Jessica Windom

by Marnie Elingson

Once it had seemed her sorrows would never end. Then she found independence - as governess of Harewood Hall. Blessed with neither name nor money, Miss Jessica Windom had, nonetheless, a wealth of spirit, wit and erudition that she was determined to bequeath to her two charges. But nothing had prepared her for the attentions of Lord Robert, Viscount Markham, Lady Harewood's charming, all-too-eligible brother. And the devil himself couldn'thave guessed the startling new identity that awaited her as "The Original", the most desirable new face in the ton! First an orphan, then a servant girl, now she was an heiress with the world at her feet - waiting for the only man she had ever loved to pay her court

Genres: Historical Romance

252 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1980

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.85 stars - mild pg13 (secular “clean” traditional regency -- see below)

I wasn’t quite sure what I thought about this book when I first started reading, I wondered if it was, maybe, the authors first book. It’s been several years since I read, and loved, four other books by this author, so I was wondering if perhaps my taste had changed. This one seemed a bit different or odd compared to all the books I’ve been reading recently. I wasn’t sure I even liked the Hero and heroine in the beginning. But then I realized that I had read the book straight through in two evenings (something I rarely do!). Without even realizing it, I had come to enjoy the story of Lord Markham and the plain-spoken Jessica, as well as all the secondary characters. Somehow, I had come to see the story as more refreshing than odd. I like the authors writing style, and I appreciate the lack of excessive melodrama or big misunderstandings! (My favorite books by Marnie Ellingson are The Wicked Marquis and The Mistress of Langfort Court.)

(I felt this particular book was somewhat cleaner than the usual secular “clean” traditional regency. Typically, you get some degree of mild profanity and bad language, possible mention of mistresses, gambling, drinking, etc. If I made correct notations, this book had only one (or two?) instances of God’s name being taken in vain; something like “Good God, Mama!”. I only noted two (or three?) instances of the expletive “damn” being used. There was a brief mention of the infidelity/affair of a secondary character.)

[Mary]

Finally found a blurb so note to self: Once it had seemed her sorrows would never end. Then she found independence - as governess of Harewood Hall. Blessed with neither name nor money, Miss Jessica Windom had, nonetheless, a wealth of spirit, wit and erudition that she was determined to bequeath to her two charges. But nothing had prepared her for the attentions of Lord Robert, Viscount Markham, Lady Harewood's charming, all-too-eligible brother. And the devil himself couldn'thave guessed the startling new identity that awaited her as "The Original", the most desirable new face in the ton! First an orphan, then a servant girl, now she was an heiress with the world at her feet - waiting for the only man she had ever loved to pay her court!

[Catsalive · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*
A really sweet, early Regency romance. I enjoyed Jessica's story. She's an intelligent, sensible young woman, forthright & brave. Markham is an excellent, likeable hero, too. They both had foolish moments but no ridiculous misunderstandings. Nice!