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A Flower in Season
Briony Marsden has led a hard life, forced to do the work of a grown man in the mull near Ullswater while enduring her drunkard father's taunts and blows. But when he goes too far one day, her fate becomes even worse as she makes her way alone in a heartless world.
Not quite alone. She has a friend--Lizzie Jenkins--who will do anything to help Briony re-open Moorend Mill. And Chad Cameron, the richest man in the district, has always admired Briony's spirit and determination. When her fortunes are at their lowest, he falls in love with the elfin waif and decides to make her his wife.
But the only way he can win her is by trickery--by betraying her naive trust in the man who came to her rescue when all seemed lost. Can their marriage survive when she discovers his deception?
- From back cover of 2002 edition
Not quite alone. She has a friend--Lizzie Jenkins--who will do anything to help Briony re-open Moorend Mill. And Chad Cameron, the richest man in the district, has always admired Briony's spirit and determination. When her fortunes are at their lowest, he falls in love with the elfin waif and decides to make her his wife.
But the only way he can win her is by trickery--by betraying her naive trust in the man who came to her rescue when all seemed lost. Can their marriage survive when she discovers his deception?
- From back cover of 2002 edition
480 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
About the author
Audrey Howard
64 books53 followersAudrey Howard was born on 1929 in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK, and grew up in St Annes on Sea, Lancashire, where she lives in her childhood home.
Before she began to write she had a variety of jobs, among them hairdresser, model, shop assistant, cleaner and civil servant. In 1981, while living in Australia, she wrote the first of her bestselling novels published since 1984. In 1988, her novel The Juniper Bush won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the Romantic Novelists' Association.
Before she began to write she had a variety of jobs, among them hairdresser, model, shop assistant, cleaner and civil servant. In 1981, while living in Australia, she wrote the first of her bestselling novels published since 1984. In 1988, her novel The Juniper Bush won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the Romantic Novelists' Association.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 1, 2018
Audrey Howard is a technically decent author, but her tendency towards sexism will offend modern sensibilities.
Briony is a fifteen year-old girl when the thirty year-old Chadwick Cameron meets her for the first time. It is common knowledge in town that her father the miller is an abusive man who exploits his children (Briony and Danny) for free labor and beats his wife. No one has ever interfered because at the time, a man's wife and children were considered his legal property and not people in their own right.
In Briony's features, one can already see the promise of the beautiful woman she will become. Although she was not born a lady, there is a natural refinement in her speech and appearance. But Briony's father's depravity has no limits: he begins to lust after his own daughter and attempts to rape her one night. When her mother stands between him and her children, he breaks her neck. Danny pushes him into the millstones and he is caught between them, dying a slow, gruesome death.
Danny is sent to prison to await his trial for murder and Briony is left orphaned and traumatized. He is eventually sentenced to transportation to Australia for seven years. Before he left, Briony promised to keep the mill running for him but none of the farmers in the area seem to be willing to bring their grain to her. When Chad Cameron proposes to her, she reluctantly accepts since it is the only practical solution available to saving the mill and avoiding starvation. She sees it as a business arrangement.
Briony is sixteen or seventeen when she marries Chad. She is treated with condescension and barely concealed hostility by the servants and her well-born neighbors, who see her as an upstart, gold-digging peasant. She has no friends and no duties to occupy her time since she was never trained in the running of a household or entertaining guests. Her chief interests are riding and overseeing the operations of the mill, of which her husband strongly disapproves.
Chad appears to be a proud, indifferent, and neglectful husband, although he secretly is in love with Briony. Unfortunately, he used dishonest means to force her to become his wife.
It infuriates me that neither of the main characters is a decent person. Briony is childishly petulant, dangerously irresponsible, and shockingly immature. She does not see her good fortune. Chad could have made her his mistress instead of his wife and (although it would have been despicable) no one would have blamed him. She makes no attempt to forgive him or make the best of things when he wrongs her. Even if Chad used dishonest means to encourage her to marry him, she was the one who had agreed. Adults take responsibility for the consequences of their actions and accept that no one is perfect. They try to salvage what they can from a bad situation. As long as Chad wasn't abusive, unfaithful, or addicted to drugs, alcohol, and/or gambling, they had a chance to make their marriage work.
Chad is criminally neglectful, lacking in human empathy, and coldly domineering. He does not make allowances for the fact that his wife is young and inexperienced. He does not seem to understand that he is not doing her a great favor by making her his wife. In many ways, making her a lady is worse than allowing her to marry a kind, honest farmer. Even if she was up to the challenge of fitting into his world, she would not be accepted.
Briony is a fifteen year-old girl when the thirty year-old Chadwick Cameron meets her for the first time. It is common knowledge in town that her father the miller is an abusive man who exploits his children (Briony and Danny) for free labor and beats his wife. No one has ever interfered because at the time, a man's wife and children were considered his legal property and not people in their own right.
In Briony's features, one can already see the promise of the beautiful woman she will become. Although she was not born a lady, there is a natural refinement in her speech and appearance. But Briony's father's depravity has no limits: he begins to lust after his own daughter and attempts to rape her one night. When her mother stands between him and her children, he breaks her neck. Danny pushes him into the millstones and he is caught between them, dying a slow, gruesome death.
Danny is sent to prison to await his trial for murder and Briony is left orphaned and traumatized. He is eventually sentenced to transportation to Australia for seven years. Before he left, Briony promised to keep the mill running for him but none of the farmers in the area seem to be willing to bring their grain to her. When Chad Cameron proposes to her, she reluctantly accepts since it is the only practical solution available to saving the mill and avoiding starvation. She sees it as a business arrangement.
Briony is sixteen or seventeen when she marries Chad. She is treated with condescension and barely concealed hostility by the servants and her well-born neighbors, who see her as an upstart, gold-digging peasant. She has no friends and no duties to occupy her time since she was never trained in the running of a household or entertaining guests. Her chief interests are riding and overseeing the operations of the mill, of which her husband strongly disapproves.
Chad appears to be a proud, indifferent, and neglectful husband, although he secretly is in love with Briony. Unfortunately, he used dishonest means to force her to become his wife.
It infuriates me that neither of the main characters is a decent person. Briony is childishly petulant, dangerously irresponsible, and shockingly immature. She does not see her good fortune. Chad could have made her his mistress instead of his wife and (although it would have been despicable) no one would have blamed him. She makes no attempt to forgive him or make the best of things when he wrongs her. Even if Chad used dishonest means to encourage her to marry him, she was the one who had agreed. Adults take responsibility for the consequences of their actions and accept that no one is perfect. They try to salvage what they can from a bad situation. As long as Chad wasn't abusive, unfaithful, or addicted to drugs, alcohol, and/or gambling, they had a chance to make their marriage work.
Chad is criminally neglectful, lacking in human empathy, and coldly domineering. He does not make allowances for the fact that his wife is young and inexperienced. He does not seem to understand that he is not doing her a great favor by making her his wife. In many ways, making her a lady is worse than allowing her to marry a kind, honest farmer. Even if she was up to the challenge of fitting into his world, she would not be accepted.
October 13, 2025
I found this rather a difficult book to read with a lot of dark subject matter but couldn't stop turning the pages! I loved the many characters but was so frustrated that the main couple didn't communicate their thoughts and feelings! It lead to so much heartache and disillusionment. Briony acts like a headstrong child who really doesn't appreciate being married and her new position in life. Then the trauma of childbirth and her sister-in-law's evil schemes just exacerbates the possible dissolution of her marriage. Thank goodness, though, that other circumstances finally unite the couple and Briony wakes up to realise what she has! A great book...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 8, 2022
I really like this story. The heroine goes through a lot of crap, which isn’t helped by the hero who does not understand her and wants to treat her like a precious ornament instead of a girl with a mind of her own. And his sister has some serious mental problems.But it all ties up neatly at the end. Read it a few years ago and decided to reread it again. Really like this author her books are gritty, but good and enjoyable.😉
August 30, 2026
Briny Marsden and her brother Danny has lived a hard life and forced to do the work of grown men until the day it came to blows. Danny has been transported away.Chad Cameron has come to their aid a few times and has fallen for her but uses trickery to win her.
What will happen when she realises this
What will happen when she realises this
April 9, 2022
Briony, her brother and mother live with a very brutal and abusive father. It’s a sad tale, told well and comes together nicely in the end.
June 7, 2013
Review taken from my Blog Post #100 in March 2011 - book borrowed from library.
This one was just plain lovely (not sometimes the story matter, but just the way the story is woven).
Briony Marden had led a brutal and hard life, forced to work in her Father's mill with manual labour required far greater than her physical body should have to endure and brutal beatings. Her Brother Danny, and her Mother were forced to endure the same, but it drew them together against the brutal Miller, Jethro Marsden.
He'd been stopped once before probably beating young Danny to death by the local landowner, but that didn't seem to stop him, although he was more careful from them on where he left his bruises. He also started to develop a disgusting desire for his own Daughter....which lead to Danny having to protect his family and Jethro Marsden dead.
After Danny was convicted of the crime of murdering their father, she was left with only one friend, Lizzie Jenkins, but was determined that she would take over the Mooreend Mill and make it profitable for Danny when he returns from 7 years in New South Wales.
The local landowner that had saved two years before has other ideas, and he offers her marriage. Reluctant at first to accept this offer she refuses, but is forced to think again when nobody apparently no customers are willing to accept a woman miller.
However, Briony finds out later that she was tricked in to Marriage by the handsome and wealthy Chad Cameron, and she is driven almost to the loss of her own mind ...... will she ever realise that what they have found together is true love?
A 5 Star read, highly enjoyable and certainly recommended.
This one was just plain lovely (not sometimes the story matter, but just the way the story is woven).
Briony Marden had led a brutal and hard life, forced to work in her Father's mill with manual labour required far greater than her physical body should have to endure and brutal beatings. Her Brother Danny, and her Mother were forced to endure the same, but it drew them together against the brutal Miller, Jethro Marsden.
He'd been stopped once before probably beating young Danny to death by the local landowner, but that didn't seem to stop him, although he was more careful from them on where he left his bruises. He also started to develop a disgusting desire for his own Daughter....which lead to Danny having to protect his family and Jethro Marsden dead.
After Danny was convicted of the crime of murdering their father, she was left with only one friend, Lizzie Jenkins, but was determined that she would take over the Mooreend Mill and make it profitable for Danny when he returns from 7 years in New South Wales.
The local landowner that had saved two years before has other ideas, and he offers her marriage. Reluctant at first to accept this offer she refuses, but is forced to think again when nobody apparently no customers are willing to accept a woman miller.
However, Briony finds out later that she was tricked in to Marriage by the handsome and wealthy Chad Cameron, and she is driven almost to the loss of her own mind ...... will she ever realise that what they have found together is true love?
A 5 Star read, highly enjoyable and certainly recommended.
July 17, 2007
This Book is very good and it delves into the lives of people in the old days and it tells a story of a young girl in Love, and the pressures and strains she faced beforehand
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews