Edith LaytonBesprekingen

I really do love these Signet two-fers, so much cheaper then tracking down the editions and paying through the nose presumably.

Of the two novels presented here I enjoyed The Disdainful Marquis much moreso then The Abandoned Bride. The two have a tenuous connection in the form of a minor character called the 'Vicar'. An older fellow who spent his youth in wild abandonment of pleasure he is content now to sit back and manipulate others to amuse himself. In Marquis he watches Catherine's plight with an amused eye--offering the protection she wishes only because he finds it diverting to have the prettiest most sought after young woman on his arm. In Bride he offers his knowledge--that is gossip of extraordinary proportions--to many of the characters, though he seems to have tempered his selfish need to be entertained.

Marquis is a fun romp through impossible situations. Catherine finds herself in the position of acting a prim companion when her employer would prefer if she was a (discreet) lightskirt. It takes her a little while to understand this--she is as naive as a kitten, but she tries her best to soldier through. She even gains almost champions in the Duchess' other companions--both lightskirts in truth. I admit it was funny to read the Duchess' thoughts on the matter and then read Catherine's--its simply amazing how even the most innocent comment can have such deep double meanings!

Bride...I enjoyed much less. I think I would have been fine with the story if not for the one action of Nicholas' that set my teeth on edge. Actually I lie. While both stories were based upon characters assuming the absolute worst of both heroines, Marquis has the redeeming feature of at least one character understanding the heroine's plight and attempting to make it better. Bride had no such character. Worse no matter what the 'hero' thought he immediately backpedaled and angrily decided she was a lying, conniving harpy! His only basis for this was the written words from his absent nephew--no actual hard evidence. I also thought it awful of Robin to ruin Julia in such a way for his own selfish reasons. His excuse that he figured because she was a country bumpkin it wouldn't matter a wit to anyone was lame and arrogant. I can at least say that I admired Julia for NOT forgiving him even after hearing his reasons.

For many years, Edith Layton was a staple of my romance reading habits. I read all of her Signet traditional Regencies and almost all of her short stories for Signet's anthologies. When she began publishing books with Avon, THE DEVIL'S BARGAIN was one of the first 'historical' novels I read. Her heroines are feisty, her heroes are dashing and just shy of being truly wicked, and her plots were entertaining. TO LOVE A WICKED LORD is sadly her last novel written before her passing.

What I like about the Layton books I've read so far is that the MC's have all been genuinely nice people. They are occasionally misguided, but they all seem to be trying to do the right thing. I know there are a couple of redemption stories later in the series, but it's so great to read about nice people being nice to each other and being good friends. Sometimes I get a little tired of revenge plots, or evil machinations or whatever. It's restful to read books like this.

The December 2022 #TBRChallenge is "Festive." I chose a collection of traditional Regency Christmas stories by quite well-known authors. The collection started out beautifully, sagged in the middle, and by the end, unfortunately didn't quite make it back to the high bar the first couple of stories set.

"The Lucky Coin" by Barbara Metzger (63 pages) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Sir Adam Standish, an impoverished baronet from Suffolk, is taking the long mail coach ride into London to plead for an extension on his mortgage, which is his pessimistic about receiving. A wizened old man on the coach quite literally gives him a penny for his thoughts - or, at the very least, a coin, which is unusual enough that Adam decides to sell it after his banker turns down his application. While in the rare coin shop, he meets the most beautiful woman he's ever laid his eyes on - and she happens to have a cachet of the same type of unusual coins! Adam's luck changes for the better at every turn after meeting the beautiful Jenna, and it seems to all be down to that chance meeting with the old man on the coach. This story has a lovely, light, fairy-tale quality to it that makes all of the coincidences and reversal of fortune inside a week seem plausible. I quite adored Adam and Jenna, and thought them a good match in the end. Whimsical!

"Following Yonder Star" by Emma Jensen (74 pages) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Alice Ashe is serving as her younger sister's companion during said sister's final days of confinement with her pregnancy. Clarissa (the sister) is utterly self-absorbed; her husband died at Waterloo and she wants a girl child so that she can leave the Irish pigeonhole that is her late husband's estate and remake her life in London. A boy child - an heir - would tie her to the estate for the rest of her life, and she wants anything but that. The dead earl's brother, Sir Gareth, returns for the birth of his niece/nephew. He's hoping for a boy child, or else he's the heir to the estate that he never wanted. He's always been a world traveler, so the idea of being tied to one place in the wild Irish countryside is very much not appealing to him. Alice and Gareth were childhood sweethearts and shared a kiss before Gareth ran off to join the Navy and begin his world travels, so there is some old tension between them. An old Traveler woman advises both Alice and Gareth (at different times) to think hard about their choices in life, and this story culminates in a beautiful, emotional reunion scene between the two, enveloped in Christmas magic and Irish traditions. There is some delightful comic relief in the form of Alice and Clarissa's elderly father, who tries to wander off at every chance to "duel" with his old foe Mr. O'Neill.

At this point, I thought maybe there would be a continuing motif of wizened old strangers giving the MCs a hint at how to resolve their difficulties, and I was really looking forward to it, because one of the hardest things about short stories/novellas is buying that so much happens in such a short period of time. Basically having a fairy godmother/godfather waving a magic wand? That works for me, LOL. Unfortunately, that was not the case with the other 3 stories in this collection.

"The Merry Magpie" by Sandra Heath (61 pages) - ⭐⭐⭐
Sir Charles Neville's infidelity are revealed to his wife, Juliet, via her aunt's one-eyed magpie, Jack, in a horribly embarrassing, public scene one Christmas Eve. Juliet banishes Charles from their home, and he stays away for 6 years, eating his heart out. He knew it was a mistake to cheat on his wife, but basically he married young and thought that ~all~ men took mistresses as a matter of course, and who was he not to sow some wild oats? He realizes his mistake immediately, and wants nothing more than to beg his wife's forgiveness. He returns to the aunt's house to inquire as to where his wife might be, and runs into the infamously bad-mouthed Jack again. The magpie, being attracted to shiny things, steals the wedding band that Charles keeps on a ribbon around his neck and hides it, causing much dismay among the group. Juliet's aunt plays a bit of matchmaker, sending Charles to the island retreat where Juliet is staying, unbeknownst to either of them. The two confront each other and the bird, and eventually settle their differences. I thought this story was a bit unbalanced, and for being the titular character, Jack the magpie actually plays a very small role here.

"Best Wishes" by Edith Layton (55 pages) - ⭐⭐ 1/2
A newly married couple - Jonathan, Viscount Rexford and Pamela Arthur, the daughter of a country squire - are arguing about where they will spend their first Christmas together as a married couple. Jonathan has promised their presence at the Fanshawes' without his wife's consent, and she is very angry. Turns out Mrs. Fanshawe is a former mistress of Jonathan's, which YIKES ON BIKES, I get what Pamela doesn't want to go there. She'd rather spend the holiday with her enormous family in the country. Jonathan is very typically cool and icy Society, estranged from his family, and wants to give his wife the leg up she didn't have before she married him. They eventually compromise and decide to spend half the holiday with the Fanshawes (the Society invitation) and half the holiday with Pamela's family. Well, they end up leaving the Fanshawes early after Pamela is pawed by Mr. Fanshawe during a "scavenger hunt." Jonathan apologizes profusely and they go to the Arthurs in the country. Pamela is so thrilled to be back among her many brothers and sisters and memories that she doesn't realize just how much of an outcast Jonathan (and her brother in law) are among her family, and she gets angry with him for not yakking a mile a minute with all of them. One one think that the point of this story would be that both learn that they are their own family unit now and need to create their own Christmas traditions, but no. In the end, Jonathan is basically absorbed into his wife's family traditions. I didn't really like Pamela - I found her to be very immature - so this wasn't an ending I particularly enjoyed.

"Let Nothing You Dismay" by Carla Kelly (77 pages) - ⭐⭐⭐
Lord Trevor Chase is a barrister at Lincoln's Inn, considered rather hopeless because he advocates for the street children and rarely wins his cases. He is also known to be suicidal around the holidays, so everyone is rather relieved when he's called to his family home in York because of a family emergency. His brother and sister-in-law, the Marquess and Marchioness of Falstoke, are with their eldest daughter's family, as her children are suffering with measles, so Lord Trevor is basically keeping an eye on the remaining, single children: Lady Janet (18), Lady Lucinda (12), and young David (7). Lady Lucinda is returning home from the Select Academy in Bath, accompanied by a teacher, Cecelia Ambrose. Miss Ambrose's plan is basically to deliver Lady Lucy, have a word with her mother about Lucy and Janet's strained relationship, and return to Bath. Unfortunately, when they arrive and realize Lucy's parents aren't there, Cecelia's plans change. She's actually familiar with Lord Trevor's work in the court system and admires him for it, and is willing to stay on and assist when she realizes that he's rather helpless with his own nieces and nephews. A midnight fire at the manor house forces the group to retreat to the dower house on the properly, and basically they are able to repair their various relationships, etc in the cozy comfort of the smaller building. Janet is getting married in the spring and has basically lost herself in the first blush of love, not realizing how she's alienating her siblings. Her pride is taken down a few notches by both Trevor and Cecelia. David is an adorable little boy who basically hero worships his uncle, and Lucy is a spunky tween caught in a tough part of life. Trevor and Cecelia consider themselves black sheep (Trevor, for pursuing a career when he's the second son and then brother to a marquess; Cecelia, because she's an adopted half-English, half-Egyptian who faces lots of racial hatred in lilly white England) and that they have much in common, and eventually fall in love during their forced proximity.

Generally I love Carla Kelly's stories, but this one was kinda "meh" for me because there's quite a bit of proselytizing (like that's the cure of suicidal holiday thoughts, yick) and there's some additional, weird details that could've been cut with no loss of value (like apparently Trevor lied about the extent of the damage to the manor house to purposely keep everyone in the cramped dower house for....Reasons). In the end, this was a disappointing story for me, and never really brought the end of the collection back to the high standards of the first couple of stories.

The Duke’s Wager by Edith Layton is a historical romance that was originally published in 1983. Upon the death of her uncle, the young, middle class Regina Berryman finds herself in a difficult position. She is too well educated for most jobs and too well brought up to become the mistress of a wealthy man.

She finds herself caught between two men, a Duke and a Marquis both vying for her favors. She has no intention of giving herself to either, yet she can’t help the feelings that one of these men rouse in her. With plenty of twists and turns the plot plays out as all three main characters have life lessons to learn. With themes of honor and trust, the author skilfully guides Regina to the one who truly loves and respects her.

I enjoyed The Duke’s Wager in that it wasn’t quite as predictable as most historical romances can be. There isn’t much to admire in either of the two men at the beginning of the book, one is openly trying to corrupt Regina, while the other is doing the same but quietly behind her back. Neither man cares what Regina wants or needs, but then, slowly over the course of the story, as they get to know her, their attitudes change and love, respect, honor and trust come into play.½

Kindle vailable now on Amazon for 0.99

One of the worst Edith Layton I have ever read,and I have loved some of her other books.

The hero doesnt know where he comes from so off he goes to search for them in CornwallHe comes to visit the heroines home,where she lives with the man who took her in when she was found as a child on the beach.

As soon as the "hero" figures out shes not a daughter of the house,and has no family he decides she is of no interest to him.Even if he thinks shes very desirable.

Instead he sets out to court the heroines foster sister,the actual daughter of the adoptive father.

And this was when I started to lose hope about the book.

Hero is such a big hypocrite.

Hello,I seem to remember he was without family himself,he acted so tragic at the start of the book and wished he had a family to call his own.Because people looked down on him,even though he was rich. *plays a sad fiddle*

Then there was another very disturbing event(to me at least)the heroines to all intents and purposes adoptive father asks her to marry him,if that wasnt disgusting enough its made clear to the reader that he is actually attracted to her.Attracted. To a young woman who he has raised since she was a child.

What kept me reading was to find out if the hero and heroine ever found out where they came from.But it was no reward for having ploughed through this book.

Not one of Laytons best.

The title was more exciting than the actual book.

I dont usually like spying and that kind of intrigue in my HR-s,but for this one I wish it had been more of that.

It was after all the premise for the h and H to meet but seemed to be nothing more than a plot point for them to have a reason to hang out. It just sort of fizzled out.

The heroine being a dance instructor was interesting but I am not sure I bought into her being one for toddlers. Just silly. Would have been more believable if it was for a bit older children.

Bridget is a poor relation, her cousin's downtrodden companion. She has a facial scar. One night at a ball, she sees a man staring at her and cannot look away. He is a notorious rake, but after a few stolen meetings he asks Bridget to marry him. When Ewen is called away to do some important spy work in London, Bridget is left alone. No one believes she is really married, but she has faith in Ewen. Dull.½

Jessica Eastwood's soldier father never had much time for women, so Jessica tried to act like a boy. Now he's dead and Jessica is nineteen. She's come to London to claim the treasure her father left her. Her father's old military friend, now Sir Selby, has arranged for Jessica to stay with Lady Grantham, and through her she meets Lord Leith. Jessica ends up with three men interested in her: her urbane and charming Austrian cousin, another young man she has known since she was small, and Leith. The more we find out about Jessica's father, the worse he seems, so Jessica starts to realise that his views on women aren't necessarily to be trusted. Readable, but ordinary.

The honest soldier, Rafe, falls in love with the beautiful Annabelle, who is pining for a man whom she'd loved since childhood, but who had no romantic interest in her and married another. He doesn't realise that she's stringing him along. When Rafe inadvertantly compromises Brenna, the sister of a friend, he feels that, as a man of honour, he must marry her, despite his feelings for Annabelle. Will Rafe forget Annabelle and learn to love Brenna? Will Annabelle, who is a real piece of work, allow him to? There's a sub-plot about Rafe's awful family. (I don't think Edith Layton quite understood dominant/recessive inheritance.)

Christian Sauvage returns from Botany Bay to claim an earldom. He and his father were transported for a crime they did not commit. While they've been away quite a few earls have died, so being the heir to this earldom is a risky proposition. A childhood friend of Christian's, the sister of his oldest friend, has been tricked into meeting Christian in the hope that she will be able to prove that he is an impostor.

An old plot, competently delivered.

Mom deliberately stages a scene in which North is found in her own daughter's bedroom and North finds himself forced to offer for the young girl. The two cook up a plan to save Amanda's reputation only to find they really do love each other. I enjoyed this Layton story.½

Julia Hastings reputation is ruined by a nobleman and cousin to Lord Nicholas Daventry. Of course, Daventry's got the story backwards (he thinks she is playing his cousin for a fool) and kidnaps Hastings in an effort to "save" his cousin.

Better than The Cad . . .

For The Cad: story gets off to a delightful start, but then falters; the small confusions and suspicions that follow Ewen's departure could have easily been cleared up and the fact that they are not just grates. Annotation from Amazon and I have to agree. . . . This book is the first in Layton's "C" series. To be followed by The Choice (Gilly and Damon and Drummond), The Challenge (Wyckoff), The Chance (Rafe), The Conquest (Drummond),

More of a mystery than a romance although there were some romance elements. It was an excellent mystery and really gave an interesting picture of the poor and their environment during the Regency. I felt that there would have been a sequel to this if Layton had lived. In that sense the ending was good and bad --- good in the sense of wanting more and bad in the sense that I would never find out what would happen to the main characters.

Old book. Can't review because I don't remember it at all but I generally like most of Layton's books.

3.5/5 stars

Amazing read. I just loved it!

Like Layton's books a lot. I wouldn't have kept this one so long if it wasn't a keeper but I have run out of space.

Like Layton's books a lot. I wouldn't have kept this one so long if it wasn't a keeper but I have run out of space.

Saved this book as a keeper for a long time so I know I liked it a lot. I'm only giving it up because of lack of space.

I kept this for so long because I loved the Carla Kelly story so much. In fact, I had to reread it before disposing of the book but I have to pare down.

Was a keeper but I have to winnow down for the move. It's a shame because I really liked this one.

Liked the Putney story a lot but it's an old book and I don't remember much.