Amanda Scott, USA Today Bestselling Author and winner of Romance Writers of America’s RITA/Golden Medallion (LORD ABBERLEY'S NEMESIS) and Romantic Times’ Awards for Best Regency Author and Best Sensual Regency (RAVENWOOD'S LADY), Lifetime Achievement (2007) and Best Scottish Historical (BORDER MOONLIGHT, 2008), began writing on a dare from her husband. She has sold every manuscript she has written.
Amanda is a fourth-generation Californian, who was born and raised in Salinas and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in history from Mills College in Oakland. She did graduate work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, specializing in British History, before obtaining her Master’s in History from California State University at San Jose. She now lives with her husband and son in northern California.
As a child, Amanda Scott was a model for O’Connor Moffatt in San Francisco (now Macy’s). She was also a Sputnik child, one of those selected after the satellite went up for one of California’s first programs for gifted children. She remained in that program through high school. After graduate school, she taught for the Salinas City School District for three years before marrying her husband, who was then a captain in the Air Force. They lived in Honolulu for a year, then in Papillion, Nebraska, for seven. Their son was born in Nebraska. They have lived in northern California since 1980.
Scott grew up in a family of lawyers, and is descended from a long line of them. Her father was a three-term District Attorney of Monterey County before his death in 1955 at age 36. Her grandfather was City Attorney of Salinas for 36 years after serving two terms as District Attorney, and two of her ancestors were State Supreme Court Justices (one in Missouri, the other the first Supreme Court Justice for the State of Arkansas). One brother, having carried on the Scott tradition in the Monterey County DA’s office, is now a judge. The other is an electrician in Knoxville, TN, and her sister is a teacher in the Sacramento area.
The women of Amanda Scott’s family have been no less successful than the men. Her mother was a child actress known as Baby Lowell, who performed all over the west coast and in Hollywood movies, and then was a dancer with the San Francisco Opera Ballet until her marriage. Her mother’s sister, Loretta Lowell, was also a child actress. She performed in the Our Gang comedies and in several Loretta Young movies before becoming one of the first women in the US Air Force. Scott's paternal grandmother was active in local and State politics and served as president of the California State PTA, and her maternal grandmother was a teacher (and stage mother) before working for Monterey County. The place of women in Scott’s family has always been a strong one. Though they married strong men, the women have, for generations, been well educated and encouraged to succeed at whatever they chose to do.
Amanda Scott’s first book was OMAHA CITY ARCHITECTURE, a coffee-table photo essay on the historical architecture of Omaha, written for Landmarks, Inc. under her married name as a Junior League project. Others took the photos; she did the research and wrote the text on an old Smith-Corona portable electric. She sold her first novel, THE FUGITIVE HEIRESS - likewise written on the battered Smith-Corona in 1980. Since then, she has sold many more books, but since the second one she has used a word processor and computer. Twenty-five of her novels are set in the English Regency period (1810-1820). Others are set in 15th-century England and 14th- through 18th-century Scotland, and three are contemporary romances. Many of her titles are currently available at bookstores and online.
2.5* An aggressive battle of wills or even sexes, without any convincing reason. Two strong willed people marry and find themselves unable to give into the other's wishes. Add an alleged cheating angle and we have a separation and a story.
I was intrigued by this book being about a romance between an estranged married couple and set in the Regency era. I have heard of this author's Scottish Romances and they were touted as really good so when I saw this one even though its not Scottish, I thought that I'd give it a try.
The story opens with a prologue where the hero, Edmond the Earl of Ramsbury, discovers that his estranged wife has been writing to his mother for money. He goes haring off to Bath to put a stop to it. Meanwhile in Bath, Sybil, Lady Ramsbury, has remained apart from her husband for the last sixteen months and takes care of her eccentric father's household. She broke with her husband after discovering him with another woman, Lady Fanny Mandeville who was his mistress for a time. She also left because all they seemed to do was fight because both wished to be in charge. Edmond's accusation about the letters infuriates Sybil and finding her in the company of another man infuriates him. They spend a great deal of time lashing out at each other and not really listening. But with the help of friends and Ned's family along with Ned's own unaccountable actions, Ned and Syb slowly, but surely begin to iron things out. Circumstances interfere in the form of the conniving Lady Fanny and Sybil's crazy family and soon their chances of reconciliation are up in the air again when they can't agree on how to deal with matters. Sybil is constantly trying to go off and go it alone to get matters accomplished, but just ends up stirring up more mischief. Unfortunately, someone in the shadows is plotting too.
This book has me 'at sixes and sevens' which is slang for an air of confusion back in Regency times. I liked bits and I disliked bits. The good news is that the author's writing style, the Regency backdrop, some of the characters and the dialogue were wonderful. I will definitely be reading more from this author and I dare say more of this series because one of my favorite characters appears in the next book as the hero.
But- yes there is a but. I was less than impressed with both the hero and I down right disliked the heroine. The hero, Edmond, was pompass and overbearing though I can't blame him for losing his temper with his lady. Truthfully, I can't understand what he saw in her. As for Sybil, she came across as childish, petulant, spoiled and selfish. She runs roughshod over everyone and is oblivious. She considers herself indispensable when truly she is just interfering. She loves being depended on so much that she enables her brother and sister to run wild and she tears into her husband when he tries to be firm about not paying for the siblings' foibles. Why she panics when Ned wants to reconcile and why she has to lie and hide things from him I never understood. She was like the shrew in Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew. Argumentative just to be argumentative. Near the end, she started to wake up, but even then she got everyone tangled up into danger because of her idiocy. There is a line between being cute sassy and just mulish and irritating.
I do have to put a plug in for my favorite secondary character. I adored Sydney St. Denis. He was a truly wonderful creation. He was such a surprise as his character was revealed throughout the story. He comes across at first as a fop, but he shows that he is a true friend and someone to count on. I look forward to his story.
I loved how the backdrop of the time was done. There was lots of fine details in dialogue, places, activities and dress that were interesting. The details of the period were there, but they didn't overwhelm the story itself.
In the end, I don't hesitate to recommend this author to those who love historical romance particularly from the late Georgian early Regency Period.
Thank you to Net Galley for providing the book for review purposes.
I got really tired really fast of the overall meanness of the characters. In a way its more faithful to Austen because there are some real doozies of family members involved. However, if i don't even feel like I like one of the two main characters, it just ruins the whole thing for me.
This was one of those books where everything would be solved if the main characters would just have a conversation with each other. However, they are both proud, afraid to admit they are wrong, and blah blah blah. I ended up skipping the middle chapters and picking up near the end.
I enjoyed this. I didn't notice any major period inconsistencies. If you enjoyed Heyer's April Lady give this a try. More adult material than Heyer, but not objectionably so.
An interesting setup for a regency romance. The couple is already married but separated. Add a ne'er-do-well brother, an insufferable papa, and a conniving former mistress and you've got a thoroughly enjoyable farce.
Historical romance set in regency era Bath about a couple living separately from each other. I usually like second chance romances
I found the setting to be rather boring, because unlike in London, where there are countless social events like balls, soirées, Venetian breakfasts (I think), the Opera, various Theaters and Vauxhall gardens, in Bath there seemed to be only one theater and the Assembly Hall - pensioners‘ style social highlights 😝
The two main characters were also not my cup of tea: the hero was a overbearing and inconsiderate husband to the heroine, who was still close to his former mistress (although I couldn’t ascertain whether they still had their affair going on - but their closeness was the reason the heroine left her husband).
The heroine was taking herself too importantly : she thought that her family ( her widowed father who lived in Bath as a recluse and her three siblings- one brother married with 2 daughters, one sister married and one unmarried younger brother, who always gets himself in trouble )- could not survive without her help… She constantly worried about them, without realizing that she only was meddling in their lives. So yes, the heroine was rather silly.
In second chance romances the reconciliation part in the story is the most important - here it was very disappointing, no romance was involved, very little introspection on the heroine‘ s side, the hero seemingly accepting the heroine as she is by understanding her desire to be needed.
I listened to the Audio-book, the narrator couldn’t manage all the characters very well, as it was difficult to follow when one character‘s dialogue ended and the second one started.
Good story second chances with two stubborn characters. Syb and Ned married but walked away from each other due to her stubborn ways and thinking her siblings need her more and her husband possible lovers. While she is wrong in her assumptions for her husband. He come to her because she writhing letters to her mother in law for money so he comes to confront her but denies it. Now she is trying figure this out for she never ask for money. Good book great chracters
Two headstrong individuals who refuse to let the other one in control. It started when Lord Ramsbury learns about his errant wife, with whom he was separated from, has been borrowing money from his mother Lady Axbridge. He goes to Bath to confront her. She denies the accusation. Read to learn more.
Amanda Scott has quickly become a favourite for me. The feel of the historical setting is close to Georgette Heyer, no mean feat, with all the excitement in the plot of a Julia Quinn romance. I was a bit turned off at the beginning of this, I far prefer reading of courtships rather than a failing marriage, but it didn't take long for Scott to change my mind. The little world she's established in Bath in this first novel is so compelling, and one I took great pleasure in exploring in the rest of this series. Fun, fun, fun!
Bath Quadrille is the first book of the Bath Trilogy, which also includes The Bath Charade and The Bath Eccentric’s Son.
Bath Quadrille was a pleasant read but not what I consider Ms Scott's best work. It does show how her writing has evolved..
Lady Sybilla Calverton left her husband after she discovered him favoring his mistress.. Strong willed and stubborn she refused to listen to anything he had to say. Leaving him to fend for himself as she returns to her family that needs her. After 16 months of taking care of her family and running her father's household her stubbron, arrogant, sexy husband is back in the picture.
Lord Edward, Earl of Ramsbury is beyond frustrated. After finding out that his mother has been sending money to his wife above and beyond the allowance he gives her he is sent into a rage. How dare she bilk his family. Refusing to be a part of his life and still asking for money. He is bound and determined to put a stop to it.
Ned is sure Sybilla is bilking his family, Sybilla is sure Ned has been cheating on her.. neither wants to listen to the other and both are ready to defend their positions.. How can two such hard headed people ever figure things out? It takes time and patience and both have to learn that ever so wonderful word.. compromise.. but eventually the begin to head in the right direction. In spite of her incredibly ridiculous family and his conniving ex mistress. As they learn to work together they realize that both have been betrayed and yet neither was the betrayer. Sybilla has to learn to put her husband first and let her family grow up (as they are all adults) and Ned has to learn to let Sybilla be the person she is. After all that is the woman he fell in love with.
I enjoyed this book but didn't love it.. all those battles of wills were grating at least to me. While I thought the characters were extremely well written, I didn't like them. And that made it hard for me to enjoy their story. I do enjoy Ms Scott's attention to detail and her wonderful historical research. If you like what I would consider an old fashioned romance then this is your book.
Shauni
This review is based on the ARC of The Bath Quadrille provided by netgalley and is scheduled for re release May 7, 2013
Hott Synopsis: In the last eighteen months Sybilla has barely seen her husband, Seth. She ran home to her father after finding her husband in a compromising position. Now, it appears that someone is trying to get them back together… or made them enemies. Between Sybilla rushing in headfirst to fix her siblings latest scrapes and Seth issuing orders and accusations it seems that nothing will ever improve… Yet those same sparks are there and neither can keep their eyes off the other. Will Seth and Sybilla be able to admit their love and fix their marriage before it kills them?
Hott Review: What I liked: I loved every moment of this book – as I do so many of Amanda Scott’s – forgetting even to put it down at bedtime! This book really hit home for me because it reminded me of when I was first married – two strong personalities used to being in control and forgetting that we can’t control each other. What I didn’t like: Sometimes I just wanted to smack them. They were so afraid of getting hurt that they were hurting themselves and each other!
More… Author: Amanda Scott Source: I purchased the trilogy omnibus at Amazon. Grade: A+ Ages: 16+ Steam: Steamy YA — just a paragraph or two of marital naughtiness Series: Bath Trilogy #1
Ned and Sybilla have lived more years apart than together in their married lives. Neither can let the other lead and when rumors drive them apart Sybilla runs back to her family that relies on her to make it through life. Ned is disgusted with her family and his own pride keeps him from asking his wife to return. Sybilla feels her father and siblings need her and her fear that Ned loves another keeps her from Ned.
When Ned's mother reluctantly tells him that Sybilla has been send her letters asking for large amounts of money he goes to Bath to confront his wife. Seeing one another ignites the once dimmed spark and when Brandon - Sybilla's brother - is injured Ned thrusts his help on her. As they keep being put together they find it harder to part.
A fun romantic comedy set in historical times. It's predictable and yet that is what is so great about this novel. You know what is going to happen but still want to go along for the ride. Ned is dashing and proud and Sybilla is independent and loving. Add in eccentric fathers, a meddling aunt, scandalous siblings and you have a great afternoon read.
x.Stubborn Syb lives apart from forceful Ned, that her family want her, but they do not. When Ned wants her, she melts.Typos:15.27 Brentwood IS Brentford 15.25 agin IS again 15.10 a. IS a 12.12 me of IS him of