Ginnie Come Lately

by Carola Dunn

Justin, Lord Amis, returns from Vienna to find his reclusive father has remarried and filled his home with a horde of stepchildren. Though the eldest, Ginnie, is damnably attractive, he finds himself at war with the interlopers.

It takes the whole family to teach him the perils of pride and prejudice and to show the way to true love.

Genres: Romance, Regency, Historical Romance, Fiction, Historical, Regency Romance, Historical Fiction

216 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Carola Dunn is the author of more than 30 Regency romances, as well as 16 mysteries (the Daisy Dalrymple mystery series is set in England in the 1920s). Ms. Dunn was born and grew up in England, where she got a B.A. in Russian and French from Manchester University. She travelled as far as Fiji before returning to settle in California. After 30 years in the US, she says she still sounds as if she arrived a month ago.

Prior to writing, Ms. Dunn’s various jobs included market research, child-care, construction--from foundation trenches to roofing--and writing definitions for a dictionary of science and technology. She wrote her first novel in 1979, a Regency which she sold to Warner Books.

Now living in Eugene, Oregon, Ms. Dunn has a son in California who has just made her a grandmother, and a large black dog named Willow who takes her for a walk by the Willamette River each morning. (www.belgravehouse.com)

Reviews

[Vintage · Rating 3 out of 5]

What could have been a charming four star comedy of manners is derailed by a one star Regency hero channeling a Harlequin HP H and a mean one at that.

The H is back from a two year diplomatic mission during the Napoleonic Wars meets his potential bride. One comment, ONE, from the lovely lady and he is off in a froth about the “slut” his poor grieving father has married. Apparently his father married a “widow” with nine children.

Once at the family estate he proceeds to make a complete and utter ass of himself using language no real Regency hero should use that sets him up for retribution by the tribe of kids that is worthy of a Disney movie from the 60s. The eldest daughter, our h, warns her siblings not to actually hurt the heir and then steps back. A scholarly boy, a devastating beauty, a sturdy outdoors type, an animal loving daughter, two twin hellions and a plot moppet that conspire to punish the man that made their mama cry and insulted the h do their worst.

The hero does a 180 once he gets to know the family, but the constant inner monologuing that proceeds it is beyond irritating and drags the story down. Before his turnaround he invites his wannabe fiancee and some atrociously snotty friends to put the heroine and her family in their place. Yeah, nice. What a gentleman. He does regret it though and his eyes are opened to how unpleasant his potential fiancé is.

The little tribe was charming and so well written that I wanted more of the future Classical scholar and the placid beauty who would slay in society, but instead we had just too much hero.

Perfect for readers that like Barbara Metzger.

[CatBookMom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Our Hero starts out as an unmitigated arrogant jerk - based on one comment from his long-time sweetheart that his father has "married a slut", he jumps FLIES to conclusions and assumptions, insults everyone in the new family, derides them for siphoning money from his father for new furnishings, etc.

Then one day, his valet points out that the furnishings are the same old ones, just cleaned and polished and mended. And then he realizes that the younger kids have no nurse, no governess; that the older ones have no maid, and that they sew all the clothes for NINE kids themselves. So maybe all those assumptions were wrong, eh? Oops!

Ginnie and the kids are charming, nearly earnest, Justin is, as above, a jerk; the speed of his turnaround is the least-believable part of the whole book. But of course there's HEA. 2.5 stars, rounded.

FWIW, I do like these Regency romances from Carola Dunn, and wish there were more of them. Some are favorites, worth re-reading, e.g. Lord Iverbrook's Heir or The Improper Governess

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just... no. I like a lot of Dunn's other writing, but in a romance the hero should be at least a little bit likable.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lord Amis is retiring from the Diplomatic Corps to return home to learn to run the estate and be a comfort to his widowed father. Justin also plans to formally propose to Lady Amabel Fellowes, the perfect mate for a future Earl. Before leaving London, Justin learns his father has remarried and been saddled with a parcel of shabby children! How dare some harlot take advantage of his father! She'll not get any of Justin's inheritance and he'll make sure she knows it. Upon arriving at the estate, he promptly makes a fool of himself and earns the enmity of his new step-siblings (ages 4-20). He can't help but realize just how beautiful his new step-sister Ginnie is. Ginnie is incensed than her new brother hates her family so much. It's one thing to be angry with her but to insult her lovely, kind mother who has done her best to support a large family is outside of enough. Ginnie and her younger siblings vow revenge on the high-in-the-instep Lord. If only his kisses were not so delicious.

BLEH! This is Carola Dunn's worst novel. The romance is squicky (DUDE! She's your SISTER!) and the hero is a pompous jerk. The children are beyond mischievous and fall into the naughty category. I did not enjoy most of the plot. The parts I did enjoy were when Justin got off his high horse and was kind to the children. Mostly though, this story is a dud. Technically this is a kisses-only Regency but there's more heat and some throbbing body parts than your average 90s Regency. I didn't like that especially considering Ginnie and Justin are now sister and brother even if they're not related by blood.

I liked sensible Ginnie except for when Justin was kissing her and she lost her head. Since Mr. Webster died 4 years ago Ginnie has been both mother and father to her 8 younger siblings and her mother. Ginnie's mother is a lovely wigeon and it falls on Ginnie to run the household, raise her siblings and manage finances. I liked the way Ginnie makes the best of her difficult situation but she does have a temper and it leads her to make a stupid decision that could have had dangerous consequences. I hated Justin for most of the book. He has his moments and I can see why Ginnie might fall in love with him in those moments, but I couldn't love him. He's rude, mean, nasty, has a hasty temper and plots revenge on the Websters just because he thinks they're beneath him. He acts first, asks questions later. He just can't how how lonely and depressed Lord Wooburn was after his wife died and how having a family again makes him happy.

Lord Wooburn is a dear, if a bit absent-minded. His bride seems to be simple-minded and I am shocked her husbands take advantage of her body. She has given birth to 9 children and I highly doubt she would have understood where they all came from and how to keep more of them from coming. Ginnie obviously is aware of what married couples do behind closed doors but as an unmarried woman, she isn't supposed to know or comment. Obviously Justin takes after his father in the lover department since Lord and Lady Wooburn seem to be enjoying themselves.

The children tick the boxes of Georgette Heyer's canon: managing female (Ginnie), lovely simple sister (Lydia), studious brother (Gilbert), outdoorsy brother (Colin), tomboy sister, prissy sister, mischievous boys and precious moppet. Here though they are not charming or cute. The only one I like is Judith because she minds her own business in the stables caring for injured animals. I liked Colin too but he only has one big scene. The twins needed a spanking and to be sent to school- a harsh school where boys are beaten if they misbehave because nothing gets through to these two. Ginnie is guilty of indulging their behavior but they're old enough to know better. Their pranks are mean and while Ginnie made them promise no one would get hurt, the pranks do hurt a bit and hurt people emotionally too. Gilbert will probably turn out all right but he's still a bit immature and encourages the pranks on Lord Amis.

Naturally, the tonnish characters are not so enjoyable with the exception of Justin's closest friend and his sister. Lady Amabel is NOT a demure, pleasing young lady. Justin should have seen warning bells when she rode out in her own high-perch phaeton. She stops short of actually being a villain and in a way, I feel sorry for her because Justin led her on for years and didn't "come up to scratch." She gossips because she doesn't have any other topic of conversation and it makes her seem important.

I'm reading more into the story than is in the text. The writing is standard but not up to Dunn's usual Regency romantic comedy fare. I would avoid this one if you like her more witty stories.

[Lynne Tull · Rating 2 out of 5]

You can certainly tell this book was written in 1993. The story was uncomplicated, the characters were uncomplicated. The conflict was resolved according to schedule with the minimum amount of angst. There was a smattering of physical courtship. All in all it was rather bland. I think I read it in three hours...a really quick read. It was what I call a "sweet story".

[Olga Godim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure I liked this novel. The hero’s rudeness level in the beginning was almost impossible to believe and definitely impossible to forgive, not without him doing some serious groveling. Which he never did. Presumably, he was raised a gentleman; he should’ve been unable to behave in such a boorish way. All his cultural conditioning should’ve prevented it. Besides, his transformation from hate to love was too abrupt, too convenient for the plot.
The heroine was more believable, and if it wasn’t for her “irresistible” attraction to the rude, insulting moron of a hero, I’d have liked her much better.
The vacuity level of the heroine’s mother and sister also made me wince. No one is that stupid or that ignorant.
But despite the above flaws, it was a quick and satisfying read. It made me smile and even chuckle occasionally, maybe because of all the pranks the heroine’s clever siblings perpetrated on the hero. He definitely deserved them all.

[☆Ruth☆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Carola Dunn is a good writer, her natural, flowing prose invites the reader into the story immediately; her characters are simple and effective, these are people you want to like. However, in some of her books she has a tendency to take a perfectly believable individual and make them behave in such a silly and irrational way that is not only irritating but can be quite off-putting! Still I do continue to get pleasure from her little romances and the weakness of her plots is largely compensated for by her other strengths.

[kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

The hero was to much of a jerk to be redeemable. In fact he seemed a little unhinged at times. Who would ever forgive someone who made their sweet lovable mother cry. Who would want to spend 5 minutes with this moron. Only the lonely. Enter our heroine. She seemed like a nice girl . She deserved better. Much better.

[Christin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not for me

The hero in this was too awful for me. Like obtuse to the point of idiocy and it made him a huge jerk. And the writing was a prime example of over explanation. Another review I read said this was Carolina Dunn’s worst work so I’m going to try another.

[Pauline Ross · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well. What to make of this? I’ve had good luck with Carola Dunn’s other books, and I’ve read quite a few, but this one just didn’t work for me, and it’s all the hero’s fault.

Here’s the premise: Justin, Lord Amis, heir to an earldom, has spent two years as a diplomat tootling round Europe in the train of various government officials in the aftermath of Waterloo and the outbreak of peace. He returns home, hoping to pick up the threads of his understanding with Lady Amabel Fellowes. Has she waited for him all this time? She has! But at their first meeting, she gives him some information that puts all thoughts of his own marriage out of his mind. His elderly father, who has been living as a recluse ever since his wife died, has remarried a widow with nine children. Justin must rush home to Wooburn Court to find out what is going on.

He’s only just reached the grounds of the ancestral home when he spies a woman with a group of children. Aha! His new stepmother and some of his step-siblings. He promptly falls off his horse (why? Is he such an incompetent rider?), and then proceeds to hurl abuse at the woman before riding off again. It’s worth quoting his exact words, and remembering that this is a viscount and a grown man, not a child, addressing the woman he believes is his new stepmother, whom he has never met before.

‘He looked her up and down in a shockingly insolent manner, from the shabby chip-straw bonnet hiding her golden ringlets to the half-boots of worn jean. Sneering, he said, “So you are the gull-catcher. Mutton dressed as lamb! You need not expect to profit by your chicanery, strumpet. By all the devils in hell, I’ll see you damned first!”’

This may work perfectly well for a villain, but a hero? No. There’s a very funny scene where the woman so addressed tries to account for the odd terminology used (“Why did he call you a trumpet, Ginnie?”). Of course, this is not stepmama at all, but the eldest of the children, who is 20, and definitely not a strumpet (and neither is her mother).

Then comes the scene which really set my teeth on edge. Justin comes down for dinner and finds Ginnie alone, and after a brief exchange of hostile fire, grabs her and kisses her. And she, stupid woman, instead of slapping his smug face, allows him to do it and then pretends nothing happened.

From here on, it’s outright war. Justin is determined to best the Webster children, and they set out with a will to make his life as miserable as possible. Hot water goes missing, starched cravats are discovered limp, there are nettles in the bed, burrs in his boots and a hedgehog amongst his clothes. Meanwhile, it gradually dawns on him that his father, who had been dwindling into a sad old age, is lively and besotted and terribly happy. And as he gets to know the Webster children better, he realises they’re actually fine people (apart from the mischievous twins). All his accusations against them, of spending his father’s money extravagantly, for instance, are completely untrue.

At this point, there might still have been a redemptive arc for him, if he’d simply admitted he was wrong and made his peace with them. But he never quite comes clean, he’s still behaving inappropriately with Ginnie, and he’s invited all his most toffee-nosed friends from London, including his intended, to a house party. The original idea was to put the Websters properly in their place, and if he’d simply confessed all to Ginnie (who runs the household single handed, because of course she does), I’d have liked him a lot better. But he lets things run, there’s confusion and some perfectly natural jealousy from Ginnie, and when his friends are rude about the Websters, just as he was initially, he says nothing, when really he should have said, “Yes, I thought that at first, too, but they’re really nice when you get to know them better”. Stupid Justin.

And then he makes his biggest and stupidest mistake. Having decided that he really doesn’t want to marry Lady Amabel, who is a cow of the first order, he gets hot and heavy with Ginnie but before breaking it off with Lady Amabel. Cue awkward scene.

I can imagine that this sounded really good in the synopsis the author presented to her publisher. Arrogant hero is a bumptious fool, but is taught a valuable lesson by the virtuous Ginnie and her charming (if amusingly mischievous) siblings. The trouble is, to justify the necessary hostility between the factions, Justin has to step way, way beyond the bounds even of common decency, let alone the standards of honour expected of a Regency gentleman. What kind of a man calls his father’s new wife a strumpet to her face? What kind of man forces a kiss on a girl under the protection of his father? What kind of man allows his friends to insult his family? What kind of a man tells a woman who’s waited years for him that he’s not going to marry her after all (even if she is a cow)? It’s appalling behaviour, and I just can’t forgive him.

Obviously, not everyone will see it that way, and if you can manage to read it without any pearl-clutching, you must have a stronger constitution than I do, certainly, but there’s a pleasant and even, dare I say it, a charming little story hidden away behind all the snarling. It’s short, anyway, and even if I dislike the hero intensely, I have no fault to find with the writing. Two stars.

[Keri Mac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carola Dunn does it again!

Another fabulous Regency romance from Carola Du;n. She waves her wonderful plots with such unique characters and her writing style is nothing short of divine.

[Amy S · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun little regency romance. The characters were entertaining and the many little scenes with the children were amusing. Lighthearted and sweet.
Violence, no sex, mild language

[L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick, fun read.

[Marie French · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, cute little romance.

A little predictable but clean and a nice book before bed

[HistoricalHussy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25

[Amy Devins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book, which didn’t waste time at any point. It was exciting, funny and the juxtaposition of Ginnie and Lady Amabel was well done. A great read.

[Sybil Mcguire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely if a bit traditionally "Hero is a jerk" and heroine likes him anyway.

Can I just say I know SO FEW relationships that are lasting or good that have this dynamic.

[Andi · Rating 3 out of 5]

An OK read, though not my favourite of Carola Dunn’s regency novels. The H initially behaves like a hotheaded, presumptuous jerk. While he improves over the course of the novel, I couldn’t reconcile his rash temper with the fact he had supposedly just come home after years as a successful diplomat.

While the H’s character wasn’t great, I was more annoyed by the h’s mother’s and sister’s depictions as pretty widgeons, or, more precisely, as complete idiots who fall into tears at the smallest unpleasantness. Not only is this trope overused, but you rarely see equivalent depictions of such utterly useless male ‘himbos’.

Moreover, we’re supposed to consider the h’s mother and the H’s father as loving if ineffectual parents, when they were inexcusably AWFUL parents. They were so completely absorbed in themselves and their newfound social lives that they demonstrated no concern for their offspring’s wellbeing. It bugged me.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have enjoyed all of Carola Dunn’s regency books I have read so far. They are a nice, quick, easy read and they have a Jane Austen feel to them. Each book is different enough from the others to feel fresh and her enjoyable writing style is consistent.

[Sylvia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Regency

[Kassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this on my kindle....really liked it...was a cute story...and liked this author's style...have put other of her books on hold.

[Terri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Am re-reading my old books, and mostly wondering why I kept them. This one's in that category.

[Kel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Would you actually marry your step-brother even if he was not a blood relation?

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.7

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was average. Mostly clean. I prob won't read it again.