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The Dangerous Dandy
THE DANGEROUS DANDY
Alyna saw no escape. Her mother, a selfish and cruel woman, insisted that she marry the wealthy Prince Ahmadi of Kahriz, a man who made the beautiful Alyna cringe in horror.
She saw only one way out - a cold leap into the Thames. And she would have done it if one man had not saved her. That man was Lord Dorrington, London's famous dandy, pupil of Beau Brummel, and the most sought after bachelor in Regency England.
But not the danger had just begun for Alyna. Hunted by the Prince and his allies, she was trapped in a desperate web of agonizing fears, murder and intrigue.
Could Lord Dorrington save her one last time?
A novel of breathtaking excitement by the world's best-loved writer of romantic fiction
Barbara Cartland
Alyna saw no escape. Her mother, a selfish and cruel woman, insisted that she marry the wealthy Prince Ahmadi of Kahriz, a man who made the beautiful Alyna cringe in horror.
She saw only one way out - a cold leap into the Thames. And she would have done it if one man had not saved her. That man was Lord Dorrington, London's famous dandy, pupil of Beau Brummel, and the most sought after bachelor in Regency England.
But not the danger had just begun for Alyna. Hunted by the Prince and his allies, she was trapped in a desperate web of agonizing fears, murder and intrigue.
Could Lord Dorrington save her one last time?
A novel of breathtaking excitement by the world's best-loved writer of romantic fiction
Barbara Cartland
200 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published July 1, 1974
6 people are currently reading
274 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Cartland
1,074 books835 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 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 28, 2023
This is one of Barbara Cartland’s books which is genuinely, in and of itself, wonderful to read. Of course there is a certain amount of obligatory belief suspension, insta love and so on, all hall marks of a good BC.
There’s this dandy, aristocratic hero, who contrary to appearances is a legendary swordsman, a very deliciously un-PC villainous villain, neglectful mother, ethereal innocent beauty that is the heroine and so on. The winner here is the hero for me. Who made the book. I love when people you wouldn’t suspect turn out to be the heroic ones. I think everyone does at that or franchises such as Spider-Man, bat man’s and Superman wouldn’t be so popular.
Also I love reminiscings of a world that doesn’t exist any more.
There’s this dandy, aristocratic hero, who contrary to appearances is a legendary swordsman, a very deliciously un-PC villainous villain, neglectful mother, ethereal innocent beauty that is the heroine and so on. The winner here is the hero for me. Who made the book. I love when people you wouldn’t suspect turn out to be the heroic ones. I think everyone does at that or franchises such as Spider-Man, bat man’s and Superman wouldn’t be so popular.
Also I love reminiscings of a world that doesn’t exist any more.
December 2, 2018
I think this review of 3 stars is outside of my usual scoring simply because the last book I read was so horrendous that this was a welcome relief.
It was going well until about 70% of the way through when it got a bit silly and cheesy but easy to read and I didnt' hate it
Winner.
It was going well until about 70% of the way through when it got a bit silly and cheesy but easy to read and I didnt' hate it
Winner.
January 1, 2015
I really liked this one till hero started to tell how fabulous he is. Luckily that didn't happen until the very end of the book.
Other then that it was a nice story. Hero again was pretending that he is just a worthless dandy when really he was smart and clever, knew his arts and was very sporty. Heroine was pretty good too. Thetwo three other things that bothered me was how H knew h exact measurements to order clothes that fitted perfectly, how they could to legally marry if she was not of age and he didn't get permission from her guardian or had time to get special license and how they managed to fall in love in two days when they didn't even see each other the whole time.
Other then that it was a nice story. Hero again was pretending that he is just a worthless dandy when really he was smart and clever, knew his arts and was very sporty. Heroine was pretty good too. The
June 5, 2012
One of the very few very good books I read from Barbara Cartland.
The heroine is not naive, neither stupid, though a bit young and slightly weak. There is a real wicked man in the story who progressively unravels himself and his nefarious wants. I really liked how the relationship between the 2 main characters develops and matures over time.
A very nice romantic reading.
The heroine is not naive, neither stupid, though a bit young and slightly weak. There is a real wicked man in the story who progressively unravels himself and his nefarious wants. I really liked how the relationship between the 2 main characters develops and matures over time.
A very nice romantic reading.
January 21, 2011
This is one of my very favorite books by Barbara Cartland. I have read it over and over, this is one of the ones I will hang on to.
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July 6, 2016Liked it
January 27, 2021
Huh. Well, that happened.
This is my first Barbara Cartland, and, even for the original publication date of 1974, this book leaves a bit to be desired for womanhood.
Please understand that I didn't have high expectations and I actually enjoyed more than half of it. I liked the writing, the research and the attention to detail. I felt immersed in the Regency world and Cartland deserves kudos for that.
Unfortunately, the three most prominent characters were just awful.
The hero Lord Dorrington is amusing, but quite controlling. He rescues the heroine from a suicide attempt. When she threatens to try it again, he tells her that she can only kill herself if he tells her she can. Huh? He treats her like a child, which I guess she kind of is as she's 17 and he's 28, but it is quite bothersome. He even buys her clothing and TELLS HER WHAT TO WEAR!!
Alyna is pretty weak. The stereotypical blonde and innocent damsel in distress. So smart and, oh, so beautiful. She is quite insipid too. I did enjoy the one scene with her mother in which her mother treats her quite awfully. It made me wonder about Barbara Cartland's own relationship with her mother. It felt quite real.
Finally, the villain is a prince from an exotic Eastern country. No morals, no ethics, and a ravisher of white women. It's a stereotype of course, but I get that these stereotypes were still prevalent in 1974. I could have probably overlooked it if only the main characters weren't so irritating.
This is my first Barbara Cartland, and, even for the original publication date of 1974, this book leaves a bit to be desired for womanhood.
Please understand that I didn't have high expectations and I actually enjoyed more than half of it. I liked the writing, the research and the attention to detail. I felt immersed in the Regency world and Cartland deserves kudos for that.
Unfortunately, the three most prominent characters were just awful.
The hero Lord Dorrington is amusing, but quite controlling. He rescues the heroine from a suicide attempt. When she threatens to try it again, he tells her that she can only kill herself if he tells her she can. Huh? He treats her like a child, which I guess she kind of is as she's 17 and he's 28, but it is quite bothersome. He even buys her clothing and TELLS HER WHAT TO WEAR!!
Alyna is pretty weak. The stereotypical blonde and innocent damsel in distress. So smart and, oh, so beautiful. She is quite insipid too. I did enjoy the one scene with her mother in which her mother treats her quite awfully. It made me wonder about Barbara Cartland's own relationship with her mother. It felt quite real.
Finally, the villain is a prince from an exotic Eastern country. No morals, no ethics, and a ravisher of white women. It's a stereotype of course, but I get that these stereotypes were still prevalent in 1974. I could have probably overlooked it if only the main characters weren't so irritating.
June 16, 2022
Jak na standardowo schematyczne, mocno naiwne i sentymentalnie słodkie romanse Barbary Cartland "Niebezpieczny dandys" jest w grupie tych lepszych. I tu uwaga do czytelników poniżej 40-tki: nie próbujcie porównywać romansów Cartland z innymi romansami historycznymi - to kategoria sama w sobie; albo się ich nie czyta wcale, albo czyta przyjmując z całym dobrodziejstwem inwentarza, czyli mocno przymykając oko na wszystkie ich wady: brak rozwoju postaci, brak jakiejkolwiek głębi, z góry wiadome zakończenie, powielanie jednego schematu, absolutny brak realizmu, itp., itd. :) Tak, tak, wiem, że to - jak określano je przed wojną - romansidła dla kucharek:), ale cóż poradzić, ja naprawdę lubię czasami się nimi "zasłodzić":)
Bardzo dobra jest narracja audiobooka - to moje pierwsze spotkanie z Katarzyna Bagniewską, bardzo udane, mimo drobnych zgrzytów w wymowie angielskich nazw własnych (tu odezwała się we mnie anglistka z zawodu:)); miły tembr głosu i bardzo dobra interpretacja zarówno postaci żeńskich, jak i męskich skłania mnie do poszukania innych książek czytanych przez panią Katarzynę:)
A, i jeszcze ostatnia uwaga: 4 gwiazdki, które przyznałam, to gwiazdki w kategorii "Cartland" - to taki mój podgatunek romansowy (bo jak pisałam, nie ma co porównywać tych słodkich i wprawiających w baśniowo-romantyczny nastrój opowiastek z lordami i ich damami w rolach głównych z pisanymi współcześnie dobrymi romansami historycznymi...:)) Zatem 4 gwiazdki - i już:)
Bardzo dobra jest narracja audiobooka - to moje pierwsze spotkanie z Katarzyna Bagniewską, bardzo udane, mimo drobnych zgrzytów w wymowie angielskich nazw własnych (tu odezwała się we mnie anglistka z zawodu:)); miły tembr głosu i bardzo dobra interpretacja zarówno postaci żeńskich, jak i męskich skłania mnie do poszukania innych książek czytanych przez panią Katarzynę:)
A, i jeszcze ostatnia uwaga: 4 gwiazdki, które przyznałam, to gwiazdki w kategorii "Cartland" - to taki mój podgatunek romansowy (bo jak pisałam, nie ma co porównywać tych słodkich i wprawiających w baśniowo-romantyczny nastrój opowiastek z lordami i ich damami w rolach głównych z pisanymi współcześnie dobrymi romansami historycznymi...:)) Zatem 4 gwiazdki - i już:)
April 3, 2019
I was quite skeptical when I first read this book. Yet the circumstances forced me to continue: a long boring trip on a train with no book and dying phone. At the mean time a friend of mine got a secondhand book from a flea market. Of course with a very cheesy cover and title, this is not an interesting book for me but for some reason I finished it anyway. Throughout the reading I was accompanied with this corny-weird feeling but somehow I couldn't stop reading it. A guilty pleasure for sure!
April 17, 2018
It was quite nice to listen to on my drive to and home from work.
October 11, 2020
3.5 maybe 4.
March 20, 2023
What a bizarre book. Male love interest is a real Gary Stu and female protagonist has the most.... Annoying... Way... Of talking in the written dialogue.
April 3, 2023
This was a very satisfying read. Excellent leading man and a young heroine. I loved the information on how works of art were searched for, collected and restored. I also liked how Cartland used real historical figures as minor characters. I enjoy reading Cartland’s books as a palette cleanser as I prepare for a different genre in my reading. Cartland will always bea favorite!
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March 14, 2025"I am exceedingly hungry," he said, "but may I say it was worth waiting to see you look so lovely."
Alyna glanced up at him quickly.
"Do you mean that?" she asked, "or are you teasing me?"
"I never tease females about their looks," Lord Dorrington replied. "That is something they have a lamentable lack of humour about."
This was the second Cartland novel I've read, and I think I'm probably going to end up preferring her earlier stuff. This book had a lot of fun things, but it also had a lot of stuff that was CRINGE (for me), lol.
Alyna glanced up at him quickly.
"Do you mean that?" she asked, "or are you teasing me?"
"I never tease females about their looks," Lord Dorrington replied. "That is something they have a lamentable lack of humour about."
This was the second Cartland novel I've read, and I think I'm probably going to end up preferring her earlier stuff. This book had a lot of fun things, but it also had a lot of stuff that was CRINGE (for me), lol.
March 6, 2023
Alyna saw no escape. Her mother, a selfish and cruel woman, insisted that she marry the wealthy Prince Ahmadi of Kahriz, a man who made the beautiful Alyna cringe in horror.
She saw only one way out - a cold leap into the Thames. And she would have done it if one man had not saved her. That man was Lord Dorrington, London's famous dandy, pupil of Beau Brummel, and the most sought after bachelor in Regency England.
But not the danger had just begun for Alyna. Hunted by the Prince and his allies, she was trapped in a desperate web of agonizing fears, murder and intrigue.
Could Lord Dorrington save her one last time?
She saw only one way out - a cold leap into the Thames. And she would have done it if one man had not saved her. That man was Lord Dorrington, London's famous dandy, pupil of Beau Brummel, and the most sought after bachelor in Regency England.
But not the danger had just begun for Alyna. Hunted by the Prince and his allies, she was trapped in a desperate web of agonizing fears, murder and intrigue.
Could Lord Dorrington save her one last time?
October 21, 2014
c1974:
July 1, 2016
This book is one of the things that reminds me of my grandmother. It was one of the books in her romance library. I will never forget it....
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews