Book 6: Dame Fortune's Fancy by Phyllis Taylor Pianka

Dame Fortune's Fancy by Phyllis Taylor Pianka
My rating: 2 of 5 stars on Goodreads

Altered Goodreads review.  Contains minor spoilers.

I wasn't sure whether to rate this one star or two stars.  I rated a previous Regency by another author two stars (Scandal Broth by Marian Devon), but these two aren't of equal nature, since I enjoyed the other much more than this one.   But I'm not quite sure this novel deserves an one-star rating, because I didn't strongly dislike it.  That's the problem with this one. I didn't strongly dislike this novel, but I didn't really like it either.

Book 5: Cupboard Kisses by Barbara Metzger

Cupboard Kisses by Barbara Metzger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars on Goodreads

Modified from Goodreads review; will contain a few spoilers.

There is so much to enjoy about this novel. Such as the first meeting between the hero (Captain Chase/Lord Winstoke) and heroine (Cristobel Swann), although I have to admit I don't like have his rakish behavior thrown so hard in my face. The two get off on the wrong foot right away, but in such a funny way (including some literal tripping over Cristobel's harp)! But how could things not get off on the wrong foot, given that he "stole" (won in a card game) her inheritance. I can't help but think how differently this novel would have gone if Chase could have seen her, but I'm glad he didn't. Anyway, despite the less than pleasant meeting, Chase is a good guy. He tries to help Cristobel.

Book 4: A Gift of Violets by Janette Radcliffe

A Gift of Violets by Janette Radcliffe
My rating: 3 of 5 stars on Goodreads

This is an altered version of my Goodreads review.  It contains more details from the novel, so it may contain spoilers.

To be honest, I'm not exactly sure why I liked A Gift of Violets as well as I did.   There are some copy-editing errors and some craft flaws, the most notable of the latter deal with characterization of the heroine, Viola Marchmont.

A Goodreads To-Read Bookshelf Dedicated to the 500!

I got industrious today and started cataloging my 500.  These are a mixture of Regency, Georgian, and Gothics.  My main reason for doing this was because I want to reorganize my Regency shelves so that the traditional or sweet Regencies can sit side-by-side, no matter where I found them.  Before I had to keep the 500s on the 500 bookcase, to make sure I wouldn't forget their origin.  This way I don't have to worry about it.

Also, I'm just a little curious to see how many books my trove actually contains.  I'm still holding at around 560 as an estimate, but I'm not sure how far off this is.

Anyway, today, I did one layer of one shelf--except for 5 books that I will have to manually add to Goodreads.  The total?  37 (+5).  So on one layer of one shelf I have 42 books.  Wow.  :-)  I have some reading ahead of me, don't I?


ETA:  It seems like there may be fewer than 500 actual Regencies: about 480 out of 558.  I filtered out the most obvious non-Regencies, but I a few I won't find until I start reading.

A Ton of Books

Bride of Vengeance

by Rose Marie Abbot

tagged: a-500-regency-shelf-to-read

Falconer's Hall

by Jacquelyn Aeby

tagged: a-500-regency-shelf-to-read

The Five-Minute Marriage

by Joan Aiken

tagged: a-500-regency-shelf-to-read

The Smile Of The Stranger

by Joan Aiken

tagged: a-500-regency-shelf-to-read

The Prudent Partnership

by Barbara Allister

tagged: a-500-regency-shelf-to-read

Completed Review - Book 3: Regency Christmas Wishes by Multiple Authors

Regency Christmas Wishes by Sandra Heath
My rating: 3 of 5 stars on Goodreads

This is a modified version of my Goodreads review.  This contains more spoilers than my Goodreads review.

It is difficult to judge an anthology as a whole.  It is made up of different works appealing to different readers, different works with different strengths and shortcomings.  It is also difficult to judge romance in novella form.  It just rarely works well; things go too fast to be believable.  Finally, there is the theme, which makes makes the writer's job that much more difficult.  I tried to keep all this in mind while reviewing this anthology.

In an anthology about Christmas, I want the tales to lift my spirits, make me laugh, or cause a sniffle. I don't want them to depress my spirits and force me to look at the dreary parts of human nature. "Following Yonder Star" (Emma Jensen) and "The Merry Magpie" (Sandra Heath) did this.

Progress Report - Book 3: Regency Christmas Wishes by Multiple Authors

I'm afraid Book 3 isn't a 500 novel either.  It is, in fact, a Christmas Regency anthology.  I picked these up at my local college bookstore one day, because I was hungry for more like Georgette Heyer.  And through one of these books, I found someone much like her: Barbara Metzger.

I'm almost finished with this one, Regency Christmas Wishes.  I just have to finish reading the last author, Carla Kelly, whom seems a little like Barbara Metzger, much to my delight.  So far she lacks the delightful, fun twists Metzger is known for, but she does have wit and delightful characters.  In other words, like Metzger and Heyer, she has fun.

Completed Review - Book 2: The Masqueraders by Georgette Heyer

The Masqueraders by Georgette Heyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars on Goodreads

What follows is an altered version of my Goodreads review.

I have to admit the first quarter of the book tricked me. It was hard to read, hard to get into, and not all that inspiring. It didn't feel like the delightful Georgette Heyer I knew and loved. But once I got to around page 80 or so, things began to pick. Glimmers of the real Heyer came through. And then we were off on a merry adventure I am sad to see close--though, with that ending, I suspect it did not end for the Tremaines.

Completed Review - Nouveau Book 1: Scandal Broth by Marian Devon

Scandal Broth by Marian Devon
My rating: 2 of 5 stars on Goodreads

A slightly altered version of my Goodreads review follows.

I once read a theory that if the end result of a wait is positive, the one who waits judges the whole of the experience as positive, even if it weren't really. Reading Scandal Broth was a bit like that. The beginning was good, and the ending was good, which almost caused me to rate it three stars ("I liked it"). But in retrospect, the whole was bumpy: I liked aspects of it, and I liked aspects of the author's skill, but overall, I only thought Scandal Broth was "okay." That is why this work is rated two stars.

Random Regency Stuff, My Own and Others (Cross-Posted on Goodreads)

Since my stock of unread Georgette Heyers was running low, I decided to start building my library of Barbara Metzgers, my next favorite Regency author. I ordered a couple used copies of her omnibuses, for I love omnibuses. The ones I received today are Rake's Ransom/A Loyal Companion and Valentines/Road to Ruin (although the latter of the second omni is by a different author, Margaret Evans Porter).

Problem is I have a lot of my plate right now. Not only do I have Marian Devon's Regency novel, Scandal Broth, to finish, I have a freebie Candice Hern on my Kindle and a Georgian Georgette Heyer on my real book shelf awaiting me. And that is just my reading schedule. I also have a writing schedule centered around faux-Regency (a.k.a. Regency inspired) fantasy. I want to complete a New World story featuring a not-quite fairy; I actually want to complete several. In this unrelated novel series, featuring Vampires as the ton, I have a partially written story that needs finishing. Finally, I thought up a new faux-Regency world (can you tell I am addicted?) while driving to work.

So a lot to do, and so little time to do it in. I'm not sure if my ADD-Muse is shrieking with delight or horror, or at what point I need to whip out the vinaigrette to revive her. Ah, c'est la vie. At least it is better than not reading and not writing. I'd rather not do that again. :-)

Progress Update - Nouveau Book 1: Scandal Broth by Marian Devon

 Scandal Broth by Marian Devon




View all my reviews




Running Commentary, pulled from One Note file:

Started reading 11/17/13 - Comments up to 11/19/13 included.

• Chapter One and Two -  I like that it leaps right in, but it is a little light on tension and character depth.  But there is some wit and fun, and the premise is great.
• Chapter Three through Six - About Chapter Five, the tension begins to pick up, as complications and surprises start piling on naturally.
• Chapter Seven through Partial Eight - I'm still longing for a little more character depth, but the secondary characters are interesting, and the main character is facing more surprises.  However, it seems like the complications are working out in her favor.  Though cute, that decreases tension.  Not all surprises though.

• Chapter Eight (Rest) and Chapter Nine - On one hand, some events flow naturally from previous incidents in the story, which is good.  On the other hand, some make me wonder why it is all coming together now.  It gives a feeling of a loose-knit plot.  Also, while I like a slight nod to The Memoirs of Harriette Wilson (one of my favorite Regency works), I don't like full on winks.

The Selection - Nouveau Book 1: Scandal Broth by Marian Devon

I did not give Marian Devon a fair shake in the last attempt, so I decided to try her again.  But I have far deeper reasons for selecting Scandal Broth.

For one, it reminded me of one of the first titles I read by Barbara Metzger: Snowdrops and Scandalbroth. Wonderful story that.  Also, recently I read of snowdrops in a Georgette Heyer Georgian work, Powder and Patch, also a wonderful story.  So I took that for a sign.

For two, some of my other Marian Devons are missing covers.  This one is not.  

For three, the old website, The Nonesuch, rated it "very good."  

Four four, the blurb quote/premise--"So now you know, you loose screw, you proposed to the wrong woman!"--sounded quite intriguing.

For five, I'm writing a faux-Regency, replete with vampires, that involves matchmaking.  By reading a Regency that says it involves "matchmaking," I hope to keep my muse active and engaged while I write.  Or rather, I hope to distract her long enough to write.  My muse is a tease, you know.  And highly flighty.  I need to cage her somehow.  

And so those are my reasons.  Very deep in deed.  ;-)

Best Laid Plans of Muses and Readers

Some changes are afoot.  I still have that book one, but I'm afraid, it will have to be saved for later.  I do not deal well with interruptions.  So a new Marian Devon book will be Book Number One.  But also, since I have started this blog, I have added some to my horde.  It is hard to keep track of which came from where, so I've changed this simply to any Regency Romance, but with a focus on the 500+.  When possible, I will not the books that come from outside that prestigious circle.

So next up, the New Book 1. 

Book 1: An Uncivil Servant by Marian Devon

While sorting through the books, I pulled a few to start reading.  Because I was tired of shelving 500 books, not to mention helping to move the bookshelves in, I picked a short book.  This one.  An Uncivil Servant by Marian Devon.  It was published in 1994 by Fawcett Crest.  It is only 188 pages.

As of the time of this post, I'm 41 pages into the book, and we have had the first kiss between the main male character (MCM) and main female character (MCF), back on page 22.  But so far this book has a very light focus on "bedchamber" activities--just that incident and surrounding setup and aftermath.  In fact, it has a pretty light focus on the MCF and MCM period so far.  But that's not bad, because the book has wit and is fun on the plot and character level.

Anyway, this is just a brief update on my book escapade.  More later as I read on.

Debut Post

Though my love of Regency fiction started with Jane Austen, it really took root with Georgette Heyer.  So I have always been on a lookout for good Regency fiction, ones a little light on the activities of the bedchamber and heavy on the activities set in the world outside it--in other words, as close to Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen as I can get.  The Regency series by Zebra, Fawcett, et al. tended to come closest to fitting the bill, and even better, they are generally short, quick reads, but these are discontinued.  Just my luck, given that I only recently discovered them.

But my luck is not completely out.  Today, at a yard sale--to mix metaphors and continents--I struck gold!  For $30, I purchased approximately 560 books, most of which were the old Regency series (though there are a few other historicals, too) and most of which have covers. 

In honor of that find and to try to read them before too many decades pass, I decided to create a blog dedicated to my Regency reads, most of which will be yard sale finds (though occasionally, some will be from other second hand sources or even first hand :-) ).  While I am not quite sure by what criteria I will review the books, I will try include things like sweetness level and enjoyability and male-awesomeness.  If the books are still available, I'll try to include links to them for readers to look into--and sometimes these will be Amazon Affiliate or the like links.  But overall, my point is to enjoy these books and point out what I enjoy--and don't--about them, both as a reader and a writer.

I hope you enjoy this blog too, and don't be afraid to let me know your thoughts on the books or the reviews.

Thanks for reading!
Jodi, delving into the Ton