The fortunate marriage

Warstowe #1

by Meriol Trevor

Book by Trevor, Meriol

Genres: Historical Romance, Regency, Romance

222 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

The prolific Meriol Trevor, BA, FRSL was a writer of novels, biographies, and children's books. A convert to Roman Catholicism, Trevor wrote a two-volume biography of John Henry Newman (The Pillar of the Cloud and Light in Winter) which won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 1962.

Reviews

[Camy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like these old-faahioned style novels, so just a warning that if you don't like this type of writing style, this book will probably not be as enjoyable.

First off, the back cover copy, which is from the Fawcett Crest reprinting, is VERY misleading. It is not actually a romance--more a Regency historical fiction with strong romantic elements, and the two characters in the back cover copy--Dynham and Louisa--are not the only main characters. There are actually 4 main characters as well as Caroline, and it is not structured like a romance novel. I felt a bit betrayed because the back cover copy is so misleading. If I had known ahead of time that it was not a romance, I would have been fine with it, but I felt betrayed because I was expecting a romance.

Louisa as a main character is quiet and insightful for the first half of the story, if a bit weak, but it's understandable considering she's a poor relation and has a tenuous place in the household. But in the second half of the book, she devolves into a bit of a milksop.

Dynham is a strong character with weaknesses and strengths. I also liked Henrietta quite a bit, and wish there had been more page time devoted to her. Hilary also develops as a better character by the end of the book.

My biggest gripe is that the first half of the book, with a very gothic romance feeling, seems to go on for too long. I think it could have been cut in half, and I would have liked the second half of the book to be expanded more.

However, the story was interesting enough for me to keep reading and wanting to know what happened to each of the characters. I enjoyed the book a lot.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Up until now, I had only read Meriol Trevor's Catholic fiction for kids and teens, and her novel about John Henry Newman, so this Regency romance novel was a bit of a change. This particular book only mentions Catholicism in passing once or twice, so it's not as immersed in the faith as her other titles, but it still upheld the teachings of the church in its depictions of love and marriage. I have never read any kind of historical romance before, but reading this book made me wonder if I might like others set during this time period. I certainly plan to at least finish the Warstowe series, in which the rest of the titles are The Civil Prisoners , The Wanton Fires, and The Sun with a Face.

[Terry Southard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked very much. Not as "sparkly" as Georgette Heyer, nor as witty, it was still a good Regency romance. I liked it because the couple didn't end up the way I thought they would. And the hero had serious issues - he was not just "misunderstood". That was not glossed over in the book. And while there was a "happily ever after" it was done with children in tow and as an integral part of the life going forward.

My only quibble about it was that Trevor throws too many names/families/relationships at you in the very beginning, which really only served to confuse me. It wasn't necessary.

Reread July 2023. Liked it even better the 2nd time.

[Melody G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this style of writing. I found it to be fairly realistic, the way the characters interacted, especially in situations where emotions run extremely high, and I did have a hard time putting it down, but I wasn't expecting this one to end the way it did, not that it was a bad ending, it was just not the one I was expecting after reading the back of the book. Whoever wrote the description on the back of the book obviously never read the book.
I was waiting for our heroine (who really didn't turn out to be a heroine at all) to develop into a stronger character but it didn't happen - at the end of the story she was completely supplanted by another woman... I will read the other two books in the series to see where this all ends up, but by the time I got to the last few pages of the book I was sitting there with my mouth open thinking "what just happened....?" Not your typical regency.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun romance in the spirit of Georgette Heyer.

[Laura Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Realistic look at marriage and family life in England late 1790's. Rowland at 22 and Caroline 18 marry for love and her inheritance,forward 8 years into the reality of their life together. Kudos to the author for writing a book more grounded in people and circumstances than romanctic happily ever afters. There is melodrama and a little suspension of disbelief but after all it is a romance. I have the other 3 books connecting this story The Civil Prisoners,The Wanton Fires and The Sun With a Face looking forward to reading them.

[Lynn Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

1st novel in an enjoyable series