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A Theatre of Love
A romantic novel from the prolific pen of Barbara Cartland.
- GenresRomance
200 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2000
About the author
Barbara Cartland
1,054 books849 followersBorn in 1901, Barbara Cartland started her writing career in journalism and completed her first book, Jigsaw, when she was just 24. An immediate success, it was the start of her journey to becoming the world’s most famous and most read romantic novelist of all time. Inspiring a whole generation of readers around the globe with her exciting tales of adventure, love and intrigue, she became synonymous with the Romance genre. And she still is to this day, having written over 644 romantic fiction books.
As well as romantic novels, she wrote historical biographies, 6 autobiographies, plays, music, poetry and several advice books on life, love, health and cookery – totalling an incredible 723 books in all, with over 1 billion in sales.
Awarded the DBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991 in honour of her literary, political and social contributions, she was President of the Hertfordshire branch of the Royal College of Midwives as well as a Dame of Grace of the Order of St John of Jerusalem and Deputy President of the St John Ambulance Brigade.
Always a passionate advocate of woman’s health and beauty, she was dubbed ‘the true Queen of Romance’ by Vogue magazine in her lifetime. Her legend continues today through her wonderfully vivid romantic tales, stories that help you escape from the day to day into the dramatic adventures of strong, beautiful women who battle, often against the odds, eventually to find that love conquers all.
Find out more about the incredible life and works of Dame Barbara Cartland at www.barbaracartland.com
As well as romantic novels, she wrote historical biographies, 6 autobiographies, plays, music, poetry and several advice books on life, love, health and cookery – totalling an incredible 723 books in all, with over 1 billion in sales.
Awarded the DBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991 in honour of her literary, political and social contributions, she was President of the Hertfordshire branch of the Royal College of Midwives as well as a Dame of Grace of the Order of St John of Jerusalem and Deputy President of the St John Ambulance Brigade.
Always a passionate advocate of woman’s health and beauty, she was dubbed ‘the true Queen of Romance’ by Vogue magazine in her lifetime. Her legend continues today through her wonderfully vivid romantic tales, stories that help you escape from the day to day into the dramatic adventures of strong, beautiful women who battle, often against the odds, eventually to find that love conquers all.
Find out more about the incredible life and works of Dame Barbara Cartland at www.barbaracartland.com
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 15, 2023
A Barbara Cartland with the Hero in a Santa suit! How could I pass this up! 😄
The Hero has gone to his country estate in a rage, after he caught his mistress with his cousin. He feels particularly betrayed as he has been about to propose marriage to her.
At his county estate, he had built a private theater and he planned to produce a Christmas performance for his guests and relatives. The mistress was in fact supposed to sing a special number, but because he is angry, he decides to re-write his composition (he is actually quite musically inclined) but now he needs a lead singer.
On one of his rides he comes across the heroine coaching the children’s choir at the village church. He is impressed w the playing and singing skills of the heroine and invites her and her father, the vicar, to his estate to listen to his composition and to enlist their help and talents for his program.
As the Hero and heroine are rehearsing, the mistress walks in and is jealous but the Hero diverts her attention. The mistress has arrived w the cousin and a couple of guests. She and the cousin still don’t know that the Hero discovered them together. The Hero keeps his anger in check and instead plots a more subtle humiliation for the mistress.
He arranges for more guests to come, and invites one of his cousins to act as hostess during the house party. The mistress expected that she would be playing this role. He pays more attention to his other guests and practically ignores the mistress and the cousin.
He also continues rehearsing w the heroine, but at the vicarage. He likes hanging out there w the heroine and her father, and when he meets the mother, he sees she is very shy and somewhat reclusive.
He also invites them to stay over at the estate the night before the performance and join the party. And while the heroine and her father accept, the mother declines, but agrees to go and watch on the day of the performance. The Hero has not told anyone but the surprise guests of honor will be the Prince of Wales and Princess Alexandra.
During the party the Hero and heroine have some dances together, he notices that she is charming all his friends and relatives. He continues to ignore his mistress and cousin. He knows the mistress is getting more and more enraged as she has actually been expecting a marriage proposal. His cousin, who is his heir presumptive, is helping her. The Hero finds out that the mistress is actually barren, which is why the cousin is totally on board w her marrying the Hero. He will eventually inherit the title anyway.
He manages to avoid those two during the party, but late that night, the cousin lures him w a trumped up excuse, to go to the chapel where he and the mistress try to force him at gun point, to marry the mistress. The heroine had gone to the Chapel to pray when she sees what is happening. She is able to cause a distraction so that the Hero can wrest the gun from his cousin. He sends the cousin and the corrupt parson away and tells the mistress to leave by the next morning.
The Hero and heroine declare their love for each other, but decide to keep it a secret until after the performance. The Hero is a bit worried because he thinks his relatives might not approve of a vicar’s daughter for his wife. He is a Duke.
The performance goes splendidly. Of course 😉 As the Prince of Wales and Princess Alexandra go backstage to congratulate the performers, the Princess sees the mother of the heroine, who has been sitting behind the curtains. They greet each other enthusiastically and, it turns out they are cousins. The heroine’s mother had run away w her father and has not contacted any of her family since.
So, the heroine is more than eligible to be the wife of a Duke! 😳 And while this might seem to be the height of snobbery, unfortunately, I think is was possibly a more real reflection of those times. So yes, a Duke probably would never have married a milkmaid except in romance novels, but not in the ones by Barbara Cartland. 😝
The Hero has gone to his country estate in a rage, after he caught his mistress with his cousin. He feels particularly betrayed as he has been about to propose marriage to her.
At his county estate, he had built a private theater and he planned to produce a Christmas performance for his guests and relatives. The mistress was in fact supposed to sing a special number, but because he is angry, he decides to re-write his composition (he is actually quite musically inclined) but now he needs a lead singer.
On one of his rides he comes across the heroine coaching the children’s choir at the village church. He is impressed w the playing and singing skills of the heroine and invites her and her father, the vicar, to his estate to listen to his composition and to enlist their help and talents for his program.
As the Hero and heroine are rehearsing, the mistress walks in and is jealous but the Hero diverts her attention. The mistress has arrived w the cousin and a couple of guests. She and the cousin still don’t know that the Hero discovered them together. The Hero keeps his anger in check and instead plots a more subtle humiliation for the mistress.
He arranges for more guests to come, and invites one of his cousins to act as hostess during the house party. The mistress expected that she would be playing this role. He pays more attention to his other guests and practically ignores the mistress and the cousin.
He also continues rehearsing w the heroine, but at the vicarage. He likes hanging out there w the heroine and her father, and when he meets the mother, he sees she is very shy and somewhat reclusive.
He also invites them to stay over at the estate the night before the performance and join the party. And while the heroine and her father accept, the mother declines, but agrees to go and watch on the day of the performance. The Hero has not told anyone but the surprise guests of honor will be the Prince of Wales and Princess Alexandra.
During the party the Hero and heroine have some dances together, he notices that she is charming all his friends and relatives. He continues to ignore his mistress and cousin. He knows the mistress is getting more and more enraged as she has actually been expecting a marriage proposal. His cousin, who is his heir presumptive, is helping her. The Hero finds out that the mistress is actually barren, which is why the cousin is totally on board w her marrying the Hero. He will eventually inherit the title anyway.
He manages to avoid those two during the party, but late that night, the cousin lures him w a trumped up excuse, to go to the chapel where he and the mistress try to force him at gun point, to marry the mistress. The heroine had gone to the Chapel to pray when she sees what is happening. She is able to cause a distraction so that the Hero can wrest the gun from his cousin. He sends the cousin and the corrupt parson away and tells the mistress to leave by the next morning.
The Hero and heroine declare their love for each other, but decide to keep it a secret until after the performance. The Hero is a bit worried because he thinks his relatives might not approve of a vicar’s daughter for his wife. He is a Duke.
The performance goes splendidly. Of course 😉 As the Prince of Wales and Princess Alexandra go backstage to congratulate the performers, the Princess sees the mother of the heroine, who has been sitting behind the curtains. They greet each other enthusiastically and, it turns out they are cousins. The heroine’s mother had run away w her father and has not contacted any of her family since.
So, the heroine is more than eligible to be the wife of a Duke! 😳 And while this might seem to be the height of snobbery, unfortunately, I think is was possibly a more real reflection of those times. So yes, a Duke probably would never have married a milkmaid except in romance novels, but not in the ones by Barbara Cartland. 😝
November 2, 2013
This is a reread. One which I enjoyed.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews