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Love #6
Miss Fiona's Fancy
The seventh book in M.C. Beaton's charming Regency Flame series.
The Misses Penelope Yarwood, Euphemia Perkins, and Letitia Helmsdale all smugly informed her that the Marquess of Cleveden was at once the most eligible and the most elusive catch in the London marriage mart. Society's most dazzling beauties had failed to win him over yet, and a newcomer like Fiona didn't stand a ghost of a chance of having him look at her twice.
That was all that fiery-tempered Fiona needed to hear, and she bet - far more wealth than she possessed - that she would snare the maddeningly elusive marquess before the season's end.
Now Fiona faces the risk of losing a wager she could not repay - and more, the even greater danger of losing her heart.
Searching for lighter romances set in the English countryside? Look no farther than the Regency Flame Series, which features mistaken identities, botched marriages, witty heroines, and the courtship of prime Corinthians.
219 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 7, 1987
80 people are currently reading
226 people want to read
About the author
Marion Chesney
143 books756 followersMarion Chesney Gibbons
aka: Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Charlotte Ward, M.C. Beaton, Sarah Chester.
Marion Chesney was born on 1936 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK, and started her first job as a bookseller in charge of the fiction department in John Smith & Sons Ltd. While bookselling, by chance, she got an offer from the Scottish Daily Mail to review variety shows and quickly rose to be their theatre critic. She left Smith’s to join Scottish Field magazine as a secretary in the advertising department, without any shorthand or typing, but quickly got the job of fashion editor instead. She then moved to the Scottish Daily Express where she reported mostly on crime. This was followed by a move to Fleet Street to the Daily Express where she became chief woman reporter. After marrying Harry Scott Gibbons and having a son, Charles, Marion went to the United States where Harry had been offered the job of editor of the Oyster Bay Guardian. When that didn’t work out, they went to Virginia and Marion worked as a waitress in a greasy spoon on the Jefferson Davies in Alexandria while Harry washed the dishes. Both then got jobs on Rupert Murdoch’s new tabloid, The Star, and moved to New York.
Anxious to spend more time at home with her small son, Marion, urged by her husband, started to write historical romances in 1977. After she had written over 100 of them under her maiden name, Marion Chesney, and under the pseudonyms: Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Charlotte Ward, and Sarah Chester, she getting fed up with 1714 to 1910, she began to write detectives stories in 1985 under the pseudonym of M. C. Beaton. On a trip from the States to Sutherland on holiday, a course at a fishing school inspired the first Constable Hamish Macbeth story. They returned to Britain and bought a croft house and croft in Sutherland where Harry reared a flock of black sheep. But Charles was at school, in London so when he finished and both tired of the long commute to the north of Scotland, they moved to the Cotswolds where Agatha Raisin was created.
aka: Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Charlotte Ward, M.C. Beaton, Sarah Chester.
Marion Chesney was born on 1936 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK, and started her first job as a bookseller in charge of the fiction department in John Smith & Sons Ltd. While bookselling, by chance, she got an offer from the Scottish Daily Mail to review variety shows and quickly rose to be their theatre critic. She left Smith’s to join Scottish Field magazine as a secretary in the advertising department, without any shorthand or typing, but quickly got the job of fashion editor instead. She then moved to the Scottish Daily Express where she reported mostly on crime. This was followed by a move to Fleet Street to the Daily Express where she became chief woman reporter. After marrying Harry Scott Gibbons and having a son, Charles, Marion went to the United States where Harry had been offered the job of editor of the Oyster Bay Guardian. When that didn’t work out, they went to Virginia and Marion worked as a waitress in a greasy spoon on the Jefferson Davies in Alexandria while Harry washed the dishes. Both then got jobs on Rupert Murdoch’s new tabloid, The Star, and moved to New York.
Anxious to spend more time at home with her small son, Marion, urged by her husband, started to write historical romances in 1977. After she had written over 100 of them under her maiden name, Marion Chesney, and under the pseudonyms: Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Charlotte Ward, and Sarah Chester, she getting fed up with 1714 to 1910, she began to write detectives stories in 1985 under the pseudonym of M. C. Beaton. On a trip from the States to Sutherland on holiday, a course at a fishing school inspired the first Constable Hamish Macbeth story. They returned to Britain and bought a croft house and croft in Sutherland where Harry reared a flock of black sheep. But Charles was at school, in London so when he finished and both tired of the long commute to the north of Scotland, they moved to the Cotswolds where Agatha Raisin was created.
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June 24, 2018
The one great flaw in her personality was that she had inherited her father’s addiction to gambling.
Beaton, M. C.. Miss Fiona's Fancy (The Royal Ambition Series Book 3) (Kindle Locations 32-33). RosettaBooks. Kindle Edition.
Fiona, the heroine, drove me up the f*cking wall. Her gambling addiction, her TSTL moments ( which were many ) and her inability to solve her own problems like an adult were her main character flaws. Fiona's not a bad person but she and her parents were a bit intolerable at times. The heroine and parents belong to the Scottish gentry and they've come to London because her father wants to start practising Law in that town and also because they're looking for a rich husband for the heroine. This family is a bit mercenary because the heroine's father Edward is addicted to gambling and he gets himself into 15 000 pounds of gambling debt as soon as he arrives in London. He's also shameless because he thinks that a rich son in law will pay off these debts. Fiona gets herself into a shitty situation because she makes the dumbest bet with 3 wallflower debutante heiresses. The cocky heroine ( who is extremely beautiful ) bets these 3 wallflowers that she can get the most desirable bachelor ( the H, the Marquess of Cleveden ) to propose marriage to her. If she wins the bet then the 3 wallflowers will have to pay her 3000 pounds each. The inane heroine thinks this debt will solve her father's problems and she's even more selfish because she intends to break off the engagement with the H as soon as she collects her 9000 pounds.
Her father manages to have a lucky streak with his gambling and he is able to clear his own debts. The H finds out about Fiona's bet with the 3 wallflowers because Fiona's jealous, hatchet face cousin Lizzie tells him about it. The H is a wonderful guy ! He doesn't get angry with Fiona or even tell her that he's aware of her nasty little moneymaking scheme. He actually wants to marry this girl and hopes that she will eventually confess her sins to him:
I was kinda irritated at how besotted this guy was with a woman who was TSTL and a little bit selfish. There were also a couple of nasty villainous characters: hag faced cousin Lizzie and an old bitch called the Duchess of Gordonstoun. Lizzie was the bastard daughter of Fiona's uncle and her biological mother was the creepy old duchess. These 2 witches were jealous of Fiona's beauty and were enraged at the amount of attention that the heroine was getting from all the eligible men in the Ton. Lizzie was a conniving viperous dungheap posing as a female. She was so malicious that she encouraged the heroine's father to engage in gambling even after he had promised his family that he would stop. He ended up owing 50 000 pounds in gambling debt and the H was the one who had to fork out the money ! The H also kept giving loud hints to Fiona, telling her that she can trust him and hoping that she would be honest and confess about her bet. My impatience with Fiona continued to build after the MC's were married because she kept lying to him even when she fell in love with him. Some of the biggest blunders that Fiona and her parents made in the last part of the novel:
1. Fiona allowed the 3 wallflowers to blackmail her and helped to organize the elopement of one of them. She also went along with another wallflower's plans to cheat on her ( the wallflower ) husband; that lady was a newlywed who felt that her husband wasn't paying her enough attention so she wanted to use Fiona's house as a rendezvous location for her trysts with her dandy poet boyfriend.
2. Fiona's father got himself in more debt even after the H had paid his 50 000 gambling debt ! I felt the H was going to become a patsy who will spend the rest of his life pouring money down the drain because his wife's father was too selfish and unable to behave like a responsible adult.
3. Fiona kept putting herself in stupid situations that allowed ugly Lizzie to create trouble for her. The only positive thing that saved the novel was the fact that the H wasn't fooled by Lizzie. The H always knew that Lizzie was a jealous, spiteful hagbitch and Fiona's lucky that he was smarter and more trusting than the average hero in a romance novel.
4. Fiona also rescues a teenage thief called Polly. This turns out to be another disaster because Polly ends up being so addicted to stealing that she kept getting herself into trouble even though she has no reason to resort to theft anymore. At the very end of the story, Polly is arrested and the H ( as usual ) has to save her from being hanged.
I would've given this 4 stars if Lizzie had gotten some harsh punishment for everything she tried to do to Fiona and her family. Lizzie's hagwitch mother ( the old duchess ) provided such a huge dowry for the young villainess that an impoverished aristocrat married her. WTF kind of thing was that ? I hate when a villain is rewarded for bad behaviour; it was pointed out that Lizzie's husband was an old man but I still wanted her to suffer. The H even had to keep rescuing Fiona from her own stupidity and this continued until the very end. The H ends up being the only character that truly likable in this novel.
This is Fiona:
This is evil, nasty and jealous hagwitch cousin Lizzie:
Beaton, M. C.. Miss Fiona's Fancy (The Royal Ambition Series Book 3) (Kindle Locations 32-33). RosettaBooks. Kindle Edition.
Fiona, the heroine, drove me up the f*cking wall. Her gambling addiction, her TSTL moments ( which were many ) and her inability to solve her own problems like an adult were her main character flaws. Fiona's not a bad person but she and her parents were a bit intolerable at times. The heroine and parents belong to the Scottish gentry and they've come to London because her father wants to start practising Law in that town and also because they're looking for a rich husband for the heroine. This family is a bit mercenary because the heroine's father Edward is addicted to gambling and he gets himself into 15 000 pounds of gambling debt as soon as he arrives in London. He's also shameless because he thinks that a rich son in law will pay off these debts. Fiona gets herself into a shitty situation because she makes the dumbest bet with 3 wallflower debutante heiresses. The cocky heroine ( who is extremely beautiful ) bets these 3 wallflowers that she can get the most desirable bachelor ( the H, the Marquess of Cleveden ) to propose marriage to her. If she wins the bet then the 3 wallflowers will have to pay her 3000 pounds each. The inane heroine thinks this debt will solve her father's problems and she's even more selfish because she intends to break off the engagement with the H as soon as she collects her 9000 pounds.
Her father manages to have a lucky streak with his gambling and he is able to clear his own debts. The H finds out about Fiona's bet with the 3 wallflowers because Fiona's jealous, hatchet face cousin Lizzie tells him about it. The H is a wonderful guy ! He doesn't get angry with Fiona or even tell her that he's aware of her nasty little moneymaking scheme. He actually wants to marry this girl and hopes that she will eventually confess her sins to him:
I was kinda irritated at how besotted this guy was with a woman who was TSTL and a little bit selfish. There were also a couple of nasty villainous characters: hag faced cousin Lizzie and an old bitch called the Duchess of Gordonstoun. Lizzie was the bastard daughter of Fiona's uncle and her biological mother was the creepy old duchess. These 2 witches were jealous of Fiona's beauty and were enraged at the amount of attention that the heroine was getting from all the eligible men in the Ton. Lizzie was a conniving viperous dungheap posing as a female. She was so malicious that she encouraged the heroine's father to engage in gambling even after he had promised his family that he would stop. He ended up owing 50 000 pounds in gambling debt and the H was the one who had to fork out the money ! The H also kept giving loud hints to Fiona, telling her that she can trust him and hoping that she would be honest and confess about her bet. My impatience with Fiona continued to build after the MC's were married because she kept lying to him even when she fell in love with him. Some of the biggest blunders that Fiona and her parents made in the last part of the novel:
1. Fiona allowed the 3 wallflowers to blackmail her and helped to organize the elopement of one of them. She also went along with another wallflower's plans to cheat on her ( the wallflower ) husband; that lady was a newlywed who felt that her husband wasn't paying her enough attention so she wanted to use Fiona's house as a rendezvous location for her trysts with her dandy poet boyfriend.
2. Fiona's father got himself in more debt even after the H had paid his 50 000 gambling debt ! I felt the H was going to become a patsy who will spend the rest of his life pouring money down the drain because his wife's father was too selfish and unable to behave like a responsible adult.
3. Fiona kept putting herself in stupid situations that allowed ugly Lizzie to create trouble for her. The only positive thing that saved the novel was the fact that the H wasn't fooled by Lizzie. The H always knew that Lizzie was a jealous, spiteful hagbitch and Fiona's lucky that he was smarter and more trusting than the average hero in a romance novel.
4. Fiona also rescues a teenage thief called Polly. This turns out to be another disaster because Polly ends up being so addicted to stealing that she kept getting herself into trouble even though she has no reason to resort to theft anymore. At the very end of the story, Polly is arrested and the H ( as usual ) has to save her from being hanged.
I would've given this 4 stars if Lizzie had gotten some harsh punishment for everything she tried to do to Fiona and her family. Lizzie's hagwitch mother ( the old duchess ) provided such a huge dowry for the young villainess that an impoverished aristocrat married her. WTF kind of thing was that ? I hate when a villain is rewarded for bad behaviour; it was pointed out that Lizzie's husband was an old man but I still wanted her to suffer. The H even had to keep rescuing Fiona from her own stupidity and this continued until the very end. The H ends up being the only character that truly likable in this novel.
This is Fiona:
This is evil, nasty and jealous hagwitch cousin Lizzie:
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 1, 2024
Review from 8/2/23:
One of Marion Chesney's best Regency romantic comedies
Fiona Grant is the ravishingly beautiful, red-headed, 19-year-old, only child of an impoverished Scottish Laird and his wife. Her father is an inveterate gambler who has been saved from losing a lot of money while living in Scotland, because his friends, family and servants are all as poor as he is, and the betting in his Scottish neighborhood has consisted almost entirely of imaginary money. But when he takes his wife and daughter to London for Fiona to have a season and catch a rich husband, he gets caught up in gambling with real money with wealthy men and loses a fortune. His losses make it absolutely imperative that Fiona marry a wealthy man and pull her father out of the river tick.
Fiona has inherited a touch of gambling fever as well and, at her first ball of the season, makes an impulsive wager with three fellow debutantes, Penelope Yarwood, Euphemia Perkins, and Letitia Helmsdale. If she can win a proposal from a 37-year-old confirmed bachelor, the extremely wealthy Marquess of Cleveden, each of these ladies will owe her 3,000 pounds. But if she cannot secure his proposal, then Fiona will owe each of these young women 3,000 pounds, for a total of 9,000 pounds. Fiona is supremely confident that she will win, and she plans to use the money to pay off her father's debts herself. Once that is achieved, she won't have to get married at all and can go back to her beloved home in the Scottish Highlands. The four women put the bet in writing, and the wager becomes known as the titular, "Miss Fiona's Fancy."
At the time of making the wager, Fiona wrongly assumes that the Marquess is an old man who could be easily enthralled by her fresh, young charms. But when she meets the actual Marquess, she is stunned to find that he is in the prime of his life and is intimidatingly handsome and socially powerful. Why would such a sophisticated man want a provincial like her? Suddenly it seems as if she is in danger of not only failing to bail out her family, but of losing the bet and thereby punching a massively bigger hole in her family's already sinking financial boat.
I've read at least 35 or 40 historical novels by MC, and of those many novels, this is one of the best attempts MC has made at writing a full-blown romance where the romantic hero is on stage with the heroine more than her standard 25-30% of the book. MC plots tend to consist of a main plot that is a comedy of errors with the romance plot running a distant second. In contrast, this novel is a full-blown romantic comedy in which the romance is the main plot.
MC tends to write all of her historical novels from an omniscient point of view, in which she hops into the heads of many different characters, not just the main female protagonist. We have the pleasure in this book of spending a lot of time in the thoughts of the sexy Marquess. He is one of my all-time favorite MC heroes. He falls madly in love with Fiona soon after meeting her, long before Fiona falls for him. As a hero, he reminds me of Georgette Heyer's Duke of Avon in These Old Shades in that nobody can keep any secrets from him, most especially Fiona. He discovers her big secret, her bet that she will finagle him into proposing, very early on in their relationship. And much of the comedy of errors portion of this book involves the comic lengths that Fiona goes to in order to keep him from discovering her guilty secret that he already knows all about.
As is very much a recurring theme with MC, the main antagonists in this book are women. Though this time around, there is not a vindictive Other Woman, because this hero is not a rake, thank goodness, and there are no current or former mistresses in the picture. He doesn't get drunk, gamble heavily, or throw harlot-filled bacchanalian revels. In fact, he is a solid citizen who spends a lot of time in the House of Lords promoting laws that protect children and the poor, and he gives generously to many different charities that he personally oversees. His compassion carries over in his feelings for Fiona. He is very protective of her, and I love the way that, without her realizing it, he discreetly goes behind her back to help clean up the many disastrous messes in her life that are caused by her multiple antagonists.
Hilariously eccentric Scottish characters abound in this book, most importantly Fiona herself and her mother and father, as well as illegitimate members of the Grant clan and quirky family retainers. This book is very different in it's presentation of Scotland than the much darker and more depressing Highland Countess by MC. I particularly loved the egalitarian nature of the relationship of Fiona's family with their extremely outspoken Scottish servants. The scenes with Fiona's family's in-residence, Scottish bagpipe player, as perceived totally differently by the English Marquess and the Scottish characters, is one of the funnier parts of the book.
Though MC is never graphic in her descriptions of sex scenes, there are at least four different sex scenes in this book that are very emotionally intense and very tender on the part of the Marquess, making them some of the more enjoyable romance novel sex scenes I have ever read.
I experienced this novel as an audiobook, narrated by British voice talent, Charlotte Anne Dore. She does an excellent job with the Scottish accents in particular, and acts out all the parts convincingly, including male and female characters of all ages and social standing.
I rate this book as follows:
Heroine: 5 stars
Hero: 5 stars
Subcharacters: 5 stars
Romance plot: 5 stars
Comedy of errors plot: 4 stars
Audiobook narration: 4 stars
Writing: 4 stars
Overall: 5 stars
Reread 10/30/24: I've read this book at least four times now, and I continue to enjoy it greatly. By the way, all of the sex that occurs in this novel is after the FMC and MMC are married, and they do not consummate the marriage for many months. It is a marriage of convenience for Fiona but a marriage of love for the Marquess. He tells her on the day they are married he will not even kiss her unless it is her idea.
One of Marion Chesney's best Regency romantic comedies
Fiona Grant is the ravishingly beautiful, red-headed, 19-year-old, only child of an impoverished Scottish Laird and his wife. Her father is an inveterate gambler who has been saved from losing a lot of money while living in Scotland, because his friends, family and servants are all as poor as he is, and the betting in his Scottish neighborhood has consisted almost entirely of imaginary money. But when he takes his wife and daughter to London for Fiona to have a season and catch a rich husband, he gets caught up in gambling with real money with wealthy men and loses a fortune. His losses make it absolutely imperative that Fiona marry a wealthy man and pull her father out of the river tick.
Fiona has inherited a touch of gambling fever as well and, at her first ball of the season, makes an impulsive wager with three fellow debutantes, Penelope Yarwood, Euphemia Perkins, and Letitia Helmsdale. If she can win a proposal from a 37-year-old confirmed bachelor, the extremely wealthy Marquess of Cleveden, each of these ladies will owe her 3,000 pounds. But if she cannot secure his proposal, then Fiona will owe each of these young women 3,000 pounds, for a total of 9,000 pounds. Fiona is supremely confident that she will win, and she plans to use the money to pay off her father's debts herself. Once that is achieved, she won't have to get married at all and can go back to her beloved home in the Scottish Highlands. The four women put the bet in writing, and the wager becomes known as the titular, "Miss Fiona's Fancy."
At the time of making the wager, Fiona wrongly assumes that the Marquess is an old man who could be easily enthralled by her fresh, young charms. But when she meets the actual Marquess, she is stunned to find that he is in the prime of his life and is intimidatingly handsome and socially powerful. Why would such a sophisticated man want a provincial like her? Suddenly it seems as if she is in danger of not only failing to bail out her family, but of losing the bet and thereby punching a massively bigger hole in her family's already sinking financial boat.
I've read at least 35 or 40 historical novels by MC, and of those many novels, this is one of the best attempts MC has made at writing a full-blown romance where the romantic hero is on stage with the heroine more than her standard 25-30% of the book. MC plots tend to consist of a main plot that is a comedy of errors with the romance plot running a distant second. In contrast, this novel is a full-blown romantic comedy in which the romance is the main plot.
MC tends to write all of her historical novels from an omniscient point of view, in which she hops into the heads of many different characters, not just the main female protagonist. We have the pleasure in this book of spending a lot of time in the thoughts of the sexy Marquess. He is one of my all-time favorite MC heroes. He falls madly in love with Fiona soon after meeting her, long before Fiona falls for him. As a hero, he reminds me of Georgette Heyer's Duke of Avon in These Old Shades in that nobody can keep any secrets from him, most especially Fiona. He discovers her big secret, her bet that she will finagle him into proposing, very early on in their relationship. And much of the comedy of errors portion of this book involves the comic lengths that Fiona goes to in order to keep him from discovering her guilty secret that he already knows all about.
As is very much a recurring theme with MC, the main antagonists in this book are women. Though this time around, there is not a vindictive Other Woman, because this hero is not a rake, thank goodness, and there are no current or former mistresses in the picture. He doesn't get drunk, gamble heavily, or throw harlot-filled bacchanalian revels. In fact, he is a solid citizen who spends a lot of time in the House of Lords promoting laws that protect children and the poor, and he gives generously to many different charities that he personally oversees. His compassion carries over in his feelings for Fiona. He is very protective of her, and I love the way that, without her realizing it, he discreetly goes behind her back to help clean up the many disastrous messes in her life that are caused by her multiple antagonists.
Hilariously eccentric Scottish characters abound in this book, most importantly Fiona herself and her mother and father, as well as illegitimate members of the Grant clan and quirky family retainers. This book is very different in it's presentation of Scotland than the much darker and more depressing Highland Countess by MC. I particularly loved the egalitarian nature of the relationship of Fiona's family with their extremely outspoken Scottish servants. The scenes with Fiona's family's in-residence, Scottish bagpipe player, as perceived totally differently by the English Marquess and the Scottish characters, is one of the funnier parts of the book.
Though MC is never graphic in her descriptions of sex scenes, there are at least four different sex scenes in this book that are very emotionally intense and very tender on the part of the Marquess, making them some of the more enjoyable romance novel sex scenes I have ever read.
I experienced this novel as an audiobook, narrated by British voice talent, Charlotte Anne Dore. She does an excellent job with the Scottish accents in particular, and acts out all the parts convincingly, including male and female characters of all ages and social standing.
I rate this book as follows:
Heroine: 5 stars
Hero: 5 stars
Subcharacters: 5 stars
Romance plot: 5 stars
Comedy of errors plot: 4 stars
Audiobook narration: 4 stars
Writing: 4 stars
Overall: 5 stars
Reread 10/30/24: I've read this book at least four times now, and I continue to enjoy it greatly. By the way, all of the sex that occurs in this novel is after the FMC and MMC are married, and they do not consummate the marriage for many months. It is a marriage of convenience for Fiona but a marriage of love for the Marquess. He tells her on the day they are married he will not even kiss her unless it is her idea.
November 8, 2022
This novel by Marion Chesney had one weak point - it was too short. All shortcomings I could name had a root in this limitation. Many aspects would have been more enjoyable and interesting if it had been more place (more pages). Nonetheless, when I had accepted this fact I saw only the advantages, strong points.
--> A deep understanding of a gambling issue (of being addicted) --- Mr. Grant, Fiona
--> A glance at a Scotish soul --- Grants, their servants, Angus
--> The unjust life of illegitimate children --- Lizzie, but also Christine
--> The truth about poor, criminal, street children --- Polly
--> Some very interesting historical facts
--> It was also funny, at least there were a few funny situations.
This novel was something more than Regency romance. If you look at it as a romance you would be probably disappointed. There was a love story, I liked it, but without the other aspects, it would have been nothing special.
I have the feeling that Mrs. Chesney wanted to shake us (readers of Regency romances) a little. As if she wanted to tell us, that that period wasn't so (only) romantic as we want to believe. So, the characters were full of flaws, the world was unjust and poor people died etc.
It was 4 stars reading to me, but I want to add one star for all those background stories (levels).
--> A deep understanding of a gambling issue (of being addicted) --- Mr. Grant, Fiona
“Yes, Papa. Although I myself have resolved never to gamble again, I find it hard to keep to my resolution. Sometimes something seems like a lucky sign or omen.”
--> A glance at a Scotish soul --- Grants, their servants, Angus
--> The unjust life of illegitimate children --- Lizzie, but also Christine
“We illegitimate Grants are of the family, although not in the family. They like us as privileged servants, but the minute we want to marry another servant, they get hoity-toity and say we could do better."
--> The truth about poor, criminal, street children --- Polly
--> Some very interesting historical facts
The water supply from the Thames, and New River, was only turned on three times a week to the houses of London
--> It was also funny, at least there were a few funny situations.
This novel was something more than Regency romance. If you look at it as a romance you would be probably disappointed. There was a love story, I liked it, but without the other aspects, it would have been nothing special.
I have the feeling that Mrs. Chesney wanted to shake us (readers of Regency romances) a little. As if she wanted to tell us, that that period wasn't so (only) romantic as we want to believe. So, the characters were full of flaws, the world was unjust and poor people died etc.
It was 4 stars reading to me, but I want to add one star for all those background stories (levels).
January 27, 2020
One of Marion Chesney's best Regency romantic comedies
Fiona Grant is the ravishingly beautiful, red-headed, 19-year-old, only child of an impoverished Scottish Laird and his wife. Her father is an inveterate gambler who has been saved from losing a lot of money while living in Scotland, because his friends, family and servants are all as poor as he is, and the betting in his Scottish neighborhood has consisted almost entirely of imaginary money. But when he takes his wife and daughter to London for Fiona to have a season and catch a rich husband, he gets caught up in gambling with real money with wealthy men and loses a fortune. His losses make it absolutely imperative that Fiona marry a wealthy man and pull her father out of the river tick.
Fiona has inherited a touch of gambling fever as well and, at her first ball of the season, makes an impulsive wager with three fellow debutantes, Penelope Yarwood, Euphemia Perkins, and Letitia Helmsdale. If she can win a proposal from a 37-year-old confirmed bachelor, the extremely wealthy Marquess of Cleveden, each of these ladies will owe her 3,000 pounds. But if she cannot secure his proposal, then Fiona will owe each of these young women 3,000 pounds, for a total of 9,000 pounds. Fiona is supremely confident that she will win, and she plans to use the money to pay off her father's debts herself. Once that is achieved, she won't have to get married at all and can go back to her beloved home in the Scottish Highlands. The four women put the bet in writing, and the wager becomes known as the titular, "Miss Fiona's Fancy."
At the time of making the wager, Fiona wrongly assumes that the Marquess is an old man who could be easily enthralled by her fresh, young charms. But when she meets the actual Marquess, she is stunned to find that he is in the prime of his life and is intimidatingly handsome and socially powerful. Why would such a sophisticated man want a provincial like her? Suddenly it seems as if she is in danger of not only failing to bail out her family, but of losing the bet and thereby punching a massively bigger hole in her family's already sinking financial boat.
I've read at least 35 or 40 historical novels by MC, and of those many novels, this is one of the best attempts MC has made at writing a full-blown romance where the romantic hero is on stage with the heroine more than her standard 25-30% of the book. MC plots tend to consist of a main plot that is a comedy of errors with the romance plot running a distant second. In contrast, this novel is a full-blown romantic comedy in which the romance is the main plot.
MC tends to write all of her historical novels from an omniscient point of view, in which she hops into the heads of many different characters, not just the main female protagonist. We have the pleasure in this book of spending a lot of time in the thoughts of the sexy Marquess. He is one of my all-time favorite MC heroes. He falls madly in love with Fiona soon after meeting her, long before Fiona falls for him. As a hero, he reminds me of Georgette Heyer's Duke of Avon in These Old Shades in that nobody can keep any secrets from him, most especially Fiona. He discovers her big secret, her bet that she will finagle him into proposing, very early on in their relationship. And much of the comedy of errors portion of this book involves the comic lengths that Fiona goes to in order to keep him from discovering her guilty secret that he already knows all about.
As is very much a recurring theme with MC, the main antagonists in this book are women. Though this time around, there is not a vindictive Other Woman, because this hero is not a rake, thank goodness, and there are no current or former mistresses in the picture. He doesn't get drunk, gamble heavily, or throw harlot-filled bacchanalian revels. In fact, he is a solid citizen who spends a lot of time in the House of Lords promoting laws that protect children and the poor, and he gives generously to many different charities that he personally oversees. His compassion carries over in his feelings for Fiona. He is very protective of her, and I love the way that, without her realizing it, he discreetly goes behind her back to help clean up the many disastrous messes in her life that are caused by her multiple antagonists.
Hilariously eccentric Scottish characters abound in this book, most importantly Fiona herself and her mother and father, as well as illegitimate members of the Grant clan and quirky family retainers. This book is very different in it's presentation of Scotland than the much darker and more depressing Highland Countess by MC. I particularly loved the egalitarian nature of the relationship of Fiona's family with their extremely outspoken Scottish servants. The scenes with Fiona's family's in-residence, Scottish bagpipe player, as perceived totally differently by the English Marquess and the Scottish characters, is one of the funnier parts of the book.
Though MC is never graphic in her descriptions of sex scenes, there are at least four different sex scenes in this book that are very emotionally intense and very tender on the part of the Marquess, making them some of the more enjoyable romance novel sex scenes I have ever read.
I experienced this novel as an audiobook, narrated by British voice talent, Charlotte Anne Dore. She does an excellent job with the Scottish accents in particular, and acts out all the parts convincingly, including male and female characters of all ages and social standing.
I rate this book as follows:
Heroine: 5 stars
Hero: 5 stars
Subcharacters: 5 stars
Romance plot: 5 stars
Comedy of errors plot: 4 stars
Audiobook narration: 4 stars
Writing: 4 stars
Overall: 5 stars
Fiona Grant is the ravishingly beautiful, red-headed, 19-year-old, only child of an impoverished Scottish Laird and his wife. Her father is an inveterate gambler who has been saved from losing a lot of money while living in Scotland, because his friends, family and servants are all as poor as he is, and the betting in his Scottish neighborhood has consisted almost entirely of imaginary money. But when he takes his wife and daughter to London for Fiona to have a season and catch a rich husband, he gets caught up in gambling with real money with wealthy men and loses a fortune. His losses make it absolutely imperative that Fiona marry a wealthy man and pull her father out of the river tick.
Fiona has inherited a touch of gambling fever as well and, at her first ball of the season, makes an impulsive wager with three fellow debutantes, Penelope Yarwood, Euphemia Perkins, and Letitia Helmsdale. If she can win a proposal from a 37-year-old confirmed bachelor, the extremely wealthy Marquess of Cleveden, each of these ladies will owe her 3,000 pounds. But if she cannot secure his proposal, then Fiona will owe each of these young women 3,000 pounds, for a total of 9,000 pounds. Fiona is supremely confident that she will win, and she plans to use the money to pay off her father's debts herself. Once that is achieved, she won't have to get married at all and can go back to her beloved home in the Scottish Highlands. The four women put the bet in writing, and the wager becomes known as the titular, "Miss Fiona's Fancy."
At the time of making the wager, Fiona wrongly assumes that the Marquess is an old man who could be easily enthralled by her fresh, young charms. But when she meets the actual Marquess, she is stunned to find that he is in the prime of his life and is intimidatingly handsome and socially powerful. Why would such a sophisticated man want a provincial like her? Suddenly it seems as if she is in danger of not only failing to bail out her family, but of losing the bet and thereby punching a massively bigger hole in her family's already sinking financial boat.
I've read at least 35 or 40 historical novels by MC, and of those many novels, this is one of the best attempts MC has made at writing a full-blown romance where the romantic hero is on stage with the heroine more than her standard 25-30% of the book. MC plots tend to consist of a main plot that is a comedy of errors with the romance plot running a distant second. In contrast, this novel is a full-blown romantic comedy in which the romance is the main plot.
MC tends to write all of her historical novels from an omniscient point of view, in which she hops into the heads of many different characters, not just the main female protagonist. We have the pleasure in this book of spending a lot of time in the thoughts of the sexy Marquess. He is one of my all-time favorite MC heroes. He falls madly in love with Fiona soon after meeting her, long before Fiona falls for him. As a hero, he reminds me of Georgette Heyer's Duke of Avon in These Old Shades in that nobody can keep any secrets from him, most especially Fiona. He discovers her big secret, her bet that she will finagle him into proposing, very early on in their relationship. And much of the comedy of errors portion of this book involves the comic lengths that Fiona goes to in order to keep him from discovering her guilty secret that he already knows all about.
As is very much a recurring theme with MC, the main antagonists in this book are women. Though this time around, there is not a vindictive Other Woman, because this hero is not a rake, thank goodness, and there are no current or former mistresses in the picture. He doesn't get drunk, gamble heavily, or throw harlot-filled bacchanalian revels. In fact, he is a solid citizen who spends a lot of time in the House of Lords promoting laws that protect children and the poor, and he gives generously to many different charities that he personally oversees. His compassion carries over in his feelings for Fiona. He is very protective of her, and I love the way that, without her realizing it, he discreetly goes behind her back to help clean up the many disastrous messes in her life that are caused by her multiple antagonists.
Hilariously eccentric Scottish characters abound in this book, most importantly Fiona herself and her mother and father, as well as illegitimate members of the Grant clan and quirky family retainers. This book is very different in it's presentation of Scotland than the much darker and more depressing Highland Countess by MC. I particularly loved the egalitarian nature of the relationship of Fiona's family with their extremely outspoken Scottish servants. The scenes with Fiona's family's in-residence, Scottish bagpipe player, as perceived totally differently by the English Marquess and the Scottish characters, is one of the funnier parts of the book.
Though MC is never graphic in her descriptions of sex scenes, there are at least four different sex scenes in this book that are very emotionally intense and very tender on the part of the Marquess, making them some of the more enjoyable romance novel sex scenes I have ever read.
I experienced this novel as an audiobook, narrated by British voice talent, Charlotte Anne Dore. She does an excellent job with the Scottish accents in particular, and acts out all the parts convincingly, including male and female characters of all ages and social standing.
I rate this book as follows:
Heroine: 5 stars
Hero: 5 stars
Subcharacters: 5 stars
Romance plot: 5 stars
Comedy of errors plot: 4 stars
Audiobook narration: 4 stars
Writing: 4 stars
Overall: 5 stars
August 3, 2019
It feels as if I didn't read the same book as the other reviewers as this book has such high prior ratings. Sadly, I don't think I've read a book this shit in a long, long while...it is one big WTF.
Fiona's most characteristic personality traits are her pathological addiction to gambling and her penchant for lying. Sounds like an endearing heroine doesn't it?
Gambling runs in the Grant bloodlines and her unlucky but addicted father is always getting his hands into trouble. Her family leave Scotland for England so she can have a season and marry a rich man to be her father's get-out-of-debtors-jail card. She herself makes a monstrously large bet to some new friends that she can get the rich and elusive bachelor, the Marquis of Cleveden to propose to her. Meanwhile her father has gambled away house and land accruing massive debts thus forcing her to accept when said Marquis does end up proposing. He has already found out about the bet but he is 'amused' with her we're told. They marry and with very little interactions, Charles goes from amused to deeply in love in the space of a few pages of nothingness. Fiona doesn't love him but seems to like the kissy kissy. Huh? Anyway, feeling homesick, she then leaves for Scotland for 3 months and somewhere in that time and nearing her departure back to England gets struck with the lightning bolt of luurve and decides she's madly in love with her husband. WHAT. THE. FUCK. She gets back and they jump into each other's pants. All the time. (This is a traditional recency though, so it's not explicit).
Meanwhile she's spinelessly still debating about confessing the bet to hubby who's patiently waiting for it. Oh conscience, how easy you are overridden.
Other stuff happens like pissweak blackmail and conniving cousins but the story is written so hackneyed that you just don't care. These people are cardboard cutouts and some characters literally don't even have a point for being there.
The writing jumps all over the place where from one paragraph they may be talking to one person and the next is three days later, talking to someone else about something completely different without any lead in. It did my head in.
This is a short book and expensive as an ebook for its length and sure as hell for the waste of money that is this drivel. I've heard great things about Marion Chesney/M.C Beaton but I find it hard to find the urge to cough up dollars to give her another try.
Rating: One pointless, stolen handkerchief.
Rereadability: it's getting deleted.
Fiona's most characteristic personality traits are her pathological addiction to gambling and her penchant for lying. Sounds like an endearing heroine doesn't it?
Gambling runs in the Grant bloodlines and her unlucky but addicted father is always getting his hands into trouble. Her family leave Scotland for England so she can have a season and marry a rich man to be her father's get-out-of-debtors-jail card. She herself makes a monstrously large bet to some new friends that she can get the rich and elusive bachelor, the Marquis of Cleveden to propose to her. Meanwhile her father has gambled away house and land accruing massive debts thus forcing her to accept when said Marquis does end up proposing. He has already found out about the bet but he is 'amused' with her we're told. They marry and with very little interactions, Charles goes from amused to deeply in love in the space of a few pages of nothingness. Fiona doesn't love him but seems to like the kissy kissy. Huh? Anyway, feeling homesick, she then leaves for Scotland for 3 months and somewhere in that time and nearing her departure back to England gets struck with the lightning bolt of luurve and decides she's madly in love with her husband. WHAT. THE. FUCK. She gets back and they jump into each other's pants. All the time. (This is a traditional recency though, so it's not explicit).
Meanwhile she's spinelessly still debating about confessing the bet to hubby who's patiently waiting for it. Oh conscience, how easy you are overridden.
Other stuff happens like pissweak blackmail and conniving cousins but the story is written so hackneyed that you just don't care. These people are cardboard cutouts and some characters literally don't even have a point for being there.
The writing jumps all over the place where from one paragraph they may be talking to one person and the next is three days later, talking to someone else about something completely different without any lead in. It did my head in.
This is a short book and expensive as an ebook for its length and sure as hell for the waste of money that is this drivel. I've heard great things about Marion Chesney/M.C Beaton but I find it hard to find the urge to cough up dollars to give her another try.
Rating: One pointless, stolen handkerchief.
Rereadability: it's getting deleted.
September 6, 2019
Another great story. Miss Fiona makes a bet that she will marry the Marquess of Cleveden by the end of the season. She wagers with three women. He does like her spunk and not being like the other women. The first ball of the season they dance a waltz. She knows the man with the yellow eyes she saw him the night before at the Opera. They shared glances which gets Fiona in trouble. All Fiona wants is to get the Marquess of Cleveden to ask her hand in marriage and then she will dump him before it happens. Will she marry this most eligible bachelor or will she lose the bet. You will need to read this story to find out. It is well worth the read if you like stories like this.
July 14, 2022
Doesn't follow the romance plot structure, which made it feel more realistic in a rambly, Scottish way. I was angry about the patriarchal follies that women pay for - gambling and philandering, debts and by-blows. But their honest depiction is a good thing. The worst thing about this book is the conniving villains. The best is the Marquess. What a hero! What a love!
October 9, 2023
Just another of these trash books that I download when I want something very basic to listen to - not a fan of the huge age gap but I did enjoy the actual interactions between the couple since it gave me Georgette Heyer vibes
November 19, 2018
Plucky Heroine
Hoydenish Scottish lass rattles staid debutant marriage mart in London until fortune intervenes in the form of a yellow-eyed Brit.
Such fun!
Hoydenish Scottish lass rattles staid debutant marriage mart in London until fortune intervenes in the form of a yellow-eyed Brit.
Such fun!
January 26, 2020
Great Book
A lovely break from the heroine being kidnapped or the.misunderstanding that separates the loving couple for too long. This story is different and very amusing.
A lovely break from the heroine being kidnapped or the.misunderstanding that separates the loving couple for too long. This story is different and very amusing.
May 30, 2020
Cute romance.
Content:
Sexual: mild - not overly descriptive but enough that I wouldn't consider it 100% clean. Characters are married.
Language: None
Content:
Sexual: mild - not overly descriptive but enough that I wouldn't consider it 100% clean. Characters are married.
Language: None
December 18, 2021
A Scottish family's casual ways clash with strict London society, but the Marquess delights in Fiona's outlandish behavior and helps her triumph over the machinations of her social foes. Quite fun
January 25, 2023
Hard to imagine hazel eyes that are almost yellow.
March 21, 2023
Fiona is Scottish. She goes to London intent on making a good match. She makes a bet with 3 other Debs that she can get the H to propose. Father is a gambler. Mother passive.
June 10, 2023
Cute story but very poor narration on audible. The voices were so grating
April 2, 2024
Super
November 25, 2025
problematic but fun - that's this author
December 11, 2025
I didn't like the heroine making bets on the hero.
January 16, 2026
A dnf. Totally unlikable, character's and beyond stupid story.
February 7, 2014
Miss Fiona Grant is the daughter of a Scottish nobleman with a passion for gambling. She has lived her entire life in the Highlands of Scotland until her 19th birthday. Fiona's Papa decides to repair the family fortunes by coming to London and studying for the English bar and if that doesn't work, marry Fiona off to the wealthiest gentleman she takes a fancy to. Fiona learns that the Marquess of Clevenden is the most eligible bachelor of the ton, even if he is a trifle old at 37, and he is determined not to marry. Gambling fever runs through Fiona's veins and rears its' ugly head when she learns of the Marquess and Fiona bets three young ladies 3,000 pounds each that she can make the Marquess propose to her! The Marquess seems to fall for the bait but Fiona's illegitimate cousin Lizzie is determined to ruin the game. The Marquess goes along with the game and finds himself enchanted by Fiona and falling in love. However, he has to make Fiona love him, something he never dreamed he'd have to do! The Marquess teaches Fiona about growing up and falling in love, but the three silly friends and one determined cousin may ruin everything. The plot was silly and not all that interesting. There were some fairly steamy love scenes that seemed out of place and didn't add to the story. This was not one of Chesney's best novels.
February 13, 2017
Not the best
I like these short novels but this was not the best. The characters were not the most likable and I didn't enjoy the ending
I like these short novels but this was not the best. The characters were not the most likable and I didn't enjoy the ending
September 16, 2016
Miss Fiona was raised in Scotland in a highland home filled with peat fires, Gaelic speaking servants, and poor relatives. her father is a degenerate gambler and Fiona has inherited his penchant for wagering. When they head to London for her father to read British Law to shore up the family coffers; he instead haunts Gentleman's clubs and gambles away their funds.
Miss Fiona is being launched into society by a family friend with the companionship of her uncles illegitimate daughter, Lizzy. In Scotland, byblows were often turned into servants by the family (according to this book) and Lizzy is full of resentment and anger.
When Fiona wagers she can become engaged to an older (37) Marquess of Cleveden by the end of the season. Her plan seems to be working when her father gambles away the family lands and she has to go through with the wedding.
But the girls she wagered with begin to blackmail her to help them and she's afraid to tell her husband about the wager. I had a hard time with that plot point, what could he do ... nothing really. he had married her fair & square and accepted her father's debts.
Miss Fiona is being launched into society by a family friend with the companionship of her uncles illegitimate daughter, Lizzy. In Scotland, byblows were often turned into servants by the family (according to this book) and Lizzy is full of resentment and anger.
When Fiona wagers she can become engaged to an older (37) Marquess of Cleveden by the end of the season. Her plan seems to be working when her father gambles away the family lands and she has to go through with the wedding.
But the girls she wagered with begin to blackmail her to help them and she's afraid to tell her husband about the wager. I had a hard time with that plot point, what could he do ... nothing really. he had married her fair & square and accepted her father's debts.
September 2, 2015
I very much enjoyed "Miss Fiona's Fancy"!
I loved the characters: Fiona Grant and the Marquess of Cleveden, Christine, and Harry Gore, even Hamish and Angus. Others were quite despicable but served to fill out the story as intended.
The theme appears to be the ruin brought about by gambling. Fiona's father is ruined by gambling losses, and now Fiona must marry a wealthy man to save them. She foolishly makes a large wager with three friends that she can get Cleveden to propose before the end of the season. Her friends are confident of winning as Cleveden is a confirmed bachelor who has never had his head turned.
The story is a delightful tale of a marriage of convenience becoming a union of love and passion. That is, if Fiona can keep Cleveden from learning about that wager.
I loved the characters: Fiona Grant and the Marquess of Cleveden, Christine, and Harry Gore, even Hamish and Angus. Others were quite despicable but served to fill out the story as intended.
The theme appears to be the ruin brought about by gambling. Fiona's father is ruined by gambling losses, and now Fiona must marry a wealthy man to save them. She foolishly makes a large wager with three friends that she can get Cleveden to propose before the end of the season. Her friends are confident of winning as Cleveden is a confirmed bachelor who has never had his head turned.
The story is a delightful tale of a marriage of convenience becoming a union of love and passion. That is, if Fiona can keep Cleveden from learning about that wager.
May 3, 2016
I think the other reviews of this book harsh. I find it refreshing to have a heroine who's not perfect. Yes, the characters are a tad under underdeveloped but they're not horribly underdeveloped. I think people forget that this is a romance novel. It's not supposed to be a classical work of literature. It's supposed to be something fun to read and amusing and this book hits both of those aspects.
This book doesn't get 5 stars because there was sex in the book. And I rather enjoyed the other books the author had done without sex. I think that sex in a romance novel begins to border it on erotica and takes away from the true romance. I think sex in a romance novel takes away from the development of the story, and the author uses it as a weak crutch to show "love".
This book doesn't get 5 stars because there was sex in the book. And I rather enjoyed the other books the author had done without sex. I think that sex in a romance novel begins to border it on erotica and takes away from the true romance. I think sex in a romance novel takes away from the development of the story, and the author uses it as a weak crutch to show "love".
September 25, 2010
Beautiful story. Much more beautiful than some stories that are written today.
The characters are really well defined. I really like the male protagonist. Adult, determined, stubborn, does not yield a step to end all grants.
The female protagonist, is pleasant and very different from some of those that are hatched in the novels of this period. I really liked. Both.
The characters are really well defined. I really like the male protagonist. Adult, determined, stubborn, does not yield a step to end all grants.
The female protagonist, is pleasant and very different from some of those that are hatched in the novels of this period. I really liked. Both.
February 10, 2016
Hilarious!
I don't know which of these books (The Royal Ambition Series) I like best but this one kept a smile on my face. A wager made in haste without enough money to cover it, a rollicking miss named Fiona, a bad tempered Marquee , a jealous illegitimate cousin and a lot of gambling make for a funny romance. I'd certainly recommend this book.
I don't know which of these books (The Royal Ambition Series) I like best but this one kept a smile on my face. A wager made in haste without enough money to cover it, a rollicking miss named Fiona, a bad tempered Marquee , a jealous illegitimate cousin and a lot of gambling make for a funny romance. I'd certainly recommend this book.
March 22, 2019
Marion Chesney [MC Beaton] has been a favourite of mine for escapist reading. I have lately gone off, even though all the kindle books did their job for bedtime reading.
And the majority of her books have been on audio from the library, which again, I enjoyed when going through the first fifteen years of audiobook listening.
And the majority of her books have been on audio from the library, which again, I enjoyed when going through the first fifteen years of audiobook listening.
August 19, 2021
Beaton’s Miss Fiona’s Fancy does not live up to her other romances with well developed plots and characters. The plot was contrived and illogical and the Marquess, our hero, was kind of creepy. While he was in his 30s, he lusted after a teen. “He remembered the fresh, young feel of her lips against his own and his heartbeats quickened.” Yeah, sure it was his heart that quickened.
September 8, 2007
Enjoyable Regency featuring a Scottish debutante on her way to London to snag a rich husband. I like Marion Chesney, but this book was nothing really extraordinary. A fun read, it took me about an hour.
November 5, 2016
I know, I know, lame and sweet, but what can I say? I have a sweet spot for these silly romances and especially enjoy that I can listen to the audio versions without fear of hear TMI about the bedroom scenes, just enough and not too much to make it gag-worthy! Haha.
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