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Kitty
Kitty Lewis travels with her younger sister, Clara, to join their family for the season in Bath. Her mother is intent upon finding a husband for their elder sister, Lucinda, and believes she has found the perfect match in Captain James Northwood, a distinguished naval officer.
With time, however, Kitty begins to suspect that her sister’s affection lies elsewhere. Meanwhile, her own plan, to keep her head firmly fixed in a book and thus avoid all the nonsense going on about her, goes gradually awry.
A short romance, set in Regency England.
With time, however, Kitty begins to suspect that her sister’s affection lies elsewhere. Meanwhile, her own plan, to keep her head firmly fixed in a book and thus avoid all the nonsense going on about her, goes gradually awry.
A short romance, set in Regency England.
ebook
First published January 17, 2013
2 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
About the author
Catherine E. Chapman
23 books41 followersI'm a writer of women's fiction and contemporary and historical romantic fiction. My longer works have been described as accessible character fiction, humour often being an important ingredient.
My seven short historical romances are available in the anthology, 'Collected Romances,' in digital and print format.
My books are available digitally from Amazon, Smashwords and their retailers (B&N, Apple, Kobo, etc). Some are also available in print and as audiobooks on Google Play.
My latest publication, 'The Knight's Falconess,' is a sensual romance set in Medieval England.
For tasters of my contemporary writing, five short stories are available to download free from Smashwords and their retailers, and four of these are available as audiobooks on Google Play.
I'd like to say a big thank you to the many readers and reviewers at Goodreads, who have taken time and care over reading, rating, reviewing and recommending my fiction. I really value feedback from readers so, if you have any comments to make on my books, please let me know.
My seven short historical romances are available in the anthology, 'Collected Romances,' in digital and print format.
My books are available digitally from Amazon, Smashwords and their retailers (B&N, Apple, Kobo, etc). Some are also available in print and as audiobooks on Google Play.
My latest publication, 'The Knight's Falconess,' is a sensual romance set in Medieval England.
For tasters of my contemporary writing, five short stories are available to download free from Smashwords and their retailers, and four of these are available as audiobooks on Google Play.
I'd like to say a big thank you to the many readers and reviewers at Goodreads, who have taken time and care over reading, rating, reviewing and recommending my fiction. I really value feedback from readers so, if you have any comments to make on my books, please let me know.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 24, 2014
For a novella it was good fun. I would have liked to see more into the characters and have the story build slower if it were longer :) a fun little read and well done in the length I think :)
June 6, 2015
2.5 stars
Kitty Lewis and her sister Clara join their parents and elder sister in Bath where Lucinda is staying to find a husband. Mrs. Lewis has hopes for the dashing Captain Northwood and Clara is eager to come out to society. Only shy, bookish Kitty is dreading the season.
Why are they in Bath to find husbands? What year is it? Bath went from fashionable spa town in the Georgian era to place of pretentious people, invalids and those needing to save money by the end of the period. The Lewises resemble the Bennets minus Lizzie and Lydia so perhaps they're pretentious. Mrs. Lewis certainly resembles Mrs. Bennet but not quite as flighty. Kitty resembles Mary but she is shy rather than pedantic. I liked her a lot and could relate to her, except for when she broke the rules of etiquette in the end. The author didn't even point out that Kitty was breaking the rules. However, it was nice to see a shy, bookish heroine in a romance story for a change. I've been wanting to read about a shy, bookish heroine for a long time. Clara is an idiot much like Kitty Bennet and she also breaks the rules of etiquette. The outcome of the story is predictable. There's nothing else to the story and very little period detail. The writing style is OK but nothing out of the ordinary.
This story is best appreciated by newcomers to the genre, those who haven't yet read the incomparable Georgette Heyer or those who struggle with the unfamiliar language and terms of the period. Also, if your favorite Bennet sister is Mary or you want to read about a shy heroine for a change, read this story.
Kitty Lewis and her sister Clara join their parents and elder sister in Bath where Lucinda is staying to find a husband. Mrs. Lewis has hopes for the dashing Captain Northwood and Clara is eager to come out to society. Only shy, bookish Kitty is dreading the season.
Why are they in Bath to find husbands? What year is it? Bath went from fashionable spa town in the Georgian era to place of pretentious people, invalids and those needing to save money by the end of the period. The Lewises resemble the Bennets minus Lizzie and Lydia so perhaps they're pretentious. Mrs. Lewis certainly resembles Mrs. Bennet but not quite as flighty. Kitty resembles Mary but she is shy rather than pedantic. I liked her a lot and could relate to her, except for when she broke the rules of etiquette in the end. The author didn't even point out that Kitty was breaking the rules. However, it was nice to see a shy, bookish heroine in a romance story for a change. I've been wanting to read about a shy, bookish heroine for a long time. Clara is an idiot much like Kitty Bennet and she also breaks the rules of etiquette. The outcome of the story is predictable. There's nothing else to the story and very little period detail. The writing style is OK but nothing out of the ordinary.
This story is best appreciated by newcomers to the genre, those who haven't yet read the incomparable Georgette Heyer or those who struggle with the unfamiliar language and terms of the period. Also, if your favorite Bennet sister is Mary or you want to read about a shy heroine for a change, read this story.
December 11, 2015
A charming and delightful short story. Very much in the style of Jane Austen, I loved the witty characters and the look at aristocratic life. I could have read on had this developed into a full novel however even though it is a short read it does not hinder the entertaining story that it is.
August 8, 2014
I got this free from Smashwords several years ago. I love the title, love the era and the summary sounded interesting. But I ended up not really liking this book. I didn't realize this book was a short story. I loath short stories and no one can make me like them. What is the point? Idk
When I saw this book, I immediately thought it was a P&P sequal. Upon reading it, I found that the mother is annoying, father is intolerant of mom, younger sister is spoiled and loud, older sister is the local beauty...well I could go on. So this might as well have been a sequel.
Chapman created a cute story about a middle child, Kitty, who meets up with two captains while her parents try to marry off her older sister. The characters were likable, mostly because of their similarities to P&P. I wish the author had decided on making this a novel and not a short story.
The reason I hate novellas is because the characters don't develop as much as I always want them to and the stories themselves could blossom into so much more. The second reason, is because the author is almost forced to tell the reader everything and the story suffers. In the case of Kitty, the story did suffer because there was a lot of telling the reader instead of showing and I didn't like that.
The book had good dialogue. It really didn't deviate much from the era. The reason the book got a lower rating is because I noticed that there were some social interactions that never would have happened. I also noticed the book was a bit choppy in places. I had questions that were never really answered and this was partly due to the length of the book.
Overall, I wish Chapman had gone with a full length story rather than opted for a short story. I feel she created good characters, decent story line and the book would have been so much better had it had more depth and well, story.
When I saw this book, I immediately thought it was a P&P sequal. Upon reading it, I found that the mother is annoying, father is intolerant of mom, younger sister is spoiled and loud, older sister is the local beauty...well I could go on. So this might as well have been a sequel.
Chapman created a cute story about a middle child, Kitty, who meets up with two captains while her parents try to marry off her older sister. The characters were likable, mostly because of their similarities to P&P. I wish the author had decided on making this a novel and not a short story.
The reason I hate novellas is because the characters don't develop as much as I always want them to and the stories themselves could blossom into so much more. The second reason, is because the author is almost forced to tell the reader everything and the story suffers. In the case of Kitty, the story did suffer because there was a lot of telling the reader instead of showing and I didn't like that.
The book had good dialogue. It really didn't deviate much from the era. The reason the book got a lower rating is because I noticed that there were some social interactions that never would have happened. I also noticed the book was a bit choppy in places. I had questions that were never really answered and this was partly due to the length of the book.
Overall, I wish Chapman had gone with a full length story rather than opted for a short story. I feel she created good characters, decent story line and the book would have been so much better had it had more depth and well, story.
February 5, 2013
A charming short story, with amusing and likable characters, that will have you smiling the whole way through.
Whilst there were one or two aspects that I thought were perhaps not quite right, it was very well written, and in a regency rather than a modern style, which I heartily approve of. (By which I mean the lovers did not find themselves suddenly overcome with lust for the sake of a totally unnecessary display of passion.)
Kitty works very well as a tribute to Jane Austen, though could not hope to approach the depth to be found in one of Austen’s novels in such a short span. The characters are certainly Austenesque however, in fact I would have liked to have seen them developed more, in a full length novel, and I would go so far as to say this novella captured the spirit of our well-loved regency romances far better than some, lengthier works, (not to mention some of the tv/film adaptations).
On the whole a very pleasant read and it has certainly inspired me to look for some of Catherine E. Chapman’s other novels.
Whilst there were one or two aspects that I thought were perhaps not quite right, it was very well written, and in a regency rather than a modern style, which I heartily approve of. (By which I mean the lovers did not find themselves suddenly overcome with lust for the sake of a totally unnecessary display of passion.)
Kitty works very well as a tribute to Jane Austen, though could not hope to approach the depth to be found in one of Austen’s novels in such a short span. The characters are certainly Austenesque however, in fact I would have liked to have seen them developed more, in a full length novel, and I would go so far as to say this novella captured the spirit of our well-loved regency romances far better than some, lengthier works, (not to mention some of the tv/film adaptations).
On the whole a very pleasant read and it has certainly inspired me to look for some of Catherine E. Chapman’s other novels.
May 31, 2013
2.5**
Kitty travels with her sister and family on vacation to Bath. The banter between them all is fun and light but there are some things that bothered me. The author uses lots of nicknames or variations for the same nickname and at times it was difficult for me to figure out which person was being addressed.
The romance which is at the center happens really, really fast which makes it a bit unbelievable. Basically they meet and immediately fall in love. No build up, no questions, it's just there. Kitty also sneaks over to her beau's home alone which I thought was a very odd move to make for a Regency girl. She throws propriety to the wind in a very careless way.
It was a quick and fun (and did I say free) read and with some minor tweaks could be pretty good. The story could definitely be made a little longer. More character development is always a good thing.
Kitty travels with her sister and family on vacation to Bath. The banter between them all is fun and light but there are some things that bothered me. The author uses lots of nicknames or variations for the same nickname and at times it was difficult for me to figure out which person was being addressed.
The romance which is at the center happens really, really fast which makes it a bit unbelievable. Basically they meet and immediately fall in love. No build up, no questions, it's just there. Kitty also sneaks over to her beau's home alone which I thought was a very odd move to make for a Regency girl. She throws propriety to the wind in a very careless way.
It was a quick and fun (and did I say free) read and with some minor tweaks could be pretty good. The story could definitely be made a little longer. More character development is always a good thing.
May 8, 2013
Glad this was short because it just had no spark or life. Predictable and rather staid. I would not recommend.
December 19, 2019
It is a delightful short story with and Austen-like plot. Some of them were charming characters and I wish they could have been more developed.
April 3, 2023
Had Jane Austen vibes! Even though it was short I feel like it was very well written and executed!
February 9, 2014
A sweet, short story set in Regency-era Bath. It's strongly inspired by Austen, and I feel that many of the characters are a nod to some of our favorite Austen characters. The Lewis family are much like the Bennets, which lead to safe and enjoyable characters. My critique would be that it is far too short for such a passionate love to blossom (despite it bring quite swoon worthy), and I found the oldest sister, Lucinda, had too many nicknames (Cinders, Lulu, etc) given to her by her family. I enjoyed it, and am glad I heard about it,
March 2, 2013
It was okay, cute. For a short story, the characters were fairly well done, I had some grasp on their basic characters, however I wish it had gone more in depth with both characterization and the relationship between Kitty and James. The character who made the most impression on me was probably Clara, mostly because she was outspoken and a tad overly dramatic. A short, sweet read. 2.5 Stars.
May 3, 2015
The obvious ghosts of Austen's Bennett family were present throughout the story. It was a sweet, but at times , unrealistic tale. As someone else had mentioned in a review, the story could have been greatly improved if more detail was given to Kitty and James. It could have been a better short story. Overall, it was well-written and an enjoyable read
December 18, 2014
Sweet regency double romance. Humorous glimpse into sisters' lives during a season in Bath. A mother modelled upon Mrs Bennet of Jane Austen fame had her fair share of situations to dramatize. Quick read as an enovella with a fun spin discovered in the conclusion.
June 2, 2013
Short Story - wish there was more!
April 4, 2015
While this was a nice little story, mostly it was a very watered down version of Pride and Prejudice--especially as the characterization of Kitty's family.
June 10, 2015
A very good story. Quite short, but good.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews