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Fine Feathers And The Makeshift Marriage
Something Old, Something new... For the first time in one volume, Signet Regency Romance presents one brand-new Regency and one beloved classic from an author with "a rare talent for crafting unusual but intriguing tales...which amuse and beguile readers" (Romance Fiction Forum).
448 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 2, 2003
About the author
Sandra Heath
87 books23 followersSandra Heath is the ever-popular author of numerous Regencies, historical romances, novellas, and short stories. Among other honors, she has won the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Awards for Best Regency Author and for Best Regency Romance. She lives in Gloucester, England, and can be contacted at sandraheath@bluey onder.co.uk.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 23, 2024
Neither of these can be considered Sandra Heath’s better works.
1. The plot of Fine Feathers, the ‘newer’ novella, is a rushed, piecemeal and rather uninspired, as though the author was driven more by publishing deadlines than constructing a coherent story. Why, for example, was there a five-year custody battle over someone who is now 22 years old, and therefore fully of age? The romance is virtually non-existent, and will leave you scratching your head as to how/why the H/h fall in love. The H in particular is supposed to be misogynistic and embittered following his first wife’s deceit, and yet he does a complete about-face after a few brief meetings with the h over the course of three days?!
On a positive note, at least the novella is short.
2. Makeshift Marriage starts off well, but then the story begins to drag once the couple is back in England.
The H supposedly marries the h out of love not just because he was on the verge of death (though he has never told her), so it’s hard to understand why he a)readily spends a good chunk of the novel recuperating from illness with the OW at his bedside instead of asking for his wife, b) allows the OW (his ex-fiancée) and her mother to continue living in his house unfettered after his marriage. It’s as though at no point has he considered (once on the mend) how this arrangement might be misconstrued by his wife, or how hurtful/uncomfortable it might be for her. As to the h, I appreciate her general strength of character, first dealing with H’s wound/illness and then taking over the running of the estate. On the other hand, I wish she had shown more backbone vis-a-vis her husband, instead of simply accepting his often questionable behaviour. She was also a little too willfully naive when it came to her relationship with the doctor. Of all the villains/characters, I found him to be the most disturbing. That he so willingly discarded his principles, not to mention a years-long friendship, in pursuit of the h was incredibly sad.
1. The plot of Fine Feathers, the ‘newer’ novella, is a rushed, piecemeal and rather uninspired, as though the author was driven more by publishing deadlines than constructing a coherent story. Why, for example, was there a five-year custody battle over someone who is now 22 years old, and therefore fully of age? The romance is virtually non-existent, and will leave you scratching your head as to how/why the H/h fall in love. The H in particular is supposed to be misogynistic and embittered following his first wife’s deceit, and yet he does a complete about-face after a few brief meetings with the h over the course of three days?!
On a positive note, at least the novella is short.
2. Makeshift Marriage starts off well, but then the story begins to drag once the couple is back in England.
The H supposedly marries the h out of love not just because he was on the verge of death (though he has never told her), so it’s hard to understand why he a)readily spends a good chunk of the novel recuperating from illness with the OW at his bedside instead of asking for his wife, b) allows the OW (his ex-fiancée) and her mother to continue living in his house unfettered after his marriage. It’s as though at no point has he considered (once on the mend) how this arrangement might be misconstrued by his wife, or how hurtful/uncomfortable it might be for her. As to the h, I appreciate her general strength of character, first dealing with H’s wound/illness and then taking over the running of the estate. On the other hand, I wish she had shown more backbone vis-a-vis her husband, instead of simply accepting his often questionable behaviour. She was also a little too willfully naive when it came to her relationship with the doctor. Of all the villains/characters, I found him to be the most disturbing. That he so willingly discarded his principles, not to mention a years-long friendship, in pursuit of the h was incredibly sad.
Displaying 1 of 1 review