Second Season

by Elsie Lee

Miss Charlotte Stanwood was the despair of her family. She had reached the ripe age of eighteen without a husband, and if her disastrous first season in London was any indication, she was doomed to spinsterhood.

What could you do with a girl who would not learn to chatter sweetly or sew neatly or even play the harp? Instead Charlotte rode as well as any man, read the most boring books, and even knew how to speak German.

All society was startled when the dashing, handsome, immensely wealthy Duke of Imbrie asked for Charlotte's hand - and shocked when she turned him down. But that was just the first of many surprises Miss Charlotte Stanwood had in store!

Genres: Romance, Regency, Historical Romance, Historical, Gothic, Regency Romance

236 pages, Paperback

First published July 11, 1974

About the author

Elsie Lee (Elsie Lee Sheridan) (1912 - 1987)

Pseudonym/s: Elsie Cromwell, Jane Gordon, Lee Sheridan

Wiki: "I write fairy tales for grownups, principally women... I am better at characterizations than plots, and best with cats who are unanimously adored by my readers... I will not compromise on the quality of vocabulary and grammar in my books... it is a writer's responsibility to TEACH subtly through entertainment..."

Reviews

[Griffinyarn · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest, I'm still not sure whether I liked this book or not. The first half of the book was quietly entertaining - feeling like a blend of Jane Austen's Emma and a Georgette Heyer novel (maybe Bath Tangle). Then the heroine and her sister decide to collapse into hysterics which basically last the rest of the book. I have never felt more like beating a fictional character to death with a hair brush.

Rating: Maybe 2.5 stars

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

a real comfort read when depressed about the country.

[Anuradha · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a “Pride and Prejudice” meets “PG Wodehouse” sort of story. However, the regency romance theme of a Duke takes a backseat. The depiction of the utter vacuousness and frivolity of British society with wry wit and humour dominates the story.

I haven’t rated the story very high on 2 accounts. It rates very low on the romance quotient. But the more objectionable thing is this. The hero is a widower Duke in his mid-thirties. He has 10 year old twin kids from his first marriage, and his wife conked at child birth. He barely meets the kids, acts like a carefree youth and generally comes across as poor husband material. However, the 18 year old debutant heroine is supposed to find herself honoured because the Duke has taken a shine to her!

She doesn’t really take his proposal seriously until the last few lines in the story. She is seen taking greater pleasure in horse riding, learning foreign languages, estate management and other intellectual pursuits. But that is portrayed as her biggest shortcoming. Atleast that’s the way society perceives her, probably a sad reflection of those times.

There is a younger sister who firmly fixes her mind on a good looking, honourable but penniless soldier. And her romance is a lot more romantic if you ask me. But this girl is supposed to be a dim wit, and so is her choice of partner. But she has the right priorities in the story. She wants to marry for love, she doesn’t care if she has to live a little in parsimony. And she stands firmly beside her chosen partner.

It is the heroine who dithers, avoids, stammers and makes a hash of every opportunity to strike a relationship with the hero. And he takes advice from every one in town on how to get his girl! Poor, desperate guy 😉

[Delacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this was a reread. It's been many years since I'd read it. I knew that I enjoyed the story, but was pretty hazy on the details going in. Well I enjoyed it. Lots of humour, lots of small details that set the mood and characters I liked. My old beat up copy shall continue to have a home on my shelf till next time I need a funny story.

[Jeannine Hess · Rating 5 out of 5]

so goo

I truly wish more of Ms. Lee’s books were put into Kindle format - to my taste she is on the best authors of the regency romance genre, next to Georgette Heyer, of any other author I’ve tried.

Her more contemporary works are also excellent - they are still available in paperback but more Kindle would be appreciate

[Jobelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable and fun read. Glad I chance upon this precious book.

[Z. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't find this really romantic at all, except for the secondary romance going on in the background, though it was oddly entertaining. It's kind of hilarious that the "hero" just realizes his kids have their own personalities near the end, and unlike in any romance novel that would get published today, the heroine doesn't particularly care about his children either.

[Gnome Claire *Wishes she was as cool as Gnome Ann* · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a bit disappointed in this, I read The Nabob's Widow by Elsie Lee a while ago and really enjoyed it but this one not so much. It was pretty predictable and felt like a mix of other regency books I've read (mostly Georgette Heyer books) and the characters just weren't that compelling.

[Allie McCormack · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another very sweet, absolutely charming Regency romance by Elsie Lee! I highly recommend, my copies are all old and well-read, and I pray they're released on Kindle someday before mine fall entirely apart!

[CLM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lee's regency novels are outstanding.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my favorite of hers so far!

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

My mother in law recommended this book to me. It reads kind of like a Jane Austen type book. Little predictable but overall fun to read.

[whimsicalmeerkat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dear god, they don’t even kiss

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another pretty good one...I wish we didn't have to be subjected to Beau Brummell and Lady Jersey, but I enjoyed the characters and story. A sweet 3.5 stars.