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Legion's Ladies
The ton called the handsome Earl of Wright "Legion", because he had offered his aid to legions of ladies in distress. But the earl longed to meet just one woman who was in no danger at all. How could he have known that an assassination attempt would leave him wounded--and send the vicar's smitten daughter rushing to his aid?
318 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 1996
35 people want to read
About the author
Judith A. Lansdowne
31 books22 followersSince the publication of Amelia's Intrigue in 1995, Judith A. Lansdowne's Regency romances have received critical acclaim, garnered awards and entertained thousands of romance readers. Ms. Lansdowne began writing full-time in 1992, but it was only after her daughter introduced her to Regency romances that her work was published.
She grew up in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Following graduation from St. Joseph High School, she attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, then spent several years touring the country as an actress and puppeteer with Nicolo Marionettes and the Sid and Marty Krofft organization.
Tiring of the constant travel, she returned to Kenosha to attend the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, where she met her husband Al, a retired submariner, and graduated with highest distinction. Following graduation she worked variously as a journalist, instructional television writer/producer, textbook production editor, college instructor, and television news videographer. When her husband finally got a real job, she settled down to writing full time, producing a horror novel, a vampire novel and a Restoration historical novel, all still unpublished, before finally "making it" with Regency romance. When her husband retired (he didn't like the real job) they moved to the shores of Lake Guntersville, Alabama, where she is pursuing a career in fishing and he moves dirt around the yard. They write when the weather is bad.
She grew up in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Following graduation from St. Joseph High School, she attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, then spent several years touring the country as an actress and puppeteer with Nicolo Marionettes and the Sid and Marty Krofft organization.
Tiring of the constant travel, she returned to Kenosha to attend the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, where she met her husband Al, a retired submariner, and graduated with highest distinction. Following graduation she worked variously as a journalist, instructional television writer/producer, textbook production editor, college instructor, and television news videographer. When her husband finally got a real job, she settled down to writing full time, producing a horror novel, a vampire novel and a Restoration historical novel, all still unpublished, before finally "making it" with Regency romance. When her husband retired (he didn't like the real job) they moved to the shores of Lake Guntersville, Alabama, where she is pursuing a career in fishing and he moves dirt around the yard. They write when the weather is bad.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 1, 2016
Jocelyn Elders, the Earl of Wright, known as Legion, demon, devil or barbarian, depending on his enemy. Josh doesn't much care for propriety or what people think of him, but he has a soft spot where ladies in distress are concerned. He's been rescuing his featherbrained sister Jenny her whole life. Now it seems Jenny, the Duchess of Ware has been abducted. Josh rushes to her estate to assure himself of his young nephew's safety and to begin searching for his widowed sister. Her home has been invaded by Mr. Martin Howard, the local vicar and co-guardian of the young Duke, who despises Josh. Accompanying Howard is his sister, Eleanor, a favorite adult friend of little Jessamyn. While Josh is off searching for his sister, Willowset receives more company: Josh's secretary, Mrs. Mary Hampton, his mistress Lily Lipton and his lawyer Mr. Paxton. After Josh finds the motive for his sister's abduction, he's prepared to dismiss it out of hand. Then he receives a death threat and finds he can only confide in sensible Eleanor. Eleanor doesn't know why he trusts her but she doesn't trust the way she feels when Josh is around. When he's nearly killed in a fall, it's Eleanor who can calm him. It becomes clear that Eleanor represents peace and goodness, things Josh is sadly needing in his life. Can the obstacles between them be overcome if he survives his injuries?
Judith Lansdowne is fast becoming one of my favorite Regency romance authors. She has a knack of writing historically plausible stories with complex characters and intriguing plots. This story has more substance than your average traditional Regency romance. It's more a story about Josh and his personal demons and those who wish to harm him. I really liked the way his story was hinted at and came out only towards the end. The love story is a little lacking in romance but I enjoyed the way the characters came to know each other and trust each other. The misunderstanding was predictable and painful for the reader to know in advance. It was the weakest part of the story. There is a bit of violence in the story. The romance is clean except for the first scene where Josh is with his mistress though nothing happens between them except a bath. There's also talk of mistresses and rape.
I love Judith Lansdowne's complicated heroes. Josh is no exception. He has PTSD from childhood trauma which is only known by those close to him. He doesn't let many people get close for fear of losing them. He was raised as a "barbarian" without a mother's influence and guidance. It sounds like his father also had some trauma from the key incident in Josh's life and responded by teaching his children not to be genteel or missish. Josh may have a hot temper but he's a super softy on the inside. He's certainly very chivalrous where women are concerned. He adores his little sister and does his best to look after her. He fights for the rights of marginalized people in the House of Lords and has earned a radical reputation. He's clearly a man of great passion and feeling which doesn't always manifest itself appropriately. At first I was prepared to hate him because he was shown with his mistress in the first scene but once I got into the story and learned more about him, I grew to really like him. While I didn't fall in love with him, I can see why Eleanor does and why some readers probably would too.
Eleanor doesn't have much to do and she's not as complicated as Josh. I wish she had a backstory but she's sensible, kind and caring. She's the opposite of Josh in temperament but she shares his compassion and caring for others. To Josh, she represents the peace and tranquility he longs for. I liked her. Eleanor is a stark contrast to Josh's sister Jenny. Jenny is beautiful but doesn't have much common sense. She is not a very good mother to her young son and like her brother, she is very passionate. However, he passion is misdirected towards a foppish Italian Marquis, whom she believes is her true love. She does have hidden depths that seem a little far-fetched but I love her response to crisis.
Rev. Howard is a complex character. At first I really hated him because he was so horrid to Josh. He seemed to think Josh was the anti-Christ or something but there was no evidence of that in the story. He doesn't look past Josh's hot temper to see the wounded soul and Josh can't see past Howard's stiff-rumped speeches to understand where Rev. Howard is coming from.
The secondary characters are quirky and fun. There's the foppish Italian, the Marquis di Roche, who wants to marry Jenny. He surprised me and Josh. The Italian provides the comic relief as does little Jessamyn "Jessie" the Duke of Ware. At 5 years old he longs to be a highwayman and adores his fun Uncle Josh! He does not take too kindly to an invasion of the nursery by a little girl but she knows the same fun games he learned from Uncle Josh. The kids are cute and act like real children though I'm fairly certain my nieces and nephews (ages 2-7) speak better than Jessie. Then there's Lily and Mary, the two other women closest to Josh after his sister. Lily has a backstory that isn't described in depth but it's enough to get to know her. Her story is a bit unrealistic. I was prepared to hate her but she surprised me, like many other characters in this story. The other woman in Josh's life is his secretary Mary. She has a tragic backstory and it shows how difficult life was for women at that time. I felt a lot of compassion for her and what she has been through.
The villains were less cartoonish than average and a little scary.
I really liked this book and I hope to read more of Judith Lansdowne's Regencies in the future.
Judith Lansdowne is fast becoming one of my favorite Regency romance authors. She has a knack of writing historically plausible stories with complex characters and intriguing plots. This story has more substance than your average traditional Regency romance. It's more a story about Josh and his personal demons and those who wish to harm him. I really liked the way his story was hinted at and came out only towards the end. The love story is a little lacking in romance but I enjoyed the way the characters came to know each other and trust each other. The misunderstanding was predictable and painful for the reader to know in advance. It was the weakest part of the story. There is a bit of violence in the story. The romance is clean except for the first scene where Josh is with his mistress though nothing happens between them except a bath. There's also talk of mistresses and rape.
I love Judith Lansdowne's complicated heroes. Josh is no exception. He has PTSD from childhood trauma which is only known by those close to him. He doesn't let many people get close for fear of losing them. He was raised as a "barbarian" without a mother's influence and guidance. It sounds like his father also had some trauma from the key incident in Josh's life and responded by teaching his children not to be genteel or missish. Josh may have a hot temper but he's a super softy on the inside. He's certainly very chivalrous where women are concerned. He adores his little sister and does his best to look after her. He fights for the rights of marginalized people in the House of Lords and has earned a radical reputation. He's clearly a man of great passion and feeling which doesn't always manifest itself appropriately. At first I was prepared to hate him because he was shown with his mistress in the first scene but once I got into the story and learned more about him, I grew to really like him. While I didn't fall in love with him, I can see why Eleanor does and why some readers probably would too.
Eleanor doesn't have much to do and she's not as complicated as Josh. I wish she had a backstory but she's sensible, kind and caring. She's the opposite of Josh in temperament but she shares his compassion and caring for others. To Josh, she represents the peace and tranquility he longs for. I liked her. Eleanor is a stark contrast to Josh's sister Jenny. Jenny is beautiful but doesn't have much common sense. She is not a very good mother to her young son and like her brother, she is very passionate. However, he passion is misdirected towards a foppish Italian Marquis, whom she believes is her true love. She does have hidden depths that seem a little far-fetched but I love her response to crisis.
Rev. Howard is a complex character. At first I really hated him because he was so horrid to Josh. He seemed to think Josh was the anti-Christ or something but there was no evidence of that in the story. He doesn't look past Josh's hot temper to see the wounded soul and Josh can't see past Howard's stiff-rumped speeches to understand where Rev. Howard is coming from.
The secondary characters are quirky and fun. There's the foppish Italian, the Marquis di Roche, who wants to marry Jenny. He surprised me and Josh. The Italian provides the comic relief as does little Jessamyn "Jessie" the Duke of Ware. At 5 years old he longs to be a highwayman and adores his fun Uncle Josh! He does not take too kindly to an invasion of the nursery by a little girl but she knows the same fun games he learned from Uncle Josh. The kids are cute and act like real children though I'm fairly certain my nieces and nephews (ages 2-7) speak better than Jessie. Then there's Lily and Mary, the two other women closest to Josh after his sister. Lily has a backstory that isn't described in depth but it's enough to get to know her. Her story is a bit unrealistic. I was prepared to hate her but she surprised me, like many other characters in this story. The other woman in Josh's life is his secretary Mary. She has a tragic backstory and it shows how difficult life was for women at that time. I felt a lot of compassion for her and what she has been through.
The villains were less cartoonish than average and a little scary.
I really liked this book and I hope to read more of Judith Lansdowne's Regencies in the future.
September 23, 2021
2021 bk 291. Continuing to read n' weed my collection of regencies. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed Judith Lansdowne's characters, plotting, and dialog. In this adventure we see one man, who has an open and generous heart, but a blackened public character, surrounded by the people he has helped as a dastardly villain does his best to destroy all that our hero loves. Well read with women who are 3 dimensional and not all sighs and fainting. Great fun!
December 17, 2013
Josh Elders is a ramshackle earl, misunderstood by his peers, coddled by his servants and adored by the various women in his life. He has a unique ability to see people for who they are and not what society tells him. When his flighty sister goes missing, he travels to her ducal seat to rescue her, becoming involved in all sorts of drama. This is regency romance at its best, with brooding heroes, misplaced love interests and dastardly villains. All ends well in this entertaining and tender romp, filled with romance in all the right places. Best of all, we learn that our earl teaches everyone to believe in themselves. His faith in them gives each character the confidence to be the person they want to be. If you see the good in a person, not acknowledge the negative, then the world is a much more understanding place. Lovingly written, a fun book to be revisited again and again.
October 29, 2021
Not very true to the times, but a light-hearted and rollicking adventure nevertheless. I enjoyed it tremendously, especially the character of Legion. Too bad it was such an unlikely story.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews