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The Accessible Aunt
One Suitor Was Dismally Dull...
Celina Forsyth had never imagined that a gentleman could be as thoroughly worthy and as completely uninteresting as Mr. Lawrence Coleraine, the aristocratic clergyman who persisted in promising her unending wedded bliss.
The Other Was Dangerously Attractive...
Celina could not imagine what the lordly Jervis Blain, the Marquess of Wroxton, could see in her-when she was exercising all her wit to turn his eyes and affections in a more suitable direction.
Celina was torn between a marriage that would consign her to a life of perfectly proper boredom and a marriage that would ruin the lives of those she was pledged to help as she desperately tried to make up her mind and not listen to her heart.
Celina Forsyth had never imagined that a gentleman could be as thoroughly worthy and as completely uninteresting as Mr. Lawrence Coleraine, the aristocratic clergyman who persisted in promising her unending wedded bliss.
The Other Was Dangerously Attractive...
Celina could not imagine what the lordly Jervis Blain, the Marquess of Wroxton, could see in her-when she was exercising all her wit to turn his eyes and affections in a more suitable direction.
Celina was torn between a marriage that would consign her to a life of perfectly proper boredom and a marriage that would ruin the lives of those she was pledged to help as she desperately tried to make up her mind and not listen to her heart.
222 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 3, 1984
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 10, 2011
an entertaining read, but not exactly original. The heroine just lets her relatives walk all over her, rather frustrating!
January 11, 2023
Celina is a spinster by choice at 26. She has the dower house as her home for life and her own wealth. Her companion and friend, Mary, goes home to visit her family, which results in Celina starting to question her life a bit and experience some loneliness. Celina's family is completely dependent on her although they treat her as if she were a drudge. Her sister-in-law defers everything to Celina while making jabs about her single state. Her young nieces (18 and 19) are constantly running to her for advice and help. Her brother is unable or unwilling to control his household so he does nothing to help Celina.
A great aunt on the mother's side or some sort comes to visit and decides to invite her nephew to the area (he has a house there) in order to matchmake him with Celina. The mother thinks that the aunt is trying to matchmake him with Lydia and does everything in her power to ensnare him. The eldest daughter Lydia, although beautiful, did not take and the mother forbids the second oldest (Nelly) to get married until Lydia does. Nelly has a beau and is ready to get married, so she also schemes to bring Jervis to propose. The story is basic about their interactions and the misunderstandings as to who Jervis wants to marry.
I liked this book more than I should. I like the author's style, and I think she did a good job with the characters, but Celina became very exasperating after a time. I didn't mind her being at the beck and call of her family that much at first. She's a calming influence on the crazy family, and she felt a level of affection and responsibility towards them. She's also the type of heroine I like: older and sensible. Unfortunately, as the story progresses, she becomes less sensible and more missish and she drove me crazy. The only time she showed some spark was on her first interaction with Jervis. She would often be determine to do things just to not follow through with it. After she said she would move to Bath three times, I just wanted to yell at her to do it already. And her misunderstanding of who Jervis wanted to marry was ridiculous especially after The reasons were ridiculous and that's when she became missish and annoying.
Jervis, on the other hand, was a great hero. He knew what he wanted and worked to get it. He becomes attracted to Celina right away and couldn't give a fig about beautiful Lydia, which I appreciated (he's kind to her however). I could understand why he was attracted to Celina's calm and poise but, at the same time, I didn't really buy in to the meeting of minds that I believe the author was going for. All in all, it was an entertaining read and I'm always happy to find an older heroine and a hero who's not a rake. This is also a clean romance.
A great aunt on the mother's side or some sort comes to visit and decides to invite her nephew to the area (he has a house there) in order to matchmake him with Celina. The mother thinks that the aunt is trying to matchmake him with Lydia and does everything in her power to ensnare him. The eldest daughter Lydia, although beautiful, did not take and the mother forbids the second oldest (Nelly) to get married until Lydia does. Nelly has a beau and is ready to get married, so she also schemes to bring Jervis to propose. The story is basic about their interactions and the misunderstandings as to who Jervis wants to marry.
I liked this book more than I should. I like the author's style, and I think she did a good job with the characters, but Celina became very exasperating after a time. I didn't mind her being at the beck and call of her family that much at first. She's a calming influence on the crazy family, and she felt a level of affection and responsibility towards them. She's also the type of heroine I like: older and sensible. Unfortunately, as the story progresses, she becomes less sensible and more missish and she drove me crazy. The only time she showed some spark was on her first interaction with Jervis. She would often be determine to do things just to not follow through with it. After she said she would move to Bath three times, I just wanted to yell at her to do it already. And her misunderstanding of who Jervis wanted to marry was ridiculous especially after The reasons were ridiculous and that's when she became missish and annoying.
Jervis, on the other hand, was a great hero. He knew what he wanted and worked to get it. He becomes attracted to Celina right away and couldn't give a fig about beautiful Lydia, which I appreciated (he's kind to her however). I could understand why he was attracted to Celina's calm and poise but, at the same time, I didn't really buy in to the meeting of minds that I believe the author was going for. All in all, it was an entertaining read and I'm always happy to find an older heroine and a hero who's not a rake. This is also a clean romance.
January 6, 2011
I have paperback edition
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews