Genre: Historical Romance (Regency)
Cover Blurb:
One Christmas house party leads to two Regency love affairs!
A Governess for Christmas by Marguerite Kaye
At the glittering Brockmore house party, former army major Drummond MacIntosh meets governess in disgrace Joanna Forsythe, who’s desperate to clear her name. Both are eager to put their pasts behind them, but their scandalous affair will make for a very different future…
Dancing with the Duke’s Heir by Bronwyn Scott
As heir to a dukedom, Vale Penrith does not want a wife, and certainly not one like Lady Viola Hawthorne. So why does London’s Shocking Beauty tempt him beyond reason? Dare seduction the best way to bring her to surrender?
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Last year, I read and very much enjoyed Scandal at the Midsummer Ball, the previous collaboration between Marguerite Kaye and Bronwyn Scott. Once again, the country estate of the Duke and Duchess of Brockmore, forms the backdrop for both stories. The couple is holding their prestigious Christmas house party culminating in the Christmas Ball on Twelfth Night. Unlike their Midsummer House Party, this is not a matchmaking event, but it seems that cupid’s arrow can strike the most improbable couples at any time.
REVIEW OF A GOVERNESS FOR CHRISTMAS BY MARGUERITE KAYE
Three and a half years ago, army major, Drummond MacIntosh, was cashiered from the army for refusing to follow a direct order. Shunned by society, he has been forced to lead a purposeless existence until the Duke of Wellington approaches Drummond to say that he wants him to serve as his aide. This would give Drummond the opportunity to forge a new life, but first he must attend the Brockmore Christmas festivities and impress his hosts enough to earn their patronage. It is well-known that the Duke and Duchess have great influence over society… where the Duke and Duchess of Brockmore lead, all of society follows. Their support would be instrumental in repairing his damaged reputation and smoothing his way back into society.
Joanna Forsythe was employed as governess to the eldest daughter of Lady Christina Robertson until wrongly accused of theft and dismissed on the spot. Lady Robertson did not inform the authorities in view of Joanna’s previously unsullied reputation. However, with her reputation now in tatters, no respectable school will employ her, and she is forced to take a post which provides only bed and board and where she is treated as little more than a drudge when she isn’t teaching. Knowing that the Duchess of Brockmore is a close friend of Lady Christina’s, when Joanna receives an invitation to the house party, she believes that the real thief will confess, thereby establishing Joanna’s innocence and restoring her reputation. Instead, Lady Christina tries to buy her off with financial recompense for the loss of her reputation and the offer of a new position.
Often it is difficult for an author to create characters with any real depth and a believable romance within the constraints of a novella, but I feel that Ms. Kaye does this admirably.
When Drummond and Joanna first meet, they talk and share confidences, discovering that they are each looking for a fresh start, and I felt a genuine affinity between them which made the budding romance believable. Drummond is a man of principle and I admire him for choosing to follow his conscience, knowing full the consequences of his actions. I love Joanna’s selflessness in her determination that Drummond should not jeopardise his opportunities for her sake.
They share some passionate interludes but there seems no future for them because neither can afford to have any further scandal attached to their name. Ms. Kaye conveys their longing for something they cannot have so well, and I really wanted them to find a way to be together. It takes some soul-searching before a Happy Ever After is within their grasp, although they are fully aware that their life won’t be all plain sailing, but I felt as Drummond does…
“I can’t help but feeling absolutely sure that together we can do anything we want.”
REVIEW RATING: 4/5 STARS
SENSUALITY RATING: WARM
REVIEW OF DANCING WITH THE DUKE’S HEIR BY BROWEN SCOTT
Following the death of his father and older brother four years ago, Vale Penrith, the Duke of Brockmore’s nephew, had become the duke’s sole heir. It is a position he didn’t want and one he feels ill-fitted for.
He was a politician by conscience when the occasion demanded it, an anthropologist by choice. He was not a duke.
He has shut himself off from the world since losing his father and brother, preferring to spend his days in his library – reading, researching or writing. However, Vale has no choice but to accompany his mother to his uncle and aunt’s annual Christmas house party and knowing his uncle’s notorious reputation for matchmaking at such events, he is sure that the duke has already selected a suitable lady for him. Vale certainly has no immediate plans to marry but, when he does, it will be to a lady of his own choice.
Independently minded Lady Viola Hawthorne has no desire to marry, a state she considers nothing more than enslavement to the whims of a man. She dreams of travelling the Continent and studying music in Vienna, where she believes a woman can enjoy greater freedoms. To achieve her dreams, she has indulged in the most scandalous behaviour, earning her the title ‘London’s Shocking Beauty’, thereby discouraging ny would-be suitors. However, Viola’s parents refuse to give up hope of their daughter finding a husband, and their hopes are raised when an invitation to attend the Duke and Duchess of Brockmore’s Christmas house party arrives. Having already had three seasons with no husband in sight, Viola knows that, if she can sustain her outrageous behaviour for one more season, she will be officially ‘on the shelf’ and able to pursue her dreams.
This was the last year she had to maintain her reputation. After this Season, she’d be a candidate for the shelf—out three Seasons and no husband in sight. She could get on with her dreams.
I like Vale and could sympathise with his feelings of loss, sorrow and guilt following the tragic death of his father and brother. He had been thrown into a role that he neither expected nor wanted and felt inadequate to fulfil, and he has dealt with it by closing himself off from everyone. There is a particularly poignant scene where his uncle hugs him which conveys Vale’s emotional vulnerability.
“My boy, it is good to see you,” he said simply before wrapping him in his arms. For just a minute, he wasn’t the heir, but simply a beloved nephew and this man was not the mighty Brockmore, a powerful duke, but his uncle, his father’s older brother, a living link to the man he’d lost. And Vale savoured it.
Generally, I love unconventional, outspoken heroines, but I just didn’t like Viola. While I understood her desire to be independent and pursue her dreams, her outrageous behaviour – the casual sex, drinking, smoking and playing billiards alone in the company of several men – seemed totally unrealistic. She behaved more like a member of the demimonde than a duke’s daughter!
I know opposites attract but the idea of Vale falling for someone like Viola stretched credulity a little too far for me. It is only towards the end of the story that Viola shows some redeeming qualities, but this felt too contrived and didn’t really convince me that these two were meant for each other.
REVIEW RATING: 3/5 STARS
SENSUALITY RATING: WARM
General Thoughts
Once again, there is a lovely Epilogue, courtesy of the Marcus and Alicia, the Duke and Duchess of Brockmore and I hope, at some point, they will have their own story. I would love to know how they met and fell in love, especially as Marcus tells Vale he had proposed to Alicia twice and she had refused him each time. I also like how Marcus really cares for his nephew and only wants to help him rediscover a zest for living again.
MY VERDICT: Marguerite Kaye always delivers a well-written and emotionally satisfying love story. Although I found Bronwyn Scott’s story disappointing, I very much enjoyed the one in SCANDAL AT THE MIDSUMMER and will certainly be reading more of her books.
**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the authors in return for an honest review
Rakes And Rascals 
Hi Carol, here’s a mini-blog or look behind the scenes at the name “Vale” for the hero Vale Penrith! So who thought it was a good name for Regency gentleman? Me!! So, first, the Regecny justification; Vale originates in English as a surname originally during Medieval times, and (no surprise) was used to denote those who came from the south of England (and midlands too). I focused more on the southern origins since Penrith is out of the Cornwall area and the Brockmores have holdings there. So, it is arguable fitting that Robert Penrith, the duke’s younger brother, had chosen to name his second son more whimscially than his first. There was likely no chance at the time of Vale’s birth that he’d be inheriting a dukedom and little need for convention. Secondly, In addition, there’s a little foreshadowing/symbolism whatever you want to call it, between Vale’s name and his research hobby. It has some strong Nordic roots in Finland and Sweden where it’s represented as Valli, so that’s a subtle connection between him and his calling, his passion to research the Sami in Finland. Additionally, the Nordic influence even in Cornwall would date back to the days of the Viking raids, so it further reinforces the likeliness that Robert and his wife would have gone with something like that, especially since she’s portrayed as a dreamy, pathos driven character during her short appearance in the Brockmore Christmas duet. Third, as a side note, Vale means good bye or farewell in Latin and that seemed fitting to me on a general note regardless of time period or historical precedence in terms of his tale. He is a man in mourning who is struggling to say good bye to the past and yet Viola’s vivacity and willingness to break away helps him make that transition.
True, no one will find Vale in the top 20 Regency boys names lists. I won’t suggest they will. But, even if it’s not a probable name, it is very definitely a possible name. Perhaps much like Bronwyn in the U.S. today. It’s a name but it’s not used very much and it tends to stand out and attract attention when it is used. (I know that’s not the case in the UK etc. but here in the US people look at Bronwyns like they’re different).
Happy New Year!! Thanks as always for your hard work on behalf of writers and readers out there.
Bronwyn
Bronwen, obviously when I wrote my review I was not aware of your research into and reasons for using the name ‘Vale’ for your hero. My comment, therefore, seems unfair and I have removed it from the review.
Thanks for the review, Carol! Based on your review, I will most likely read the first story only. I am not a fan of the outrageous behavior either. Happy New Year!
Sharlene, a lot of reviewers didn’t find Viola’s behaviour objectionable but I just couldn’t accept that the daughter of a duke would realistically act in such an outrageous manner, which defied all the dictates of genteel society.
I sort of feel like I need to make an argument for Viola. My editor and I thought she was uber cool, different, out of the box and a breath of fresh air for staid, tired old Regencies. But I do so in the full appreciation that everyone comes from different places and preferences and are very free to do so. Also, I think anthology readers in general (I hope) already get that in this market, anthologies are a hard sell. So, it’s not about pairing like with like anymore–when it comes to matching stories for an anthology–that only hits one target over and over again, but pairing opposite style stories hits a wider mark,both the traditionalists and the folks looking to sample a new take.
Bronwyn, I can only go on my thoughts and feelings as a reader, although I can appreciate the need to reach a wider audience. I suppose, at my age, I am more of a traditionalist who wants, to quote a well-respected Regency author, “a hero who is a believable Regency gentleman and a heroine who is a believable Regency lady”.
Thanks for the clarification, Bronwyn. I got the book & I will read both stories. Couldn’t hurt to try something different!