sister seems much better then the older.
I plan to read the rest of the books because I loved Lord Nightingale!
I stayed up too late again reading. The charm of this book lies in the plot. There's the plot about Lord Nightingale, a plot with villains and a mystery plot. I guessed the mystery almost right away. It was obvious and Nicky should have figured out why. I never figured out who and that came as quite a shock. There's another plot with villains that I didn't much like but they provide a lot of humor. The romance is subtle and takes a back seat to the adventure plot. It's a very sweet romance with only a kiss at the end. There's nothing else except friendship and trust. I could have used a little more interaction between the hero and heroine. Most of his scenes are by himself or with someone other than the heroine. It makes it hard to believe in the romance if the hero and heroine are not together. The plot would have made a cute short story without the villains and mystery. As is, it's too long and I found myself skimming passages to get to the action.
The best character in the novel is Lord Nightingale. He's anything but a Nightingale. His former owner must have been quite the character for Lord Nightingale's vocabulary is... interesting. Lord Nightingale is a colorful character both literally and figuratively. He's a beautiful bird physically and has quite a large personality. He provides a lot of laughs. The other animal companions are also a lot of fun. I'm a sucker for a good animal story.
The humans are less interesting. I liked Eugenia the best of the humans. She's smart, non-nonsense but loving and very generous. I am hoping she finds a man to love her despite her lameness and bluestocking spinster manner. I also liked Nicky's mother who is loving and wise and sweet, shy Delight.
Nicky is a paragon of a hero. Since the age of 13, he has been working hard to repair his estates with no money. This means working on the land himself. He seems himself as a frog in a fairy tale. He thinks his soul is disfigured. Nicky is very kind to damsels in distress, accepts Delight for herself and knows just how to charm the little girl. He's also great with animals. What's not to love? He makes a good change from the rakish heroes but he's not much of a ladies man which drags the romance plot down.
Serendipity, on the other hand, is TSTL. She has read too many gothic novels and lets her imagination run wild. She makes up stories in her imagination and then shares them as fact. She doesn't know enough to trust her instincts. She is optimistic and has utmost faith that everything will turn out. I suppose the hero loves her for her optimism and support but I found her silly and stupid. I wish the hero waited for Delight to grow up because the younger sister seems much better then the older.
I plan to read the rest of the books because I loved Lord Nightingale!
July 4, 2020
Broad, with all good guys seeming naive and all badguys telegraphing at panto level; lots of cute kitty puppy child birdie stuff; good-enough-natured
April 2, 2022
This is Serendipity’s and The Earl of Wickenshire’s romance while trying to teach Lord Nightingale, the parrot, to sing so that Will can inherit a fortune from his deceased aunt.
October 25, 2017
This series is still one of my favourites of all time. I don't usually re-read books yet I have read this particular one three times.
Ms. Lansdowne has surely had very close dealings with parrots because her descriptions of Lord Nightingale's actions and habits are perfect and delightful.
I consider the entire cast of characters dear friends of mine who I enjoy a good visit with. Sera is wildly imaginative and Nicholas a perfect gentleman, whether he believes it or not. Their story is nothing but the best kind of sweet with a generous helping of humour and just the right amount of intrigue.
Even Mr. Spelling, the villain, as Lord Nightingale is wont to call him, managed to secure my support. I am glad Ms. Lansdowne extended her trilogy to provide him with a happy ending.
If you are looking for an excellent romance, look no further, you have found one of the rare gems that can claim that title.
Ms. Lansdowne has surely had very close dealings with parrots because her descriptions of Lord Nightingale's actions and habits are perfect and delightful.
I consider the entire cast of characters dear friends of mine who I enjoy a good visit with. Sera is wildly imaginative and Nicholas a perfect gentleman, whether he believes it or not. Their story is nothing but the best kind of sweet with a generous helping of humour and just the right amount of intrigue.
Even Mr. Spelling, the villain, as Lord Nightingale is wont to call him, managed to secure my support. I am glad Ms. Lansdowne extended her trilogy to provide him with a happy ending.
If you are looking for an excellent romance, look no further, you have found one of the rare gems that can claim that title.
September 13, 2014
Lord Nightingale is not a lord nor a nightingale. He is a parrot/macaw who has been in the family for decades.
This is a charming regency tale in the style of Georgette Heyer. The characters are clever and endearing. Plus you have family pets help in the action. This is a clean tale about an un-polished earl who thinks he is a frog and the girl with the overactive immagination who falls for him. Throw in a scarlet macaw, an over-sized puppy, a kitten, a clumsy horse named Grace and a bunch of other family, friends and foes and you have a rollicking tale of romance and a comedy of errors. Sadly this book is not available on Kindle and is probably gone from most libraries. But this series is fun, clean, and quite humerous. I recommend it to regency enthusiasts and animal lovers especially if you like old fashioned, innocent, clean romances.
This is a charming regency tale in the style of Georgette Heyer. The characters are clever and endearing. Plus you have family pets help in the action. This is a clean tale about an un-polished earl who thinks he is a frog and the girl with the overactive immagination who falls for him. Throw in a scarlet macaw, an over-sized puppy, a kitten, a clumsy horse named Grace and a bunch of other family, friends and foes and you have a rollicking tale of romance and a comedy of errors. Sadly this book is not available on Kindle and is probably gone from most libraries. But this series is fun, clean, and quite humerous. I recommend it to regency enthusiasts and animal lovers especially if you like old fashioned, innocent, clean romances.
September 3, 2012
I am trying to get over the fact that the "character of interest" that moves the story along is a parrot. Once I get past that I like the H/H, although the hero can be a little silly. He has his moments and he overcomes his silliness persona and becomes a rational Earl! Of course, I have already ordered the whole series from PaperbackSwap.com so I am going to continue with the series...hoping for a more in-depth character.
December 14, 2025
I love this series. I've probably reread it half a dozen times. It just makes me feel good. It's been a few years since I pulled it off my bookshelf but I was due for a reread and enjoyed it just as much as previous times.
March 27, 2011
it really was amazing, in my opinion.
i love stories like that.
i love stories like that.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews