The Golden Songbird

by Sheila Walsh

“YOU’VE WON ME – NOW TAKE ME!”Spirited young Lucia Mannering willingly let herself be offered as a prize in a shocking wager between her odious stepfather, Jasper Franklyn, and Hugo, Marquis of Mandersely. For this was her only hope of escape from a household where humiliation was her daily lot and degradation seemed her certain future.It was only when the bet was settled, and she found herself looking into Hugo’s ironic, devilishly handsome face, that Lucia fully realized what she had done. She knew that this nobleman’s reputation for cynical wit and scandalous living was the talk of all Regency London. And now she was his, to do with what he liked.Lucia’s daring gamble had begun — and she trembled to think how it might end….

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

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Born Sheila O'Nions in 1928 in Birmingham, England, UK. During the Second World War, her family moved to Southport, Lancashire, where she met Des Walsh, son of the Thomas Walsh, who had a jewelry store at 39 Chapel Street since 1926. In 1950, Sheila married with Des Walsh, and they had two daughters, Fran Walsh and Tess Walsh. Sheila worked during years in her husband's familiar jewelry store, with her husband, her husband elder brother Gerard and his wife Dorothy[2].

In 1971, Sheila joined the Southport Writers' Circle, and years later, in 1986 was elected life president. In 1980 she became the vice-president of the Romantic Novelists' Association, and later elected Chairman (1985-1987).

Her debut novel, The Golden Songbird, won the Netta Muskett award for new writers from the Romantic Novelists' Association, and in 1984, her novel, A Highly Respectable Marriage won the Elizabeth Goudge award.

Sheila Walsh died on 20 January 2009, at 80.

Reviews

[Shanze · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started of as a 4 but half way through turned into a 3.


3 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Justyna Małgorzata · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best regency by this author.
The title might be the Golden Songbird, but there is not much about the music here.
There is, however, a trope I particularly dislike - the blackmail trope. The heroine is being blackmailed, won't tell the hero about it because REASONS, the hero thinks the worst of her, they quarell, she is miserable, he is miserable. Ugh. A little trust maybe?
The miscommunication runs deeper here, in the end she thinks he loves someone else and vice versa. They are both miserable until someone has to tell them what idiots they are.
The heroine is said to be a spirited young lady. Halfway through the book she seems to lose her spunk and turns into a withering flower. Sheila Walsh wrote better heroines - like Theo from Cousins of a kind.
There is a particularly nasty villain here. *shudder*
Overall I'm not exactly happy with this book. 2.75 stars.

[kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy read, pretty formulaic. Some glaring issues -- like there is NO WAY a genteel unmarried female non-relative would be allowed to nurse a man back to health in a regular aristocratic household! -- but whatever. The MMC wasn't particularly swoonworthy and was always threatening the FMC with violence (he did actually manage to slap a hysterical maid at one point). A few cases of insta-friends and insta-love among the supporting cast also. I was hoping this would be Heyer-adjacent but it's more like (Marion) Chesney-adjacent.

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lucia has a great deal of spunk and doesn't have a problem arguing with the future duke. However, she isn't a 21st century women transplanted to the Regency era. Overall, she's time appropriate. Throw in a dastardly rake who wants to spoil her innocence, a good friend who gets involved with a fast crowd, and of course, misunderstanding in love and there is enough spice and adventure to keep you entertained.

[ike pauh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good Signet read. Full of action from someone being shot at, arguing, kidnapping to ruin, brothel. I couldn't quite gauge the age difference between our main couple but oh well. I have no deep feelings for The Golden Songbird but Sheila Walsh's storytelling was pleasant enough to get into that I might consider reading another one of her works.

[SM · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Not bad.

[Laura Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A true Golden Oldy

Reread for me, enjoyable again,true regency in plots, characters and execution. The drama, build up, main couple were great,loved it.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I read this a very long time ago. The evil in this book was uncomfortable.

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

All plot and no character development, and none of the wit one expects from an old-fashioned Regency...

[Frances · Rating 3 out of 5]

A true regency. But not as good as the first time around.

[elstaffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounds up to 4. Add this to my mental lists of books within which the heroine shoots a guy.

[Seema · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good trad regency..good chemistry

[P V]

NO SPOILERS

Good, workmanlike regency - characters appealing, plot well-handled, writing good and knowledge of period secure. Like all Sheila Walsh regencies it's written in the older mode of regencies, stressing the proprieties and devoid of graphic sex and sexualised language. It's not her best book - try, for example, The Incomparable Miss Brady or a personal favourite, Madelena (now available in ebook :-) ), but if you want a writer whose run of the mill fiction is much better than many more recent writers, then I can recommend this - and all other Sheila Walsh novels.

First read in the 1980s and re-read 3 or 4 times since - earned a permanent place on my shelves.