An eligible connection

by Elsie Lee

She never had vapors, never played the coquette like her ravishing sister Almina, "The Dark Incomparable" of London's haut ton. Fanny Cherill's flame-colored hair was a hopeless liability, her cheeky wit and daring thoroughly unladylike.But everything changed on the night handsome Lord Waterbury stole into her boudoir to capture her heart--and her reputation! Suddenly Fanny was compromised by a notorious rake. She was an embarrassment, an obstacle to Almina's brilliant marital prospects, a hindrance to be gotten rid of immediately--even if it meant marrying her to a man she didn't love. So Fanny decided to show them she was indeed a lady--a lady they'd never forget

Genres: Romance, Regency, Regency Romance, Historical Romance, Traditional Regency, Historical

Hardcover

First published March 1, 1975

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

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.65 stars - pg13/very very mild r-lite (?)

Loved it! Fun. Refreshing. All the characters, side stories and romances were just right. Servants were fantastic characters. Fun, down-to-earth, enchanting young heroine. Hero's best friend, Bertie, was great. (Can't remember why I noted it to be possibly very mild r-lite. Maybe there was a reference to mistresses, as is often quite common in regency novels??)

[Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

2021 bk 149. I found this at the back of the books on the shelf - I need to check on what I have more than once every twenty years. I had no memory of reading this and was delighted most of all by the characters. Lee is one of the few regency authors who writes in male and female voices equally well. The story of a girl, just too young to be "brought out", a young man who has become jaded with his life, her older sister, and a shy duke was delightful to read. The only weak spot was the very competent mother who could manage her husband who then does a complete turn around and can no longer think for herself - that didn't quite jib as anything other than a convenient method to get a character out of the way. Otherwise, I enjoyed reading this book.

[whimsicalmeerkat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first Regency romance I ever read. I haven’t read it since my late teens, and the reread did not disappoint. It’s no wonder at all I fell in love with the genre. Elsie Lee’s Regencies are Shakespearean comedies of error while having that Regency setting, with a whole lot of pulp thrown in. I’m so glad I found another copy of this.

[orchid_meadows · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming little regency romance between Fanny - a young girl bored out of her mind because she is not yet a debutante
and Lord Waterbury - son of a duchess who one day climbs into her room in an attempt to rescue her from a fire.

The heroine Fanny was a very nice character. She was friendly, cute, adventurous and always spoke her mind.

I was never bored reading this story. It was both easy to read and entertaining from the start to the very end.

What I found a bit weird is that apparently Lord Waterbury has a reputation of being a good-for-nothing womanizer but there was nearly nothing in this story indicating that. He really just seemed like a normal man.
Yes he goes to the betting shop a few times and in the past he did court Fanny's sister but besides that I did not notice anything else.
I wish his character was a little more fleshed out because he really wasn't all that interesting nor likeable to me.

Duke of Wyvern on the other hand was a surprisingly good character.
At first I thought he would be the average stoic rich male character. But it turns out he's actually a really nice person and just very shy. His interactions with Fanny were very sweet. To be honest at the end of this story I liked him more than Lord Waterbury. ^^'

It's mentioned in the book that he's also always very nice and polite to people lower than him while Lord Waterbury in multiple occasions gossips with his friend about girls. He seems like a much more pleasant and respectful man to me.
I don't even know why Fanny likes Lord Waterbury that much because he really isn't all that special.

But overall yes I liked this book.
But one thing I have to criticize is the ending. It was sweet but very shallow and abrupt! Wish there was a bit more.

[Allie McCormack · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very sweet, absolutely charming Regency romance! 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!

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this book back in the eighties. It was delightful then and it has held up on multiple rereads. I especially like the witty dialogue, and how likeable most of the characters are.

[AM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread June 2024: Watching Fanny and Charles grow up together is just delightful.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was cute!