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Bething's Folly
RELUCTANT ROMANCEThe chattering and giggling in a ballroom full of hopeful young debutantes had sent Lord Alexander hurrying for covers He had promised his father, the Duke of Carlyle that he would marry, but the fun-loving young lord was finding the selection process quite a bore, and sought a moment of reprieve in the library.Elizabeth Bethingame had accepted the invitation to the magnificent ball at the London home of the Duke and Duchess of Carlyle at the insistence of her aunt, but was appalled at the idea of parading herself for Lord Alexander's inspection. The independent young beauty was managing nicely as owner of Bething's Folly, the racing stable she inherited from her father, and marriage was definitely not part of her immediate plans. The library seemed the perfect escape.But the chosen refuge of Elizabeth and Lord Alexander did not turn out to be the safe retreat that either had anticipated, for their unexpected meeting proved to be the beginning of a most tempestuous alliance.
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
42 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Metzger
103 books200 followersBarbara Metzger is the author of over three dozen books and a dozen novellas. She has also been an editor, a proof-reader, a greeting card verse-writer, and an artist. When not painting, writing romances or reading them, she volunteers at the local library, gardens and goes beach-combing and yard-saling.
Her novels, mostly set in Regency-era England, have won numerous awards, including the Romance Writers of America RITA, the National Reader's Choice Award, and the Madcap award for humor in romance writing. In addition, Barbara has won two Career Achievement Awards from Romantic Times Magazine.
Source: http://www.barbarametzger.com/about_b...
Her novels, mostly set in Regency-era England, have won numerous awards, including the Romance Writers of America RITA, the National Reader's Choice Award, and the Madcap award for humor in romance writing. In addition, Barbara has won two Career Achievement Awards from Romantic Times Magazine.
Source: http://www.barbarametzger.com/about_b...
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 17, 2020
Closer to 2.5 for content. 3.5 writing quality. Not as funny as her norm. This started off wonderfully. Then dived head first off a cliff into a sea of stupidity.
I was looking forward to the fun getting to know each other after a hasty wedding trope and then the author contrived the most ridiculous reason for them to be mad at each other, so that they ended up barely ever having any actual contact, in a completely unrealistic and lengthy way.
I don't know why the author had him pouting and being a class-A jerk for such a sustained period of time on such flimsy grounds. He had lost any goodwill he had previously built in the reader by the end of the book. Their "misunderstanding" could and should have been cleared up by the next day in a one minute conversation. He also had no reason for his extreme distrust of women or his eagerness to believe the worst, one loose mistress does not a misogynist make.
Honestly I couldnt understand why he wouldn't have just put "the incident" down to the bridal nerves of an innocent and tried again. I spent the book irritated because of this. Could he really expect much from her when he had barely even kissed the gal. I think there was one featured light peck.
Other terrible sections... men publicly embarrassing their wives by trotting about town with another woman days after the wedding (it was not even stated that he was not sleeping around, so I gather we can infer he was)... Normalizing violence against women, and treating them like naughty little girls to 'bring them back in line' rather than having a discussion about mutual expectations is another of my irritants.
The whole last minute makeup near the end was ultimately stupid because they still knew nothing about each other apart from his three or so visits to her house while courting. Never a discussion did they have. Never a day spent together in amity. What kind of half arsed love is that? They were literally, physically if you will, never in the same room for most of the book. Quite frankly she should have left the fool. He wasn't worth the strain on her health.
There was also way too much (many? I think that ought to be many) minutiae featured, extensive details were... well, 'detailed', I guess you could say. It felt like word count padding. I did not really need to read about the dispersal of her new wardrobe for example-
“Elizabeth’s new clothes had all been left in London for delivery to the Grosvenor Square house, except for her travelling clothes and her wedding gown, which would arrive with Ellie at the end of the week, so she had no need to see about much packing, only a few personal items she wished to take”
I didn't really understand why so much emphasis was placed on the Duchess. What she was wearing, her looks, how nice she was. You would swear the book was about her.
Excerpt (about the duchess Not the heroine)- “Each guest was greeted with the same warm smile by the Duchess, who looked stunning in her gown of sapphire blue. The hem of her gown was cleverly embroidered in diamante, patterned to repeat the swirls of her diamond and sapphire necklace. Her hair was done up high under a tiara, set with one large diamond at the centre. Her blue eyes sparkled with the darker reflections from her gown, and her clear skin was almost white next to the blue, except for the blush of colour at her cheeks. Her charming smile was renewed for each visitor, through curtsey after curtsey, compliment after compliment.”
This doesn't cross the line, but generally Nothing creeps me out more than a man wanting to marry a carbon copy of his mother. Who wants a momma's boy constantly comparing and saying "well mum does it This way".
“He was pleased at first to accept the compliments, on his mother’s behalf, of what a fine picture they made. Indeed, they were a handsome couple with their matching blond hair, his in curls, hers in sleek twists. He was dressed in formal black and white, with the exception of his waistcoat, which was a blue that matched his mother’s dress, but in velvet, with silver embroidery. The white of his cravat was interrupted by a diamond-headed stickpin, set with tiny sapphires. Carleton, glancing from the line of guests to the Duchess, was thinking that he could be content with a woman like his mother, if only one existed."
In summary #1980sbodiceripper
I was looking forward to the fun getting to know each other after a hasty wedding trope and then the author contrived the most ridiculous reason for them to be mad at each other, so that they ended up barely ever having any actual contact, in a completely unrealistic and lengthy way.
I don't know why the author had him pouting and being a class-A jerk for such a sustained period of time on such flimsy grounds. He had lost any goodwill he had previously built in the reader by the end of the book. Their "misunderstanding" could and should have been cleared up by the next day in a one minute conversation. He also had no reason for his extreme distrust of women or his eagerness to believe the worst, one loose mistress does not a misogynist make.
Honestly I couldnt understand why he wouldn't have just put "the incident" down to the bridal nerves of an innocent and tried again. I spent the book irritated because of this. Could he really expect much from her when he had barely even kissed the gal. I think there was one featured light peck.
Other terrible sections... men publicly embarrassing their wives by trotting about town with another woman days after the wedding (it was not even stated that he was not sleeping around, so I gather we can infer he was)... Normalizing violence against women, and treating them like naughty little girls to 'bring them back in line' rather than having a discussion about mutual expectations is another of my irritants.
The whole last minute makeup near the end was ultimately stupid because they still knew nothing about each other apart from his three or so visits to her house while courting. Never a discussion did they have. Never a day spent together in amity. What kind of half arsed love is that? They were literally, physically if you will, never in the same room for most of the book. Quite frankly she should have left the fool. He wasn't worth the strain on her health.
There was also way too much (many? I think that ought to be many) minutiae featured, extensive details were... well, 'detailed', I guess you could say. It felt like word count padding. I did not really need to read about the dispersal of her new wardrobe for example-
“Elizabeth’s new clothes had all been left in London for delivery to the Grosvenor Square house, except for her travelling clothes and her wedding gown, which would arrive with Ellie at the end of the week, so she had no need to see about much packing, only a few personal items she wished to take”
I didn't really understand why so much emphasis was placed on the Duchess. What she was wearing, her looks, how nice she was. You would swear the book was about her.
Excerpt (about the duchess Not the heroine)- “Each guest was greeted with the same warm smile by the Duchess, who looked stunning in her gown of sapphire blue. The hem of her gown was cleverly embroidered in diamante, patterned to repeat the swirls of her diamond and sapphire necklace. Her hair was done up high under a tiara, set with one large diamond at the centre. Her blue eyes sparkled with the darker reflections from her gown, and her clear skin was almost white next to the blue, except for the blush of colour at her cheeks. Her charming smile was renewed for each visitor, through curtsey after curtsey, compliment after compliment.”
This doesn't cross the line, but generally Nothing creeps me out more than a man wanting to marry a carbon copy of his mother. Who wants a momma's boy constantly comparing and saying "well mum does it This way".
“He was pleased at first to accept the compliments, on his mother’s behalf, of what a fine picture they made. Indeed, they were a handsome couple with their matching blond hair, his in curls, hers in sleek twists. He was dressed in formal black and white, with the exception of his waistcoat, which was a blue that matched his mother’s dress, but in velvet, with silver embroidery. The white of his cravat was interrupted by a diamond-headed stickpin, set with tiny sapphires. Carleton, glancing from the line of guests to the Duchess, was thinking that he could be content with a woman like his mother, if only one existed."
In summary #1980sbodiceripper
July 19, 2012
My understanding is that this was Barbara Metzger's first book. I really like this author, and her well-written stories, with sympathetic characters, witty repartee, and delightful children and animals. For a first book, this was extremely well-written, and the first half was a solid four star read.
The hero, Alexander, is the heir to a dukedom. His father, the Duke of Carlyle, is tired of Alexander's rake hell ways, and Carlyle tells his son that he's dying, and he wants Alexander to come home. Alexander rushes to be with his father. Carlyle tells Alexander that he wants to see his son married before he dies. Alexander then meets Elizabeth, who lives on a neighboring estate. She's unlike any of the other women he's met on the marriage mart. She runs a stable that trains race horses. She's a totally engaging young woman - intelligent, out-spoken, charming, and totally uninterested in the social whirl. They fall in love and get married. This first part was terrific. As are the secondary characters, such as Alexander's parents and his best friend.
The book totally fell apart for me in the second half. Elizabeth and Alexander have a misunderstanding. He turns into a mean, vicious jerk, and proceeds to punish Elizabeth for her perceived mistake. First of all, his reaction was all out of proportion to what happened. Second, a simple conversation between them could have cleared up the misunderstanding. A book where the hero turns into a major jerk towards the heroine can actually be well done for me if the hero realizes what a jerk he's been, is truly repentant, and does some very serious and protracted groveling. None of that occurred here. Alexander continued to treat the heroine very badly (and in a way I consider to be emotional abuse) almost until the end. That was a one star for me.
I'm glad I read so many of Metzger's books before I read this one.
The hero, Alexander, is the heir to a dukedom. His father, the Duke of Carlyle, is tired of Alexander's rake hell ways, and Carlyle tells his son that he's dying, and he wants Alexander to come home. Alexander rushes to be with his father. Carlyle tells Alexander that he wants to see his son married before he dies. Alexander then meets Elizabeth, who lives on a neighboring estate. She's unlike any of the other women he's met on the marriage mart. She runs a stable that trains race horses. She's a totally engaging young woman - intelligent, out-spoken, charming, and totally uninterested in the social whirl. They fall in love and get married. This first part was terrific. As are the secondary characters, such as Alexander's parents and his best friend.
The book totally fell apart for me in the second half. Elizabeth and Alexander have a misunderstanding. He turns into a mean, vicious jerk, and proceeds to punish Elizabeth for her perceived mistake. First of all, his reaction was all out of proportion to what happened. Second, a simple conversation between them could have cleared up the misunderstanding. A book where the hero turns into a major jerk towards the heroine can actually be well done for me if the hero realizes what a jerk he's been, is truly repentant, and does some very serious and protracted groveling. None of that occurred here. Alexander continued to treat the heroine very badly (and in a way I consider to be emotional abuse) almost until the end. That was a one star for me.
I'm glad I read so many of Metzger's books before I read this one.
February 8, 2014
Lord Alexander Carleton is a bachelor Corinthian who has no interest in marriage, until a summons from his father, the Duke of Carlyle, reveals the Duke's ill health will prevent him from knowing his son's wife and heirs unless Alex weds soon. Alex promises and his mother sets out looking for a suitable bride for her son. Alex despises all the young debutantes, until a chance encounter in his father's library introduces him to Miss Elizabeth Bething. Elizabeth is outspoken and unaffected; she is also the owner of a racing stable! Alex is captivated by Elizabeth and sets out to woo her with the help of his best friend. Elizabeth prefers horses to men and has even less interest in marriage than Alex does until her guardian withdraws her horse from an upcoming race. The horse is Elizabeth's hope for her stable and for her future happiness. Wanting to help Elizabeth, Alex proposes to Elizabeth so her horse can race until his name and not "disgrace" Elizabeth's uncle. Elizabeth believes the marriage is one of convenience and
a misunderstanding on their wedding night drives Alex and Elizabeth apart until those they love face danger. I have mixed feelings about this book. The first 100 pages were funny and sweet. If you took Elizabeth, removed her horses and replaced them with the dog rescue plot of Primrose Lane, add a dash of bluestockingness, then you'd have me as a Regency heroine! Needless to say, I really liked Elizabeth and could relate a lot to her. I did not like Carleton very much. He started off bad, got better while wooing Elizabeth and turned into a colossal jerk on their wedding night. I hate marriage of convenience misunderstanding plots and the last 70 pages of this book were no exception. The book should have continued as a comedy of manners. The author should not have changed direction 3/4 of the way through the story. The misunderstanding plot just didn't make sense given the first part of the story. My advice is read the first 100 pages and then skip ahead to the last page or imagine what you think would happen to Elizabeth and Carleton.
a misunderstanding on their wedding night drives Alex and Elizabeth apart until those they love face danger. I have mixed feelings about this book. The first 100 pages were funny and sweet. If you took Elizabeth, removed her horses and replaced them with the dog rescue plot of Primrose Lane, add a dash of bluestockingness, then you'd have me as a Regency heroine! Needless to say, I really liked Elizabeth and could relate a lot to her. I did not like Carleton very much. He started off bad, got better while wooing Elizabeth and turned into a colossal jerk on their wedding night. I hate marriage of convenience misunderstanding plots and the last 70 pages of this book were no exception. The book should have continued as a comedy of manners. The author should not have changed direction 3/4 of the way through the story. The misunderstanding plot just didn't make sense given the first part of the story. My advice is read the first 100 pages and then skip ahead to the last page or imagine what you think would happen to Elizabeth and Carleton.
August 2, 2020
Lord Alexander receives a hurried communication from his father, the Duke of Carlyle. When he arrives, his father lying abed extracts a promise from his son to marry as quickly as possible. The Duke is implying that he doesn't have long to live. Alexander is an attractive man who enjoys his pleasures but figures he needs to agree to his father's desire. Thus, they have a grand party, inviting all the London and local misses to the soiree (so Alexander can look them over). After doing his duty at the party for some hours, Alexander decides to hide out in the library for a while.
Alexander and his circle of men are not impressed with most of the young ladies of their acquaintance. They talk about the fact that the ladies are lovely and friendly until the man is trapped in marriage, then the young ladies turn into shrews. The men have even joined a jackpot -- whoever avoids marriage the longest wins the jackpot.
When Alexander walks into the library, he meets someone completely different. Elizabeth owns a horse farm and is not looking for a husband. In fact, she's not happy to be at the party, because she doesn't want to lose her independent life for a ring. Alexander is intrigued by the young lady and goes to see her stud farm the next day. One thing leads to another.
I think this is Barbara Metzger's first book and the humor is emerging (but not as pronounced as it will get with later books). My one gripe is the "big misunderstanding" but the author handles it rather well. A delightful story.
Alexander and his circle of men are not impressed with most of the young ladies of their acquaintance. They talk about the fact that the ladies are lovely and friendly until the man is trapped in marriage, then the young ladies turn into shrews. The men have even joined a jackpot -- whoever avoids marriage the longest wins the jackpot.
When Alexander walks into the library, he meets someone completely different. Elizabeth owns a horse farm and is not looking for a husband. In fact, she's not happy to be at the party, because she doesn't want to lose her independent life for a ring. Alexander is intrigued by the young lady and goes to see her stud farm the next day. One thing leads to another.
I think this is Barbara Metzger's first book and the humor is emerging (but not as pronounced as it will get with later books). My one gripe is the "big misunderstanding" but the author handles it rather well. A delightful story.
March 2, 2022
The heroine was great. A three-star heroine on her own.
The hero, on the other hand... A young man with an overwhelming anger-management problem. And fixated on the idea that a proper wife should be a proper lady. His wife's career (running a stud farm), is anything but proper. Which he knew from the first time he met her.
And finally, he berates her for doing That! (No spoilers, here. Trust me, though. Proper ladies don't do That!) Well, we know she does what she thinks she must and doesn't give a damn what proper ladies think. And that's why we love her.
If he weren't such an idiotic oaf he would know that's why he loves her, too. Addlepated clodbrain, I believe. (Metzger enjoys looking up Regency insults.) Why she sticks by him is a mystery.
The hero, on the other hand... A young man with an overwhelming anger-management problem. And fixated on the idea that a proper wife should be a proper lady. His wife's career (running a stud farm), is anything but proper. Which he knew from the first time he met her.
And finally, he berates her for doing That! (No spoilers, here. Trust me, though. Proper ladies don't do That!) Well, we know she does what she thinks she must and doesn't give a damn what proper ladies think. And that's why we love her.
If he weren't such an idiotic oaf he would know that's why he loves her, too. Addlepated clodbrain, I believe. (Metzger enjoys looking up Regency insults.) Why she sticks by him is a mystery.
May 5, 2019
expected more still better than most dislike simple disagreements that derail plot
May 12, 2025
I can't stand the H
May 1, 2015
"The chattering and giggling in a ballroom full of hopeful young debutantes had sent Lord Alexander hurrying for cover. He had promised his father, the Duke of Carlyle that he would marry, but the fun-loving young lord was finding the selection process quite a bore, and sought a moment of reprieve in the library.
Elizabeth Bethingame had accepted the invitation to the magnificent ball at the London home of the Duke and Duchess of Carlyle at the insistence of her aunt, but was appalled at the idea of parading herself for Lord Alexander's inspection. The independent young beauty was managing nicely as owner of Bething's Folly, the racing stable she inherited from her father, and marriage was definitely not part of her immediate plans. The library seemed the perfect escape.
But the chosen refuge of Elizabeth and Lord Alexander did not turn out to be the safe retreat that either had anticipated, for their unexpected meeting proved to be the beginning of a most tempestuous alliance" from cover of book
Elizabeth Bethingame had accepted the invitation to the magnificent ball at the London home of the Duke and Duchess of Carlyle at the insistence of her aunt, but was appalled at the idea of parading herself for Lord Alexander's inspection. The independent young beauty was managing nicely as owner of Bething's Folly, the racing stable she inherited from her father, and marriage was definitely not part of her immediate plans. The library seemed the perfect escape.
But the chosen refuge of Elizabeth and Lord Alexander did not turn out to be the safe retreat that either had anticipated, for their unexpected meeting proved to be the beginning of a most tempestuous alliance" from cover of book
June 22, 2015
A very lame Regency. It starts out well. His father blackmails him into choosing a bride by pretending to be on his deathbed. Her aunt and uncle don't approve of her interest in horses and spunky desire to keep her father's stable going. But his good friend turns out to be more interesting than the hero by the end, and once the couple marries, a ridiculous misunderstanding on their wedding night carries on for far too long.
June 10, 2023
Skimmed the last bits.
The hero just really sucks. He has no redeeming qualities and he doesn't meaningfully change for the better by the end, so I feel bad for the heroine getting stuck with an abusive dumbass for the rest of her life. In another romance novel this would be the heroine's backstory that explains why she's so hesitant to marry again.
The hero just really sucks. He has no redeeming qualities and he doesn't meaningfully change for the better by the end, so I feel bad for the heroine getting stuck with an abusive dumbass for the rest of her life. In another romance novel this would be the heroine's backstory that explains why she's so hesitant to marry again.
August 28, 2011
This is the book that started me off on a lovely journey through Regency romances. It remains to this day my favorite of them all.
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