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A Grand Design
A SHAKY FOUNDATION
His first encounter with Catherine Buchanan provokes the Marquess of Tregaron to distraction. True, she is unusually striking, but her haughty manner is most irritating. Besides, what has a woman to do with architecture? The marquess's business is with Catherine's uncle, commissioned to redesign his old London house. The nobleman hopes to expel the memories of his first marriage, an unhappy union that ended tragically--and cast him as the object of vicious gossip.
For her part, Cate Buchanan wants nothing to do with the arrogant Tregaron. His manner is brooding and brusque, and he makes her uncomfortable in not altogether unpleasant ways--feelings that she, a plain, unfashionable spinster, should by no means indulge. But Cate also realizes that her uncle's livelihood depends upon the marquess's satisfaction. And upon keeping him ignorant of her unusual role in the family business....
His first encounter with Catherine Buchanan provokes the Marquess of Tregaron to distraction. True, she is unusually striking, but her haughty manner is most irritating. Besides, what has a woman to do with architecture? The marquess's business is with Catherine's uncle, commissioned to redesign his old London house. The nobleman hopes to expel the memories of his first marriage, an unhappy union that ended tragically--and cast him as the object of vicious gossip.
For her part, Cate Buchanan wants nothing to do with the arrogant Tregaron. His manner is brooding and brusque, and he makes her uncomfortable in not altogether unpleasant ways--feelings that she, a plain, unfashionable spinster, should by no means indulge. But Cate also realizes that her uncle's livelihood depends upon the marquess's satisfaction. And upon keeping him ignorant of her unusual role in the family business....
128 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 2000
4 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
About the author
Emma Jensen
24 books38 followersEmma Jensen is a bestselling author who has won both a Rita and a Reviewer's Choice Award for her Regencies. She grew up in San Francisco and among the vines of the California wine country. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, with degrees in nineteenth-century literature, sociology, and public policy.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 9, 2023
Received a 2001 RITA award.
Story took place around 1817. It was fast-paced and smart.
Have read this book several times. Gave it 4 stars.
Two artist uncles posed as architects, but their Scottish
'country girl' niece of 26 was the real-deal. The 3 were a
package deal. Their employer, the Marquess hero, was
curt, dismissive & granite-faced. He insisted on progress
updates on the rehab of his estate. He thought heroine/
niece was haughty & "as sweet as a green lemon" & an
"outspoken harpy.' You get the idea.
At one point the couple became trapped in the library b/c
the door knob fell off on their side of the door. He kissed
her. She called his flattery ' flummery. ' This couple
evolved over their journey to their HEA.
I don't care for pet monkeys in HRs. A minor character
had one in this story. Overall a v. pleasant read. The
author did an excellent job with the dialogue.
Story took place around 1817. It was fast-paced and smart.
Have read this book several times. Gave it 4 stars.
Two artist uncles posed as architects, but their Scottish
'country girl' niece of 26 was the real-deal. The 3 were a
package deal. Their employer, the Marquess hero, was
curt, dismissive & granite-faced. He insisted on progress
updates on the rehab of his estate. He thought heroine/
niece was haughty & "as sweet as a green lemon" & an
"outspoken harpy.' You get the idea.
At one point the couple became trapped in the library b/c
the door knob fell off on their side of the door. He kissed
her. She called his flattery ' flummery. ' This couple
evolved over their journey to their HEA.
I don't care for pet monkeys in HRs. A minor character
had one in this story. Overall a v. pleasant read. The
author did an excellent job with the dialogue.
September 18, 2014
I've had this on my shelf forever and never read it until now, but this was quite delightful and surprisingly well fabricated.
It's a sort of interesting and not often seen cast of characters, since both Cate and Tregaron are reticent, silent people...by this, I mean, they are noted to be unsociable. Cate, because she knows she's not of the Ton, and has no particular looks, and also as an orphan, with two irresponsible uncles, she's had to shoulder the majority of the financial burden for the family. It's not explained how she came by her architectural finesse, since I don't think that looking over a few books could suffice for building an ACTUAL house that won't fall down. Seriously. People put together IKEA furniture on the basis of instructions and sometimes fail miserably. So the ability of a person to redesign and remodel a house when she hadn't been inside and when she's been "taught" by her flaky artist father was a bit unbelievable to me. But put that aside.
Tregaron, on the other hand, has returned to London after a long absence from his Irish estates, because of his dark past -- notably, he's rumored to have killed his wife, who was found on the first floor outside of her bedroom window.
When they first meet, Tregaron has no interest in anything to do with the remodeling of the house, and Cate has slunk in with her uncles to pretend she's a "helper," rather than the construction foreman. But, Emma Jensen did this exceedingly well, by and by, Tregaron starts to notice that Cate is always around the house and gradually (and not lewdly or inappropriately) notices Cate. Well, she's super tall, apparently.
There's a sort of "mystery" in the book where these notes show up at the house hinting that there's an "impostor" and becoming quite threatening. The only clue is that Cate also has a few secrets from her past, the most disreputable apparently being that she knew this rakish sinister lord who made her fall for him and then humiliated her in front of his friends. For a gently bred woman of that time, it would have been truly a humiliating experience, and she would naturally want to avoid him. That he shows up again and tries to humiliate Cate again is a coincidence of the highest order, since apparently he did that all the time, so why taunt someone who afforded little to no reaction/satisfaction? He's made to be the culprit, but then it turns out to be
It's a sort of interesting and not often seen cast of characters, since both Cate and Tregaron are reticent, silent people...by this, I mean, they are noted to be unsociable. Cate, because she knows she's not of the Ton, and has no particular looks, and also as an orphan, with two irresponsible uncles, she's had to shoulder the majority of the financial burden for the family. It's not explained how she came by her architectural finesse, since I don't think that looking over a few books could suffice for building an ACTUAL house that won't fall down. Seriously. People put together IKEA furniture on the basis of instructions and sometimes fail miserably. So the ability of a person to redesign and remodel a house when she hadn't been inside and when she's been "taught" by her flaky artist father was a bit unbelievable to me. But put that aside.
Tregaron, on the other hand, has returned to London after a long absence from his Irish estates, because of his dark past -- notably, he's rumored to have killed his wife, who was found on the first floor outside of her bedroom window.
When they first meet, Tregaron has no interest in anything to do with the remodeling of the house, and Cate has slunk in with her uncles to pretend she's a "helper," rather than the construction foreman. But, Emma Jensen did this exceedingly well, by and by, Tregaron starts to notice that Cate is always around the house and gradually (and not lewdly or inappropriately) notices Cate. Well, she's super tall, apparently.
There's a sort of "mystery" in the book where these notes show up at the house hinting that there's an "impostor" and becoming quite threatening. The only clue is that Cate also has a few secrets from her past, the most disreputable apparently being that she knew this rakish sinister lord who made her fall for him and then humiliated her in front of his friends. For a gently bred woman of that time, it would have been truly a humiliating experience, and she would naturally want to avoid him. That he shows up again and tries to humiliate Cate again is a coincidence of the highest order, since apparently he did that all the time, so why taunt someone who afforded little to no reaction/satisfaction? He's made to be the culprit, but then it turns out to be
January 31, 2022
This was unexpectedly delightful!
I was a little wary with the low rating, but if you're in the mood for a clean, traditional regency romance with some humour, a strong h who isn't a milk and water miss, and a perfectly delish alpha H, pick this one up.
I was a little wary with the low rating, but if you're in the mood for a clean, traditional regency romance with some humour, a strong h who isn't a milk and water miss, and a perfectly delish alpha H, pick this one up.
September 6, 2020
Wonderful story of a young woman holding her family together and working at her profession on the sly. Beautifully written and lots of fun. A relaxing read about a young woman who would have been an architect today!
February 7, 2014
Tall, redhaired and positively ancient at 26, Cate Buchanan does not dream of romance but of architecture! Living with her younger sister and two eccentric, artistic uncles, Cate has a plan to bring the family some money and all her sister the dream of marriage and her uncles the freedom to pursue their art, she has started an architectural firm with her uncles as the front for her unladylike occupation. Buchanan & Buchanan have been hired to renovate the home of the Marquess of Tregaraon, who has returned to London from eight years of self-imposed exile in Wales after a tragedy that has condemned him in the eyes of society forever. Cate tries to hide her true role in the business and avoid the man who once nearly seduced her. Cate's carefully laid plans start to crumble as the Marquess takes more and more interest in the renovations and seems to always be on hand to rescue her from the wicked man who once tried to seduce her. The Marquess seems drawn to Cate and she to him but someone is sending him mysterious messages that may ruin everything.
The plot doesn't follow the traditional model very much and the backstories of the characters are revealed slowly over the course of the story, which I really liked. I have since discovered that this book is part of a series of novels featuring the same characters, so some of the backstory may have been revealed in a previous novel. This one stands well on it's own and is very well-written. The architectural theme makes it a bit different and provides some new historical details. I wasn't crazy about the Marquess, though he gets bonus points for having an adorable Corgi. The epilogue reveals the "what happens next" in a rather hurried manner leaving the reader to wonder how the problem of women's role in society was resolved or whether Cate doesn't care, not being one to focus on gossip. If you're looking for something different and like brooding gentlemen and heroines who dare to be different, pick this one up!
The plot doesn't follow the traditional model very much and the backstories of the characters are revealed slowly over the course of the story, which I really liked. I have since discovered that this book is part of a series of novels featuring the same characters, so some of the backstory may have been revealed in a previous novel. This one stands well on it's own and is very well-written. The architectural theme makes it a bit different and provides some new historical details. I wasn't crazy about the Marquess, though he gets bonus points for having an adorable Corgi. The epilogue reveals the "what happens next" in a rather hurried manner leaving the reader to wonder how the problem of women's role in society was resolved or whether Cate doesn't care, not being one to focus on gossip. If you're looking for something different and like brooding gentlemen and heroines who dare to be different, pick this one up!
August 16, 2013
synopsis: the marquess of tregaron is back in town after rusticating for 8 years on his wales properties. he was accused of killing his wife, so he left the town life. but he's back, and he's restoring his house, which has been suffering from years of deliberate neglect. cate and her family (uncles and sister) have come to london from scotland because the last architectural job that they did was a high profile job, and they have recommendations now. the marquess doesn't really care who does the restoration, as long as they're not too high profile. the uncles aren't architectures, so it's cate who is the mastermind behind the designs and work.
what i liked: i liked cate and the marquess. cate is the backbone of the family, making sure that they have food to eat and a roof over their head. the marquess has a great relationship with his grandmother. i like the fact that once the marquess meets cate, he doesn't really see anyone else, not even her much prettier sister. also, the marquess has a dog companion that steals every scene that he is in.
what i didn't like: i didn't quite feel the chemistry between the two characters, particularly on the part of cate. she was more worried about being discovered in her deceptions and meeting up with the men who had caused her pain on the previous job.
what i liked: i liked cate and the marquess. cate is the backbone of the family, making sure that they have food to eat and a roof over their head. the marquess has a great relationship with his grandmother. i like the fact that once the marquess meets cate, he doesn't really see anyone else, not even her much prettier sister. also, the marquess has a dog companion that steals every scene that he is in.
what i didn't like: i didn't quite feel the chemistry between the two characters, particularly on the part of cate. she was more worried about being discovered in her deceptions and meeting up with the men who had caused her pain on the previous job.
January 18, 2016
4 stars
I really liked this book. I was in need of a good romance and "A Grand Design" was read at the perfect time.
The infamous Marquess of Tregaron is back in London and all town is abuzz. Returning back after eight years of self inflicted exile he's found his London house in not so good circumstances. Having neglected the house all this time he now hired Buchanan & Buchanan to do a renovation. That's how he met Catherine Buchanan.
Cate is reserved toward the peers. In her naivete she was played for a fool some years ago and was taught a tough lesson, never trust a peer.
At their first meeting we see some prejudice from both sides but a spark as well and slowly slowly we see them caring for each other and falling in love.
I really liked the chemistry between the two main characters and the set of the secondary characters, including the dog was delightful to read.
All in all a good romance to read. Recommended to fans of traditional regency.
I really liked this book. I was in need of a good romance and "A Grand Design" was read at the perfect time.
The infamous Marquess of Tregaron is back in London and all town is abuzz. Returning back after eight years of self inflicted exile he's found his London house in not so good circumstances. Having neglected the house all this time he now hired Buchanan & Buchanan to do a renovation. That's how he met Catherine Buchanan.
Cate is reserved toward the peers. In her naivete she was played for a fool some years ago and was taught a tough lesson, never trust a peer.
At their first meeting we see some prejudice from both sides but a spark as well and slowly slowly we see them caring for each other and falling in love.
I really liked the chemistry between the two main characters and the set of the secondary characters, including the dog was delightful to read.
All in all a good romance to read. Recommended to fans of traditional regency.
January 26, 2012
Charming traditional regency. I really like Emma Jensen's style. Hero with a dark past and heroine with a secret find each other and love that is referred to as a barbed dart and a creeping mold respectively.
One of my favorite lines: "You were woolgathering with such intensity that I figured that there must be enough to knit me a muffler."
One of my favorite lines: "You were woolgathering with such intensity that I figured that there must be enough to knit me a muffler."
September 25, 2009
Regency
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews