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Regency Classics: Alphabet Series #2
The Tenacious Miss Tamerlane
Tansy Tamerlane hit Kasey like a ton of bricks one day, refusing to be anyone but who she was, refusing any name that ended with A, or even C. That’s the thing about Tansy. She’s tenacious (which is just a short hop to “stubborn,” but nobody ever got anywhere by being a shy, shrinking violet, now did they?).
Tansy, left penniless by her late father, has been putting herself out as a governess to other people’s brats for two years when she is somehow caught up in playing chaperone to a distant cousin, the sister of a duke, no less. Ashley Benedict, Duke of Avonall, is a man beleaguered. His grandmother is a terror, his sister a lovely but none-too-bright chit, his valet a superstitious twit, and his aunt Lucinda is … well, different. Singular. Okay, so she’s downright odd.
Lucinda Benedict, you see, speaks only in quotes. Other people’s words. Really. And if you think an author can’t have a lot of fun with a character like that, well, you haven’t yet met Aunt Lucinda! In fact, Kasey was so taken with her that Aunt Lucinda went on to appear in The Playful Lady Penelope, and (as a ghost, no less!) in The Haunted Miss Hampshire.
Tansy, left penniless by her late father, has been putting herself out as a governess to other people’s brats for two years when she is somehow caught up in playing chaperone to a distant cousin, the sister of a duke, no less. Ashley Benedict, Duke of Avonall, is a man beleaguered. His grandmother is a terror, his sister a lovely but none-too-bright chit, his valet a superstitious twit, and his aunt Lucinda is … well, different. Singular. Okay, so she’s downright odd.
Lucinda Benedict, you see, speaks only in quotes. Other people’s words. Really. And if you think an author can’t have a lot of fun with a character like that, well, you haven’t yet met Aunt Lucinda! In fact, Kasey was so taken with her that Aunt Lucinda went on to appear in The Playful Lady Penelope, and (as a ghost, no less!) in The Haunted Miss Hampshire.
191 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 1982
373 people are currently reading
910 people want to read
About the author
Kasey Michaels
307 books540 followersKasey Michaels is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 100 books (she doesn't count them). Kasey has received three coveted Starred Reviews from Publishers Weekly, two for the historical romances, THE SECRETS OF THE HEART and THE BUTLER DID IT, and a third for contemporary romance LOVE TO LOVE YOU BABY (that shows diversity, you see). She is a recipient of the RITA, a Waldenbooks and Bookrak Bestseller award, and many awards from Romantic Times magazine, including a Career Achievement award for her Regency era historical romances. She is an Honor Roll author in Romance Writers of America, Inc. (RWA)
Kasey has appeared on the TODAY show, and was the subject of a Lifetime Cable TV show "A Better Way," in conjunction with Good Housekeeping magazine, a program devoted to women and how they have achieved career success in the midst of motherhood (short version: "with great difficulty").
A highly praised nonfiction book, written as Kathryn Seidick, "...OR YOU CAN LET HIM GO," details the story of Kasey and her family during the time of her eldest son's first kidney transplant.
Kasey has written Regency romances, Regency historicals, category books including novellas and continuities and a few series "launch" books, and single title contemporaries. She has coped with time travel, ghosts, trilogies, the dark side, the very light side, and just about everything in between. Hers is also the twisted mind behind her ongoing Maggie Kelly mystery series starring a former romance writer turned historical mystery writer whose gorgeous hunk of a fictional hero shows up, live and in color, in her Manhattan living room – to melt her knees, to help her solve murders, and to leave the top off her toothpaste. And, says Kasey, she's just getting started!
Series:
* His Chariot Awaits
* Lion On the Prowl
* Crown Family
* London Friends
* Chandlers Request
* The Trehan Brothers
* Maggie Kelly Mystery
* Romney Marsh
* Sunshine Girls
Kasey has appeared on the TODAY show, and was the subject of a Lifetime Cable TV show "A Better Way," in conjunction with Good Housekeeping magazine, a program devoted to women and how they have achieved career success in the midst of motherhood (short version: "with great difficulty").
A highly praised nonfiction book, written as Kathryn Seidick, "...OR YOU CAN LET HIM GO," details the story of Kasey and her family during the time of her eldest son's first kidney transplant.
Kasey has written Regency romances, Regency historicals, category books including novellas and continuities and a few series "launch" books, and single title contemporaries. She has coped with time travel, ghosts, trilogies, the dark side, the very light side, and just about everything in between. Hers is also the twisted mind behind her ongoing Maggie Kelly mystery series starring a former romance writer turned historical mystery writer whose gorgeous hunk of a fictional hero shows up, live and in color, in her Manhattan living room – to melt her knees, to help her solve murders, and to leave the top off her toothpaste. And, says Kasey, she's just getting started!
Series:
* His Chariot Awaits
* Lion On the Prowl
* Crown Family
* London Friends
* Chandlers Request
* The Trehan Brothers
* Maggie Kelly Mystery
* Romney Marsh
* Sunshine Girls
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 137 reviews
July 19, 2015
Lighthearted (and a little light on romance), and amusing traditional regency. Humorous secondary characters steal the show.
November 25, 2015
The line between witty and tedious is a fine one.
Georgette Heyer, who pretty much pioneered the Regency romance—especially when it came to the literary equivalent of a rom-com—had perfected the art. With brilliantly intricate plots, a judicious use of cant, and just the right amount of humour, Ms Heyer made her books classics in this genre.
Kasey Michaels, in The Tenacious Miss Tamerlane, seems to be trying to emulate Ms Heyer. Several of the plot elements of novels like The Grand Sophy and Regency Buck are present here: the feisty, managing, and ‘couldn’t care less for society’ heroine; the aristocratic hero, into whose society she’s flung very early on in the story. The childishly naïve miss. The eccentric relatives. The villain. Beau Brummel (can a Regency romance get by without a mention of that gentleman?)
Briefly, this is the story of 26 year old orphan Tansy Tamerlane, who’s on her way to a job as a governess when she comes across an arguing couple eloping to Gretna Green. Tansy, sharp-eyed, smart, independent (and also perhaps rather impetuous) helps the girl, Emily, when their vehicle takes a tumble. From there, to the arrival of Emily’s irate older brother Ashley, the Duke of Avanoll, and their discovering that Tansy is in fact a very distant relative, is a short chapter. In which is also included the siblings’ request for Tansy to come and stay with them in London, to be a chaperone to Emily in this, her first season.
So Tansy goes to London, settles in with Emily, the Duke, his loony aunt Ce-Ce, and his somewhat unorthodox grandmother in a household that consists of some of the most unbelievable caricatures in a single book. Emily’s aunt Ce-Ce, for example, speaks only and always in quotations from varied sources. And Ashley’s valet, Farnley, is superstitious to the point of idiocy—it’s a wonder why Ashley hasn’t dismissed him.
But, as Tansy sets about putting the house in order and making a place for herself in the ton, she also gets into one scrape after the other, both embarrassing and inconveniencing Ashley—yet making him fall in love with her, too.
So far, so good. At a superficial level, this is a pleasant enough story. Reading it, however, I couldn’t help but grit my teeth whenever the aunt belted out another of her quotations or Farnley went frantic about another of his superstitions. Or Tansy did something so utterly brazen that it went into the realms of unbelievable. My main problem, in fact, was with the two lead characters: neither of them appealed to me. Tansy struck me as an interfering busybody with little real regard for anybody except when it was convenient for her; and Ashley was—well, just too insipid a hero. And their love story did nothing for me. It struck no chord, did not make me want them to get together.
On top of that, there was the language. Too many brackets. Too much cant (if you read Heyer, you’ll see the smart way she weaves in cant: only in the dialogue). Several errors, too. Here’s a sample: ‘The gel was a positive quiz’ (and no, this isn’t dialogue; it’s description); ‘… he has been no ray of sunbeams in my life either’; ‘more romantic than the experienced (for “experienced” read “on-the-shelf spinster”) Miss Tamerlane’ and ‘… though she was no taller than Tansy, she outweighed her by at least three stone – making of herself all in all a very imposing (threatening?) picture’.
Tedious.
If you want to read well-written witty Regency romance, try Heyer instead. Not this.
Georgette Heyer, who pretty much pioneered the Regency romance—especially when it came to the literary equivalent of a rom-com—had perfected the art. With brilliantly intricate plots, a judicious use of cant, and just the right amount of humour, Ms Heyer made her books classics in this genre.
Kasey Michaels, in The Tenacious Miss Tamerlane, seems to be trying to emulate Ms Heyer. Several of the plot elements of novels like The Grand Sophy and Regency Buck are present here: the feisty, managing, and ‘couldn’t care less for society’ heroine; the aristocratic hero, into whose society she’s flung very early on in the story. The childishly naïve miss. The eccentric relatives. The villain. Beau Brummel (can a Regency romance get by without a mention of that gentleman?)
Briefly, this is the story of 26 year old orphan Tansy Tamerlane, who’s on her way to a job as a governess when she comes across an arguing couple eloping to Gretna Green. Tansy, sharp-eyed, smart, independent (and also perhaps rather impetuous) helps the girl, Emily, when their vehicle takes a tumble. From there, to the arrival of Emily’s irate older brother Ashley, the Duke of Avanoll, and their discovering that Tansy is in fact a very distant relative, is a short chapter. In which is also included the siblings’ request for Tansy to come and stay with them in London, to be a chaperone to Emily in this, her first season.
So Tansy goes to London, settles in with Emily, the Duke, his loony aunt Ce-Ce, and his somewhat unorthodox grandmother in a household that consists of some of the most unbelievable caricatures in a single book. Emily’s aunt Ce-Ce, for example, speaks only and always in quotations from varied sources. And Ashley’s valet, Farnley, is superstitious to the point of idiocy—it’s a wonder why Ashley hasn’t dismissed him.
But, as Tansy sets about putting the house in order and making a place for herself in the ton, she also gets into one scrape after the other, both embarrassing and inconveniencing Ashley—yet making him fall in love with her, too.
So far, so good. At a superficial level, this is a pleasant enough story. Reading it, however, I couldn’t help but grit my teeth whenever the aunt belted out another of her quotations or Farnley went frantic about another of his superstitions. Or Tansy did something so utterly brazen that it went into the realms of unbelievable. My main problem, in fact, was with the two lead characters: neither of them appealed to me. Tansy struck me as an interfering busybody with little real regard for anybody except when it was convenient for her; and Ashley was—well, just too insipid a hero. And their love story did nothing for me. It struck no chord, did not make me want them to get together.
On top of that, there was the language. Too many brackets. Too much cant (if you read Heyer, you’ll see the smart way she weaves in cant: only in the dialogue). Several errors, too. Here’s a sample: ‘The gel was a positive quiz’ (and no, this isn’t dialogue; it’s description); ‘… he has been no ray of sunbeams in my life either’; ‘more romantic than the experienced (for “experienced” read “on-the-shelf spinster”) Miss Tamerlane’ and ‘… though she was no taller than Tansy, she outweighed her by at least three stone – making of herself all in all a very imposing (threatening?) picture’.
Tedious.
If you want to read well-written witty Regency romance, try Heyer instead. Not this.
December 24, 2015
Miss Tansy Tamerlane has few accomplishments, no useful social connections, and is nearing the end of her marriageability. On her way to another unpromising governess post she foils a foolish elopement and discovers that the young lady is actually a distant cousin. Having proven her worth at managing her young cousin's virtue she is offered the post of companion. Tansy is clever, strong, and fearless, and she immediately up ends her cousins' ordered lives. They are all better off for it.
This was probably the best Regency Romance I read this year. It's very funny (although the circumlocutory style in which the duke and his grandmother speak sometimes took me a few tries to understand) and I completely bought into the relationship between Tansy and Ashley. They each bring out the humor and best in each other, which is exactly what I like to see in a romance.
This was probably the best Regency Romance I read this year. It's very funny (although the circumlocutory style in which the duke and his grandmother speak sometimes took me a few tries to understand) and I completely bought into the relationship between Tansy and Ashley. They each bring out the humor and best in each other, which is exactly what I like to see in a romance.
Read
January 15, 2018Witty banter. Arch tone. Enjoyed it.
May 4, 2012
This was a fun little romp, not the best, and maybe a little draggy, but I didn't expect much. Kasey Michaels has never been top of my regency list, but I recently stumbled on an online interview with her from 2005 in which she discusses how she wrote this book: she was pregnant with her 4th child while giving her 8-year-old home dialysis, and she would stay up all night writing this book. It was an escape for her from the stress of life, and she says it saved her sanity. So, I wanted to read it!
I haven't read a regency romp in ages, and it reminded me of all those fun phrases, such as "more hair than wit", and "attics to let", and "make a cake of myself"... I want to find some more romps now.
I haven't read a regency romp in ages, and it reminded me of all those fun phrases, such as "more hair than wit", and "attics to let", and "make a cake of myself"... I want to find some more romps now.
February 16, 2013
One of my favorite Kasey Michaels books! The heroine is delightful and the writing is absolutely hilarious! I loved this one.
March 14, 2014
If ever a regency romance could hoist the mantel of “madcap” champion it is The Tenacious Miss Tamerlane. I laughed and chuckled all the way to the end.
Upon the death of her debt-ridden father Miss Tamerlane or “Tansy” has hired herself out as a governess to a succession of brats. She is discovered to be a distant cousin to Ashley Benedict, Duke of Avenoll and is rescued to become the companion of the Duke’s air-headed younger sister. She takes up residence in London at the Duke’s posh townhouse along with the Duke’s sharp-witted dowager grandmother and his totally eccentric Aunt Lucinda. Aunt Lucinda only communicates with famous quotes and maxims from antiquity which are quite effective but at times causes her family to want to strangle her.
Miss Tansy has been raised primarily by her late gamester father since the early death of her mother; consequently, she is a formidable card player, chessmaster, rider, shooter, and boxing fanatic. She has honed her wits into a survival mode since she had been scraping by doing whatever she puts her pragmatic mind to.
The duke at five and thirty is harried by the three eccentric ladies in his life and when he takes Tansy in it puts him almost over the edge of sanity. Bullying and intimidating tactics on Emily, Lucinda, and the dowager have worked thus far for the Duke but do not phase resourceful Tansy who gets the last word in on him most of the time. Poor Tansy feels she has landed in the middle of a group of misfits and offers to take on management of the town house in order to bring some order and sanity to the family. Throw in some equally dysfunctional but well-meaning servants and can the situation get any worse?
Worse, way worse, because the duke and Miss Tansy begin to feel the tug of romance between them. Aunt Lucinda, The Dowager and servants seem to be the only ones who are aware of this. Wild schemes are formulated to bring Lady Emily and her immature beau plus the Duke and Tansy to the altar.
The goofy but lovable small cast of characters and their gut-busting dialogues and put-downs carry the entire story. The conversations are reminiscent of the great Georgette Heyer. The author’s character development is brilliant. This would make a highly entertaining stage play with the outrageous conversations taking center stage. It is pretty hard to out “mad-cap” this one.
Upon the death of her debt-ridden father Miss Tamerlane or “Tansy” has hired herself out as a governess to a succession of brats. She is discovered to be a distant cousin to Ashley Benedict, Duke of Avenoll and is rescued to become the companion of the Duke’s air-headed younger sister. She takes up residence in London at the Duke’s posh townhouse along with the Duke’s sharp-witted dowager grandmother and his totally eccentric Aunt Lucinda. Aunt Lucinda only communicates with famous quotes and maxims from antiquity which are quite effective but at times causes her family to want to strangle her.
Miss Tansy has been raised primarily by her late gamester father since the early death of her mother; consequently, she is a formidable card player, chessmaster, rider, shooter, and boxing fanatic. She has honed her wits into a survival mode since she had been scraping by doing whatever she puts her pragmatic mind to.
The duke at five and thirty is harried by the three eccentric ladies in his life and when he takes Tansy in it puts him almost over the edge of sanity. Bullying and intimidating tactics on Emily, Lucinda, and the dowager have worked thus far for the Duke but do not phase resourceful Tansy who gets the last word in on him most of the time. Poor Tansy feels she has landed in the middle of a group of misfits and offers to take on management of the town house in order to bring some order and sanity to the family. Throw in some equally dysfunctional but well-meaning servants and can the situation get any worse?
Worse, way worse, because the duke and Miss Tansy begin to feel the tug of romance between them. Aunt Lucinda, The Dowager and servants seem to be the only ones who are aware of this. Wild schemes are formulated to bring Lady Emily and her immature beau plus the Duke and Tansy to the altar.
The goofy but lovable small cast of characters and their gut-busting dialogues and put-downs carry the entire story. The conversations are reminiscent of the great Georgette Heyer. The author’s character development is brilliant. This would make a highly entertaining stage play with the outrageous conversations taking center stage. It is pretty hard to out “mad-cap” this one.
January 20, 2016
Opinião completa em: http://pepitamagica.blogspot.pt/2016/...
A primeira vez que li algo da Kasey Michaels foi com os livros da Harlequin, e imediatamente quis ler mais livros desta autora. Com um estilo de escrita romântico e que nos prende do início ao fim, Kasey Michaels leva-nos a um mundo dos inícios do século XIX com glamour e atracção.
(...)
Tansy estava à beira da falência e não tinha jeito para cuidar/ensinar crianças, pois a sua própria educação, que começou por ser a de uma senhora nobre, acabou por ser descuidada após a morte da mãe da nossa protagonista. Assim, Ashley vê-se compelido a convidá-la para sua casa e contrata-a (pagando com roupa, alimentação e um quarto para viver) para ser a chaperone da sua irmã, impedindo assim que esta tente mais alguma vez estragar não só a sua reputação mas a de toda a família Benedict.
Vivendo sobre o mesmo tecto, as tensões aumentam e as saídas ariscas de Tansy aparentemente chamam a atenção romântica do duque – e é aqui que ponho alguns problemas a um livro que poderia ter sido melhor. Enquanto que algumas tiradas de Tansy dão um bom toque de humor à história, acho que a autora terá exagerado. É raro, se é que há algo, que Tansy diga que não seja irónico e sarcástico. E, correndo o risco de me repetir, tem de haver peso e medida para tudo, se não algo que poderia ser divertido e inteligentemente bem escrito torna-se aborrecido.
(...)
Apesar disso, o livro deu para passar um bom bocado, com alguma diversão e humor, sendo as minhas partes favoritas as tiradas (essas sim correctas em quantidade e qualidade) da Avó Benedict. Ficou a faltar o romance.
A primeira vez que li algo da Kasey Michaels foi com os livros da Harlequin, e imediatamente quis ler mais livros desta autora. Com um estilo de escrita romântico e que nos prende do início ao fim, Kasey Michaels leva-nos a um mundo dos inícios do século XIX com glamour e atracção.
(...)
Tansy estava à beira da falência e não tinha jeito para cuidar/ensinar crianças, pois a sua própria educação, que começou por ser a de uma senhora nobre, acabou por ser descuidada após a morte da mãe da nossa protagonista. Assim, Ashley vê-se compelido a convidá-la para sua casa e contrata-a (pagando com roupa, alimentação e um quarto para viver) para ser a chaperone da sua irmã, impedindo assim que esta tente mais alguma vez estragar não só a sua reputação mas a de toda a família Benedict.
Vivendo sobre o mesmo tecto, as tensões aumentam e as saídas ariscas de Tansy aparentemente chamam a atenção romântica do duque – e é aqui que ponho alguns problemas a um livro que poderia ter sido melhor. Enquanto que algumas tiradas de Tansy dão um bom toque de humor à história, acho que a autora terá exagerado. É raro, se é que há algo, que Tansy diga que não seja irónico e sarcástico. E, correndo o risco de me repetir, tem de haver peso e medida para tudo, se não algo que poderia ser divertido e inteligentemente bem escrito torna-se aborrecido.
(...)
Apesar disso, o livro deu para passar um bom bocado, com alguma diversão e humor, sendo as minhas partes favoritas as tiradas (essas sim correctas em quantidade e qualidade) da Avó Benedict. Ficou a faltar o romance.
May 1, 2015
Definitely more Heyer than Austin - A Regency Romp at Romance. Well crafted with few 'dead' patches and the cast is well supported by sufficient eccentric characters which helped the author over her next 2 books. (As you work yourself past Penolope to Miss Hampshire the stories tend to lose their sharp edge). Loved Aunt Lucina and spent time checking the rhythm of how the other characters allowed her to voice out what she needed said. The reason why she sticks to other people's quotes is found in the last book of the trio 'The Haunted Miss Hampshire'. The last man standing in the trio was the woeful Valet who later became Lucinda's Butler and ended up trying to exortise his former Mistress (unsuccessfully).
As you can see I have not just touched on this original book - however I do recommend that you at least try the first. Such a great laugh - totally rollicking! It gave me my youth back!
So if you enjoy heroines who are au fait with the pugilisic arts and heroes who haven't a clue (esp about proposals) than this book is for you. It's all definitely a - Go Girl experience to be reconed with...
As you can see I have not just touched on this original book - however I do recommend that you at least try the first. Such a great laugh - totally rollicking! It gave me my youth back!
So if you enjoy heroines who are au fait with the pugilisic arts and heroes who haven't a clue (esp about proposals) than this book is for you. It's all definitely a - Go Girl experience to be reconed with...
July 17, 2015
Hoots, capers and a bunch of fun characters served up Regency-style....so why was this one still so 'meh'?
did-not-finish
May 18, 2023DNF @ 80%. I pretty much just can't take these characters anymore. This was just too much: too farcical, too many characters, way too much plot to be shoved into a book < 200 pages. This was apparently originally published as a trad Regency, but the internal pacing is so off that I don't know if I'm reading the original version, or one that was re-written for the ebook market 30 years later. Either way, unfortunately, this just did not work for me.
December 25, 2019
3.5 ***
May 5, 2020
Very, very funny. Hilarious even 😂 Well done!
November 20, 2020
A delightful book with so much comical moments that truly captures the mind and heart.
Simply loved this book from beginning to end.
Simply loved this book from beginning to end.
May 11, 2017
kindle freebie on Valentine's Day
2.5 stars broken down like this:
Writing quality 2
Character likability 2 1/4 for Horatio
Plot 2.5
Tansy Tamerlane has neither looks, age, nor accomplishments to recommend her. She's a penniless spinster with the vocabulary of a gamester and skills no lady should ever have. She is forced to play governess to bratty children for a living. While on her way to her next post, she comes across an aborted elopement and puts a stop to it before the young Lady Emily's brother, the Duke of Avonall, arrives. The Duke does not appreciate Tansy's involvement but as he is not prepared to deal with his sister and discovers Tansy is some sort of relation, he invites her to bear lead his sister through her Season. The Duke quickly discovers Tansy's lack of accomplishments and her quick temper, which he also shares. They continue to clash as his Grandmama tries to play matchmaker and his superstitious valet tries to rid the household of Tansy's bad luck.
This book is clearly inspired by Georgette Heyer. It has elements of Arabella and The Grand Sophy. Sadly, Georgette Heyer is long dead and there can only be one Georgette Heyer. This author's style is closer to Barbara Metzger but not quite that good. She makes judicious use of the Dictionary of Vulgar Tongue for no good reason. She also wrote with a Thesaurus and a book of quotations. The plot starts and stops and goes on way too long. There's very little in the way of actual romance unless you like constant arguing and heroes who kiss the heroine, apologize, do it again, apologize, get jealous whenever she is around any other man. There were several minor historical errors that are fairly easy to spot for anyone with knowledge of the 19th-century: penny dreadfuls and dumbwaiters didn't exist and dumbwaiters were American; crayons MAY refer to drawing crayons like charcoal but the reference to a child's box of crayons seems to indicate something like Crayola, crayons (1903 America). I'd like to know why Beau Brummell was still leading Society when the war is over and he should be in France fleeing his creditors.
Tansy is the biggest inaccuracy of the entire book. Why would anyone hire her as a governess if she doesn't have ladylike accomplishments? A governess should be educated in singing, dancing, drawing, modern languages and ladylike things. A governess should not be educated in gambling, swearing, shooting and hoydenish pursuits. Who on earth would hire Tansy to care for their children even as a nursemaid? No one! Not even a Squire. I found it hard to believe the ton wouldn't reject her. I did really like how she rescued Horatio and how she handled Emily and the household.
I did not like the hero. Ashley Benedict, Duke of Avonall is a bully. He's rude to his family, downright awful to Tansy and has no knowledge of or interest in his servants. He tosses money around and doesn't care if the housekeeper is wasting his money as long as the household runs smoothly. He mocks his valet's superstitions, which admittedly are silly and is an all around boor. I hated his relationship with Tansy. He bullied her. I didn't like how he kissed her frequently without admitting his feelings or asking hers. His feelings take this story into the subtly sensual category.
The secondary characters, aside from Lady Emily, are better than the primary characters. Lady Emily is a spoiled brat who deserves to be taken in hand and also to lose the one man who will make her happy. Grandmama, the Dowager Duchess, is clever, sly and mischievous. She seems younger than a grandmother though she complains of feeling unwell enough to chaperone Emily. Aunt Lucinda speaks only in platitudes, proverbs and poetic quotations. You will either find her insanely annoying or amusing. I choose the latter. She really added a lot of humor to the story, as did Horatio, the canine. I'm a sucker for funny animal companions, especially dogs.
This book doesn't measure up to my standards. Try Barbara Metzger or Marion Chesney if you want something like this but better written.
2.5 stars broken down like this:
Writing quality 2
Character likability 2 1/4 for Horatio
Plot 2.5
Tansy Tamerlane has neither looks, age, nor accomplishments to recommend her. She's a penniless spinster with the vocabulary of a gamester and skills no lady should ever have. She is forced to play governess to bratty children for a living. While on her way to her next post, she comes across an aborted elopement and puts a stop to it before the young Lady Emily's brother, the Duke of Avonall, arrives. The Duke does not appreciate Tansy's involvement but as he is not prepared to deal with his sister and discovers Tansy is some sort of relation, he invites her to bear lead his sister through her Season. The Duke quickly discovers Tansy's lack of accomplishments and her quick temper, which he also shares. They continue to clash as his Grandmama tries to play matchmaker and his superstitious valet tries to rid the household of Tansy's bad luck.
This book is clearly inspired by Georgette Heyer. It has elements of Arabella and The Grand Sophy. Sadly, Georgette Heyer is long dead and there can only be one Georgette Heyer. This author's style is closer to Barbara Metzger but not quite that good. She makes judicious use of the Dictionary of Vulgar Tongue for no good reason. She also wrote with a Thesaurus and a book of quotations. The plot starts and stops and goes on way too long. There's very little in the way of actual romance unless you like constant arguing and heroes who kiss the heroine, apologize, do it again, apologize, get jealous whenever she is around any other man. There were several minor historical errors that are fairly easy to spot for anyone with knowledge of the 19th-century: penny dreadfuls and dumbwaiters didn't exist and dumbwaiters were American; crayons MAY refer to drawing crayons like charcoal but the reference to a child's box of crayons seems to indicate something like Crayola, crayons (1903 America). I'd like to know why Beau Brummell was still leading Society when the war is over and he should be in France fleeing his creditors.
Tansy is the biggest inaccuracy of the entire book. Why would anyone hire her as a governess if she doesn't have ladylike accomplishments? A governess should be educated in singing, dancing, drawing, modern languages and ladylike things. A governess should not be educated in gambling, swearing, shooting and hoydenish pursuits. Who on earth would hire Tansy to care for their children even as a nursemaid? No one! Not even a Squire. I found it hard to believe the ton wouldn't reject her. I did really like how she rescued Horatio and how she handled Emily and the household.
I did not like the hero. Ashley Benedict, Duke of Avonall is a bully. He's rude to his family, downright awful to Tansy and has no knowledge of or interest in his servants. He tosses money around and doesn't care if the housekeeper is wasting his money as long as the household runs smoothly. He mocks his valet's superstitions, which admittedly are silly and is an all around boor. I hated his relationship with Tansy. He bullied her. I didn't like how he kissed her frequently without admitting his feelings or asking hers. His feelings take this story into the subtly sensual category.
The secondary characters, aside from Lady Emily, are better than the primary characters. Lady Emily is a spoiled brat who deserves to be taken in hand and also to lose the one man who will make her happy. Grandmama, the Dowager Duchess, is clever, sly and mischievous. She seems younger than a grandmother though she complains of feeling unwell enough to chaperone Emily. Aunt Lucinda speaks only in platitudes, proverbs and poetic quotations. You will either find her insanely annoying or amusing. I choose the latter. She really added a lot of humor to the story, as did Horatio, the canine. I'm a sucker for funny animal companions, especially dogs.
This book doesn't measure up to my standards. Try Barbara Metzger or Marion Chesney if you want something like this but better written.
April 12, 2017
The Tenacious Miss Tamerlane reads like really over-the-top Georgette Heyer fan-fiction. It's extremely silly, humorous at times, painful often, and thankfully a quick read. This may actually be the book from which the term 'Regency Romp' was coined because I've never read anything that fits the bill more than this.
Country bumpkin Tansy finds herself living with distant relatives for a season in London, meddling in their household while they try to keep her from becoming a social disaster and she tries to keep the young debutante from being so stupid as to ruin herself. The scrapes both girls get into are downright unbelievable at times.
The cast of characters is irritating more often than amusing. The hero and heroine spend all their time vascillating between yelling at each other and kissing each other. The Duke is willfully blind, and the heroine is willfully ignorant and headstrong (oops, I think that's supposed to be 'tenacious'). Aside from them, we have an air-headed sister who purposely tries to ruin herself multiple times, servants without any sense, and to top it all off, an aunt who speaks - literally! - only in quotations. One of my greatest hopes throughout is that the aunt will be shocked into at least one normal statement as part of the wrap-up. Unfortunately not.
Ultimately, this reads like a set of outrageous caricatures all thrown together, and although I was forced to laugh at times, it was mainly due to the ludicrousness of it. I wonder if the author intended to write a work of satire.
Country bumpkin Tansy finds herself living with distant relatives for a season in London, meddling in their household while they try to keep her from becoming a social disaster and she tries to keep the young debutante from being so stupid as to ruin herself. The scrapes both girls get into are downright unbelievable at times.
The cast of characters is irritating more often than amusing. The hero and heroine spend all their time vascillating between yelling at each other and kissing each other. The Duke is willfully blind, and the heroine is willfully ignorant and headstrong (oops, I think that's supposed to be 'tenacious'). Aside from them, we have an air-headed sister who purposely tries to ruin herself multiple times, servants without any sense, and to top it all off, an aunt who speaks - literally! - only in quotations. One of my greatest hopes throughout is that the aunt will be shocked into at least one normal statement as part of the wrap-up. Unfortunately not.
Ultimately, this reads like a set of outrageous caricatures all thrown together, and although I was forced to laugh at times, it was mainly due to the ludicrousness of it. I wonder if the author intended to write a work of satire.
September 26, 2015
This is painful. I know what the author was trying to do, create the main character to be strong and aggressive, to show the strength and lack of emotion a motherless woman has when raised by just her father, but it was a little much at time and I felt that I needed to see more compassion and understanding to make the main character likable. Because honestly, I found her completely annoying.
I am a different kind of reviewer, I don’t base my reviews on grammatical errors, annoying characters, I base my review on the actual story and the writing itself. If I can fully engage into the story and the writing is good, than I am satisfied.
The good.
1.The story and plot were very good.
2.I found the writing engaging.
The bad.
1.Dialogue and narrative were bunched together making the reading confusing.
2.The POV’s were switched without prior warning, causing me to have to reread many paragraphs.
My rating after taking the good with the bad. 4.0 out of 5.0
I am a different kind of reviewer, I don’t base my reviews on grammatical errors, annoying characters, I base my review on the actual story and the writing itself. If I can fully engage into the story and the writing is good, than I am satisfied.
The good.
1.The story and plot were very good.
2.I found the writing engaging.
The bad.
1.Dialogue and narrative were bunched together making the reading confusing.
2.The POV’s were switched without prior warning, causing me to have to reread many paragraphs.
My rating after taking the good with the bad. 4.0 out of 5.0
September 26, 2015
This is painful. I know what the author was trying to do, create the main character to be strong and aggressive, to show the strength and lack of emotion a motherless woman has when raised by just her father, but it was a little much at time and I felt that I needed to see more compassion and understanding to make the main character likable. Because honestly, I found her completely annoying.
I am a different kind of reviewer, I don’t base my reviews on grammatical errors, annoying characters, I base my review on the actual story and the writing itself. If I can fully engage into the story and the writing is good, than I am satisfied.
The good.
1.The story and plot were very good.
2.I found the writing engaging.
The bad.
1.Dialogue and narrative were bunched together making the reading confusing.
2.The POV’s were switched without prior warning, causing me to have to reread many paragraphs.
My rating after taking the good with the bad. 4.0 out of 5.0
I am a different kind of reviewer, I don’t base my reviews on grammatical errors, annoying characters, I base my review on the actual story and the writing itself. If I can fully engage into the story and the writing is good, than I am satisfied.
The good.
1.The story and plot were very good.
2.I found the writing engaging.
The bad.
1.Dialogue and narrative were bunched together making the reading confusing.
2.The POV’s were switched without prior warning, causing me to have to reread many paragraphs.
My rating after taking the good with the bad. 4.0 out of 5.0
September 25, 2014
The Tenacious Miss Tamerlane is for people who...
...don't mind some fairly thick Regency speak being flung about all willy-nilly.
...Err...
...yeah, that's all I got.
I didn't really enjoy this one. It was a little too tongue in cheek for me. Lots of flip banter and barbed words. And... it just wasn't for me.
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
...don't mind some fairly thick Regency speak being flung about all willy-nilly.
...Err...
...yeah, that's all I got.
I didn't really enjoy this one. It was a little too tongue in cheek for me. Lots of flip banter and barbed words. And... it just wasn't for me.
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
August 23, 2015
Quibbling Bards
Tansy and Ashley's story is full of fun, insightful, and delightful quote. As companion and governess to a spoiled debutante, Tansy has errors hands ful. Enter the Duke, trying to be the good and righteously devoted brother. Add a mischievous grandma's and a bard quoting Aunt to this mix. What you end up with is a laughingly great story.
Here's to more of these. Thank You for this.
Tansy and Ashley's story is full of fun, insightful, and delightful quote. As companion and governess to a spoiled debutante, Tansy has errors hands ful. Enter the Duke, trying to be the good and righteously devoted brother. Add a mischievous grandma's and a bard quoting Aunt to this mix. What you end up with is a laughingly great story.
Here's to more of these. Thank You for this.
September 25, 2014
Kasey Michaels is a hit-or-miss author for me, and this title could not be more of a miss. There is nothing likable about it: the characters are obnoxious stereotypes, the plot is outlandish and unbelievable, and the overall writing style is beyond gaudy, to distracting and dreadful. I could not recommend this to anyone.
(My first Bookbub freebie.)
(My first Bookbub freebie.)
September 23, 2014
Tenacious indeed.
Your writing makes me want to digest your words and phrases to understand your meanings more clearly. Aunt Lucinda and her quotes took some getting used to but when you started understanding where she was coming from, it was quite delightful. I did so enjoy that. Thanks again for such an amazing read.
Your writing makes me want to digest your words and phrases to understand your meanings more clearly. Aunt Lucinda and her quotes took some getting used to but when you started understanding where she was coming from, it was quite delightful. I did so enjoy that. Thanks again for such an amazing read.
January 26, 2015
Witty fun
Recommended to those who enjoy light romance novels. Nice story line, kept my interest, funny secondary characters, good clean fun. I will definitely read more of Miss Michaels books.
Recommended to those who enjoy light romance novels. Nice story line, kept my interest, funny secondary characters, good clean fun. I will definitely read more of Miss Michaels books.
October 25, 2016
Eu gosto imenso de romances históricos, mas este achei particularmente difícil de ler. Houve alturas em que simplesmente não tinha paciência para a tradução e tentava ficar apenas com a ideia geral da cena. E mesmo assim, às vezes não a conseguia entender...
February 20, 2015
A delightfully old-fashioned love story...with a side of true wit.
November 10, 2015
3.5 stars.
very pleasant and funny story, it made me smile and laugh. All the characters were quite likeable, especially the quotes-crazy aunt.
I will definitely try more books by this author.
very pleasant and funny story, it made me smile and laugh. All the characters were quite likeable, especially the quotes-crazy aunt.
I will definitely try more books by this author.
July 14, 2015
Not the best regency I've read...
July 7, 2022
It could have been entertaining, but the uppermost impression it created was that it tried too hard. The author picked some of the common plot elements of the genre, specially from Heyer, included ALL of them, and attempted to do it one better. So, the result is a book that comes across as labored on all fronts.
The prose is purported to be witty but often felt tedious, with many qualifying phrases and parenthesized clarifications (seriously, who thinks in brackets? ;-)) The banter between the MC is amusing in general, but there were quite a few points where I didn't see a reason for their "breaking out into laughter". The regency ladies are not expected to use slang (or "cant") in their speech, so the spunky ones throw a word here, a phrase there. In what looks like one-upmanship, the author has Tansy deliver two whole paragraphs of dialog exclusively in cant.
I love spunky, sassy RR heroines (I read the genre for the humor rather than romance), but Tansy started looking shrill and ill-mannered as the story progressed. Not considering that she is currently the duke's dependent, even as a guest her attitude towards her host isn't commendable - battle of wits with Ashley had her insulting him frequently (generally without reason) and calling names to his sister (with just cause). The hero was nice but not interesting, and the romance seems artificial. There are several quirky characters, but even they stopped being amusing after several repeat performances.
It appears as if the author created a checklist of the amusing elements of RR novels, and proceeded to include an instance of each and make it better than it has been done before.
- Heroine needed: impoverished, sharp-witted, unladylike - can't dance or sew, can ride and shoot, will speak in stable or boxing cant
- needs to shatter hero's ordered routine - fire the housekeeper within a couple of days upon arrival
- rescue a stray in an outrageous manner - don't stop or merely jump from carriage, manage to rip your dress and then wade through the lake, in full public view
- save her reputation - fool the public with help from no less persona than Beau Brummell
- Hero needed: clueless, prone to fall in love with argumentative cousin - will "kiss ruthlessly" every now and then, blow hot and cold, make an idiotic proposal without professing love, will tolerate impudence from everyone
- a beautiful 'airhead' - Emily, sister of duke, will not understand any jokes, will elope not once but twice
- quirky characters - superstitious valet, quote-speaking aunt, managing grandmother, unpredictable dog, irrational villain. Self-centered relative is missing, but we do have the thoughtless sister.
The prose is purported to be witty but often felt tedious, with many qualifying phrases and parenthesized clarifications (seriously, who thinks in brackets? ;-)) The banter between the MC is amusing in general, but there were quite a few points where I didn't see a reason for their "breaking out into laughter". The regency ladies are not expected to use slang (or "cant") in their speech, so the spunky ones throw a word here, a phrase there. In what looks like one-upmanship, the author has Tansy deliver two whole paragraphs of dialog exclusively in cant.
I love spunky, sassy RR heroines (I read the genre for the humor rather than romance), but Tansy started looking shrill and ill-mannered as the story progressed. Not considering that she is currently the duke's dependent, even as a guest her attitude towards her host isn't commendable - battle of wits with Ashley had her insulting him frequently (generally without reason) and calling names to his sister (with just cause). The hero was nice but not interesting, and the romance seems artificial. There are several quirky characters, but even they stopped being amusing after several repeat performances.
It appears as if the author created a checklist of the amusing elements of RR novels, and proceeded to include an instance of each and make it better than it has been done before.
- Heroine needed: impoverished, sharp-witted, unladylike - can't dance or sew, can ride and shoot, will speak in stable or boxing cant
- needs to shatter hero's ordered routine - fire the housekeeper within a couple of days upon arrival
- rescue a stray in an outrageous manner - don't stop or merely jump from carriage, manage to rip your dress and then wade through the lake, in full public view
- save her reputation - fool the public with help from no less persona than Beau Brummell
- Hero needed: clueless, prone to fall in love with argumentative cousin - will "kiss ruthlessly" every now and then, blow hot and cold, make an idiotic proposal without professing love, will tolerate impudence from everyone
- a beautiful 'airhead' - Emily, sister of duke, will not understand any jokes, will elope not once but twice
- quirky characters - superstitious valet, quote-speaking aunt, managing grandmother, unpredictable dog, irrational villain. Self-centered relative is missing, but we do have the thoughtless sister.
April 14, 2019
It took me longer to finish this book than I expected, and I will explain the reason in a moment. First, what I liked about the book:
I loved Tansy and Ashley. They were definitely an example of oil and water mixing, rather than the opposite. They made me laugh and occasionally tear up. I enjoyed the dowager, although Aunt CeCe's constant quotes became a bit tiresome. I wanted to shake some sense into the woman's head.
That being said, I must admit the constant puns, innuendos, alliteration, overtones, undertones, and allusions were more than a bit overwhelming, and I consider myself a "word" person. I adore the manipulations of words for puns, etc. However, after a chapter or two, I found myself putting away the book to be read another day. I was on overload.
There were phrases such as "jean boot" and "crocodile tears" and "airhead" [an American slang as used for a silly person] and "info" that felt too modern and pulled me from the story. [Yes, I know "crocodile tears" first appeared in The Voyage and Travail of Sir John Maundeville, circa 1400, but it still felt from place.]
There were several split infinitives: to not favor, to not notice, to shamelessly eavesdrop, to never go, etc.
There were numerous editing issues: "in tie conservatory (the)," "Avandoll's finders brushed (fingers)," "is it Cousin the duke returned (Is it, Cousin. The)," "before an overwrought Tansy cut her off." (No quotation mark needed her, as it is narration. The quotation mark should have started the next paragraph, which was the dialogue.)," "in am embrace (an)," "I hat had happened (had)," "Well be married (We'll)," "Well be run down (We'll)," etc.
The book was originally brought out in April 1982.
I loved Tansy and Ashley. They were definitely an example of oil and water mixing, rather than the opposite. They made me laugh and occasionally tear up. I enjoyed the dowager, although Aunt CeCe's constant quotes became a bit tiresome. I wanted to shake some sense into the woman's head.
That being said, I must admit the constant puns, innuendos, alliteration, overtones, undertones, and allusions were more than a bit overwhelming, and I consider myself a "word" person. I adore the manipulations of words for puns, etc. However, after a chapter or two, I found myself putting away the book to be read another day. I was on overload.
There were phrases such as "jean boot" and "crocodile tears" and "airhead" [an American slang as used for a silly person] and "info" that felt too modern and pulled me from the story. [Yes, I know "crocodile tears" first appeared in The Voyage and Travail of Sir John Maundeville, circa 1400, but it still felt from place.]
There were several split infinitives: to not favor, to not notice, to shamelessly eavesdrop, to never go, etc.
There were numerous editing issues: "in tie conservatory (the)," "Avandoll's finders brushed (fingers)," "is it Cousin the duke returned (Is it, Cousin. The)," "before an overwrought Tansy cut her off." (No quotation mark needed her, as it is narration. The quotation mark should have started the next paragraph, which was the dialogue.)," "in am embrace (an)," "I hat had happened (had)," "Well be married (We'll)," "Well be run down (We'll)," etc.
The book was originally brought out in April 1982.
June 5, 2020
The Tenacious Miss Tamerlane, by Kasey Michaels, was first in print in 1982 with the e-book becoming available in 2011. It's part of the Alphabet Regency Classic series. I received this book as a freebie from the author. I'm sorry to say that I didn't care much for the characters. An aunt who only speaks in pithy quotes, drove me nuts after she spouted the first few. The heros valet was unbearable, I would have fired him before the story even began. The heroine is determined to ruin herself. She finally has a chance to get back on her feet & she doesn't care. She could be kicked out at any moment so why bother? The hero is not a hero at all, he's awful. He spends 99% of the book telling Tansy how she's ruined his life & is a walking disaster. Tansy spends most of the book letting Ashley have it with both barrels. They are so alike you expect them to finish each others rants. It may have been ok for 1982, I have no idea about that, but in 2020 it's just not up to snuff.
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