What do you think?
Rate this book
Quadrille
What can the Dowager Lady Middleton do when she finds herself in drastically reduced circumstances following the death of her husband? One solution is to find eligible husbands for both her daughters.
Verity, the elder strong-willed one, boldly suggests that Leo. Earl of Wonersh, the man who had once jilted her, would make an ideal husband for her younger sister, Eustacia.
But both the Earl and Eustacia have other partners in mind ...
And can Verity herself emerge unscathed when her attempts to arrange other people’s lives result in escapades which threaten to taint them all with the whiff of scandal?
Verity, the elder strong-willed one, boldly suggests that Leo. Earl of Wonersh, the man who had once jilted her, would make an ideal husband for her younger sister, Eustacia.
But both the Earl and Eustacia have other partners in mind ...
And can Verity herself emerge unscathed when her attempts to arrange other people’s lives result in escapades which threaten to taint them all with the whiff of scandal?
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
September 13, 2020
Similar to Heyer's The Grand Sophy, the heroine of 'Quadrille' by Patricia Ormsby is looking to pair her friends up with suitors of her choosing, irrespective of their personal preferences. In particular, she's decided that the man who jilted her four years ago - the scandalous Earl of Wonersh - would be perfect for her younger sister who is about to 'throw herself away' on the 'grandson of a coach builder' (gasp!)
The books title 'Quadrille' is a firm nod at the plot line , which revolves around the heroine's machinations and the coupling up of the various characters.
Unlike the later M&B/Harlequin historical romances, during the era of the 'Masquerade Historical Romance' authors were seemingly encouraged to write mini-sagas. The consequence of this much more generous word count, so far as this novel is concerned, is that the author really throws the kitchen sink of plot obstacles into its 224 close typed pages . But for various reasons - possibly the un-engaging protagonists - the dramas failed to register and the story-line just felt l-o-n-g and a bit tedious.
I'm rating 'Quadrille' a two-and-three-quarter vintage romance read - if you like the Regency era and want to try novels from authors of the 1970's and early 1980's, I'd recommend instead checking the back catalogues of Alice Chetwynd Ley, Lisa Montague or Catherine Fellows.
The books title 'Quadrille' is a firm nod at the plot line , which revolves around the heroine's machinations and the coupling up of the various characters.
Unlike the later M&B/Harlequin historical romances, during the era of the 'Masquerade Historical Romance' authors were seemingly encouraged to write mini-sagas. The consequence of this much more generous word count, so far as this novel is concerned, is that the author really throws the kitchen sink of plot obstacles into its 224 close typed pages . But for various reasons - possibly the un-engaging protagonists - the dramas failed to register and the story-line just felt l-o-n-g and a bit tedious.
I'm rating 'Quadrille' a two-and-three-quarter vintage romance read - if you like the Regency era and want to try novels from authors of the 1970's and early 1980's, I'd recommend instead checking the back catalogues of Alice Chetwynd Ley, Lisa Montague or Catherine Fellows.
Displaying 1 of 1 review