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A Radical Arrangement
A MATCHLESS DILEMMA
Sir Justin Keighley was everything that repelled Margaret Mayfield in a man. He was shocking in his opinions, arrogant in his manner, rude in his actions, and completely without respect for the common decencies of civilized society.
Margaret was everything that Sir Justin detested in a woman. She was shy, retiring, obedient to her parents, almost embarrassed by her own beauty, and ignorant of virtually every phase of real life in the real world.
Needless to say, they both did everything in their power to escape being matched with each other. Somehow everything was not enough....
Sir Justin Keighley was everything that repelled Margaret Mayfield in a man. He was shocking in his opinions, arrogant in his manner, rude in his actions, and completely without respect for the common decencies of civilized society.
Margaret was everything that Sir Justin detested in a woman. She was shy, retiring, obedient to her parents, almost embarrassed by her own beauty, and ignorant of virtually every phase of real life in the real world.
Needless to say, they both did everything in their power to escape being matched with each other. Somehow everything was not enough....
222 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 4, 1983
About the author
Jane Ashford
53 books404 followersJane Ashford has written historical and contemporary romances. Her books have been published in England, Spain, France, Italy, Sweden, Slovakia, Denmark, Russia, and Latvia, Croatia and Slovenia as well as the U.S. She was nominated for a Career Achievement Award by RT Book Reviews. Her latest book, Lost Time, is romantic suspense with a touch of magic.
Her website is https://www.janeashford.com/ and her Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/JaneAshfordW... If you'd like to subscribe to Jane's monthly newsletter go to www.eepurl.com/cd-O7r and sign up.
Her website is https://www.janeashford.com/ and her Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/JaneAshfordW... If you'd like to subscribe to Jane's monthly newsletter go to www.eepurl.com/cd-O7r and sign up.
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May 22, 2015
I wondered, while reading it, why this read felt like an old-school HR, and after finishing it I found out that this was first released in the 80s and will be republished now.
The only good and mention-worthy aspect about this read is the fact that the romance builds up very slowly and it's all very clean. There are too few Historicals that stay clean in that regard and still manage to make the feelings of the main characters believable.
This novel was sweet in that way, but it felt lacking in too many other regards.
The plot too unrealistic: after an compromising situation, hero and heroine are forced to marry each other. Neither of them wants to. Heroine escapes from her parents' home, hero follows her. She shoots him in her haste, they have to hide in an Inn and have to pretend to be siblings.
I could have gotten over the unrealistic and highly dramatic plot if the main characters would have been deep enough for me to like or not like them. They fell flat and didn't have any character traits that made them remarkable in any way.
All in all two stars, mainly because I know that I won't remember many details about this story very soon.
The only good and mention-worthy aspect about this read is the fact that the romance builds up very slowly and it's all very clean. There are too few Historicals that stay clean in that regard and still manage to make the feelings of the main characters believable.
This novel was sweet in that way, but it felt lacking in too many other regards.
The plot too unrealistic: after an compromising situation, hero and heroine are forced to marry each other. Neither of them wants to. Heroine escapes from her parents' home, hero follows her. She shoots him in her haste, they have to hide in an Inn and have to pretend to be siblings.
I could have gotten over the unrealistic and highly dramatic plot if the main characters would have been deep enough for me to like or not like them. They fell flat and didn't have any character traits that made them remarkable in any way.
All in all two stars, mainly because I know that I won't remember many details about this story very soon.
July 20, 2015
This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance
Summary
Margaret Mayfield, has done everything in her life her parents have instructed her to do. She has recently become engaged and is looking forward to her future. But at a house party, she meets Sir Justin Keighley whom her mother has warned her to avoid. But when the whole party decides to go on a nightly excursion outside, she finds herself at Justin's side and fears what he may to do her, since his reputation is one as a wild rake and not to be trusted. And she finds herself in a compromisable situation. Justin refuses to marry her, but her mother instructs her and tells her that she will have to call off her engagement and marry Justin, a man she fears. So Margaret runs away, and decides that she will have to make her own way in life. When Justin hears about what Margaret has done, he goes after her, because her parents appear to care less about their daughters welfare. Even though he refuses to marry her, he doesn't want anything to happen to her. But when he happens upon her, through an accident Justin finds himself shot and injured and having to recover with a woman who fears him. Margaret and Justin find themselves together for a few weeks, a discover a tender love they didn't expect to find, or a future they never imagined.
Plot and Story Line
I adore this cover, with the bold colors and the pose, and her dress is just beautiful!!
Overall View
A Radical Arrangment is a light hearted and tender love story, bold characters, and a on the road romance to savor!!
Summary
Margaret Mayfield, has done everything in her life her parents have instructed her to do. She has recently become engaged and is looking forward to her future. But at a house party, she meets Sir Justin Keighley whom her mother has warned her to avoid. But when the whole party decides to go on a nightly excursion outside, she finds herself at Justin's side and fears what he may to do her, since his reputation is one as a wild rake and not to be trusted. And she finds herself in a compromisable situation. Justin refuses to marry her, but her mother instructs her and tells her that she will have to call off her engagement and marry Justin, a man she fears. So Margaret runs away, and decides that she will have to make her own way in life. When Justin hears about what Margaret has done, he goes after her, because her parents appear to care less about their daughters welfare. Even though he refuses to marry her, he doesn't want anything to happen to her. But when he happens upon her, through an accident Justin finds himself shot and injured and having to recover with a woman who fears him. Margaret and Justin find themselves together for a few weeks, a discover a tender love they didn't expect to find, or a future they never imagined.
Plot and Story Line
This is the first time I have read from Jane Ashford, I have noticed her books around lately, as she is getting them republished and the covers redone. This book I found on Netgalley and I was so thrilled to get a chance to try her out. This book was shorter than I expect, only about 200 pages, which for how long it was this story had a depth to it I wasn't expecting to find. This is a story that I honestly wasn't sure if I would like or not. The reviews and ratings aren't super high, and so I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I ended up enjoying it. The Hero was enchanting and I loved his character. He knows what he wants and he fights for it and isn't ashamed of who he is, even if others may be. The heroine I had a bit of struggle with at first, but we really see how much she grows through the whole book, and the focus is really on her character and personality and how much we see the change in her the more she and Justin get to know each other. Margaret has been shielded and has never had a real chance to become anyone except from what her parents wanted from her. But then she ends up in a room with Justin and she begins to learn that she has a brain and she can use it. Even though I wanted to shake some sense into her, I also realized that Margaret is learning certain facts about herself, that we all learn as children. So I had to give her room and allow her to become more before I judged her too harshly. I loved the relationship between Justin and Margaret. There isn't much heat except for some kissing in this book, which was a bit refreshing. I wasn't excepting that at all, and I liked having something different. The entire focus was the building of the relationship on an emotional and intellectual levels and the physical just seemed to come naturally for them after they had developed a deeper connection to each other. And the ending was dang good, and seeing Margaret stand up to her folks was brilliant and this is what the book leads up to and fighting for the one you love!!
I adore this cover, with the bold colors and the pose, and her dress is just beautiful!!
Overall View
A Radical Arrangment is a light hearted and tender love story, bold characters, and a on the road romance to savor!!
May 22, 2015
I really found this book disappointing. The heroine, Margaret Mayfield is painfully naive and just plain dumb. Through her own ignorance, she finds herself in a mildly compromising situation with her neighbor Sir Justin Keighley, about whom her family has warned her. He holds radical political views frowned upon by Margaret's parents. After Margaret is told she has to marry Sir Justin she flees. He feels sorry for her and chases after her. They meet up on the road and Margaret is again stupid and ends up accidentally shooting him. So, of course, they now must recover in the small village nearby and, of course, they fall in love. I'm sorry. but I didn't want to spend any time with this heroine and couldn't buy the thought that Sir Justin would fall for this incredibly stupid girl. She seemed more like the irritating other girl one might encounter in other Regency novels who is set up as the contrast to the real heroine. Instead we're stuck with this girl and spending more time with her is just not any fun. Frankly, she was tedious and the book was boring.
I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
August 12, 2015
This novel was originally published in 1983 and is a gentle, if thought provoking, Regency romance. I wasn't surprised to read at the end that Jane Ashford had been inspired by Georgette Heyer.
The title of A Radical Arrangement pretty much sums up the book, for once a title that actually describes the book. Sir Justin Keighley is extremely radical... so-much-so that he is a terrifying prospect to the gently reared Miss Margaret Mayfield brought up to obey without question, everything her rather overbearing parents' say. Her Father an eminent politician, holds views in direct opposition to Sir Justin who is admired and revered by certain factions of society, and has a certain magnetism which means that although the local gentry/aristocrats don't approve of him, they dare not ignore him and he is therefore invited to events for politeness sake. It is at one such event, at her parents' home, that Margaret first encounters him.
Margaret is a pale, insipid example of her upbringing, brought up to believe that she must always do as she is told, that she is female and men know best...always. Sir Justin, the product of forward thinking parents', he questions and actively works to improve the lot of the working classes, he despises the sort of young woman that Margaret is, he with a Mother who takes part in political debates and thinks for herself.
Through a comedy of errors they end up in a compromising situation, at the end of which she has no fiancé....he cries off... she refuses to marry her nemesis and he flatly refuses to marry her. Margaret runs away when her Mother tries to force the issue and Sir Justin feels honour bound to pursue her and bring her back to her home although he still has no intention whatsoever of marrying her even if she should wish it.
When he finally catches up with her she ends up shooting him in the shoulder with her Father's gun and explaining it away to local people by saying that they have been attacked by a highwayman. Sir Justin is insensible so Margaret takes the decision for them to pose as brother and sister and accepts shelter at the local inn where with the help of the local midwife she nurses him back to health. Through all that has happened though, there is no burgeoning attraction between the two, no connection, despite the fact that Margaret has performed the intimate tasks necessary to nurse a man back from death's door. It just didn't feel as though Justin actually liked her.
Up until now I have probably described a perfectly wonderful man, albeit rather arrogant - not so! He comes over to me at least, as a sarcastic, judgemental and unlikeable person. I'd like to have given the wishy-washy Margaret a damn good shake. She doesn't have an original thought in her head to begin with but eventually after the break from her parents' and being subjected to the overbearing and opinionated Sir Justin and his radical views, she starts to think for herself. He gives her a book to read, which sounds fascinating....'An Examination Of The Need for and the Principles For Political Reform of the British Governmental System'!... He takes her on a tour of the area to meet a number of poor families living on the breadline, something she had never ever known about in her sheltered life. At this point I had to question how he knew about all of these poor families since this is far from his own home and lands and he has been bedridden for weeks! Still at least Margaret starts to think for herself and starts to become more interesting and to see a side of life she had never known the existence of.
There's an awful lot packed into a short story, too much to go into. It's a nicely written story though and to begin with I thought I would love it but as I read on I was disappointed as I really think the author missed an opportunity to rework the story (I'm assuming she looked at it again after more than 20 years) grow the romance between the protagonists, give Justin a bit of a makeover, instil a little oomph into Margaret - although I accept that there were women around like this.
A lot of thought and research has gone into the writing of this story, a few little modernisms, gottens and so forth slipped in, not enough to be a problem though. I liked Justin's take on life, his desire to 'do' something - I just wish he himself had been more likeable before we got to the last chapter! Still I feel it deserves 3 stars for the nice writing and attempt to show the politics of the time and perhaps I am being a bit hard on poor Justin! And he did reform Margaret after all.
The title of A Radical Arrangement pretty much sums up the book, for once a title that actually describes the book. Sir Justin Keighley is extremely radical... so-much-so that he is a terrifying prospect to the gently reared Miss Margaret Mayfield brought up to obey without question, everything her rather overbearing parents' say. Her Father an eminent politician, holds views in direct opposition to Sir Justin who is admired and revered by certain factions of society, and has a certain magnetism which means that although the local gentry/aristocrats don't approve of him, they dare not ignore him and he is therefore invited to events for politeness sake. It is at one such event, at her parents' home, that Margaret first encounters him.
Margaret is a pale, insipid example of her upbringing, brought up to believe that she must always do as she is told, that she is female and men know best...always. Sir Justin, the product of forward thinking parents', he questions and actively works to improve the lot of the working classes, he despises the sort of young woman that Margaret is, he with a Mother who takes part in political debates and thinks for herself.
Through a comedy of errors they end up in a compromising situation, at the end of which she has no fiancé....he cries off... she refuses to marry her nemesis and he flatly refuses to marry her. Margaret runs away when her Mother tries to force the issue and Sir Justin feels honour bound to pursue her and bring her back to her home although he still has no intention whatsoever of marrying her even if she should wish it.
When he finally catches up with her she ends up shooting him in the shoulder with her Father's gun and explaining it away to local people by saying that they have been attacked by a highwayman. Sir Justin is insensible so Margaret takes the decision for them to pose as brother and sister and accepts shelter at the local inn where with the help of the local midwife she nurses him back to health. Through all that has happened though, there is no burgeoning attraction between the two, no connection, despite the fact that Margaret has performed the intimate tasks necessary to nurse a man back from death's door. It just didn't feel as though Justin actually liked her.
Up until now I have probably described a perfectly wonderful man, albeit rather arrogant - not so! He comes over to me at least, as a sarcastic, judgemental and unlikeable person. I'd like to have given the wishy-washy Margaret a damn good shake. She doesn't have an original thought in her head to begin with but eventually after the break from her parents' and being subjected to the overbearing and opinionated Sir Justin and his radical views, she starts to think for herself. He gives her a book to read, which sounds fascinating....'An Examination Of The Need for and the Principles For Political Reform of the British Governmental System'!... He takes her on a tour of the area to meet a number of poor families living on the breadline, something she had never ever known about in her sheltered life. At this point I had to question how he knew about all of these poor families since this is far from his own home and lands and he has been bedridden for weeks! Still at least Margaret starts to think for herself and starts to become more interesting and to see a side of life she had never known the existence of.
There's an awful lot packed into a short story, too much to go into. It's a nicely written story though and to begin with I thought I would love it but as I read on I was disappointed as I really think the author missed an opportunity to rework the story (I'm assuming she looked at it again after more than 20 years) grow the romance between the protagonists, give Justin a bit of a makeover, instil a little oomph into Margaret - although I accept that there were women around like this.
A lot of thought and research has gone into the writing of this story, a few little modernisms, gottens and so forth slipped in, not enough to be a problem though. I liked Justin's take on life, his desire to 'do' something - I just wish he himself had been more likeable before we got to the last chapter! Still I feel it deserves 3 stars for the nice writing and attempt to show the politics of the time and perhaps I am being a bit hard on poor Justin! And he did reform Margaret after all.
August 2, 2015
Margaret Mayfield was raised to be the perfect daughter of her important and conservative Parliamentary politician father – quiet, obedient, and completely without an independent thought in her head. Sir Justin Keighley is the antithesis of Margaret’s father – a free-thinking radical who isn’t afraid to debate his ideas to anyone who will listen Yet somehow Keighley is always invited to the Mayfield’s dinner parties and it is after one such dinner party that Margaret and Justin suddenly find themselves in a compromising position!
Margaret falls into the category of heroines that is a cross between a Mary Sue and “too stupid to live.” She’s wildly emotional when it serves the plot’s purpose, has no backbone to speak of (again, unless it serves the plot’s purpose), and makes some decisions in this book that make the reader question Margaret’s intelligence. She magically transforms into a decent heroine towards the end, but given Margaret’s backstory, even this transformation was wholly outside the realm of reason and believability. I expect heroes and heroines to grow and change throughout the novel, but Margaret does a complete 180 that seems to come from nowhere and does not gel with her character arc.
Justin is a little better when it comes to character consistency, though even his actions sometimes seem a bit out of character. The inciting incident, for example: Margaret runs away from her parents and Justin chases after her. This event follows several pages of Justin’s words and thoughts of belittlement and condescension towards Margaret and her family. Which brings me to point #2: Justin is an arrogant jerk. He believes himself to always be right, he finds Margaret empty-headed and her family pompous, and there are a myriad of little points and actions throughout the narrative that point to his belief that he is superior to those around him (which is in direct conflict with his views on the poor). *This* is supposed to be the hero!? No thank you.
Margaret and Justin’s love is the “instant” variety. Around the 61% mark, Justin suddenly realizes that he might just possibly love Margaret despite his callousness towards her in the prior 60%. Margaret also suffers from the same sudden amnesia as Justin because she apparently returns his feelings too. Thankfully readers are not subjected to any kind of awkward “love scene” which keeps the entire book quite mild.
This is a re-print of a novel originally published in 1983. Which also explains a lot about the writing. I found the characters painfully one-dimensional whose actions in the scene only seemed to serve the plot-of-the-moment. The plot was completely unrealistic and the writing sub-par. There was absolutely no emotional connection whatsoever and everything was simply “told” to the reader.
Save your money and skip this one.
Originally posted at Plot Twist Reviews [dot] Com
I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Margaret falls into the category of heroines that is a cross between a Mary Sue and “too stupid to live.” She’s wildly emotional when it serves the plot’s purpose, has no backbone to speak of (again, unless it serves the plot’s purpose), and makes some decisions in this book that make the reader question Margaret’s intelligence. She magically transforms into a decent heroine towards the end, but given Margaret’s backstory, even this transformation was wholly outside the realm of reason and believability. I expect heroes and heroines to grow and change throughout the novel, but Margaret does a complete 180 that seems to come from nowhere and does not gel with her character arc.
Justin is a little better when it comes to character consistency, though even his actions sometimes seem a bit out of character. The inciting incident, for example: Margaret runs away from her parents and Justin chases after her. This event follows several pages of Justin’s words and thoughts of belittlement and condescension towards Margaret and her family. Which brings me to point #2: Justin is an arrogant jerk. He believes himself to always be right, he finds Margaret empty-headed and her family pompous, and there are a myriad of little points and actions throughout the narrative that point to his belief that he is superior to those around him (which is in direct conflict with his views on the poor). *This* is supposed to be the hero!? No thank you.
Margaret and Justin’s love is the “instant” variety. Around the 61% mark, Justin suddenly realizes that he might just possibly love Margaret despite his callousness towards her in the prior 60%. Margaret also suffers from the same sudden amnesia as Justin because she apparently returns his feelings too. Thankfully readers are not subjected to any kind of awkward “love scene” which keeps the entire book quite mild.
This is a re-print of a novel originally published in 1983. Which also explains a lot about the writing. I found the characters painfully one-dimensional whose actions in the scene only seemed to serve the plot-of-the-moment. The plot was completely unrealistic and the writing sub-par. There was absolutely no emotional connection whatsoever and everything was simply “told” to the reader.
Save your money and skip this one.
Originally posted at Plot Twist Reviews [dot] Com
I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
July 25, 2015
DNF, 12%. I typically give books more of a chance than this, but this happened:
Margaret, by now beyond reason, pulled violently away from him, dislodging her cloak from her shoulders. She let it fall and started to run, thinking only of escape. But in her confusion she ran toward the summerhouse rather than away from it, and in a moment found herself backed against its door, desperate. “Miss Mayfield?” called Keighley. “What is the matter?” His voice held only bewilderment, but Margaret was incapable of noticing. As he rounded the curve in the path and confronted her, she could think of only one thing to do. If she could somehow open the summerhouse door and get inside, she could relock it and scream for help. Surely they would come for her before he could get in. She turned and scrabbled at the door. The lock was new, but it appeared that someone had been tampering with it, for after a moment something slipped and the door opened. Margaret gasped with relief. “Miss Mayfield?” said a deep voice just behind her. She gave a little shriek and thrust herself through the doorway, tearing the shoulder of her gown on the frame. But before she could slam the door again and lock it, the man was upon her. He put one hand on the door and said, “What is it? What is wrong? Are you ill?” “Leave me alone,” cried Margaret, stumbling back into the building. She caught her heel on an uneven floorboard and started to fall, her arms flailing about violently. The shoulder of her dress parted, and as she jerked to pull it closed again her head struck the corner of a small table behind her, and she crumpled, insensible, to the floor.
It doesn't get better from there.
“Oh, take a damper, Mayfield. If you and your wife had not made such a Cheltenham tragedy of this matter, we might have passed it off as the trifle it was. Did it occur to you to ask, ‘Did she fall?’ when you came upon us in your summerhouse? No, you immediately assumed the worst, as you supposedly ‘moral’ people always do, and cried ‘Unhand my daughter.’ Well, your narrow-mindedness is simply not my responsibility. You will do as you please, of course, but if I were you, I would tell the gossips the truth. Miss Mayfìeld tripped and fell, and I was trying to help her.” “Only an idiot would believe that,” sputtered Mayfield. “Indeed?” Sir Justin eyed him with icy contempt. “From what I have seen of your friends, that should cause no difficulty. Good evening.”
Like Justin (though I'm sure he's going to come around to their hysteria), I don't have time for this.
Margaret, by now beyond reason, pulled violently away from him, dislodging her cloak from her shoulders. She let it fall and started to run, thinking only of escape. But in her confusion she ran toward the summerhouse rather than away from it, and in a moment found herself backed against its door, desperate. “Miss Mayfield?” called Keighley. “What is the matter?” His voice held only bewilderment, but Margaret was incapable of noticing. As he rounded the curve in the path and confronted her, she could think of only one thing to do. If she could somehow open the summerhouse door and get inside, she could relock it and scream for help. Surely they would come for her before he could get in. She turned and scrabbled at the door. The lock was new, but it appeared that someone had been tampering with it, for after a moment something slipped and the door opened. Margaret gasped with relief. “Miss Mayfield?” said a deep voice just behind her. She gave a little shriek and thrust herself through the doorway, tearing the shoulder of her gown on the frame. But before she could slam the door again and lock it, the man was upon her. He put one hand on the door and said, “What is it? What is wrong? Are you ill?” “Leave me alone,” cried Margaret, stumbling back into the building. She caught her heel on an uneven floorboard and started to fall, her arms flailing about violently. The shoulder of her dress parted, and as she jerked to pull it closed again her head struck the corner of a small table behind her, and she crumpled, insensible, to the floor.
It doesn't get better from there.
“Oh, take a damper, Mayfield. If you and your wife had not made such a Cheltenham tragedy of this matter, we might have passed it off as the trifle it was. Did it occur to you to ask, ‘Did she fall?’ when you came upon us in your summerhouse? No, you immediately assumed the worst, as you supposedly ‘moral’ people always do, and cried ‘Unhand my daughter.’ Well, your narrow-mindedness is simply not my responsibility. You will do as you please, of course, but if I were you, I would tell the gossips the truth. Miss Mayfìeld tripped and fell, and I was trying to help her.” “Only an idiot would believe that,” sputtered Mayfield. “Indeed?” Sir Justin eyed him with icy contempt. “From what I have seen of your friends, that should cause no difficulty. Good evening.”
Like Justin (though I'm sure he's going to come around to their hysteria), I don't have time for this.
August 10, 2015
"A Radical Arrangement" is a slow building historical romance.with character development and interaction taking precedence.
Margaret Mayfeild has just finished her first season and was fortunate to make a match during the season, especially since she is very shy, quiet and reserved; Margaret has never questioned anything her parents told her in all of her life. So when her mother told her to stay clear of Sir Justin Keighley, that he is radical Margaret having been sheltered for so long by her parents actually fears Sir Justin .
Margaret's father being a parliament member is obliged to stay in touch with constituents which include Sir Justin a local neighbor, but when at a dinner party Margaret's fear of Sir Justin leads to what is perceived as her being compromised by him. Margaret's life spins out of control. Margaret's fiancée breaks off the engagement( just as well he only wanted a wife to help his own political career) ; then her mother and father are demanding that she marry Sir Justin to save her reputation.
Margaret for the first time in her life makes a decision for herself , she leaves home , she will not be forced into marriage with Sir Justin.she need not have run since Sir Justin refused to marry her.
Her mother however is a scheming women she pays a visit to SirJustin and tells him of Margaret's running away because of him and then proceeds to expound on how it is for the best, good riddance to her.
Sir Justin , can not believe how rigid the Mayfeilds are as to let their eighteen year old daughter leave and not go after her all to save face, though he bows he should not care his sense of right has him setting off In search of Margaret to bring her back to her home .When sir Justin does catch up with Margaret on the road to Penzance her fear has her accidentally shooting him.
In the next few moments Margaret takes her first real step in growing up she secured help for his injury and shelter then proceeds to spend the next several weeks caring for him while he recovers Of course as farad anyone is concerned he is her brother and they were robbed on the road.
The time it takes for Sir Justin to recover allows for Justin and Margaret to really get to know each other and their perception of each other changes over that time, so much that Margaret is no longer fearful of having to marry him , but the question now is does he feel the same.
Overall an enjoyable read with an HEA.
Arc graciously supplied by Signet via Netgalley for an honest review.
Margaret Mayfeild has just finished her first season and was fortunate to make a match during the season, especially since she is very shy, quiet and reserved; Margaret has never questioned anything her parents told her in all of her life. So when her mother told her to stay clear of Sir Justin Keighley, that he is radical Margaret having been sheltered for so long by her parents actually fears Sir Justin .
Margaret's father being a parliament member is obliged to stay in touch with constituents which include Sir Justin a local neighbor, but when at a dinner party Margaret's fear of Sir Justin leads to what is perceived as her being compromised by him. Margaret's life spins out of control. Margaret's fiancée breaks off the engagement( just as well he only wanted a wife to help his own political career) ; then her mother and father are demanding that she marry Sir Justin to save her reputation.
Margaret for the first time in her life makes a decision for herself , she leaves home , she will not be forced into marriage with Sir Justin.she need not have run since Sir Justin refused to marry her.
Her mother however is a scheming women she pays a visit to SirJustin and tells him of Margaret's running away because of him and then proceeds to expound on how it is for the best, good riddance to her.
Sir Justin , can not believe how rigid the Mayfeilds are as to let their eighteen year old daughter leave and not go after her all to save face, though he bows he should not care his sense of right has him setting off In search of Margaret to bring her back to her home .When sir Justin does catch up with Margaret on the road to Penzance her fear has her accidentally shooting him.
In the next few moments Margaret takes her first real step in growing up she secured help for his injury and shelter then proceeds to spend the next several weeks caring for him while he recovers Of course as farad anyone is concerned he is her brother and they were robbed on the road.
The time it takes for Sir Justin to recover allows for Justin and Margaret to really get to know each other and their perception of each other changes over that time, so much that Margaret is no longer fearful of having to marry him , but the question now is does he feel the same.
Overall an enjoyable read with an HEA.
Arc graciously supplied by Signet via Netgalley for an honest review.
May 29, 2015
Received from Netgalley.
I HATED the beginning of this book. Margaret is stupid and ridiculous and Justin is flat out obnoxious. The parents are utterly flat in their idiot way.
I kept reading because the writing is good and I read reviews of Ashford's other books and they glow. So I thought there HAS to be something good here. And there is.
Once they got to the coast and Margaret starts developing, I began to like the characters more. She becomes three-dimensional and no longer so stupid or ridiculous. Of course, that was the point--her journey into self-awareness and self-assurance.
Justin had less of a journey to make, though clearly as much as he noticed and paid attention to a lot of things, he dismissed Margaret out of hand as a person worth knowing. Of course, the way she and her family were portrayed, it made sense.
I really liked the Appleby's and the midwife (sorry, her name slips my mind). They were very real. I thought the poor story was a little forced. It made sense, but I'd like to have seen it develop a little more naturally. And I'd like to see more of a conflict between the two of them--just a little more complexity.
I thought the arrival of Margaret's father was well done. He became a lot more rounded as a character at that point. I also like the way the final scenes played out. I thought they made sense.
Overall, the story is sweet and in the end, satisfying, although not as rich as some. I appreciated that there wasn't just drama for drama's sake. It really was a journey for Margaret and I thought that was really key and made a lot of sense and made the story truly satisfying. In some ways, that was more important than the HEA.
I HATED the beginning of this book. Margaret is stupid and ridiculous and Justin is flat out obnoxious. The parents are utterly flat in their idiot way.
I kept reading because the writing is good and I read reviews of Ashford's other books and they glow. So I thought there HAS to be something good here. And there is.
Once they got to the coast and Margaret starts developing, I began to like the characters more. She becomes three-dimensional and no longer so stupid or ridiculous. Of course, that was the point--her journey into self-awareness and self-assurance.
Justin had less of a journey to make, though clearly as much as he noticed and paid attention to a lot of things, he dismissed Margaret out of hand as a person worth knowing. Of course, the way she and her family were portrayed, it made sense.
I really liked the Appleby's and the midwife (sorry, her name slips my mind). They were very real. I thought the poor story was a little forced. It made sense, but I'd like to have seen it develop a little more naturally. And I'd like to see more of a conflict between the two of them--just a little more complexity.
I thought the arrival of Margaret's father was well done. He became a lot more rounded as a character at that point. I also like the way the final scenes played out. I thought they made sense.
Overall, the story is sweet and in the end, satisfying, although not as rich as some. I appreciated that there wasn't just drama for drama's sake. It really was a journey for Margaret and I thought that was really key and made a lot of sense and made the story truly satisfying. In some ways, that was more important than the HEA.
August 4, 2015
...delightfully engaging!
Miss Margaret Mayfield--beautiful and shy? More like inept. When I started to read this I was appalled as Margaret seemed to bumble from one inane set of circumstances to another. How I thought could this be the heroine?
I was definitely seeing things through Sir Justin Keighley's eyes. Having been found in a ludicrously compromised position with Margaret, confirmed bachelor and rumoured rake, Sir Justin finds himself fending off Margaret's father's declaration that they must marry and her mother's snide attempts to bring this 'coup' about.
Margaret gathering some courage from somewhere decides to solve the problem by running away. And from there the story develops in a star crossed, misunderstood sort of way as Margaret grows into herself, becomes surer and more confident, and Sir Justin fights his attractions for her. Along the way Margaret is helped by a fairy godmother archetype in the form of the local midwife, Mrs Dowling. However, as we all know, the road to a happy life and true love is not a smoothly golden pathway. For Margaret and Sir Justin it is paved with painful gravel bumps, with good intentions and failed opportunities.
When finally discovered by her father, Margaret's put on weight, gained energy and awareness, has embraced decidedly politically radical leanings and has grown towards becoming her own person. The timid, mindless Cinderella becomes more politically informed, composed and adult, in charge of her own destiny.
Jem Appleby, ten year old son of the inn owners is an absolutely delightful character and almost stole the show, with his easy acquiescence and mad keen love of sailing.
Very enjoyable all round!
A NetGalley ARC
Miss Margaret Mayfield--beautiful and shy? More like inept. When I started to read this I was appalled as Margaret seemed to bumble from one inane set of circumstances to another. How I thought could this be the heroine?
I was definitely seeing things through Sir Justin Keighley's eyes. Having been found in a ludicrously compromised position with Margaret, confirmed bachelor and rumoured rake, Sir Justin finds himself fending off Margaret's father's declaration that they must marry and her mother's snide attempts to bring this 'coup' about.
Margaret gathering some courage from somewhere decides to solve the problem by running away. And from there the story develops in a star crossed, misunderstood sort of way as Margaret grows into herself, becomes surer and more confident, and Sir Justin fights his attractions for her. Along the way Margaret is helped by a fairy godmother archetype in the form of the local midwife, Mrs Dowling. However, as we all know, the road to a happy life and true love is not a smoothly golden pathway. For Margaret and Sir Justin it is paved with painful gravel bumps, with good intentions and failed opportunities.
When finally discovered by her father, Margaret's put on weight, gained energy and awareness, has embraced decidedly politically radical leanings and has grown towards becoming her own person. The timid, mindless Cinderella becomes more politically informed, composed and adult, in charge of her own destiny.
Jem Appleby, ten year old son of the inn owners is an absolutely delightful character and almost stole the show, with his easy acquiescence and mad keen love of sailing.
Very enjoyable all round!
A NetGalley ARC
August 6, 2015
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book originally came out over thirty years ago. I think this is the reason why the whole atmosphere of the book felt dated for me. I mean, sure, I'm reading a historical romance novel. However, the more recently published historical romances sound more advanced in both plot and character buildup than this one.
The general idea of the is actually good. In a society where reputation and purity was important, being caught in not-so-flattering-position with a known rake is a big scandal that may lead to a shotgun marriage. The characters were actually interesting. A proper lady and a man who has no regard for propriety. A complete opposites attract kind of love. Unfortunately, the way the characters were played out fell flat. It's like they were already very intriguing, but the author lacked the follow through to keep a reader's interest.
I wish that I liked this book more. I found it okay and good enough. But it's not really something that's going to remain on my mind for a long time. If you are a huge fan of historical romance, you may still enjoy this book. It is, after all, written many years ago, so that alone is historical in itself.
This book originally came out over thirty years ago. I think this is the reason why the whole atmosphere of the book felt dated for me. I mean, sure, I'm reading a historical romance novel. However, the more recently published historical romances sound more advanced in both plot and character buildup than this one.
The general idea of the is actually good. In a society where reputation and purity was important, being caught in not-so-flattering-position with a known rake is a big scandal that may lead to a shotgun marriage. The characters were actually interesting. A proper lady and a man who has no regard for propriety. A complete opposites attract kind of love. Unfortunately, the way the characters were played out fell flat. It's like they were already very intriguing, but the author lacked the follow through to keep a reader's interest.
I wish that I liked this book more. I found it okay and good enough. But it's not really something that's going to remain on my mind for a long time. If you are a huge fan of historical romance, you may still enjoy this book. It is, after all, written many years ago, so that alone is historical in itself.
August 14, 2015
I found Sir Justin and Margaret both to be thoroughly unlikable characters in the beginning. Margaret is so timid and has no personality to speak of and Sir Justin is just not very nice. It was nice to see, when they were taken out of their element, how their personalities changed. I enjoyed some of the secondary characters they met, Jemmy and Mrs. Dowling in particular. If you are looking for a sweet, clean historical romance, you might enjoy this one.
August 16, 2015
You know, this was a really pleasant quick read. It's an older book, re-released, but isn't dated at all except in that there is no steaminess. I have to say, though, that it didn't come out worse for not being steamy. It's a well-written story, and although it sounded a bit incredible, the plot really worked. The hero and heroine both experienced quite realistic changes which challenged their world views.
Very enjoyable 4 stars. Received from the publisher through netgalley.
Very enjoyable 4 stars. Received from the publisher through netgalley.
August 15, 2016
Cute story about a sheltered, naive heroine from a politically conservative family and a radical neighbor hero who get into a muddle because she's been taught to hate and fear him. It's done really well and is an entertaining story. I liked it a lot.
November 8, 2024
This book has to have one of the most ludicrous setups I've ever encountered. Margaret Mayfield, the shy and unassuming (and very pale) daughter of the local gentry family attends a dinner party one July evening at her family's country home in Cornwall. This is an annual event, and they invite all of the local notables - including Sir Justin Keighley, who is too important to be snubbed. He is massively disliked by the Mayfields, however, because they consider him a political radical. They have warned Margaret about him to the point where she's afraid of his very presence.
After this dinner, the local squire insists on tromping down to Lord Mayfield's barn to inspect his new cow, and Sir Justin suggests they all go, because he enjoys the scandal his words stir up. Margaret doesn't want to go, so she basically slips behind the group and decides not to ruin her dress by going all the way down to the muck of the barn; she'll just wait for the others to come back and slip back into their party. Sir Justin notices her, though, and stays behind as well, and teases her for being so reticent. She doesn't respond, and just when he figures that it's not worth even trying to draw her out, she basically goes insane, beating him away without provocation and launching herself into a locked summerhouse on the property. She's in such a rage that she knocks herself out, and of course the party troops back from the barn to find him kneeling over her.
Lord and Lady Mayfield go beserk (obvs Margaret comes by it honestly) and insist that he's completely and totally ruined her and thus, must marry her. He refuses. When she comes around, Margaret is horrified by the idea of marrying him, and she refuses as well. Her protestations fall on deaf ears, so she decides to run away. She has to get out of town, but she doesn't dare go to London, knowing the scandal it will create. The only other place she knows is Penzance, in Cornwall, so she sets off by herself.
Meanwhile, Lady Mayfield has marched herself over to Justin's property to bend him to her will. Margaret's sudden disappearance is her trump card; she plays like she and her husband have disowned their daughter, leaving her to her fate. She's guessed Margaret's direction, and tells Justin that his refusal of her has driven her away, and if he cares an ounce for her, he'll go after her himself, because they aren't going to.
Justin hesitates; he sees the trap Lady Mayfield has set for him, but staunchly refuses to find himself boxed into a marriage he doesn't want. He decides to go after Margaret, figuring she couldn't have gotten too far; he'll bring her back to her parents' door and make it clear to one and all he'll have nothing to do with her.
So, yes - ridiculous. I got this far into the book and was just kinda rolling my eyes. Margaret truly was too stupid to live. She'd never done anything for herself and was terrified at the idea of striking off on her own, but she was even more terrified of going home and being forced into a union with a man she believed was a monster, thanks to her mother's ridiculous tales. She'd described as being very blonde and pale and malleable, and indeed, she has no personality to speak of.
But obviously I am such a sucker for Cornwall that I carried on, wondering if we'd get any scenery porn as we did in The Bride Insists and The Marriage Wager.
So Justin catches up with Margaret and starts berating her - so she turns around and shoots him in the shoulder, and suddenly things get interesting.
She didn't mean to shoot him, she only wanted to scare him, but he immediately collapses in the middle of the road, and she panics. She manages to pull herself together, and tells the approaching villager that Justin is her brother and that they were robbed by highwaymen. She's astounded at how easy it is to lie to these people, because she's never lied in her life, but they take her at her word and help her bring Justin to their village to recover.
They set up house at the Red Fern inn, with the Appleby family. The local midwife, Mrs. Dowling, removes the bullet from Justin's shoulder, and Margaret feels so guilty about shooting him (not to mention she'd told everyone that he's her brother) that she stays and nurses him. She alternates dealing with him and walking along the shores of the sea in the village, and she slowly turns into her own person, realizing that she can make decisions and deal with things without anyone's help.
Justin is furious when he wakes up, but he's also constrained by his wounded shoulder, so he eventually makes nice with Margaret, basically because he has nothing better to do. He's noticed the color in her cheeks and the fullness of her figure, and is impressed when she talks back to him. Turns out a Margaret Mayfield with a personality is rather pleasant to be around.
She discovers that he's not a monster, and that her parents have greatly overstated his foibles. They eventually start talking politics and family, and he tells her about how he grew up, and why he's as passionate about his causes as he is. He even takes her into the village and shows her that yes, poverty is a real thing, and it's really, really terrible, and she is duly affected by this realization.
They are becoming attached to one another, but they each fight it. We follow Margaret as she struggles to come to terms with her new assertiveness, and the stirrings this man is causing in her heart and in her mind. Mrs. Dowling is the one who basically tells her that it's obvious to one and all that they're in love with each other, and that Margaret needs to bring it to a head. If she wants to marry Justin, she's the one who's going to have to speak up - which is exactly what she does one evening, only to have her father burst in - again, at just the wrong moment - and basically ruin everything.
Everyone's irate, and Justin blurts out that he'd never marry Margaret no matter how much her father wishes he could make him. This breaks Margaret's heart, but she is not suddenly cowed by her father's appearance. She takes Justin's rejection in stride, but will not be bullied into leaving just to save face. Only when Justin disappears does Lord Mayfield finally convince his daughter to go home with him, after making sure that any word she leaves with the Applebys is swiftly destroyed, so that Keighley will not be able to find her if he ever comes back.
Justin was in a boating accident, re-injures his shoulder, and is truly on the brink of death by the time the Applebys find him again. Mrs. Dowling sends the youngest Appleby in search of Margaret; upon learning that nobody knows who she really is or where she went, she basically tells him to just ask along the way to discover her route.
Margaret returns home, but she stands up to her family and forces them to leave her be. She'll tell whatever story they want to tell to chase away the scandal, but she truly doesn't care what the neighbors think. She knows herself, and what happened with Justin in Cornwall, and all that matters to her are her own thoughts and feelings on the matter.
It takes the Appleby boy a week to find her, but she immediately sets off to return with him to his village, walking away even when her parents threaten to disown her. She returns to Cornwall and sits with Justin until his fever breaks and he comes out of his delirium, and is more than happy to accept the proposal he freely offers her.
The was a really sweet book. Once the pair made it to Cornwall, and realized they were stuck together (a bit of forced proximity), they started to really get to know each other, past their preconceived notions. Both love the Cornish countryside and have an inescapable pull with the sea, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and their time together is very sweet and gentle. Margaret basically grows up once she realizes there is a world beyond the one her parents have carefully curated for her, and grows a backbone. She faces up to both Justin and her father, and in the end discovers what is truly important to her.
Justin doesn't have quite as far to go, but his deepening regard for Margaret is written quite nicely. Mrs. Dowling was a hoot, and the Applebys were the sort of warm and friendly family Margaret never had.
This is a straight up traditional Regency romance, so the romantic relationship is written very opaquely. It basically takes these two 200 pages to kiss (in a 247-page novel), and they celebrate their engagement in the final chapter with even more kisses. It's very sweet and gentle and a sort of comfort read, exactly what I needed right now.
If you can get past the ridiculous setup, it'd definitely worth reading. I'd recommend reading in one sitting, though, because stopping and starting with a plot that doesn't really move very quickly would probably be incredibly frustrating.
After this dinner, the local squire insists on tromping down to Lord Mayfield's barn to inspect his new cow, and Sir Justin suggests they all go, because he enjoys the scandal his words stir up. Margaret doesn't want to go, so she basically slips behind the group and decides not to ruin her dress by going all the way down to the muck of the barn; she'll just wait for the others to come back and slip back into their party. Sir Justin notices her, though, and stays behind as well, and teases her for being so reticent. She doesn't respond, and just when he figures that it's not worth even trying to draw her out, she basically goes insane, beating him away without provocation and launching herself into a locked summerhouse on the property. She's in such a rage that she knocks herself out, and of course the party troops back from the barn to find him kneeling over her.
Lord and Lady Mayfield go beserk (obvs Margaret comes by it honestly) and insist that he's completely and totally ruined her and thus, must marry her. He refuses. When she comes around, Margaret is horrified by the idea of marrying him, and she refuses as well. Her protestations fall on deaf ears, so she decides to run away. She has to get out of town, but she doesn't dare go to London, knowing the scandal it will create. The only other place she knows is Penzance, in Cornwall, so she sets off by herself.
Meanwhile, Lady Mayfield has marched herself over to Justin's property to bend him to her will. Margaret's sudden disappearance is her trump card; she plays like she and her husband have disowned their daughter, leaving her to her fate. She's guessed Margaret's direction, and tells Justin that his refusal of her has driven her away, and if he cares an ounce for her, he'll go after her himself, because they aren't going to.
Justin hesitates; he sees the trap Lady Mayfield has set for him, but staunchly refuses to find himself boxed into a marriage he doesn't want. He decides to go after Margaret, figuring she couldn't have gotten too far; he'll bring her back to her parents' door and make it clear to one and all he'll have nothing to do with her.
So, yes - ridiculous. I got this far into the book and was just kinda rolling my eyes. Margaret truly was too stupid to live. She'd never done anything for herself and was terrified at the idea of striking off on her own, but she was even more terrified of going home and being forced into a union with a man she believed was a monster, thanks to her mother's ridiculous tales. She'd described as being very blonde and pale and malleable, and indeed, she has no personality to speak of.
But obviously I am such a sucker for Cornwall that I carried on, wondering if we'd get any scenery porn as we did in The Bride Insists and The Marriage Wager.
So Justin catches up with Margaret and starts berating her - so she turns around and shoots him in the shoulder, and suddenly things get interesting.
She didn't mean to shoot him, she only wanted to scare him, but he immediately collapses in the middle of the road, and she panics. She manages to pull herself together, and tells the approaching villager that Justin is her brother and that they were robbed by highwaymen. She's astounded at how easy it is to lie to these people, because she's never lied in her life, but they take her at her word and help her bring Justin to their village to recover.
They set up house at the Red Fern inn, with the Appleby family. The local midwife, Mrs. Dowling, removes the bullet from Justin's shoulder, and Margaret feels so guilty about shooting him (not to mention she'd told everyone that he's her brother) that she stays and nurses him. She alternates dealing with him and walking along the shores of the sea in the village, and she slowly turns into her own person, realizing that she can make decisions and deal with things without anyone's help.
Justin is furious when he wakes up, but he's also constrained by his wounded shoulder, so he eventually makes nice with Margaret, basically because he has nothing better to do. He's noticed the color in her cheeks and the fullness of her figure, and is impressed when she talks back to him. Turns out a Margaret Mayfield with a personality is rather pleasant to be around.
She discovers that he's not a monster, and that her parents have greatly overstated his foibles. They eventually start talking politics and family, and he tells her about how he grew up, and why he's as passionate about his causes as he is. He even takes her into the village and shows her that yes, poverty is a real thing, and it's really, really terrible, and she is duly affected by this realization.
They are becoming attached to one another, but they each fight it. We follow Margaret as she struggles to come to terms with her new assertiveness, and the stirrings this man is causing in her heart and in her mind. Mrs. Dowling is the one who basically tells her that it's obvious to one and all that they're in love with each other, and that Margaret needs to bring it to a head. If she wants to marry Justin, she's the one who's going to have to speak up - which is exactly what she does one evening, only to have her father burst in - again, at just the wrong moment - and basically ruin everything.
Everyone's irate, and Justin blurts out that he'd never marry Margaret no matter how much her father wishes he could make him. This breaks Margaret's heart, but she is not suddenly cowed by her father's appearance. She takes Justin's rejection in stride, but will not be bullied into leaving just to save face. Only when Justin disappears does Lord Mayfield finally convince his daughter to go home with him, after making sure that any word she leaves with the Applebys is swiftly destroyed, so that Keighley will not be able to find her if he ever comes back.
Justin was in a boating accident, re-injures his shoulder, and is truly on the brink of death by the time the Applebys find him again. Mrs. Dowling sends the youngest Appleby in search of Margaret; upon learning that nobody knows who she really is or where she went, she basically tells him to just ask along the way to discover her route.
Margaret returns home, but she stands up to her family and forces them to leave her be. She'll tell whatever story they want to tell to chase away the scandal, but she truly doesn't care what the neighbors think. She knows herself, and what happened with Justin in Cornwall, and all that matters to her are her own thoughts and feelings on the matter.
It takes the Appleby boy a week to find her, but she immediately sets off to return with him to his village, walking away even when her parents threaten to disown her. She returns to Cornwall and sits with Justin until his fever breaks and he comes out of his delirium, and is more than happy to accept the proposal he freely offers her.
The was a really sweet book. Once the pair made it to Cornwall, and realized they were stuck together (a bit of forced proximity), they started to really get to know each other, past their preconceived notions. Both love the Cornish countryside and have an inescapable pull with the sea, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and their time together is very sweet and gentle. Margaret basically grows up once she realizes there is a world beyond the one her parents have carefully curated for her, and grows a backbone. She faces up to both Justin and her father, and in the end discovers what is truly important to her.
Justin doesn't have quite as far to go, but his deepening regard for Margaret is written quite nicely. Mrs. Dowling was a hoot, and the Applebys were the sort of warm and friendly family Margaret never had.
This is a straight up traditional Regency romance, so the romantic relationship is written very opaquely. It basically takes these two 200 pages to kiss (in a 247-page novel), and they celebrate their engagement in the final chapter with even more kisses. It's very sweet and gentle and a sort of comfort read, exactly what I needed right now.
If you can get past the ridiculous setup, it'd definitely worth reading. I'd recommend reading in one sitting, though, because stopping and starting with a plot that doesn't really move very quickly would probably be incredibly frustrating.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 7, 2017
The story started off terrible, but as improbable the propriety of the circumstances the story eventually had me smiling as it was a sweet story. The characters do develop over time and you come to like them both by the end. A very quick and light read. I wish there was a little more to the ending, maybe an epilogue...
July 20, 2019
Another good book by Jane. She writes good romances.
Margaret does not want to marry Justin Keightly. He does not want to marry her.
She runs off and he follows.
She shoots him and nurses him then after weeks her father shows up.
She goes back home only to find out that Justin needs her.
They find their love when they least expect it with each other.
Margaret does not want to marry Justin Keightly. He does not want to marry her.
She runs off and he follows.
She shoots him and nurses him then after weeks her father shows up.
She goes back home only to find out that Justin needs her.
They find their love when they least expect it with each other.
September 28, 2017
5/10. Sweet.
January 6, 2019
As other reviews say this is a medley of ideas derived from Heyer’s novels. Nonetheless I feel it deserves a 3.5 stars mainly for the development of Margaret from idiotic child to mature girl.
October 23, 2020
The heroine is too stupid. It's impossible to read this book 🙅♀️🙅♀️🙅♀️
December 19, 2020
What a refreshment ;) Lovely, quite realistic love story.
April 9, 2022
HATE the hero, he's a judgemental jerk! The book is missing an epilogue as well. 2.5/5.
November 22, 2022
This dragged in the middle of the book! I needed more plot and angst. The ending was sweet, but not enough to redeem.
March 12, 2023
A historical romance that is sure to sweep you off your feet!
I received an advance reader copy for a fair and honest review
I received an advance reader copy for a fair and honest review
October 29, 2023
Feel sheepish having read this - but I liked the characters and it was different. Wouldn't recommend.
August 2, 2015
Originally Reviewed For: Bodice Rippers, Femme Fatales and Fantasy
A Radical Arrangement is a re publication and that pretty much says it all. Jane Ashford wrote what was probably a very good historical romance back in the 80's. Only it didn't seem to time travel well.
Margaret Mayfield was raised by self righteous bigots and she did nothing but parrot their opinions. Not because she thought they were right, rather she thought that there were no other choices. Either her parent's opinion (the right way) or the way to hell. Never having voiced or even had an opinion of her own, she knew which way her path was going. Only one dinner party changed everything.
Sir Justin Keighley was a man of the times. He worked hard to help those in need. He put his money where his mouth was and he refused to let those who knew everything tell him he was wrong. Consequently he didn't get along well with his neighbors. But duty calls and every once in a while he forced himself to dinner with them. This last time is for sure the last. Caught in what the petty pious claimed was a compromising position.. sitting on the gazebo with the precious perfect daughter who fainted (why did she faint? He umm spoke to her) anyway caught in said compromising position.. he refuses to marry her. The good news? She really doesn't want to marry the spawn of satan either.
Of course with a family such as Margaret's she is pretty much SOL.. either marry Justin or get out. She amazingly enough chose to get out. Wow.. now maybe she does have a little spine. Her grand adventure slowly teaches her that her parents were totally clueless and maybe more than a bit evil in their desires to be right.
When Justin is forced to track her down, she shoots him.. ok that was pretty good. But guilt over rides and she indeed saves him. Learning along the way that there are some really decent people out there. That maybe she shouldn't judge anyone until she has all the facts AND that maybe just maybe she has opinions of her own and the backbone to stand up for them.
Some of the characters were likable mostly secondary ones, her family was horrid.. absolutely horrid. And slightly one dimensional. It's ok to not like a character but the problem was, I found them unbelievable... Margaret and Justin weren't much better.
The entire story reminded me of a poor imitation of Jude Deveraux's The Heiress.. although they take place in different times with different struggles it still comes down to a cloistered young woman finding herself.. and well Jude just does it better.
Good points? This was a clean romance.. sometimes there is just too much sex in today's romances and it's nice to sometimes be able to read about emotions rather than actions..
Honestly, I wouldn't recommend it.
Shauni
This review is based on the ARC of Take Me, provided by netgalley and scheduled to be released on August 4, 2015
A Radical Arrangement is a re publication and that pretty much says it all. Jane Ashford wrote what was probably a very good historical romance back in the 80's. Only it didn't seem to time travel well.
Margaret Mayfield was raised by self righteous bigots and she did nothing but parrot their opinions. Not because she thought they were right, rather she thought that there were no other choices. Either her parent's opinion (the right way) or the way to hell. Never having voiced or even had an opinion of her own, she knew which way her path was going. Only one dinner party changed everything.
Sir Justin Keighley was a man of the times. He worked hard to help those in need. He put his money where his mouth was and he refused to let those who knew everything tell him he was wrong. Consequently he didn't get along well with his neighbors. But duty calls and every once in a while he forced himself to dinner with them. This last time is for sure the last. Caught in what the petty pious claimed was a compromising position.. sitting on the gazebo with the precious perfect daughter who fainted (why did she faint? He umm spoke to her) anyway caught in said compromising position.. he refuses to marry her. The good news? She really doesn't want to marry the spawn of satan either.
Of course with a family such as Margaret's she is pretty much SOL.. either marry Justin or get out. She amazingly enough chose to get out. Wow.. now maybe she does have a little spine. Her grand adventure slowly teaches her that her parents were totally clueless and maybe more than a bit evil in their desires to be right.
When Justin is forced to track her down, she shoots him.. ok that was pretty good. But guilt over rides and she indeed saves him. Learning along the way that there are some really decent people out there. That maybe she shouldn't judge anyone until she has all the facts AND that maybe just maybe she has opinions of her own and the backbone to stand up for them.
Some of the characters were likable mostly secondary ones, her family was horrid.. absolutely horrid. And slightly one dimensional. It's ok to not like a character but the problem was, I found them unbelievable... Margaret and Justin weren't much better.
The entire story reminded me of a poor imitation of Jude Deveraux's The Heiress.. although they take place in different times with different struggles it still comes down to a cloistered young woman finding herself.. and well Jude just does it better.
Good points? This was a clean romance.. sometimes there is just too much sex in today's romances and it's nice to sometimes be able to read about emotions rather than actions..
Honestly, I wouldn't recommend it.
Shauni
This review is based on the ARC of Take Me, provided by netgalley and scheduled to be released on August 4, 2015
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August 2, 2015Full review posted on Bambi Unbridled.
A Radical Arrangement is a re-release from Jane Ashford, having originally been published in 1983. It looks like Ms. Ashford is releasing a good number of her books with new covers - though I am not sure if any re-writing is being done. I do like the new cover - its much more visually appealing than the first edition. And while Ms. Ashford has been writing for a long time, she is a new-to-me author.
I enjoyed this book, but it dragged for me and felt much longer than its 288-ish pages. I just couldn't connect with the characters for some reason. I think its because I am so unlike Margaret Mayfield, the heroine. Margaret starts off the story as a painfully naive and uninformed dishwater miss - she has no opinions of her own and believes everything her parents tell her. I never connect with this type of heroine, so from the beginning I found myself wanting to thump Margaret in the head in the hopes that her brain would wake up.
Margaret's mother, who does not agree with Sir Justin Keighley's radical political views, has instilled the ridiculous opinion on Margaret that a radical is a evil blackguard. This causes Margaret to act like an utter fool by running away from Justin like he was going to ravish her - and when she trips over her feet and knocks herself unconscious, it looks like he has done just that. So of course the ridiculous Mayfields try to force a marriage on the pair.
When Margaret runs away, Justin feels he must go after her and this leads to the main story plot. I won't discuss that part here so I don't give any spoilers. But, over the course of the adventure, away from the stifling influence of her parents, Margaret does come into her own and becomes a more tolerable heroine.
As for our hero, I liked Justin but I would have liked to know more about him. The only aspect we learn of his nature/character is that he has what were consider radical political views by his contemporaries in London. These views were the underlying premise or moral of the book, and involved the plight of the poor and laborers who were seeking a voice/vote in the government. While we are made aware of the issue, we don't see either Margaret or Justin doing anything about it. So it's just kind of floating out there with no attempt at resolution. I would have liked to see either of them take a more active role in the social issues.
I received an free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I recommend it to fans of clean and sweet historical romance. 3 stars / 1 flame.
A Radical Arrangement is a re-release from Jane Ashford, having originally been published in 1983. It looks like Ms. Ashford is releasing a good number of her books with new covers - though I am not sure if any re-writing is being done. I do like the new cover - its much more visually appealing than the first edition. And while Ms. Ashford has been writing for a long time, she is a new-to-me author.
I enjoyed this book, but it dragged for me and felt much longer than its 288-ish pages. I just couldn't connect with the characters for some reason. I think its because I am so unlike Margaret Mayfield, the heroine. Margaret starts off the story as a painfully naive and uninformed dishwater miss - she has no opinions of her own and believes everything her parents tell her. I never connect with this type of heroine, so from the beginning I found myself wanting to thump Margaret in the head in the hopes that her brain would wake up.
Margaret's mother, who does not agree with Sir Justin Keighley's radical political views, has instilled the ridiculous opinion on Margaret that a radical is a evil blackguard. This causes Margaret to act like an utter fool by running away from Justin like he was going to ravish her - and when she trips over her feet and knocks herself unconscious, it looks like he has done just that. So of course the ridiculous Mayfields try to force a marriage on the pair.
When Margaret runs away, Justin feels he must go after her and this leads to the main story plot. I won't discuss that part here so I don't give any spoilers. But, over the course of the adventure, away from the stifling influence of her parents, Margaret does come into her own and becomes a more tolerable heroine.
As for our hero, I liked Justin but I would have liked to know more about him. The only aspect we learn of his nature/character is that he has what were consider radical political views by his contemporaries in London. These views were the underlying premise or moral of the book, and involved the plight of the poor and laborers who were seeking a voice/vote in the government. While we are made aware of the issue, we don't see either Margaret or Justin doing anything about it. So it's just kind of floating out there with no attempt at resolution. I would have liked to see either of them take a more active role in the social issues.
I received an free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I recommend it to fans of clean and sweet historical romance. 3 stars / 1 flame.
February 26, 2017
Jane Ashford has a nice touch with unexpected developments in her stories. Her characters have strength and personality, they grow but within the scope of probability, no unbelievable dramatic change. Her plots build smoothly to an enjoyable conclusion. Margaret starts the story as barely likable. Her changes are satisfying. Justin must negative quality is his arrogance. The minor characters add nice texture. Definitely recommended.
September 12, 2015
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley.
19 year-old Margaret is engaged to Philip, who shares her parents' Conservative political views. Margaret is very naive and timid and largely ignorant of the world. At a dinner to which they feel obliged to invite their Radical neighbour, Sir Justin Keighley, an incident occurs (largely through Margaret's stupidity) and Justin arguably compromises Margaret. Arguably as in Justin points out that he has done nothing wrong and refuses to marry Margaret, Philip breaks off the engagement and Margaret refuses to marry Justin (whom her parents have always portrayed to her as the devil incarnate). Margaret decides to run away so she won't have to marry Justin, her mother tells Justin that she has done so because he won't marry her and that she and her husband wash their hands of her and intend to do nothing. Justin feels obliged to go after Margaret, whereupon she accidentally shoots him with the pistol she brought from home. For most of the rest of the story she and Justin are staying at an inn while he recovers from his wound and Margaret is attempting to pass him off as her brother.
I note from the blurb at the back that the author loves Georgette Heyer; so do I. Sadly this novel is nowhere near as well-plotted as a Heyer and contains no trace of humour. I found it pretty dull and the characters flat and unlikeable. Margaret's parents were such baddies it was incredible. Justin (allegedly a gambling womanizer) spent the novel patronizing Margaret and making her read political text books. Exactly how old was he supposed to be? (As in how much older than Margaret?) Margaret herself was supposed to develop in a sort of coming of age way during the story and this seemed to mean becoming more curvy and having dull conversations with the midwife where they danced around the subject of sex (repeatedly). Then there was Jem and the boring boat sections and the part where Justin took Margaret to see some "real poor people" (shades of Elizabeth Gaskell here) and Margaret become politicized and decided to devote her life to the poor, despite having no money of her own and no relevant skills. Justin just couldn't make up his mind about how he felt about Margaret and at one point seemed to have decided to let her go off on her own and make her way in the world (really?) I just wanted some one to knock their heads together. Justin would have been more fun if he had indeed been a gambling womanizer and what was he doing that was so helpful to the poor anyway, apart from voting on half-hearted Acts of Parliament?
19 year-old Margaret is engaged to Philip, who shares her parents' Conservative political views. Margaret is very naive and timid and largely ignorant of the world. At a dinner to which they feel obliged to invite their Radical neighbour, Sir Justin Keighley, an incident occurs (largely through Margaret's stupidity) and Justin arguably compromises Margaret. Arguably as in Justin points out that he has done nothing wrong and refuses to marry Margaret, Philip breaks off the engagement and Margaret refuses to marry Justin (whom her parents have always portrayed to her as the devil incarnate). Margaret decides to run away so she won't have to marry Justin, her mother tells Justin that she has done so because he won't marry her and that she and her husband wash their hands of her and intend to do nothing. Justin feels obliged to go after Margaret, whereupon she accidentally shoots him with the pistol she brought from home. For most of the rest of the story she and Justin are staying at an inn while he recovers from his wound and Margaret is attempting to pass him off as her brother.
I note from the blurb at the back that the author loves Georgette Heyer; so do I. Sadly this novel is nowhere near as well-plotted as a Heyer and contains no trace of humour. I found it pretty dull and the characters flat and unlikeable. Margaret's parents were such baddies it was incredible. Justin (allegedly a gambling womanizer) spent the novel patronizing Margaret and making her read political text books. Exactly how old was he supposed to be? (As in how much older than Margaret?) Margaret herself was supposed to develop in a sort of coming of age way during the story and this seemed to mean becoming more curvy and having dull conversations with the midwife where they danced around the subject of sex (repeatedly). Then there was Jem and the boring boat sections and the part where Justin took Margaret to see some "real poor people" (shades of Elizabeth Gaskell here) and Margaret become politicized and decided to devote her life to the poor, despite having no money of her own and no relevant skills. Justin just couldn't make up his mind about how he felt about Margaret and at one point seemed to have decided to let her go off on her own and make her way in the world (really?) I just wanted some one to knock their heads together. Justin would have been more fun if he had indeed been a gambling womanizer and what was he doing that was so helpful to the poor anyway, apart from voting on half-hearted Acts of Parliament?
September 8, 2015
Jane Ashford brings us a historical romance where two people are brought together by how society views the classes. She weaves within the story the living conditions within those classes as well as the varying conditions seen within the same class. She explores the views of the upper class and the lack of true help to those in need.
Sir Justin Keighley is considered a radical and by Margaret’s parents completely improper to associate with their daughter. Justin seeks out the poor and unemployed in order to learn what they need and then fight for them with improving laws that would better their lives. His father and mother have taught him to challenge narrow minded people and ideas instead of just accepting.
Margaret Mayfield has been brought to do everything her parents say. She agrees with their views on laws, social functions and even on whom she should marry. She has been trained to have no thoughts of her own or to challenge anyone else’s ideas.
Sir JustinKeighley shocks Margaret and makes her fearful of his slightest move.During a dinner party, Justin and Margaret find themselves in a position that is in actuality innocent, but not having a thought of her own; Margaret believes it to be something else entirely. Demands are made for Justin to wed Margaret but he refuses leaving Mr. and Mrs. Mayfield to claim their daughter ruined. Her fiancé leaves her as she is now unacceptable to marry due to the rumors that would surround her. When anger seizes her, Margaret runs away. Mrs. Mayfield manipulates Justin into following her.
When an accident occurs, Margaret is forced to think rely on herself and save Justin. Justin and Margaret are brought together where they learn about each other and in some ways learn more about themselves. Justin teaches Margaret about the impoverished people around them and how they need help in more ways than the upper class has done.
Mr. Mayfield finds Margaret and Justin in a compromising position once again and demands marriage. Again Justin refuses. Margaret is forced home but the Mayfield’s find that the daughter that has returned is not the same as the one who ran away.
Margaret learns that Justin has been hurt and wants to return to him, but she is given the ultimatum that if she does she is no longer welcomed in her parent’s home. Will Margaret continue to think on her own or will she cave and fall into submission?
Jane Ashford gives us a story of personal growth and learning to care for others. I enjoyed the style of writing which flowed easily and kept the story alive.
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Sir Justin Keighley is considered a radical and by Margaret’s parents completely improper to associate with their daughter. Justin seeks out the poor and unemployed in order to learn what they need and then fight for them with improving laws that would better their lives. His father and mother have taught him to challenge narrow minded people and ideas instead of just accepting.
Margaret Mayfield has been brought to do everything her parents say. She agrees with their views on laws, social functions and even on whom she should marry. She has been trained to have no thoughts of her own or to challenge anyone else’s ideas.
Sir JustinKeighley shocks Margaret and makes her fearful of his slightest move.During a dinner party, Justin and Margaret find themselves in a position that is in actuality innocent, but not having a thought of her own; Margaret believes it to be something else entirely. Demands are made for Justin to wed Margaret but he refuses leaving Mr. and Mrs. Mayfield to claim their daughter ruined. Her fiancé leaves her as she is now unacceptable to marry due to the rumors that would surround her. When anger seizes her, Margaret runs away. Mrs. Mayfield manipulates Justin into following her.
When an accident occurs, Margaret is forced to think rely on herself and save Justin. Justin and Margaret are brought together where they learn about each other and in some ways learn more about themselves. Justin teaches Margaret about the impoverished people around them and how they need help in more ways than the upper class has done.
Mr. Mayfield finds Margaret and Justin in a compromising position once again and demands marriage. Again Justin refuses. Margaret is forced home but the Mayfield’s find that the daughter that has returned is not the same as the one who ran away.
Margaret learns that Justin has been hurt and wants to return to him, but she is given the ultimatum that if she does she is no longer welcomed in her parent’s home. Will Margaret continue to think on her own or will she cave and fall into submission?
Jane Ashford gives us a story of personal growth and learning to care for others. I enjoyed the style of writing which flowed easily and kept the story alive.
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 17, 2016
Jane Ashford, as author of this book, has created another wonderful Regency Romance. She is a seasoned writer with many books to her credit.
Margaret Mayfield is a typical gentle young woman of her day; repressed, timid, naïve, totally controlled by a radical arrangementher overbearing mother and father, totally unaware of what was happening outside her narrow world of parties, teas, and socials. Her life is ruled by the standards of the day.
Sir Justin Keigley is the opposite of Margaret. He promotes progressive legislature and improvements for the workingman and lower classes. His fellow peers consider him an oddity and dangerous; young women are warned away from him and to never be alone with him. He would be considered an activist today, a radical in his day.
Margaret and Justin meet at the yearly dinner hosted by her parents and of course, she makes a complete ninny of herself, screaming, crying, running way from Justin in the garden, and finally hitting her head and passing out. I wanted to shake her until her eyes rolled out of her head. Justin had no idea what was wrong with her; Margaret was terrified of him. This starts a series of events that will change both Margaret’s and Justin’s life forever. Found kneeling by Margaret, everyone is scandalized and the parents insist Justin marry Margaret. Justin refuses to be bullied into marriage for such an asinine reason; Margaret terrified Justin will agree to the marriage runs away. For the first time in her life Margaret is on her own. Margaret will grow by leaps and bounds in her adventure as she becomes an aware caring woman, Justin pursues Margaret to return her home; Justin will see a different Margaret emerge as he recovers from a misadventure involving Margaret; he is definitely attracted but fighting the attraction. Justin opens Margaret eyes to the horrors of the living conditions for the lower classes and the injustices. Will Margaret will become as radical as Justin?
It is not a smooth road, with many turns and twists, but happiness does wait at the end. I found the book light reading and enjoyable. This book was well written and show cased a time period of repression for women and the lower classes. The lower classes were just beginning to revolt against the class discrimination, starvation and joblessness.
The Author, Jane Ashford has great talent and you will enjoy this book.
I received this book from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an honest book review.
Margaret Mayfield is a typical gentle young woman of her day; repressed, timid, naïve, totally controlled by a radical arrangementher overbearing mother and father, totally unaware of what was happening outside her narrow world of parties, teas, and socials. Her life is ruled by the standards of the day.
Sir Justin Keigley is the opposite of Margaret. He promotes progressive legislature and improvements for the workingman and lower classes. His fellow peers consider him an oddity and dangerous; young women are warned away from him and to never be alone with him. He would be considered an activist today, a radical in his day.
Margaret and Justin meet at the yearly dinner hosted by her parents and of course, she makes a complete ninny of herself, screaming, crying, running way from Justin in the garden, and finally hitting her head and passing out. I wanted to shake her until her eyes rolled out of her head. Justin had no idea what was wrong with her; Margaret was terrified of him. This starts a series of events that will change both Margaret’s and Justin’s life forever. Found kneeling by Margaret, everyone is scandalized and the parents insist Justin marry Margaret. Justin refuses to be bullied into marriage for such an asinine reason; Margaret terrified Justin will agree to the marriage runs away. For the first time in her life Margaret is on her own. Margaret will grow by leaps and bounds in her adventure as she becomes an aware caring woman, Justin pursues Margaret to return her home; Justin will see a different Margaret emerge as he recovers from a misadventure involving Margaret; he is definitely attracted but fighting the attraction. Justin opens Margaret eyes to the horrors of the living conditions for the lower classes and the injustices. Will Margaret will become as radical as Justin?
It is not a smooth road, with many turns and twists, but happiness does wait at the end. I found the book light reading and enjoyable. This book was well written and show cased a time period of repression for women and the lower classes. The lower classes were just beginning to revolt against the class discrimination, starvation and joblessness.
The Author, Jane Ashford has great talent and you will enjoy this book.
I received this book from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an honest book review.
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