The Romance

The Daughters of Mannerling #5

by Marion Chesney

Torn between her ancestral home and her heart, Belinda Beverley must choose between Lord Luke St. Clair, the rather dimwitted man who now owns Mannerling, and the man she loves, the smart and handsome Lord Gyre.

Genres: Romance, Regency, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Regency Romance, Fiction, Historical

164 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1997

About the author

Marion Chesney Gibbons
aka: Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Charlotte Ward, M.C. Beaton, Sarah Chester.

Marion Chesney was born on 1936 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK, and started her first job as a bookseller in charge of the fiction department in John Smith & Sons Ltd. While bookselling, by chance, she got an offer from the Scottish Daily Mail to review variety shows and quickly rose to be their theatre critic. She left Smith’s to join Scottish Field magazine as a secretary in the advertising department, without any shorthand or typing, but quickly got the job of fashion editor instead. She then moved to the Scottish Daily Express where she reported mostly on crime. This was followed by a move to Fleet Street to the Daily Express where she became chief woman reporter. After marrying Harry Scott Gibbons and having a son, Charles, Marion went to the United States where Harry had been offered the job of editor of the Oyster Bay Guardian. When that didn’t work out, they went to Virginia and Marion worked as a waitress in a greasy spoon on the Jefferson Davies in Alexandria while Harry washed the dishes. Both then got jobs on Rupert Murdoch’s new tabloid, The Star, and moved to New York.

Anxious to spend more time at home with her small son, Marion, urged by her husband, started to write historical romances in 1977. After she had written over 100 of them under her maiden name, Marion Chesney, and under the pseudonyms: Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Charlotte Ward, and Sarah Chester, she getting fed up with 1714 to 1910, she began to write detectives stories in 1985 under the pseudonym of M. C. Beaton. On a trip from the States to Sutherland on holiday, a course at a fishing school inspired the first Constable Hamish Macbeth story. They returned to Britain and bought a croft house and croft in Sutherland where Harry reared a flock of black sheep. But Charles was at school, in London so when he finished and both tired of the long commute to the north of Scotland, they moved to the Cotswolds where Agatha Raisin was created.

Reviews

[Cyndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will another daughter marry for love? Or will she choose Mannerling?
Another cute romance. There is so much info about the ‘fops’ of the Regency romances. For instance; MEN wore corsets instead of women, they also wore makeup. But the thing I really thought was interesting is that men wore shoes that were too small because they wanted their feet to look small. Men were the slaves of fashion. Lord St. Clair was hilarious!

[Ivy H · Rating 3 out of 5]

The above meme best describes the heroine, her mother and society's attitude to them: Belinda ( the heroine ) is one of the 2 remaining unwed Beverley sisters in this series and by this installment her greedy mother has no financial worries since her 4 older sisters have all married hot rich men who help out with regular funding. But, does that stop Lady Beverley from complaining to all and sundry ? Nope. The woman is still obsessed with regaining Mannerling, the evil haunted mansion that used to belong the family. It's an ongoing quest with the heroine, her mother and her younger sister. Her 4 older sisters all tried with stupid, dumb and dangerous schemes ( in the previous 4 novels ) to regain Mannerling but they eventually all fell in love and decided that it was time to move on to happier things. In this story, Belinda takes up the baton and decides that she'll be the one who will accomplish what her sisters didn't. I had liked Belinda a lot in the previous novels because she'd been the quieter and more sensible sister. In this story, however, she just made me so angry because of the utter stupid bullshit she did. Do you know what's worse than an unintelligent dumb and airhead bimbo ? Well, in my opinion, it's an intelligent woman who deliberately puts on an act and behaves like a dumb airhead bimbo !




And, what's even worse than that is when the heroine appears to be giving up on a perfect, rich, handsome, non manwhore hero who is also a marquis ! That just made me want me want to hit her over the head:



Belinda is desperately attracted to the hot and studly Marquis of Gyre but she decides to act like an airhead, flirty bimbo and simper coquettishly over the skinny, dandyish, effeminate and cowardly Lord St. Clair. Why ? Because skinny Lord St. Clair's daddy bought him Mannerling and publicly stated that it's supposed to be a wedding gift for when the dandy picks a bride. Lady Beverley starts to salivate when she hears that news and she encourages the heroine to pursue Lord St. Clair because she thinks that she'll finally be able to get back her old mansion. The stupid woman has conveniently forgotten that the house would still not actually belong to her or to her daughter. She doesn't even think that she might not even be allowed to live there; after all, nobody likes her and all her other sons in law prefer to send her money to stay away from them. In this novel, she's lucky that Lord Burfield ( Abigail's husband ) is nice enough to let her stay at his townhouse during the London season. And, he's only doing that for the sake of Belinda and Lizzie since they're still unwed.

In this novel, the H is almost besotted with Belinda when they first meet and he grows to admire her after they have an intellectual discussion because he admires women who are smart as well as beautiful. Belinda then goes and ruins it by acting like a bimbo airhead because Lord St. Clair ( the effeminate dandy who owns Mannerling ) is dimwitted himself and dislikes intelligent ladies. Belinda acts like this in front of Lord Gyre, the H, causing him to despise her:


‘Indeed,’ gushed Belinda. ‘Shakespeare does send me to sleep. I can hardly refrain from yawning.’

Saint Clair looked at her, struck afresh by this kindred spirit.

‘Demme, if don’t suffer the same ennui. Your honesty is refreshing.’

Again that giggle.

‘And compliments from such an arbiter of fashion are always a delight, my lord.’ At that moment, Belinda saw Lord Gyre staring at her, a faint look of contempt in his eyes. Then he turned away. She blushed with mortification,

M. C. Beaton; Marion Chesney. The Romance (Kindle Locations 331-336). Ivy Books. Kindle Edition.

The bulk of story deals with Belinda's dimwitted bimbo attempts to catch Lord St. Clair while she simultaneously fights her feelings for the hero. The storyline becomes a bit complicated midway, when both Belinda and St. Clair realize that they don't want to marry each other but are forced by their respective parents to continue seeing each other. Belinda realizes quite early on that she really wants the H but she's afraid of disappointing her bitchy mother while St. Clair's father threatens to disinherit him unless he marries either Belinda or another suitable debutante. Then there is more intrigue added to the plot when Percy Vane, an envious cousin of St. Clair's, becomes obsessed with the mansion Mannerling and decides he's going to do whatever it takes to get it. St. Clair hosts a house party at Mannerling to which Belinda and the hero are invited; some of the other guests included the H's former mistress Mrs. Ingram. This lady was a widow who had been involved with the H a few years ago but they had parted on amicable terms and she's not a slutty or skanky type of widow. She's actually a nice lady who isn't interested in chasing after the H. In fact, Mrs. Ingram notices that Belinda and the H are fighting their feelings for each other and she decides to help them out because she thinks that St. Clair and the heroine will make a horrible couple.

Lots of drama happens at the house party:

1. The MC's get more involved with each other, in spite of Belinda's determination to marry St. Clair.

2. St. Clair becomes involved with Mrs. Ingram, even though she's about 10 yrs older than him. I think it's because he has a mommy fixation or maybe he needs a woman who can guide him and control him since he's too stupid. I actually felt sorry for Mrs. Ingram because she's a nice lady and deserved a more manly and intelligent man but the young dandy was the one she set her mind on.

3. Percy Vane sabotaged a rowboat in an effort to convince St. Clair to that Mannerling was haunted.

4. Percy also later goes a bit insane and tries to murder Belinda and St. Clair because he wants his uncle to give him ownership of Mannerling. The H saves them and leaves Percy to burn in the fire that he himself had set for the other 2. That was the best comeuppance for Percy and I had been biting my lip and hoping that nobody would get all saintly and decide to save the villain at the last minute.

5. The H's best friend Gurney plays a malicious trick on the MC's because he doesn't want the H to marry Belinda. Gurney tells some nasty lies to the hero and I think it has a lot to do with some weird man love he's feeling for Lord Gyre. Gurney's jealous because he thinks that the H is paying too much attention to Belinda and will not be able to spend much time in the future with him, carousing and doing whatever stuff that rakes do. The Beverley's loyal governess, Mrs. Trumble, talks to the H and tells him what Gurney's been up to so this actually leads to the final reconciliation between the MC's.

Belinda also lets go of her obsession with Mannerling:


He drew back at last.

‘I go too far and too fast,’ he said reluctantly. ‘I have not even asked your mother’s permission. What do you think she will say?’

‘She will no doubt ask you to buy Mannerling.’ He stiffened.

‘And you must tell her,’ Belinda went on dreamily, ‘that I hate the place and never want to see it again. I fact, I do not know what you are about, wanting to marry into such a mad family.’

‘Because I am mad myself—about you.’


M. C. Beaton; Marion Chesney. The Romance (Kindle Locations 2294-2299). Ivy Books. Kindle Edition.

The dandy St. Clair ends up marrying Mrs. Ingram and the MC's have a huge society wedding of their own. One of the best parts of this novel was when the H becomes the first son in law who actually takes a stand to stay as far away from that mean, greedy old bitch in the future:


Lady Beverley stared at him. ‘If you must, you must,’ she said ungraciously. ‘Belinda has been a sad disappointment to me.’

‘Your daughter has not been a disappointment to me,’ he said crossly. ‘May I see her?’

She rose to her feet. ‘Ironic, is it not, that Lord Saint Clair, who could have been my daughter’s, is now going to marry your ex-mistress?’ She drifted from the room. I will make damn sure that woman never comes near us once we are married, thought Lord Gyre furiously.

M. C. Beaton; Marion Chesney. The Romance (Kindle Locations 2335-2339). Ivy Books. Kindle Edition.

I finished this novel feeling happy that yet another of Lady Beverley's daughter has been fortunate to escape from her clutches.

This is the hero, The Marquis of Gyre:



This is the heroine, Belinda:

[Mela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it mostly because of the secondary characters, Lord St. Clair, Mrs. Ingram, Perry, and a few interesting views/information about rules, and life in those times/society.

The main love story was more or less like others in this series. It had nice moments but wasn't great.

[2.5 stars]

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wonder, each time I pick up a book by Chesney, what possessed me to do so. The characters are always underdeveloped, the plot advanced solely through conversation of the most barren kind, and there is no chemistry at all. It’s like reading a book by formula.

Our heroine is apparently beautiful, and wishes to marry to obtain the family estate, lost by her gambling father. Her mother is useless, her sisters are pushy in this quest, the hero is vary easily convinced that the heroine is deceptive, the foil is too stupid to function, and the bad guy is evil for no good reason.

There, that’s just as descriptive as the book itself.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Belinda Beverly's father gambled away their estate, Mannerling, all was lost. One by one, her sisters were supposed to marry the new owner of their beloved home in order to have it back in the family. And one by one, they all panicked and married someone else. The owners of this great house are not nice men. In fact, they are brutes. But now it's Belinda's turn. She's fifth in line and at nineteen years old, it's high time she was married. The only problem is, the new owner of Mannerling, Lord St. Clair, is a fop, a feather head, a man with no sense. The schemes and machinations of Belinda and her sister, Lizzie, as well as their mother, Lady Beverly, are enough to put off any man. The only voice of reason is Miss Trumble, their governess. This fine lady has been with them since the very beginning. There are other men who are thrown into Belinda's path, or walked in of their own volition...Lord Gyre for one. With him, Belinda can be totally frank and honest....yes, she wants her family home back and yes, if marrying a featherweight will get her to that goal, so be it. Belinda is no simpleton. She has a well developed mind, keeps up with current affairs and has had a well rounded education. In short, she can keep up with any man intellectually. But with Lord St. Clair, she must act the dim witted twit in order not to scare him off. Apparently, that's how it was done back then. I just wish that I had started with the first book instead of the 5th.

[Lisa Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

After her for elder sisters were unsuccessful at regaining their family home, Belinda feels that she, as one of two remaining unmarried daughters, is a last hope for bringing the family home to Manerling. When she hears that the new owner is a young and single man, she decides to use her London season to secure him. What she doesn’t realize, is that he is an empty headed fob that detests all her favorite things, and that she might lose her heart to another.

A fun addition to the series, and although I wanted to smack a few of the characters at times, I really enjoyed it.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was no development in the relationship between Gyre and Belinda. All of a sudden, after very few interactions, they were in love with each other. Skipping the relationship itself in a romance is kind of a BIG miss.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love all the plotting and scheming to get possession of Mannerling. It makes for a fun story.

[Phylisha Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable regency romance about six sisters who have tried to get back their ancestral home (lost by their gambling father) by marrying whomever is the current owner.

[June Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

A typical MC Beaton book.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so much FUN!

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audio. A fun continuation of the Beverly sisters story. Clean, fast read.

[Eleah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think if it wasn't for the murder/death and potential haunted house aspect I wouldn't be able to make it through all of these novels. Still, only one more to go.

[Karen Darling · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very good. I enjoyed it.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 5th book about the tiresome obsession of the Beverly girls bewitched by their former home. Romance wins in the end.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful, funny Regency series

[Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Rachel P · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Meredith Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found all the subplots more enjoyable than the main characters' romance. I didn't feel like there was enough build up. The ending was great.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Romance" is a good title for this 5th book in The Daughters of Mannerling series. I found it to be more nicely romantic than the previous 4 books. The flow of the story seemed to move faster. I consumed this book in a day, and considering that I had to sit down and read text rather than listen to an audiobook while I did other things, that is saying something. Although each of the books in the series focuses on one of the six Beverley sisters, there is a larger story that connects them all. This one advances the concept that the house at Mannerling has an eerie, supernatural, and sinister effect on the Beverley family as well as the sequential owners of Mannerling. Also, the mystery about who IS the Beverley governess, Miss Trumble, comes to light. Don't cheat and read the last page too soon. You'll definitely want to finish the series with book 6," The Homecoming".

Those readers who are familiar with Marion Chesney's (aka M. C. Beaton) two mystery series - Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth - will recognize her style. She has a way of portraying characters who get obsessed with ideas that are not especially noble, and she has a knack for getting the story out without excessive descriptions of landscape, dress, eating, travel or a character's endless struggles in mental debates. I like her writing.

[Mo]

I remember reading a slew of Marion Chesney novels when my children were very young. They were just the right kind of light, mindless entertainment that I needed at the time. I had to read things that were very put-downable … books that would not consume me. My free time to read was very limited.

Basically, all of the books in any given Marion Chesney series were the same book. She had a formula, and stuck to it. She changed names, places and circumstances, but the basic plots remained identical. They were all set during the Regency (a period in history that I still adore to this day), and they were all usually under 200 pages each. The writing was simplistic, and really gave you nothing to ponder. These books fit the bill for me perfectly at the time.

Considering the number of books she has cranked out (Wikipedia lists 106 books under her own name and her pseudonyms), I’m not surprised that she does not write “great works of fiction”.

So I figured that since they were really all the same book, the same review would suffice!

[Damaskcat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fifth book in the Daughters of Mannerling series. Belinda knows that they don’t have much chance of regaining Mannerling unless she can marry Toby St Clair whose father has given him the property on condition he marries and settles down. Belinda herself alternates between wanting to be back at Mannerling and trying to move on from her obsession with the house. Then there is the attractive Lord Gyre who seems to be interested to her.

With several sub plots which run through the series as well as the main question of who will Belinda marry this is entertaining reading if you want something light to read for a few hours this will fill the bill. I liked the characters especially the mysterious Miss Trumble the governess and Barry the long suffering servant.

This is an amusing and light hearted series though it does have some darker undercurrents with the obsession of various characters with Mannerling and the house’s malign influence. The dialogue is amusing and the plot reasonably complex and there are plenty of misunderstandings to keep you reading.

[N.H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initially I thought I would tire of reading a series based on the same main idea, but I did not. Marion Chesney/ M.C. Beaton writes new characters and plot twists so well that even though I know the basic plot idea I find myself entertained. The basic idea is of course that in each book one of the daughters sets out to marry her way back into ownership of their mysteriously menacing house, Mannerling. The house itself becomes a character in a way. And in each book the daughter ends up marrying for love. But along the way the house destroys reputations and even claims a life or two.

The mother, Lady Beverley, is the worst possible mix of Mrs Bennet and Lady Catherine de Bourgh (characters in Pride and Prejudice). The governess, added from book two, is a most wonderful and mysterious character. Best of all is the narrative voice with its snarky view of the world portrayed.

On to the final book, in which the mysterious governess will have some if not all of her mystery unravelled.

[Victoria Conlan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is no Jane Austen; it is no Georgette Heyer; it is not even a Julia Quinn.
However, it was quite pleasant and light and fluffy and readable, and it was certainly better than the Mills+Boon I accidentallied last month. :-D
Actually, despite being lighter and fluffier, reading the 5th of the series has me keeping an eye open for numbers 1-4 and 6 (particularly 6 after ending 5 on a teaser), which is more than Ms Quinn has managed to do so far, who I treat a lot more as an opportunist purchase rather than a planned one.
With Lords and Ladies and a Marquis and an Earl and a haunted house and servants and girls and a fallen woman and a mysterious governess and an even more mysterious handyman ... well, what more could one possibly want?

[QNPoohBear · Rating 2 out of 5]

Belinda Beverley wants Mannerling back in the family and she's determined to succeed where her sisters failed and marry the new owner of Mannerling, the young Lord St. Clair. In London for the Season, Belinda pretends to be the kind of silly young miss that Lord St. Clair admires, but when St. Clair's friend, Lord Gyre, sees through her mask and makes her feel guilty, she begins to regret her actions. However, she is being pushed towards St. Clair by her mother and when they attend a house party at Mannerling, the evil demons of the house take over. The romance plot was sweet but the gothic melodrama took over and overshadowed the romance which I didn't like.

[Helene Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review - It is good now that the girls aren't quite so obsessed with their childhood home. Belinda seems to be the most sensible and logical. Her heart is never really in with St Clair, and she knows from the start she doesn't want to marry him. The stories do get very samey after a while with the obsession with Mannerling, nevertheless, I have really enjoyed the previous few books more than the first couple. I can't wait for Lizzie's story.

Genre? - Romance / Historical

Characters? - Belinda Beverly / Lizzie Beverly / Lady Beverly / Miss Trumble / Lord Gyre / Luke St Clair

Setting? - Mannerling (England)

Series? - Daughters of Mannerling #5

Recommend? - Yes

Rating - 17/20

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this series of Regency Romances. Very light reading indeed. This is number five: Belinda Beverley once again feels the desire to regain Mannerling, her previous home, even though she thought she was over that need. The new owner is a silly "fop" but not evil (as the owners were in previous books). So, why not go after him and play the simpering fool? Lots of twists in the short read. I enjoyed it quite a lot. And, I was happy to see that the truth about Miss Trumble is finally revealed at the end of the story and will be explained in full in the final book of the series.

[Bettye McKee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five have found love instead of Mannerling

Belinda Beverley is prepared to marry the empty-headed fop that is Lord St. Clair to regain Mannerling for her dreadful mother. St. Clair is eager to marry anyone to keep from being disinherited and to have Mannerling.

His cousin Peregrine Vane intends to block any marriage so that St. Clair's father will disinherit him and make Vane his heir.

This series has me in its clutches and I must see it through. The next book is Lizzie's story in which I am sure the mystery of Miss Trumble will be unveiled.

[lav · Rating 5 out of 5]

it is the 6th book of the mannerling daughters series. It was a really good story with amazing characters. It’s a regency book so it had that extra element but the fl is very strong willed and a feminist, bold for the regency period. the ml is likes that she is bold. i really enjoyed their interactions(my fav part). the author did a great job in showing everyone’s character. i liked the fl was actually determined to go for the house and was not portrayed as a damsel in distress. also the small twist in the end was also good.

[Judie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up at the library to give this author a try. The story was predictable and enjoyable. This book is part of a series, and by the end of the story, I found that I didn't need to read the previous books, but am interested in the next. I am interested in the governess, a dignified lady, who in the last lines of the story, is identified as a lady of society in her own right. Maybe the next book will shed more light on her story!