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The Unlikely Angel: A Novel
With her soft heart and angelic face, Madeline Duncan is no one's idea of a hardheaded businessman. So when the lovely spinster comes into am unexpected
inheritance and uses her newfound wealth to start a business, she causes quite a stir...especially with Lord Cole Mandeville, who has been appointed by the courts to keep Madeline from frittering away her fortune. Handsome, worldly, and arrogant, Cole knows just how ruthless the world can be--and that an
innocent like Miss Duncan is heading straight for heartbreak, bankruptcy, or worse. But when he sets out to show Madeline the error of her ways, Cole is in
for the surprise of his life...as he finds himself falling under the spell of a woman who won't believe the worst about anyone...even a jaded rogue like him.
inheritance and uses her newfound wealth to start a business, she causes quite a stir...especially with Lord Cole Mandeville, who has been appointed by the courts to keep Madeline from frittering away her fortune. Handsome, worldly, and arrogant, Cole knows just how ruthless the world can be--and that an
innocent like Miss Duncan is heading straight for heartbreak, bankruptcy, or worse. But when he sets out to show Madeline the error of her ways, Cole is in
for the surprise of his life...as he finds himself falling under the spell of a woman who won't believe the worst about anyone...even a jaded rogue like him.
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
14 people are currently reading
208 people want to read
About the author
Betina Krahn
60 books312 followersKrahn, born Betina Maynard, is the second daughter of Dors Maynard and Regina Triplett. Krahn learned to read at the age of four, and began making up her own stories when she was only six. In fifth grade she won a silver "Noble Order of Bookworms" pin for her achievements in reading, and the following year she began writing down her stories.
Krane was graduated from high school in Newark, Ohio and received a B.S. in Education (Biological Sciences) at Ohio State University. After college, Krahn taught science in Newark, and studied for a graduate degree at Ohio State in the summers. It was during those summers that she met her future husband, physics graduate student Donald Krahn.
The family moved to Oklahoma, where Krahn finished the work for her Masters of Education in Counseling in 1973. In 1974, she gave birth to her first child, Nathan, with the second son Zebulun arriving in 1978. With two young children, Krahn became a stay-at-home mother for a time, also finding time to volunteer on a community board working to get funding for mental health care in part of Western Oklahoma. Once the funding was secured, Krahn worked as an HR director for a mental health center.
Krane was graduated from high school in Newark, Ohio and received a B.S. in Education (Biological Sciences) at Ohio State University. After college, Krahn taught science in Newark, and studied for a graduate degree at Ohio State in the summers. It was during those summers that she met her future husband, physics graduate student Donald Krahn.
The family moved to Oklahoma, where Krahn finished the work for her Masters of Education in Counseling in 1973. In 1974, she gave birth to her first child, Nathan, with the second son Zebulun arriving in 1978. With two young children, Krahn became a stay-at-home mother for a time, also finding time to volunteer on a community board working to get funding for mental health care in part of Western Oklahoma. Once the funding was secured, Krahn worked as an HR director for a mental health center.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 24, 2018
5++++ stars. I loved this book, I love Madeline, I love Cole, I love how realistic Betina Krahn made the struggle of balancing idealism with reality. Part of the reason I love HRs is learning about different time periods, and the clothing reform movement of the late Victorian Era is definitely not something I’d read about before. Honestly, even the extended Chancery Court scenes are unique enough—it may be mentioned in a lot of HRs but I’ve never read an actual scene set there. And then on top of all that, you get a wonderful enemies-to-lovers story, too?
I can’t recommend this highly enough.
I can’t recommend this highly enough.
February 5, 2013
Ugh - this one was just so....painful to read. I liked the idea of this book - woman comes into an inheritance and wants to use it to liberate women from wearing corsets. Man is appointed by courts to "protect her from herself" because obviously women don't have business sense. It had such potential to be funny. But wasn't. I really had to slug my way through this one.
July 17, 2020
A strong heroine raised by a stronger aunt dedicated to making the world a better place, Madeline Duncan inherits a great fortune. She undertakes an enormous enterprise of bringing a dead town back to life, giving those living on the edge a chance to find work while providing them housing, food, and salaries. The objective: Reform clothing, philanthropy. The characters: a handsome cynic, a Chancery Judge who should have his own book, the trustees of the estate who are against Madeline having a say in her inheritance. Such are the edges that surround the central thesis of what would you do if you had a million pounds? There have been sufficient reviews that describe the trials and tribulations of Mad Madeline Duncan and Cold Cole Mandeville. I need not repeat the particulars. Betina Krahn has a deft hand at weaving a compelling story with a hero/heroine or heroine/hero. This is third of her titles that I have read and each was eminently satisfying. I liked the bachelor slightly more than this. As all had substantive plots and quite substantial character development, can recommend any of her titles for the purpose of why we read regency romances especially now with a president unable to provide adequate or any leadership in the midst of a global pandemic for which the USA is now the worst offender. Thank all these authors for giving us a few hours of escape. Though I did not anticipate staying up till 6am to finish this story, it was a balance to the President' niece's book which revealed how empty and corrupt our current administration is--beyond even belief of those that knew.
August 22, 2018
Direi che questo Introvabile fa sentire tutti i suoi VENTI anni di vita.
Lo stile è rimasto piuttosto datato, con un ritmo che si perde e s'infanga in decine e decine di descrizioni, riflessioni e lungaggini varie.
Si procede lenti e mesti e - son sincera - senza alcuna curiosità per il finale.
Madeline sembrava una ragazza sveglia ma è la solita idealista che pensa di compensare l'inesperienza (e la mancanza di un minimo di furbizia standard) con il nobile scopo e la bontà verso il prossimo.
Il cinico che dovrebbe risvegliarla le cade ai piedi come un pero sfatto dopo appena due incontri.
Manca del tutto l'amore.
Le scenette che dovrebbero far ridere risultano insipide.
Alla fine, il mesaggio che ne ho tratto è il seguente: non affidate i soldi a gente che non è in grado di gestirli (e questo prescinde dall'essere donne) e a chi crede di poter guidare gli altri perchè "sa" e "vede le ingiustizie", però è il primo a procedere come una persona miope e incapace, oltretutto, di ammettere di sbagliare come i comuni mortali.
Il successo arriva soltanto per un colpo di fortuna (almeno qui).
Nel complesso: retorico e noiosetto.
Lo stile è rimasto piuttosto datato, con un ritmo che si perde e s'infanga in decine e decine di descrizioni, riflessioni e lungaggini varie.
Si procede lenti e mesti e - son sincera - senza alcuna curiosità per il finale.
Madeline sembrava una ragazza sveglia ma è la solita idealista che pensa di compensare l'inesperienza (e la mancanza di un minimo di furbizia standard) con il nobile scopo e la bontà verso il prossimo.
Il cinico che dovrebbe risvegliarla le cade ai piedi come un pero sfatto dopo appena due incontri.
Manca del tutto l'amore.
Le scenette che dovrebbero far ridere risultano insipide.
Alla fine, il mesaggio che ne ho tratto è il seguente: non affidate i soldi a gente che non è in grado di gestirli (e questo prescinde dall'essere donne) e a chi crede di poter guidare gli altri perchè "sa" e "vede le ingiustizie", però è il primo a procedere come una persona miope e incapace, oltretutto, di ammettere di sbagliare come i comuni mortali.
Il successo arriva soltanto per un colpo di fortuna (almeno qui).
Nel complesso: retorico e noiosetto.
August 28, 2018
(Teresa Siciliano): Abbasso il corsetto! * * * *
Non mi ero mai chiesta come la moda europea fosse passata dalle crinoline dell’imperatrice Eugenia all’abbigliamento leggero del primo Novecento. La Krahn ce lo racconta in modo molto più approfondito di quanto non mi aspettassi sulla base della sinossi. È stata una battaglia sfiancante, ostacolata per molti anni non solo dagli uomini, ma anche dalle donne. Non per niente i corsetti hanno cominciato a scomparire intorno alla prima guerra mondiale.
Il romanzo è forse un po’ troppo lungo, ma cerca, anche nell’ambito del romance, di tenersi aderente alla realtà nel rappresentare tutte le difficoltà che Madeline incontra nell’impiantare la sua fabbrica di abbigliamento intimo femminile. Molto godibile.
Un piccolo anacronismo: i personaggi fanno riferimento al Piccolo lord Fauntleroy quattro anni prima della pubblicazione del romanzo.
Non mi ero mai chiesta come la moda europea fosse passata dalle crinoline dell’imperatrice Eugenia all’abbigliamento leggero del primo Novecento. La Krahn ce lo racconta in modo molto più approfondito di quanto non mi aspettassi sulla base della sinossi. È stata una battaglia sfiancante, ostacolata per molti anni non solo dagli uomini, ma anche dalle donne. Non per niente i corsetti hanno cominciato a scomparire intorno alla prima guerra mondiale.
Il romanzo è forse un po’ troppo lungo, ma cerca, anche nell’ambito del romance, di tenersi aderente alla realtà nel rappresentare tutte le difficoltà che Madeline incontra nell’impiantare la sua fabbrica di abbigliamento intimo femminile. Molto godibile.
Un piccolo anacronismo: i personaggi fanno riferimento al Piccolo lord Fauntleroy quattro anni prima della pubblicazione del romanzo.
July 13, 2025
I loved this so much, and always appreciate a romance with unconventional characters and settings. I remember going to a historical 'factory village' a few years ago in Scotland, and it was such a remarkable place, you could see the founder had a real vision for the welfare of his workers. So I pictured this place as I was reading this book.
My only slight criticism would be the H was at times a bit too sneery and immature, too much of a petty bully to the h. I had a hard time figuring out why she was falling for him, because to be honest every time he opened his mouth it was to mock her appearance or her ambitions. I wished he would grow the fuck up and stop being such a child about his situation.
My only slight criticism would be the H was at times a bit too sneery and immature, too much of a petty bully to the h. I had a hard time figuring out why she was falling for him, because to be honest every time he opened his mouth it was to mock her appearance or her ambitions. I wished he would grow the fuck up and stop being such a child about his situation.
October 24, 2018
Historical romance.
Madeline Duncan is rased with a utopian philosophy but practical education as well. "What would you do if you had a million pounds?"
When she inherits said million pounds the lawyers for the estate want to keep managing the money and try to prove that she is incompetent. Strangely true love is the result, once again.
Madeline Duncan is rased with a utopian philosophy but practical education as well. "What would you do if you had a million pounds?"
When she inherits said million pounds the lawyers for the estate want to keep managing the money and try to prove that she is incompetent. Strangely true love is the result, once again.
May 17, 2022
I liked the story of a young woman in Victorian England who wants to use the inheritance she got from her aunt to produce comfortable clothing for women. I just wish the story wasn't buried in a sappy romance novel. On one hand, the book promoted women's rights but I got so tired of her love interest.calling her "angel", and the descriptions of her bodily reactions to his touch.
February 2, 2015
This was a very good historical romance with engaging characters, a well-researched historical backdrop, and an inviting writing style.
What would you do if you had a million pounds?
The heroine of the story is invited to answer this question for real, and she decides to work for the betterment of mankind -- and to produce more sensible women's clothing while she's at it. But when you have a million pounds, there are always people who will try to take it away from you and her aunt's lawyers try to do just that. She is given three months to prove the viability of her enterprise and given a court-appointed overseer -- Cole (the hero).
I think what I Liked most about this story was the way idealism both worked and didn't work. The challenges, the pitfalls, and the triumphs of creating social change felt tantalizingly real. I wanted Madeleine to succeed, but at the same time I saw her workers taking advantage of her and society making things as difficult as possible.
Cole, it transpires, is a jaded idealist who at first scorns all of her efforts. But gradually he comes to recall his own dreams of making the world a better place.
It was really nice to read a romance novel in which the hero and heroine's coming together felt right on many levels -- not just the physical. Oh, I felt some chemistry too (although this is more sweet than steamy, for those who care). But in many ways this pair needed one another and complimented one another.
I recommend this book. I'll be seeking out other novels by this author.
What would you do if you had a million pounds?
The heroine of the story is invited to answer this question for real, and she decides to work for the betterment of mankind -- and to produce more sensible women's clothing while she's at it. But when you have a million pounds, there are always people who will try to take it away from you and her aunt's lawyers try to do just that. She is given three months to prove the viability of her enterprise and given a court-appointed overseer -- Cole (the hero).
I think what I Liked most about this story was the way idealism both worked and didn't work. The challenges, the pitfalls, and the triumphs of creating social change felt tantalizingly real. I wanted Madeleine to succeed, but at the same time I saw her workers taking advantage of her and society making things as difficult as possible.
Cole, it transpires, is a jaded idealist who at first scorns all of her efforts. But gradually he comes to recall his own dreams of making the world a better place.
It was really nice to read a romance novel in which the hero and heroine's coming together felt right on many levels -- not just the physical. Oh, I felt some chemistry too (although this is more sweet than steamy, for those who care). But in many ways this pair needed one another and complimented one another.
I recommend this book. I'll be seeking out other novels by this author.
July 14, 2009
You read that right--I gave a romance novel 5 stars. If you're not sure you can do the romance novel thing, I would try Betina Krahn before making the final decision. This book is set during the "clothing revolution," when women still wore corsets and children were dressed up like little adults instead of like babies, infants, and toddlers. Instead of a rigidly old-fashioned and outdated romance novel that puts both men and women on pedestals, Krahn gives them depth, humor, and (thankfully) flaws. The main character is a woman set on putting things right in her world--by ridding it of one corset at a time. For a novel set that far in the past, it was refreshing to find a decidedly feminist point of view. (To a certain extent of course... it is still a romance novel.) I read this book years ago and to this day it is the only romance novel whose name and author stick out clearly in my mind. And if you're an avid romance novel reader, you will still find all the things you are looking for--captivating characters and that guilty pleasure of indulging in other people's fantasies. I enjoyed reading it, and have sought out other Betina Krahn novels specifically ever since. Definitely worth a read, to both romance fans and newcomers alike.
July 16, 2016
Santa Madeline
Terzo libro che leggo della Krahn e ormai ho capito il suo schema: lei è sempre una donna anticonformista e impegnata a riformare la società, lui è il suo esatto opposto ed è costretto suo malgrado ad affiancarla in questo progetto; l'idealismo, la generosità e il candore di lei riescono a far breccia nel cinismo e nello scetticismo di lui. Lieto fine al diabete, di solito in tribunale XD
Nonostante la prevedibilità mi piace come scrive quest'autrice perciò voto 4 belle stelline <3
Terzo libro che leggo della Krahn e ormai ho capito il suo schema: lei è sempre una donna anticonformista e impegnata a riformare la società, lui è il suo esatto opposto ed è costretto suo malgrado ad affiancarla in questo progetto; l'idealismo, la generosità e il candore di lei riescono a far breccia nel cinismo e nello scetticismo di lui. Lieto fine al diabete, di solito in tribunale XD
Nonostante la prevedibilità mi piace come scrive quest'autrice perciò voto 4 belle stelline <3
January 18, 2014
The Unlikely Angel by Betina Krahn.
Lord Cole Mandeville has been appointed by the court to over see new heiress Madeline Duncan spending.
This is a some what Utopian novel, as Madeline is trying to build a factory and town, and improve peoples lives while she is about it. Also she wants to change fashion, and get rid of corsets.
Lord Cole Mandeville has been appointed by the court to over see new heiress Madeline Duncan spending.
This is a some what Utopian novel, as Madeline is trying to build a factory and town, and improve peoples lives while she is about it. Also she wants to change fashion, and get rid of corsets.
January 11, 2009
I read this book twice by accident. It was more of a parable than a romance novel. And an excellent story when judged in that manner. There were many parts that were difficult to get through but the final scenes of ultimate redemption are worth it.
June 30, 2008
Good book. I enjoyed the subtle humor and fun energy of the main characters. I loved the question, what would you do with a million pounds?
March 22, 2013
not a bad book-but very slow reading--could have been half the length and still gotten the story out! very cute ending!
July 15, 2014
First time with this author, and I'll read more of her books. Nice story.
March 25, 2015
Liked the book for its humor and for the love and care between Cole and Madeline. Refreshing to read about their prejudices and how it changes their outlook!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews