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The Swynden Necklace
Honor Fenton is able to enjoy all the delights of a season in Bath, but though she is much admired and courted, even the most assiduous of her suitors is unable to succeed in winning her heart. She is, however, strongly attracted to the imperious and highly unsuitable Mr Jocelyn, who has once or twice befriended her. Does he return her affections, or is he interested only in the fabulous Swynden necklace?...
264 pages, Paperback
First published June 12, 1977
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 20, 2022
This book ran on swimmingly until about the 98% mark and then the hero committed such an offence, I’m not sure I can forgive him. There will be spoilers ahead, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know.
Here’s the premise: Miss Honoria Fenton has reached the grand old age of twenty-four without attracting a single offer of marriage. That’s what happens to the daughters of devout clergymen buried in the country. Papa has now been dead for more than a year, but it seems Mama intends to mourn his saintly person for the rest of her life, and Honoria is now buried in a different part of the country, with spinster Aunt Thomasine, along with twelve-year-old twins Percy and Tamsin. All Mama’s efforts are bent on getting Percy educated so that he can enter the church, with no thought for her daughters. Or for Percy, whose thoughts run in an entirely different direction (think Felix in Heyer’s Frederica).
But one day, Honoria receives a curious bequest from her godmother, the widow of the late Marquess of Melborne - a house in Bath, five hundred pounds to set herself up for a season there and the fabulous Swynden diamond necklace. Mrs Fenton disapproves of the frivolity of a season in Bath; Honoria’s clear duty is to sell the necklace for as much as she can get, in order to fund her brother’s career. The present Marquess of Melborne has offered a staggering thirty thousand pounds to reclaim it for the family. Honoria (and Aunt Thomasine) convince her that the offer will still be there if Honoria returns from Bath unwed, and off to Bath they go.
And almost at once, Honoria has an outbreak of stupidity, and decides to go for a solitary walk to the river, and inadvertently wanders into a seedy area. By happy coincidence (yes, that staple of Regency romances), a gentleman happens to be passing by and rescues her from a fate worse than death before escorting her home. He clearly recognises the address and her name. His name, he tells her, is Jocelyn, so naturally she calls him Mr Jocelyn.
Right away, the reader knows that Something Is Up, and that the mysterious Mr Jocelyn is a Very Important Person. He takes a strangely strong interest in Honoria, arranging for reputable chair men (the men who convey Bath residents here and there in sedan chairs), and even teaching her the minuet and dancing it with her at her first ball. Then, having launched her into society, he disappears.
Of course, since he’s the hero, it isn’t long before he returns (magically just in time to rescue her from another outbreak of stupidity) and it gradually becomes clear to the reader exactly who he is. Honoria doesn’t guess, and he doesn’t enlighten her, and this part of the story is actually very funny, because it becomes obvious that he never, ever lies about it. When she asks him direct questions, his answers are the absolute truth (as the reader is now aware) but are misleading enough that she never suspects his secret, that he is (and here’s the spoiler) the Marquess of Melborne, and not merely some kind of employee or associate of acquaintance (Honoria runs through various possibilities).
It’s all quite clever, and of course the reader is waiting for the dramatic moment when he reveals his identity to her. Except that he doesn’t, and here is where I take serious issue with him - he waits until *after* they get married to tell her, even though she’s told him quite clearly that she would hate to marry a marquess and be someone grand in society and have all that responsibility. His given reason for not telling her is that he was terrified that she would turn him down if she knew - which is precisely - precisely - why he should have told her. Instead, he chose to begin their married life with a huge lie, and yes, technically he never actually lied to her, but he allowed her to believe something he knew to be untrue. It was cruel and, frankly, unforgivable.
However, given the age of book and the different mores prevailing then and the way heroes tended to be domineering, and also given that for most of the book I totally enjoyed it, I’m only going to knock off one star. Four stars.
Here’s the premise: Miss Honoria Fenton has reached the grand old age of twenty-four without attracting a single offer of marriage. That’s what happens to the daughters of devout clergymen buried in the country. Papa has now been dead for more than a year, but it seems Mama intends to mourn his saintly person for the rest of her life, and Honoria is now buried in a different part of the country, with spinster Aunt Thomasine, along with twelve-year-old twins Percy and Tamsin. All Mama’s efforts are bent on getting Percy educated so that he can enter the church, with no thought for her daughters. Or for Percy, whose thoughts run in an entirely different direction (think Felix in Heyer’s Frederica).
But one day, Honoria receives a curious bequest from her godmother, the widow of the late Marquess of Melborne - a house in Bath, five hundred pounds to set herself up for a season there and the fabulous Swynden diamond necklace. Mrs Fenton disapproves of the frivolity of a season in Bath; Honoria’s clear duty is to sell the necklace for as much as she can get, in order to fund her brother’s career. The present Marquess of Melborne has offered a staggering thirty thousand pounds to reclaim it for the family. Honoria (and Aunt Thomasine) convince her that the offer will still be there if Honoria returns from Bath unwed, and off to Bath they go.
And almost at once, Honoria has an outbreak of stupidity, and decides to go for a solitary walk to the river, and inadvertently wanders into a seedy area. By happy coincidence (yes, that staple of Regency romances), a gentleman happens to be passing by and rescues her from a fate worse than death before escorting her home. He clearly recognises the address and her name. His name, he tells her, is Jocelyn, so naturally she calls him Mr Jocelyn.
Right away, the reader knows that Something Is Up, and that the mysterious Mr Jocelyn is a Very Important Person. He takes a strangely strong interest in Honoria, arranging for reputable chair men (the men who convey Bath residents here and there in sedan chairs), and even teaching her the minuet and dancing it with her at her first ball. Then, having launched her into society, he disappears.
Of course, since he’s the hero, it isn’t long before he returns (magically just in time to rescue her from another outbreak of stupidity) and it gradually becomes clear to the reader exactly who he is. Honoria doesn’t guess, and he doesn’t enlighten her, and this part of the story is actually very funny, because it becomes obvious that he never, ever lies about it. When she asks him direct questions, his answers are the absolute truth (as the reader is now aware) but are misleading enough that she never suspects his secret, that he is (and here’s the spoiler) the Marquess of Melborne, and not merely some kind of employee or associate of acquaintance (Honoria runs through various possibilities).
It’s all quite clever, and of course the reader is waiting for the dramatic moment when he reveals his identity to her. Except that he doesn’t, and here is where I take serious issue with him - he waits until *after* they get married to tell her, even though she’s told him quite clearly that she would hate to marry a marquess and be someone grand in society and have all that responsibility. His given reason for not telling her is that he was terrified that she would turn him down if she knew - which is precisely - precisely - why he should have told her. Instead, he chose to begin their married life with a huge lie, and yes, technically he never actually lied to her, but he allowed her to believe something he knew to be untrue. It was cruel and, frankly, unforgivable.
However, given the age of book and the different mores prevailing then and the way heroes tended to be domineering, and also given that for most of the book I totally enjoyed it, I’m only going to knock off one star. Four stars.
May 29, 2018
4.25 stars - mostly mild pg13 with one brief section of heavy pg13 (secular “clean” traditional regency – possible use of: mild cursing/profanity, mention of mistresses, gambling, drinking, etc. -- see below)
[Cover blurb: Honor Fenton was lovely, but penniless. There seemed to be little in her future but spinsterhood. Then one day she received an unexpected legacy—the fabulous Swynden necklace. ~~ Not long after this she was rescued from an unpleasant street incident by a dashing young stranger. When Honor learned that the stranger, Mr. Jocelyn, was the agent of a certain Marquess who wanted to purchase the necklace she was very disturbed. ~~ She did not know quite what to make of the mysterious Mr. Jocelyn. At first she was furious. Partly because she was attracted to him—and partly because she felt he was only interested in the jewels.]
What a delightful Georgian era romance with a touch of mystery. Great characters, including a swoony Hero and a refreshingly straightforward heroine. I read this fun book straight through in two evenings and normally that would mean I was thoroughly engaged and it deserves 5 stars. This book comes close, however it had 2-3 bumps in the road...
I deplore when authors make otherwise sensible heroines suddenly clueless, obstinate, impulsive, stupid, impetuous, hasty, melodramatic, etc.!!! That happened twice in this story and I almost quit reading. The first time has the heroine going out for a walk alone in a city she’s not familiar with and, to make matters worse, deciding to take a shortcut down a road through a seedy area of town. Because, you know, “I’m just a clueless country lass and I don’t know any better than to go out walking alone, blah blah blah.”. So, this wrong-turn shortcut leads to the other bump in the road for me. A major one. (not really a spoiler, but just in case…) To me, it was all quite ugly, although it would probably not bother most people. I realize that it was setting up the Hero to rescue the heroine, but I wish the author could have found a less tawdry way to say it. I didn’t like the language or the ugliness of that short section, so I almost quit reading. I kept going because I knew I had liked the author’s writing style in her other books (although… she had also written a very ugly section in A Reckless Lady). I don’t understand an author’s need to tarnish an otherwise pg/mild pg13 book. If you decide to read this book, you could skip pages 39-42 and just realize the hero rescues the heroine. Other than the rescue, nothing in that scene has any relation to the rest of the story. And the rest of the story is truly quite good!!
p.s. -- Oh! And for once, the cover perfectly matches a scene from the book (all the way down to the exact hairstyle by the heroine!).
[Cover blurb: Honor Fenton was lovely, but penniless. There seemed to be little in her future but spinsterhood. Then one day she received an unexpected legacy—the fabulous Swynden necklace. ~~ Not long after this she was rescued from an unpleasant street incident by a dashing young stranger. When Honor learned that the stranger, Mr. Jocelyn, was the agent of a certain Marquess who wanted to purchase the necklace she was very disturbed. ~~ She did not know quite what to make of the mysterious Mr. Jocelyn. At first she was furious. Partly because she was attracted to him—and partly because she felt he was only interested in the jewels.]
What a delightful Georgian era romance with a touch of mystery. Great characters, including a swoony Hero and a refreshingly straightforward heroine. I read this fun book straight through in two evenings and normally that would mean I was thoroughly engaged and it deserves 5 stars. This book comes close, however it had 2-3 bumps in the road...
I deplore when authors make otherwise sensible heroines suddenly clueless, obstinate, impulsive, stupid, impetuous, hasty, melodramatic, etc.!!! That happened twice in this story and I almost quit reading. The first time has the heroine going out for a walk alone in a city she’s not familiar with and, to make matters worse, deciding to take a shortcut down a road through a seedy area of town. Because, you know, “I’m just a clueless country lass and I don’t know any better than to go out walking alone, blah blah blah.”. So, this wrong-turn shortcut leads to the other bump in the road for me. A major one. (not really a spoiler, but just in case…) To me, it was all quite ugly, although it would probably not bother most people. I realize that it was setting up the Hero to rescue the heroine, but I wish the author could have found a less tawdry way to say it. I didn’t like the language or the ugliness of that short section, so I almost quit reading. I kept going because I knew I had liked the author’s writing style in her other books (although… she had also written a very ugly section in A Reckless Lady). I don’t understand an author’s need to tarnish an otherwise pg/mild pg13 book. If you decide to read this book, you could skip pages 39-42 and just realize the hero rescues the heroine. Other than the rescue, nothing in that scene has any relation to the rest of the story. And the rest of the story is truly quite good!!
p.s. -- Oh! And for once, the cover perfectly matches a scene from the book (all the way down to the exact hairstyle by the heroine!).
March 30, 2022
When the second Marchioness of Melborne died, she bequeathed a diamond necklace called the Swynden Luck to her god~daughter and namesake, 24~year~old Honoria (affectionately known as Honor) Fenton, eldest daughter of a dead country clergyman. Honoria was further instructed to wear the necklace and enjoy a belated season in Bath. The present Marquess wrote Honor and offered 30 thousand pounds for it, to which Mrs. Fenton was already planning to spend most of the money for Percy's education blatantly discounting Honor's preference despite it being her daughter's inheritance. Aunt Thomasine, spinster and sister to the dead Marchioness, whose house they were all living in, eventually convinced Mrs. Fenton of a season in Bath (first for Honor's sake before selling the necklace back) so Thomasine would chaperon Honoria to all the balls, soirees, Venetian breakfasts and sundry other activities that constitute a Season. One time, left to her own devices, naive innocent Honor went for a walk and thinking she was making use of a short~cut to the waterfront, ventured into an almost deserted lane and was accosted by 2 courtesans... she was rescued by a seemingly respectable older woman and was about to be forced into the Abbess' brothel when real rescue came from a gentleman named Jocelyn... for clueless Honor unknowingly walked into Bath's (in contemporary parlance) "red district" and would have disappeared into the flesh trade. Though it must be noted here that Honor was already resisting the older woman's invitation for tea thus the necessity of force on the part of the Abbess but her chances of rescue would have been nil if not for Jocelyn.
p.s. ~ Percy strongly resembles Felix in Georgette Heyer's Frederica making this re~read a delightful treat down memory lane.
p.s. ~ Percy strongly resembles Felix in Georgette Heyer's Frederica making this re~read a delightful treat down memory lane.
May 29, 2019
Different!
Lovely story, and quite unusual. Wonderfully likeable main characters. And beautifully written, as always, so very well worth reading. Recommend.
Lovely story, and quite unusual. Wonderfully likeable main characters. And beautifully written, as always, so very well worth reading. Recommend.
March 27, 2020
Very similar to Barbara Cartland's books. If you like Barbara Cartland, you'll enjoy this one.
December 4, 2023
Lots of fun
I'm excited to read more of Mira Stables books. So far i have loved the ones i have read. I'm not sure exactly what sets her writing apart from the common Regency romances, but they are wonderful.
I'm excited to read more of Mira Stables books. So far i have loved the ones i have read. I'm not sure exactly what sets her writing apart from the common Regency romances, but they are wonderful.
August 29, 2018
Well written
Reminds me of Heyer,.Development of characters and story with the love building between them was deftly done, enjoyed the aunt.
Reminds me of Heyer,.Development of characters and story with the love building between them was deftly done, enjoyed the aunt.
September 1, 2018
An unexpected bequest
And a happy ending.
Honoria receives the Swynden necklace from her godmother who was the second wife of Marquess of Melborne.
And a happy ending.
Honoria receives the Swynden necklace from her godmother who was the second wife of Marquess of Melborne.
December 16, 2018
3.5
Not great. Didn’t like the misunderstanding/ heroine being kept in the dark till end.
Not great. Didn’t like the misunderstanding/ heroine being kept in the dark till end.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews