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The Beaux of Bayley Dell
Due to unexpected reversals, the Eland family has had to lease Bayley Manor to a rich cit and move to a tiny house in the village. Now Miss Mirabelle and Miss Frances despair of ever making a proper match for their niece, Laurel; the poor girl goes nowhere, knows no young gentlemen, and lacks the funds for a London season. What suitors can she possibly meet in hopelessly rustic, out-of-the-way Bayley Dell?
Laurel thought she was content with her quiet country life until an injured stranger is found on the road and she is called upon to help nurse him. Although her dashing patient can't remember his own name, Laurel quickly forgets her self in his sparkling blue eyes. But his exciting presence soon attracts other members of the ton, until little Bayley Dell is utterly overtaken by gossip, intrigue - and more beaux than a fortunate young lady can count.
Laurel thought she was content with her quiet country life until an injured stranger is found on the road and she is called upon to help nurse him. Although her dashing patient can't remember his own name, Laurel quickly forgets her self in his sparkling blue eyes. But his exciting presence soon attracts other members of the ton, until little Bayley Dell is utterly overtaken by gossip, intrigue - and more beaux than a fortunate young lady can count.
Paperback
First published April 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 8, 2022
This is a very quiet and unassuming book. I thought it would be right up my alley but, unfortunately, it felt like there was something missing. Everyone is so nice and there's so little internal or external conflict that it was just a bit too boring. This blurb ("But his exciting presence soon attracts other members of the ton, until little Bayley Dell is utterly overtaken by gossip, intrigue - and more beaux than a fortunate young lady can count.") seems to imply that things get exciting once the stranger (Gordon) arrives but his arrival doesn't seem to change much, and I couldn't detect anything exciting going on. Things were already in progress before his arrival (for example, Laurels come out in Wells) and the stranger is secluded to his room most of the book.
The financial difficulties of Laurel's family have already been dealt with at this point in the story and they do the best out of a bad situation. The whole family (father, two spinster aunts, and Laurel) are nice people and get along well with the whole village, with the exception of the aunts who have a bit of a dislike for the cit who rents their manor. He's in fact my favorite character from the book. There's something about an older bluff rich cit or nabob, who's in fact a gentleman at heart, that really appeals to me. All characters have their love interests that you see coming from a mile away but I did prefer the older couples' relationships over the main one.
Laurel and the mysterious man are both nice people, which I actually prefer in my protagonists, but their relationship is pretty boring. They see each other a lot throughout the book but there are no meaningful conversations or any real conflict. His is a case of insta-lust/love and she seems pretty level-headed but, besides being good-looking people, I saw nothing that would make them fall in love with each other. Perhaps the problem is that they are part of a larger ensemble and don't really feel like the main characters. The H especially is mostly removed from the comings and goings. There's a little mystery about who attacked him but, once again, it's such a small part of the story that one really doesn't care who did it since, as far as the reader knows, it could have been a complete stranger.
In trying to figure out why I wasn't impressed with the book, the best I can come up with is that there was no real depth to anything or anybody. When Laurel and Gordon finally start showing some spark and there's the hint of a conflict, the book ends abruptly. If you're looking to feel some stronger emotions from a book (such as a passionate HEA or a villainous character) this is not the story for you. If you want an easy read that won't require much from you, and you just want to enjoy mostly nice people getting their HEA, then you'll enjoy this clean romance.
The financial difficulties of Laurel's family have already been dealt with at this point in the story and they do the best out of a bad situation. The whole family (father, two spinster aunts, and Laurel) are nice people and get along well with the whole village, with the exception of the aunts who have a bit of a dislike for the cit who rents their manor. He's in fact my favorite character from the book. There's something about an older bluff rich cit or nabob, who's in fact a gentleman at heart, that really appeals to me. All characters have their love interests that you see coming from a mile away but I did prefer the older couples' relationships over the main one.
Laurel and the mysterious man are both nice people, which I actually prefer in my protagonists, but their relationship is pretty boring. They see each other a lot throughout the book but there are no meaningful conversations or any real conflict. His is a case of insta-lust/love and she seems pretty level-headed but, besides being good-looking people, I saw nothing that would make them fall in love with each other. Perhaps the problem is that they are part of a larger ensemble and don't really feel like the main characters. The H especially is mostly removed from the comings and goings. There's a little mystery about who attacked him but, once again, it's such a small part of the story that one really doesn't care who did it since, as far as the reader knows, it could have been a complete stranger.
In trying to figure out why I wasn't impressed with the book, the best I can come up with is that there was no real depth to anything or anybody. When Laurel and Gordon finally start showing some spark and there's the hint of a conflict, the book ends abruptly. If you're looking to feel some stronger emotions from a book (such as a passionate HEA or a villainous character) this is not the story for you. If you want an easy read that won't require much from you, and you just want to enjoy mostly nice people getting their HEA, then you'll enjoy this clean romance.
December 28, 2021
A very pleasant read, quiet & unassuming, the characters eminently likeable. The pace of life is slow in Bayley Dell where very little happens from day-to-day. A strangers arrival certainly focuses cupid's attention.
Due to unexpected reversals, the Eland family has had to lease Bayley Manor to a rich cit and move to a tiny house in the village. Now Miss Mirabelle and Miss Frances despair of ever making a proper match for their niece, Laurel; the poor girl goes nowhere, knows no young gentlemen, and lacks the funds for a London season. What suitors can she possibly meet in hopelessly rustic, out-of-the-way Bayley Dell?
Laurel thought she was content with her quiet country life until an injured stranger is found on the road and she is called upon to help nurse him. Although her dashing patient can't remember his own name, Laurel quickly forgets her self in his sparkling blue eyes. But his exciting presence soon attracts other members of the ton, until little Bayley Dell is utterly overtaken by gossip, intrigue - and more beaux than a fortunate young lady can count.
Due to unexpected reversals, the Eland family has had to lease Bayley Manor to a rich cit and move to a tiny house in the village. Now Miss Mirabelle and Miss Frances despair of ever making a proper match for their niece, Laurel; the poor girl goes nowhere, knows no young gentlemen, and lacks the funds for a London season. What suitors can she possibly meet in hopelessly rustic, out-of-the-way Bayley Dell?
Laurel thought she was content with her quiet country life until an injured stranger is found on the road and she is called upon to help nurse him. Although her dashing patient can't remember his own name, Laurel quickly forgets her self in his sparkling blue eyes. But his exciting presence soon attracts other members of the ton, until little Bayley Dell is utterly overtaken by gossip, intrigue - and more beaux than a fortunate young lady can count.
May 8, 2019
Very nice and good natured story. The protagonists are all kind even the village gossips are kind at heart in this book! Laurel is a refreshing heroine and her father, her aunts, friend of her aunt, all very nice people you wouldn’t mind knowing.
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