Grace Burrowes

So many things to dislike! It's 386 pages long, which I should have checked before I started. There's a gathering of the main characters from all the other books in the MacGregor series, which I haven't read. Hordes of uxorious husbands have long, pointless, arch conversations about family life. There are cute little children and small furry animals. There are plot threads that go nowhere and make no sense. I liked the hero, a self-made man widowed with two children, but the heroine behaved like an idiot.… (more)

#8 in a series, but the first one in the series I've read. This far in, there is naturally a cast of thousands but I'm not sure there's much of a loss by coming in partway.

Douglas, the Viscount Amery is sent to see Gwen Hollister's advice about buying a new house and estate - his now dead father and brothers have left him virtually alone (bar a sick mother) and the family finances in a perilous state.

It's a pretext of course, by Gwen's cousins, in an attempt to bring her out from her self imposed exile. She's been shamed by the family of the Duke of Moreland, and few people are aware of Rose, the daughter of the brief, shameful elopement.

The relationship between Douglas and Gwen is threatened by the arrival of the Moreland clan, whose various members become aware of Rose and Gwen. The Duke of Moreland, a bully used to getting his own way, and with 4 sons unmarried, threatens and blackmails Gwen into a marriage no other party wants to take part in, purely to ensure access to his granddaughter.

Big cast of characters, lots of angst (perhaps a bit too much, which resulted in me skim reading sections), some medium spicy scenes (not like she has a reputation to keep, after all). Reading other reviews of this book has led me to realise that this is only one of a massive set of books - approximately 30 - by the same author, focussing on various characters in the same world. So whilst this is #8 in the "Lords" series, it could also be counted as #1 in the Windham series - apparently.

Not sure I'd take this series any further though I believe other people adore this author… (more)

Hecate Brompton agrees to help her friend Philip Vincent brave the world of the Ton and learn its rules, changing him from a gentleman farmer to a gentleman of the world. Truthfully, Philip is not as interested in a transformation as in Hecate. She sets up the house party from Hell to allow him a chance to practice his gentlemanly arts.
Ms. Burrowes is one of my favorite authors. I admire her ability to show the best of people quietly while dealing with Regency society's perils. No big drama, just kindness and respect between the couples. Hecate has way more patience than I would ever be able to dredge up, and Philip is a gentleman, no matter what society may think. I doubted that the Brompton family could be redeemed, but the author manages to do that for the most part. Another great read in this fun series.… (more)