Heiress Companion (1981)

First published in 1981, The Heiress Companion is a simple romance where a group of unmarried people descend on the same house and have to overcome differences in opinion and social standing before any resolution can be reached.

At the forefront of the novel is Rowena Cherwood who is in her late twenties and unmarried, having turned down suitors previously. Unwilling to live with her aunt she has become companion of the ageing Lady Bradwell. Lady Bradwell’s home is owned by one of her sons – Jack – with a second son – Lyndon – returning after being abroad for some time. Rowena is also joined by her cousin, Margaret, and the Ambercots including two of Rowena’s childhood friends – Jane and Ulysses along with their scheming sister Eliza. With such a gathering of young and eligible people in one house it’s inevitable that romance will bloom but who will end up with whom?

This is a very simple and unfortunately predictable novel. Rowena has spurned the advances of suitors in the past and though her cousin Margaret is initially perceived as ideal for Lyndon Bradwell, it is Rowena that he becomes keen on. This is no problem to Margaret who falls for Ulysses Ambercot, while Jane Ambercot falls for Jack Bradwell. Eliza Ambercot is keen on Lyndon and begins plotting to scupper Rowena’s chances with him. While two of the couples seem to have romances that are resolved with little issue, Rowena and Lyndon inevitably find major obstacles preventing them from being together.

Though the scheming of Eliza was quite interesting, the novel overall doesn’t leave you dreading that any happy endings will be disrupted. Even the advances of a doctor’s assistant do little to impact on Rowena and in the end the obstacle separating her from Lyndon is strictly between the two of them and has nothing to do with any third parties. Even then the story is resolved very easily and although many readers will rejoice in the ending I just didn’t feel there had been much of a challenge in getting there.

Rowena is an interesting character, independent and strong-willed but the romance between her and Lyndon didn’t convince me entirely. This is still a refreshing story in that there is no sex and it emphasises the importance of good manners and etiquette at this time. It doesn’t work for me in the respect that a small group of people meet and everyone seems to conveniently fall in love with someone else in a very short space of time.

The Heiress Companion isn’t a bad period romance novel but it’s not one I would hail as a masterpiece either. The difficult obstacles of Pride and Prejudice or Jane Eyre are not really evident here. Though Rowena and Lyndon seem like the gulf between them will never be bridged, the novel soon brushes aside any challenges affecting the three couples at the heart of the story.

Verdict: 2/5 ( )

Rowena Cherwood takes the position of companion to Lady Bradwell who is recovering from scarlet fever. Lady Bradwells favourite prodigal son returns from abroad and a party is thrown in which we meet some old friends of Rowena's. As well as this Rowena's cousin comes to stay. The young people spend time together and romances ensue.

This was quite an interesting story about love in another time there were parts that reminded me of Jane Austen especially the Collinsesque character Mr Greavesy whose advances were thwarted and yet he would not take no for an answer.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a light romance and who is looking for something quick and simple that is reminiscent of Jane Austen. ( )

I received this e-book via the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program which provides free e-books in exchange for an honest review.

The Heiress Companion by Madeleine Robins is a short, predictable romance set in the Regency era.

The spirited and capable protagonist, Rowena, has a very unusual upbringing and significant wealth of her own. While likable, she has some has modern attributes that made her seem anachronistic to me.

The other characters lacked depth, and honestly, the story hasn't much to it. It's a pleasant enough, quick to read, bit of fluff that won't leave a lasting impression.

Besides its simplistic plot, the other small complaint I have is that the dialogue seemed a bit contrived.

Not the worst book I've read, but you may prefer to spend your leisure time with Austen or a Bronte instead. ( )

I'd been on quite a Regency spree when I decided to look out this e-book again so I sped through it much more easily than when I tried to read it the first time. Not because it wasn't interesting but because I sometimes struggle to concentrate when reading e-books off my computer.
The story was rather predictable and some of the characters had a very Austenesque feel to them - in particular Eliza and Mr Greavesey who smacked of Lydia Bennet and Mr Collins to me - but Rowena the main character was lovely and fiesty without coming across as being outrageously so. She was no-nonsense and caring and very much knows her own mind. Lady Bradwell and the abominable Aunt Doro were also very amusing in their unique ways.
The romance was sweet and simple although some of the obstacles did seem only to exist in order to provide conflict when there would otherwise have been none.
Overall a fun, enyjoyable story and I'd be interested to read another of Madeline Robins' books in the future ( )

Another LTER review:

I will start with my only grumble: the first copy of the ePub I received was faulty and stopped about a chapter and a half from the end, which was Incredibly frustrating! I went back to the site and re-downloaded a copy in all formats with no problem and found it fixed. So boo for the bad copy and a big YAY for still providing a repeat download this long after sending out the copies.

Another excellent story from this author. I got this book, again, through the LTER scheme on LibraryThing, and I haven't yet regretted reading any of her stories. This one is good on two levels. One: the Hero isn't a titled gentleman, but one who hopes to go into politics AND one who isn't going to be immediately sponsored into a safe seat. Two: The heroine is believably rebellious, without being a-historical. Plus, the conflict element to the romance was believable and likely, yet also sensibly and rationally overcome. I hate manufactured conflict - every couple has conflict naturally, so it follows to me that conflict should also arise naturally, not have to be fed and developed by the author. Robins seems to understand that well, and I appreciate that. So, overall I liked it. Warning to those who like modern Romances - the nearest you'll get to sex scenes is a sneaked kiss or cuddle... :) ( )