The Glitter and the Gold by Michael Dyne

Tags

Maria Fitzherbert, Mary Anne Clarke

The Glitter and the Gold tells the story of George IV of England and his relationship with Maria Fitzherbert. I am not going into great details of the storyline, as a lot of it might be spoilerish for those not familiar with George’s history. When the reader first meets George he is still the Prince of Wales, and he’s had enough of his parsimonious parents and their rigid lifestyle, so when he’s nineteen and allowed to cut loose on the world – watch out. There’s some serious high living going on there, along with the immense debt that continued to pile up behind it. But then one day George (Prinney) meets the twice widowed and very Catholic Maria Fitzherbert and he determines to have her no matter the price. And since Maria won’t be a mistress that price is very high indeed.

No one quite knew how the rumor had started. It spread across the Channel and titillated Paris salons. It crossed the Alps and caused a raising of eyebrow in Roman palaces. The Pope knew of it. There was a buzzing of beretta. Had the heir to the throne of England married a Catholic?

This was a seriously fun read, and I am very sad to let these characters go. While this isn’t the greatest novel ever written, I thought the author did a good job with the characters he had, particularly with George – warts and all. I really appreciated the way the author managed to show us George’s ever-increasing waistline by showing instead of telling, as opposed to that lazy method I’ve seen a lot lately in Tudor novels (no beady eyes or gravy drooling down one’s chin to be found here). I have no idea how close this book sticks to known historical facts, but the few times I did go for additional reading I didn’t find anything different from what was portrayed in the book. Dyne even threw in a couple of references to his younger brother’s somewhat notorious relationship to Mary Anne Clarke (trivia: can you name her famous great-great-granddaughter?). I am curious to know if Caroline of Brunswick was really like that starting at age fourteen. Oh my.

All in all jolly good fun and I heartily recommend it. Just don’t take too long dithering about whether to pick up a copy or not. From looking around the book seller sites there aren’t that many copies to be had. I did find a brief bio on the author at the back of the book, it seems that Dyne primarily wrote plays and movie scripts, including The Right Honorable Gentlemen, which was nominated for a Tony award. The Glitter and the Gold was inspired by his love of Regency furniture. I was torn between a 3.5 or a four star rating, but I just had too much fun. 4/5 stars.

A Wild Night’s Bride by Victoria Vane

Phoebe Scott (AKA Kitty Willis) is a struggling actress hoping for a shot at the big time, but to do that she pretty much needs to find herself a wealthy lover man to sponsor her. To make a long story short, a scantily dressed Phoebe attends a seriously decadent party where she meets Sir Edward (Ned) Chambers. Ned is still grieving the death of his beloved first wife, but his bosom buddy Viscount Ludovic DeVere is doing his darndest to get Ned to take a walk on the wild side…

Anyhoo, one thing leads to another and in trying to one up each other DeVere makes this wild bet and all three find themselves in quite a pickle.

May the same God save me…for I’m going to be hung, drawn, and quartered for spending last night rutting in the King of England’s bed!

Mind you, that quote is from the prologue so I’m not spoiling. All the fun is in finding how they got there and how in the h*** they are going to get out in one piece.

You have an impressive scepter, my liege…Do you wish me to pay full and proper obeisance to my king?”

“Dear God, yes.

Erotica is not a genre that I normally read, but I’m willing to go outside my comfort zone if it comes with a good story in a realistic historical setting (no wall-paper for this reader) – and A Wild Night’s Bride fits the bill. I laughed my arse off the entire time, and Ned and Phoebe sure can steam up the pages. I am very much looking forward to reading the rest of the novellas centered around that devil DeVere (series order from Goodreads here). 4/5 stars.

FTC? An Amazon verified purchase.

Fortune’s Son by Emery Lee

  Fortune’s Son is a follow-up to Lee’s first novel, The Highest Stakes. The prologue begins with the ramifications to Philip Drake after his high stakes wager with you-know-who at the end of the first book, and then back tracks to Philip at age twenty, a wastrel second son of the Earl of Hastings. His luck with the dice fail him one night and facing exposure for…umm…improving his odds he’s saved in the nick of time by Susannah, Lady Messingham. Susannah (Sukey) is recently widowed and short of funds and needs a man like Philip to teach her the ins and outs of gambling – a match made in heaven especially since she can lead Philip by the nose.

Or can she?

Philip and Sukey partner up to spin the wheel of fortune and the sexual sparks are flying fast and furious. There are plenty of ups and downs, great gains along with devastating losses, a duel and more until the story switches back to 1751 where we find Philip’s back to the wall and he’s forced to pay the piper for the errant deeds of his youth.

This was really a lot of fun, the story picks up from the get go and never lets up. Those of you who have read The Highest Stakes probably hated Philip as much as I did, but hats off to Emery Lee for fleshing him out and letting us see the bounder man behind the mask, as well as a huge thanks for giving us more than just another romance – a whole lot more. This story should suit lovers of romance, as well as those who need a healthy dose of history along with the romance – and attention Publishers there are a lot of readers who expect more than just another wall-paper historical. Kudos to Emery Lee for writing them. I want more!

**Review copy provided by publisher, thank you.

The Enchantress Saga by Nicola Thorne

…it was no strange accident that had brought her here: it was Analee’s destiny, woven before time in the stars perhaps, to enchant, to be enchanted.

 The Enchantress Saga is actually three books in one, and originally published under the author name of Katherine Yorke.Book #1, The Enchantress. Analee joins up with the Drivers, a gypsy clan who involve her in a little horse thieving – although it does introduce her to Jacobite supporter Brent Delamaine in a most unusual manner. Fearing the lusty embraces of  the head of the Driver clan, she flees with a group of young siblings who make their way as traveling musicians and dancers (and boy can our girl dance).  She meets up again with the handsome rogue Brent and well…let’s just say chemistry happens, but both of our lovers are in for quite a surprise when jealous Randal attacks Brent and that sets everyone on some very unexpected paths in life. Are Brent and Analee meant to find happiness in the end? Or does her destiny lie with another? Will she forever wander England barefoot, cold and hungry?

Book #2, Falcon Gold.  Analee and her husband, the powerful general known as The Falcon arrive in Paris. No surprise, but the beauteous Analee is the toast of the town and her husband’s jealously takes a very nasty turn. Now hating all things Hanoverian, Analee devotes herself to the cause of Bonnie Prince Charlie and that little romp in the hay is quite fruitful indeed. She eventually reconciles with her husband (why?) and they spend time in London where she’s once again much sought after by the men. The Falcon is enamored of the younger beauties and packs his wife off to her home at Derwentwater in the north (she actually prefers it). There’s a bit of a duel, some Jacobite intrigue and the mystery of her parentage is finally solved (figured that one out as soon as he landed in the story).

Book #3, Falcon Fury AKA The Lady of the Lakes. Honestly, I am not quite sure what happened in this one, outside of men lusting after Analee (when she’s not having another baby that is), The Falcon lusts after young nubile females (and bedding any he can get his hands on) as poor Brent pines away for his beloved enchantress – will they even find true happiness together?

As much as I wanted to love these books, my interest faded pretty quickly around the end of book one. I would have liked to see more Jacobite intrigue and less gypsy lore – the magic stuff and love spells wore very thin indeed, let alone Analee constantly reminding everyone (and I do mean everyone) of her gypsy heritage. Huge gripe – I really really did catch on how tacky and low class Ambrose was from his burping and but-scratching. I did not need to hear about him picking his nose, nor where it went afterwards. Really.

Not recommended.

Note: if you have issues with domestic violence in your books, this is very likely not the book for you.

Now Face to Face: A Novel by Karleen Koen

Tags

england, historical fiction, historical romance

Not quite so enthralling the second time around…

****SPOILERS POSSIBLE***

NFTF continues the story of Barbara Devane begun in Through a Glass Darkly. Widowed and saddled with her husband’s huge debts, Barbara’s grandmother convinces her to inspect the Virginia plantation she now owns and she’s soon sailing westward, although much to the chagrin of her mother Diana and Cousin Tony (who loves her and would marry her despite her crippling debts).

Our plucky heroine sets the plantation to rights, runs off the black hearted smugglers, frees the slaves and jumps tall buildings……. Oh not quite that but you get the idea – although there is one tragic event that breaks Barbara’s heart and she’s soon ready to head for home and Grandmama. Once there, she charms King George and the Prince of Wales still lusts after her, as does a now married Tony and her former lover Charles (married to Tony’s sister). Barbara meets a mysterious actor and soon finds herself mixed up in intrigues, plots and treachery as the Jacobites plan to invade and put James III on the throne.

*Yawn*

As much as I loved loved loved Through a Glass Darkly and I actually adored this one the first time I read it, I now confess to being bored to tears at times and found myself skimming quite a bit. The bits in Virginia were especially dull, and I wished Koen had begun the story upon Barbara’s return to London and then recounted the back-story in flashbacks. As for the London story – also a bit disjointed and things jumped around too much and the storyline just did not flow.

I did enjoy seeing Barbara mature into a strong woman and a force to be reckoned with, along with her close friend Jane. Like other reviewers, I felt the romance with Slane came out of nowhere and like magic its true love forever. As for Tony? Ah, be still my breaking heart, he deserved a lot better in life and I was sorry to see how his heartbreak changed him into such a stranger. It was fun watching more of Diana’s antics and her lovers, adored Aunt Shrew (must re-read Dark Angels and revisit her as a young girl), hated Philippe (grrrr) and as always adored Grandmama Alice as well as the continual hints on what caused Richard’s final illness. Ms. Koen, please write that book soon.

As for the ending? That was plain mean to end it so abruptly, especially for an author who doesn’t pump out a book every year. I enjoyed it, but as I know Koen can do better it was ultimately disappointing. Three stars.

The Sugar Pavilion ~ Rosalind Laker

A Sugary Sweet (that’s a good thing in this case) tale to read (3.5 stars)

Laker’s tale of Sophie Delcourt starts in 1793 at the height of the French Revolution as Sophie is forced to flee to England with her employer’s young son Antoine de Juneau and his aging grandfather, as the revolutionaries hunt down and kill any members of the aristocracy they can find. Sophie reaches England in safety by is set upon by villains who attack her party and rob them of everything and leave them for dead. Found by the gorgeous (of course) and mysterious (of course) Tom Foxhill she eventually recovers from the attack and she and Antoine settle in Brighton, England with young Antoine posing as Sophie’s nephew. Sophie uses her skills as a confectionery to establish a business in her new life as she is torn by her strong attractions to Tom as opposed to the quiet but strong and loving revenue agent, Rory Morgan.

Laker mixes Sophie’s tale in with one of George, then Prince of Wales, and his “wife” Maria Fitzherbert and their on again off again relationship. I have to admit sometimes it was a bit of a stretch the way commoner Sophie was able to step in and out of George’s and Maria’s lives without so much of a raising of an eyebrow, but otherwise this was a genuinely entertaining tale. As Sophie battles to maintain her independence while being courted by two men who love her, danger from France threatens as a relative of the de Juneau’s plots to harm Julian and remove any possibility of his laying claim to his rightful inheritance in France.

The author does a nice job of setting her scenes and includes plenty of period detail, with the clothes, food, etc. To some readers it may be a bit much and it does slow the story down at times, so you’re not going to have a sit on the edge of your seat page turning story, but one to sit back and savor at a leisurely pace. Not the greatest entry in the historical fiction genre, but still a pleasant way to spend an afternoon in another century.

I like the cover for this French edition I found at Goodreads,

Mary Anne by Daphne Du Maurier

 

 

Don’t you love those older covers?

(4.5) Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned….

You know I love the new cover Sourcebooks put out last year but those older ones are a lot more fun. A bit different from your usual Du Maurier novel, in this one she tells the story of her great-great-grandmother Mary Anne Clarke.

Borne into a poor London family, Mary Anne marries Joseph Clarke who ends up drinking and gambling away any money he gets from his family. Disgusted with the marriage and desperate to support her children, Mary Anne finds herself tempted by a *cough* broker for the wealthy nobility and becomes mistress to Frederick Duke of York. Although being a mistress of a prince with no head for money brings on its own dilemma – how to run a household and a lavish lifestyle on the meager allowance the Duke gives her. With a war looming, men eager for commissions seek preferable treatment through Mary Anne, as the Duke is also the Commander-in-Chief and an offer of money gets a word in the right ear.

Eventually the Duke tires of Mary Anne and she finds herself out in the cold with massive household debts and no pension from the Duke, her brother unjustly cashiered out of the army and her finger is very much in the pie when the scandal of selling commissions hits Parliament with a full blown investigation including the testimony of one very disgruntled ex-mistress. I won’t be a spoiler, but further actions taken by Mary Anne in revenge against those who “done her wrong” don’t work out as planned and sets her on a nine-month path of harrowing consequences.

Du Maurier is superb as always, she had me hooked from the very unusual opening reflecting back on Mary Anne’s life (do go back and reread it after you’ve finished) to the very end as she makes a very final and fitting farewell to the man who had such an impact on her life. The kind of woman you either love or hate, Mary Anne was most definitely a woman who did what she had to do in order to survive in a man’s world and make a better life for her children. Du Maurier doesn’t sugar coat her image either – she’s presented as is, warts and all. I loved the relationship between her and the Duke, particularly their first meeting in the *cough* broker’s parlor where not knowing who she’s set to meet she natters on about the latest court gossip (priceless!), to their first dinner and the popping buttons (you’ll know when you get there) although tops was the way the author worked in Mary Anne getting those officer’s names out there in between seducing the Duke. Its so refreshing to see that an author can write a sex scene so subtly that it isn’t staring you in the face with blow-by-blow details but you know what’s going on at the same time. The only parts that did drag were the court scenes, with endless pages of testimony and dialogue, and for that I’m knocking off 1/2 star – 4.5/5 stars.

The Highest Stakes by Emery Lee

The story begins in 1742 and is focused around the love story of Charlotte Wallace and Robert Devington. Upon the death of her parents, Charlotte was raised in the household of her Uncle, Lord Gower. Surrounded by uncaring relatives Charlotte always is more at home in her uncle’s stables and develops a close relationship with Robert, but as a groom he can never hope to wed her (although they can dream…). Robert signs up as a soldier in King George’s army and eventually strikes up a close friendship with Captain Phillip Drake, the younger son of the Earl of Hastings. Robert brings Phillip back to meet Lord Gower when their tour of duty is up, and Phillip finds himself quite charmed by Gower’s daughter Beatrix, but that relationship brings on unforeseen circumstances.

Beatrix is looking for a husband and Phillip’s wastrel older brother needs to beget an heir or his father will disinherit him and well, after that things start to get too complicated to try and explain without giving it all away. Robert ends up in the cold in the midst of a Big Misunderstanding as well as facing charges for insubordination and he heads for the colonies with hatred in his heart. Thus sets up an Edmond Dantès style *Retribution* wherein Robert plots for years to wreak havoc on those who done him wrong.  

All in all a pretty decent story, with the added background of the world of horses, horseflesh, and the sport of racing, but at times the details on all things horsy can go on a bit and might not suit for a reader with no interest in the topic. I personally am clueless when it comes to horses so I’ll leave that for other readers to judge if the author is spot on or not. While I did enjoy Robert and Charlotte’s story and I had a hard time putting this one down, I felt that things got a tad bit too melodramatic and soap opera-ish about 1/2 of the way through, but she did pull it back up to par at the end. I’d have like to have had less of the strum and drang of the marital issues and more on Robert’s life in Virginia – that was just a bit too rushed for my tastes. The *tis* and *betimes* language got a bit wearying as well, but still minor nits and a pretty solid first outing for author Emery Lee, and I’m looking forward to more (I hear there’s a sequel planned). 3.5/5stars.

****
My copy courtesy of Sourcebooks. Thank you.

Through a Glass Darkly by Karleen Koen

When I was a child I spake as a child. I understood as a child, I thought as a child:

but when I become a man I put away childish things.

For now we see through a glass, darkly, but then face to face

Through a Glass Darkly is the second in a three book series set in Georgian England. Barbara is the granddaughter of the Duke and Duchess of Tamworth and she and her younger siblings were raised by their grandparents instead of their parents Kit and Diana Alderley. Kit is an exiled Jacobite involved in the plots to put James III on the throne and Diana is a scheming slut desperate to wed Diana off to a wealthy man to save her from her creditors. Diana is negotiating with the much older but very wealthy Roger Montgeoffry, Earl Devane, and Barbara is thrilled as she’d always loved Roger from afar – although Diana’s insatiable greed might bring those talks to a screeching halt.

The path to true love and married bliss is never easy, especially when you have a family as complicated and double dealing as the Barbara’s -it is way too complex to try and explain – just sit back and enjoy the fun. Roger eventually takes his new wife and business to Paris and an innocent Barbara soon gets quite an education in the debauched lifestyle of the French court and its courtiers. Someone from Roger’s past returns that thoroughly upsets Barbara’s marital applecart and sends her life spinning out of control, and only Grandmama can set it to rights. Or can she?

And that’s all I’m going to tell you – I don’t write book reports. This is the second time I’ve read the book and I enjoyed it just as much as the first. While I enjoyed all of the family’s antics, I most especially adored Grandmama and her cats, as well as Barbara’s very smutty mother who steals every scene she’s in. I loved watching Barbara mature from a young innocent (you will want to slap her a few times) to a mature woman who could take just about anything life threw her way – and life throws her a lot of heartache. It broke my heart watching Tony’s unrequited love for Barbara, and as for Philippe? Grrrrrr.

This is a book to be savored, like a box of fine chocolate or a rich red wine. Highly recommended, and one I will read again and again and again. The first book in the series is Dark Angels and the last is Now Face to Face. I recommend reading Dark Angels last after you have come to know and love the old Duchess, then go back and read Alice and Richard’s story.

Island of the Swans by Ciji Ware

The story begins in 1870 in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Maxwells of Monreith are well-born but always in financial difficulty. Jane is ever the tomboy, much to the chagrin of her grasping mother who has plans to marry the blossoming beauty into a wealthy family. Jane’s great friend and cohort in *crime* is Thomas Fraser and as the two grow older their friendship develops into something stronger. They hope to wed one day, although Jane’s mother and Thomas’ guardian Simon Fraser have other plans for the two and will resort to any means to separate the young lovers.

To avoid spoilers I’m not going into much more story detail, but word from the colonies forever changes Jane’s life and heartbroken she enters into a marriage with the handsome but ever so dark and brooding Alexander Gordon, Fourth Duke of Gordon. Can Jane let go of her lost love and make a successful, happy marriage? Can Alex accept there is a part of Jane that will always love Thomas or will he allow his jealousy to run out of control? Jane Gordon led quite a life; mother to six children, she was a celebrated beauty and favorite of George III and Queen Charlotte. She meddled in politics, assisted her husband in recruiting troops for the Gordon Highlanders, and managed to obtain brilliant marriages for her daughters despite Alex’s tight pocketbook.

I really enjoyed this book a lot, especially the first and last of it. Jane’s antics as a young girl were priceless (loved the pig race), as well as the early days of her courtship and marriage to Alex. Things got a bit slow in the middle third as it seemed pretty much made up of strum and drang and true love denied, as well as Jane and Alex’s constant arguments and reconciliations resulting in one baby after another. However, the latter part of the book definitely picked up steam when a very formidable Jane comes to London and makes her own mark on society and her tempestuous relationship with Alex continues.

I just have a few quibbles, first of which are the constant references to Alex as the Fourth Duke of Gordon. I got it the first time or two and I didn’t need to be clubbed over the head with it ad infinitum, and the constant use of “tis” in the dialog also began to grate after a while. There is quite a lot of sex in this book, and while quite tame by today’s standards a lot of it wasn’t all that necessary, and I got a bit tired of hearing about searching between one’s partner’s legs for the object of one’s desire. Less is more.

Lastly, as much as I love a pair of star crossed lovers, Jane and Thomas didn’t quite come to life for me as much as I’d like to see in a novel. I wanted something more like Ash and Juli in The Far Pavilions – oh the pain he felt when he watched Juli being married to the old goat – if Ware could have brought those emotions into the story this would have been a solid five stars. 3.5 stars, a very good book, just not a great one.

*****
My copy courtesy of the King County Library System