The Stanbroke Girls: A Novel of Regency England

by Fiona Hill

A witty Regency romance by an established American author. Fiona Hill has written several romantic novels including "Autumn Rose" and "The Country Gentleman".

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Regency, Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

This name is a pseudonym for Ellen Pall (also known as Ellen Jane Pall).

She chose Fiona Hill when she wrote Regency romance novels. She has since published mysteries and literary novels under her own name.

Reviews

[Wealhtheow · Rating 2 out of 5]

Witty Elizabeth and her younger, melodramatic sister Isabella Stanbroke have finally Come Out into regency England Society. Meanwhile, the Earl of Marchmont is being forced by his sensible spinster sister Emilia to find a wife and sire an heir before the year is out. His experiences in the army, and the mockery of his first love, make him wary, but Elizabeth's clever comebacks intrigue him. But the course of true love ne'er did run smooth. The Earl's current heir, the duplicitous rake Jeffery de Guere, decides to make trouble by seducing Isabella. And meanwhile, the Stanbroke girls' best friend is deeply in love with their older brother, and makes herself miserable about it.

And yet somehow, all of these romances add up to very little. The author flits from one couple to the next, never spending long enough with any one character. By the end of the book, I knew exactly as much about each character as I did within the first couple pages of their introduction. I didn't care at all about what happened to these cardboard cut-outs.

I'm tired of regencies that are just Austen novels mashed together, but without any of the scathing critiques of society or relatable characters that make Austen's novels so great. Blegh.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lord Marchmont has new desire to ever marry even though the title will die out and the estate pass to a scoundrel cousin. His sister, Lady Emilia, is just as determined to see her brother married (though she has no interest in marriage for herself). She chooses Lady Elizabeth Stanbroke to be her brother's brides. Lady Elizabeth jokingly tells her younger sister and best friend Amy that she intends to marry Lord Marchmont. When Lord Marchmont meets Lady Elizabeth, he is struck by her wittiness, intelligence and sense. Good Lord, could he be falling in love at last? Elizabeth is preoccupied with the love lives of her sister Isabella and friend Amy. Isabella, a young, romantic girl, has found herself the heroine of a Sir Walter Scott novel and Lord Marchmont's cousin, Sir Jeffrey the hero. Isabella KNOWS Jeffrey loves her as much as she loves him and is determined to be with him whatever the cost. Meanwhile, Amy Lewis is pining away for Elizabeth and Isabella's brother Charlie. Charlie is a young man with more fashion sense than common sense. He is oblivious to poor Amy's feelings while he runs after a more fashionable lady. When Isabella upends everyone's lives, she causes a scandal that may just result in happily ever after for everyone.

I read this book long ago but forgot everything about it until I picked it up again. It's not a typical Regency romance plot by any means. The hero and heroine of the story are largely on the periphery while secondary characters take center stage. The romance is a very quiet meeting of like minds sort. I would have liked to have seen more development of that relationship and less space dedicated to silly Isabella and Amy. I admire heroines like Elizabeth who are intelligent and speak their minds. I despise silly little girls like Isabella and am not fond of girls like Amy either. Thus, I found this book very difficult to get through. Some of the dialogue is funny but mostly the book is slow and short on action and romance. The period details are excellent and lovers of the period will enjoy the descriptions of clothing, etiquette and all other aspects of Regency life. Unfortunately, the story isn't memorable enough to keep. I've already forgotten this book only a few days after I finished it.

[Lesr · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 this was such a funny and enjoyable story!

The characters have a lot of humor and the way the author told the story was unique.

Even with plenty of Jane Austen vibes and moments, she added really entertaining twists!

[P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rounded up. I found the characters shallow, the plot simplistic, and the reams of authorial intrusions into plot tedious, but the writing is decent.

[Dierdre Watkins · Rating 1 out of 5]

BoringBoring.Boring

This is my second novel by this author and I am done. She has the awful talent of creating the most arrogant, stuck up heroines. In the case of this novel, both the hero and heroine are both unappealing. Skip this author and pick up a well written Regency by Georgette Heyer.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A jaunty little regency--though it did take me two tries to get this read because the characters don't first present themselves in the best light. The book was enjoyable so I'm glad I gave it a second try.

[Rebekah Wanke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful writing! I thoroughly enjoyed this story and the whimsical way it was written. Full of wonderful and interesting characters, I didn’t want the story to end!

[Marya · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars maybe.

[Sheela Word · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reminiscent of "Sense and Sensibility": one Stanbroke girl is practical, the other emotional. And there are some other engaging characters -- too many really, to be deeply invested in any. Plot seems to meander until there's an elopement that could result in disaster. The happy ending depends on an unconvincing personality change. Enjoyed it, but wouldn't read it twice.

[Mikala · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been a long time since reading this book, so my memory is a little vague but I do know I loved this book. I lost the copy I had, but would love to find it one day and read it again.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this at a little antique store in Shipshewana, Indiana for $.35, and thought, "Why not!"
It tried to be a Jane Austen novel, and I think it did a pretty good job.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amusing, witty, romantic, and fun. Any fan of Georgette Heyer or Jane Austen would enjoy this.

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alright!

[Deborah Wallen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lighthearted, sweet and fun.
I really enjoyed the omniscient narrator's asides and sarcastic remarks.
Plenty of H/h and happy endings abound.

[A.J.]

Review to come