A Hazard of Hearts

A Saga of Hearts #1

by Barbara Cartland

At the turn of a card, Serena Staverleys life changes forever. Not only has her father gambled away their estate, house and all their possessions, he also put in the ill-fated bet with the sinister Lord Vulcan, her hand in marriage, along with her eighty thousand pounds inheritance. Worse still, her father then dies in a dual, which it seems he went to willingly, even deliberately to his death. But why?
Forced to leave behind her beloved Stavelerly, with only her Nurse and dog as companions, Serena must travel to Vulcan's majestic ancestral home, Mandrake. But nothing is quite what it seems. Faced with secrets, abduction, smugglers and even death, Serena discovers an unexpected ally. Her heart tells her to hate him, but is it possible she’s falling for the very man who ruined her life? How Serena overcomes all adversity is told in this exciting, non-spicy suspense romance full of twists, drama, and hidden love!

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

381 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 14, 2024

About the author

Born 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

Reviews

[Ivy H · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

This was one of Barbara Cartland's more enjoyable novels. There's the usual sweet ingenue heroine called Serena and a rakish H called Justin, the Marquis of Vulcan. Serena finds herself at the mercy of Justin after her father gambles with the H and loses; the end result is that the heroine loses not only her home, Staverley, but also her freedom because her father had gambled away her hand in marriage. After he lost the wager, her father then went and got killed in a duel. Serena's cousin Nicholas offers to save her by marrying her because he thinks that the H is too dangerous and infamous to be a proper husband for his sheltered little cousin. Serena gets a bit of backbone, however, and absolutely refuses her cousin's offer:



The MC's finally come to a compromise after they meet and discuss the terms of the wager: they decide that Justin will take Serena ( with her faithful maid/companion Eudora and her brave bull mastiff dog Torqo ) to go live at his magnificent estate called Mandrake. The issue of the marriage is put on hold for a while until they get to know each other better. But, there are bigger problems lying in wait at Mandrake. The biggest of these is the H's evil mother Harriet, the dowager marchioness. The minute they arrive, the maid Eudora is the first to sense the evil threat that's present:


"He warned me of the Marchioness. You must be careful."

"What of?" Serena asked.

"He warned me," Eudora repeated, "but since I came to this house I have needed no warning. There is evil here . . evil . . and danger."

Serena put her hands up to her ears. "Stop, stop, Eudora. I cannot bear any more. It has been a vastly disturbing day and I am very tired."

A HAZARD OF HEARTS BARBARA CARTLAND (Kindle Locations 2217-2227). Kindle Edition.

The dowager marchioness is despicable, immoral, vicious, selfish, obsessed with controlling her son , and addicted to gambling and opium. Cartland presents a mild Oedipus complex trope via the dowager and the H, because the latter adores his mother so much that he blinds himself to the reality of just how evil and manipulative she can be. Harriet becomes instantly hateful towards Serena because she can't bear to share her home and her son with a beautiful and younger woman. Harriet treats the heroine like crap but she always ensures that she does it when the H is absent. The heroine is wary and afraid of the vicious dowager because as Hans Solo said so aptly:



The heroine soon starts to fall in love with the H because he's so masterful and roguishly handsome, but there's another woman ( a wannabe OW ) called Isobel who turns up to prevent the MC's from growing closer. Isobel is the widowed sister of the H's best friend and she's obsessed with getting Justin to propose to her. The H is always cordial to Isobel but he's not interested in her romantically. The OW gets mad at this and ends up taking out her anger on the heroine, by being spiteful and nasty. Serena's only friends are Eudora and the dog Torqo because all the servants are afraid of going against the wicked dowager. Eventually, the dowager learns that Serena has a dowry that her maternal grandfather left to her; it's 80 000 pounds and the heroine's gamblerholic late father couldn't get his hands on it because of the legal stipulations in his father in law's will. The dowager ( who's also a gamblerholic ) wants this money because she has already gambled away her quarterly allowance. Justin is oblivious to all of this since she is so good at lying to him, but he's smart enough to not give her additional funds when she begs him:


His lordship's eyes narrowed. "That last sum I gave you," he said, "I believed it was for the decorations in the house."

"It covered but a quarter of the bills," his mother replied, "and there is the laying out of the new gardens as well. Besides, my mantuamaker was pressing."

Lord Vulcan took his snuff-box from his pocket. He seemed utterly unperturbed and yet there was a touch of steel in his voice as he said quietly: "I can give you no more for the present."

A HAZARD OF HEARTS BARBARA CARTLAND (Kindle Locations 2617-2627). Kindle Edition.

That's when she makes a deal with a villainous guy called Lord Wrotham. These 2 dirtbags decide that he will kidnap Serena and marry her. The dowager will get 10 000 pounds from Lord Wrotham, since the heroine's dowry will only be released to her husband. Fortunately, Serena manages to escape from Lord Wrotham and Justin discovers that his dearest mommy is a ratty old bitch. The author wrote a fantastic detailed scene where Justin rips his mother apart verbally:


"How dare you!" he said. "How dare you sell a guest! It was bad enough that you should contrive at the seduction of an innocent girl, a child whom I entrusted to your care because I believed that with all your faults you were at least a gentlewoman. But that you should plot against someone who has accepted the hospitality of our house and our home, that you should sell her and betray her for filthy money is a disgrace which will for ever stain with utter shame our pride and our honour."

A HAZARD OF HEARTS BARBARA CARTLAND (Kindle Locations 7513-7519). Kindle Edition.

Of course, this wouldn't be a Barbara Cartland novel if the heroine doesn't do a couple of stupid things that temporarily derail the smooth route to a happy ever after. Serena, in her haste to save the H and show him how much she loves him, ends up creating more difficulties for herself and the H:

1. She rushes off, without a chaperone, to look for him after she hears that he's been wounded in a duel with Lord Wrotham. This ends up with an immediate emergency marriage of convenience because Justin has to save her reputation.

2. Then, she mistakenly assumes that he's involved with a courtesan called La Flamme. This makes her lie to him about being in love with some other man. The H, who's in love with her, gets angry and heartbroken and leaves her alone at Mandrake while he drowns his sorrows in alcoholic stupor at his London townhouse. It turned out that La Flamme used to his mistress but was currently the mistress of another guy called Sir Peter.

3. The dowager goes ballistic because she doesn't want her position in the household to be threatened by a new marchioness. She goes against her son's written orders and refuses to vacate the formal bedchambers that the current marchioness is supposed to use. And, as if that's not bad enough, she treats Serena to even more vile insults and orders the servants to ignore the heroine's status as the current marchioness. Then, she threatens Serena and bullies her so badly that the heroine runs off in the heavy fog and fall off a cliff !

4. When the dowager thinks she's gotten rid of Serena, she imbibes a lot of opium and tries to make a deal with a group of smugglers because she's badly in need of money to support her gambling addiction and knows that Justin will not provide any. Her behaviour is so appalling that the smugglers get angry and stone her to death:


"Stone me, would you, thieves? For that you shall cry on your knees for mercy." She made a swift movement forward; her sword caught a man unawares on his bare arm and ripped his flesh open. But she got no further. Another stone, a big one, caught her between the eyes, and as she staggered with the impact of the blow, there came another and yet another. There was a sudden cry of voices, harsh and inhuman, and for one moment Padlett's voice was high above the rest.

"Stop it . . do you hear? Stop it . ."

Then he was heard no more. Stones were flying through the air, one after another they crashed against her, beating the Marchioness to her knees and then to the ground. She gave one cry, but it was lost in the general milee of sound. There was a noise, guttural and thick, such as an animal makes when it pulls down its prey, and then suddenly there was only the sound of footsteps running down the tunnel towards the open sea. There was a shout, an incoherent noise, a splashing of oars as if they hastily and without caution struck the water. Then there was silence.

A HAZARD OF HEARTS BARBARA CARTLAND (Kindle Locations 10388-10404). Kindle Edition.

There was quite a bit of angst in this novel but it was also fluffy and cute too because that's what Barbara Cartland specialized in. The best part of the ending was seeing the big bad hero fall to knees and confess his insta-love for the sweet, demure and beautiful ingenue heroine:


For a moment the world stood still and then, with an effort, Justin went on speaking.


"I dare not touch you yet," he said, and his voice was hoarse. "There are things that I must say to you or else they will never be said. I wish you to know, my beloved, that I have loved you from the very first moment I saw you when you stood at the top of the staircase at Staverley Court. I loved you because you were so utterly different from anyone I had ever known or seen in my life before; and yet, because I was cynical, because I had been disillusioned so often and so completely by other women, I doubted what I saw with my own eyes. Always I was afraid to obey the instincts of my own heart, always I was trying to catch you out, to find you less pure, less fine, than you appeared. I could not believe, you see, that anyone could be so beautiful, so perfect as you - and come to me unsullied, unspoilt.

A HAZARD OF HEARTS BARBARA CARTLAND (Kindle Locations 10846-10855). Kindle Edition.

It's like a bodice ripper without the bodice ripping and the sex ! And, as expected, the forces of Goodness totally devoured all the forces of Evil.

This is the H, Justin:




This is the heroine, Serena:





This is her dog Torqo:




And this is her loyal maid/companion Eudora, who was born a hunchback with physical deformities but was fortunate to receive a happy home with the heroine:




And, before I forget, the wannabe OW Isobel gets her happy ending with Serena's cousin Nicholas.

[Nathan "N.R." Gaddis]

700+ written :: a billion sold. But dear oh dear Barbara! No one’s reading you on gr!

[Mira · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished reading Hazard Of Hearts two months ago and totally loved it. The characters are well-written, flexible and variably responsive to the developments of the plot, and I enjoyed the double perspective which revealed the inner thoughts and feelings of the two antagonistic characters, Serena, and the Marchioness. I admit that the turns of the plot were not wholly convincing at some points, and some even felt implausible and a bit too dramatic for my taste, but the story is written with such beauty and feeling that I couldn't but overlook these defects. My favourite part of the novel, which stopped me and had me pondering, is one that perhaps doesn't add much to the plot, but serves to enrich the historical background and provide the reader with beautifully drawn pictures of the society he is to encounter, and the atmosphere which was to engrave the main features of the Marchioness- one of the most important and dynamic characters of the novel:

"Yet although they were so many, it seemed to her that they were in many respects so similar as to be individually almost unidentifiable. The men were nearly all middle-aged, rich, raffish and heavily flirtatious, while the women with their glittering array of jewellery, their painted faces, dyed hair and fashionable affectations might all have been related; and they certainly had that similar antipathy to each other which relations so often display.

Men and women bearing distinguished names linked with the history of England met at Mandrake for one reason and for one reason only - to gain money. The mere thought of the cards brought a flush to their
cheeks and made their hands stretch claw-like over the green-baize tables. Few of them could control their feelings enough to hide their triumph when they won or their chagrin when they lost."

Throughout the book, the author frequently reflects over the status of this highly priviliged class of society, the guests of the luxurious Mandrake that is, yet I felt grateful for the previous two paragraphs in particular, for pointing out somehow abruptly the absence of individuality among these people, and the author's choice to ignore defining them with either names or features, in contrast to her obvious care at drawing the other unrelated characters, esp. the heroine Serena, who comes from a less grand, and much simpler background.

Hazard Of Hearts is one beautiful entrance to the deluxe society in England with all its enticements and corruption, and a sweet gripping romance, that deserves four shining stars from me.

[Brok3n · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hit me with your best book

I had read only 5% of Barbara Cartland's Hazard of Hearts when I was moved to speak. Alexa, play "Hit me with your best shot"!

You're a real tough cookie
With a long history
Of breaking little hearts like the one in me
That's okay, lets see how you do it
Put up your dukes, let's get down to it

This is the tough cookie in question, Justin Lord Vulcan

He has money, position and women, all the women he wants, including, although I should not mention this to you, that fabulously beautiful bit of muslin, La Flamme. But there have always been women at Vulcan’s heels. It’s rumoured that he treats them badly, but no one knows for sure as most of them are so blindly in love with him that they will not hear a word spoken against the cursed fellow.

Here is the owner of the "little heart" in play, Serena Staverley, arrayed for battle

She wore a simple gown of white muslin, her arms were bare and there were no jewels or ornaments around her neck. Utterly lovely in her simplicity and in complete silence she descended the stairs into the hall.

Oh my God! The dreaded simple muslin frock! How can Justin possibly prevail?

Well, of course he doesn't. And of course he has a heart of gold. You knew that already.

A few days ago I had never read a book by Barbara Cartland. I like to think of myself as widely read -- I needed to remedy this hole in my education. The problem, of course, with reading a book by Cartland, is "Which one?" She wrote 723, including 644 romances. I searched Amazon for the Cartland romance that had the most reviews and found this one. That's probably because a somewhat successful movie was based on it. Do I question Helena Bonham Carter's judgment? Hell, no!

This is not a good novel. The first thing (and I mean the very first paragraph) that struck me was the style. I don't usually consciously notice an author's style, unless it's very good, or very bad. This was the second case. The novel is full of florid, verbose descriptions. Most of them are there to say one thing, "These people are obscenely rich."

And then the plot -- it's a weird combination of complete predictability and random implausible nonsense. So, for instance, I've told you that at 5% I had already foreseen the shape of the overall romance plot. (You would, too.) I did not foresee the specific events. For instance the cocaine-snorting marchioness was a surprise, as was the spinster who explains that she wants to find a husband who will beat her. Let's start with the one you already know about if you've read the blurb. The story begins with Sir Giles Staverley wagering the hand of his daughter in a card game with our hero, Justin Vulcan. Sir Giles loses and then commits suicide by duel.

OK, Sir Giles is a compulsive gambler -- we know that addicts in search of a fix can be irrational. But why did Lord Vulcan take this bet? He knew nothing of Serena when he did it, except that she was to receive £80,000 on her marriage. Vulcan doesn't need or care about the money. If he's the intelligent forward-thinking guy he ought to be, he had to realize that winning this bet would place him in an extremely awkward position. He later explains his thought processes on accepting the bet, and they are, frankly, infantile.

So, we begin the story with a profoundly irrational act that fatally undermines the reader's confidence in our hero's probity. And it doesn't get better. No one in this book has the sense God gave a head of lettuce.

And yet, somehow, it's all fun. The story hangs together, in the sense that exciting stuff happens, and one event leads to another in a way that makes sense, as long as you're under no illusion that the characters are capable of rational decision-making.

Blog review.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites of Lady Cartland's books. It also has a very nice movie (Helena Bonham Carter plays the main role) by the same name. Orphan, wealthy and beautiful, Serena will have to be strong and brave to discover what dark secrets hide in the house of Mandrake and in the heart of the Justin.

[Shari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I looked for this book for ages after watching the drama adaptation with Helena Bonham Carter and Marcus Gilbert. When I finally got a copy of this book and read it, it was even better. :)

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Updating from three to FIVE stars. I hindsight I love everything about this bloody book. Because it's fucking insane.

I was rather cynical going into this.

Dame Barbs had a reputation of being rather formulaic and repetitive in her plots and romance. Since this was the first book I have ever read from her, I am somewhat compelled to read another to compare. So I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt and plunged right into it.

And boy, that plunged turned into a roller coaster ride. Holy shit.

The characters felt very pantomine-like and not sure sure if I like any of them. This felt more like Pride and Prejudice except substitute pride with ambivalence, and swap prejudice with... a damsel bound by honor but wanting independence. And the plot is a lot spicier. For a 1949 depiction of Regency.

Basically Daddy Dearest gambles his estate away with a final bet of his daughter's hand in marriage. He lost. She's in shock. The Marquis who won doesn't realize he's actually won. Daughter (Serena) is shipped off to his fancy estate where his mum (the Marchioness) basically runs a casino from it. In the meantime, the minxy Marchioness tarts up the bride-to-be and pass her off to any available bachelor who takes a fancy to her. Serena is not having it. There's also a kidnapping, smugglers, a rather nice highwayman, a gypsy fortune teller, hunched crone, duels and a literal cliff hanger. And there is NO chemistry between the two main characters!

It's fucking insane.

The only character I liked was Torqo the dog. He's a good boy.

[Neringa Neringiukas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find about this book, when first I saw movie. And I loved the movie. So, I got the book and love it too. Watched & read many times.

Serena lost everything, when her father lost a game of cards. She lost not only her home, but her father and herself. Her father was hooked on gambling and in the moment of weaknes, he pawned his own, only daughter. And then, don't being able to face up, what he done, he shoot himself. Yeah, I'm pissed here too. Put his own daughter on game of cards, lose her and then take an easy way out? Leaving her alone to slurp his shit? What a piece of cowards shit.

And the man, who win the house, Serena, is an old pervert, who drooled over her for a long time. But Serena don't wanna have anything to do with him. And maybe some angel was looking after her, because on the same night someone else offered to the old boar, to play cards with him. And that someone is a rake Justin, Marquise of Vulcan. And he wins.

Justin wasn't especting, that his new charge is a young beautiful woman. So, he doesn't know what exactly do with her. He takes Serena to his home, Mandrake. Which isn't as it seems at first sight. Mandrake has a lot of secrets. Which Serena slowly finds out one by one. She also finds out that her heart beats much faster, when she is next to Justin.

Justin is a cynical and jaded, by greedy women. Which one of them his own mother. What he ever saw, was how she never having enough money. She needs more and more and more. And let me say, she was on my shit list from the moment, when she decided to earn some money on expense of Serena. Which leads to her being abducted by that old boar, when Justins bitch of a mother solds her. You are pissed, right? Because I so wanted to wack the bitch and then kick in the nuts of old boar. But don't worry. Serena had a rescue from unsuspected source.

And back to Justin. After spending time with Serena, he starts to see, that she is a rare diamond in a fake high society. And he would be an idiot to letting it go.

If you love historical stories, this is a must read.

PS Now I'm not sure, but it could be that some parts I mentioned could be from the movie. So, watch it too. Yeah, yeah. I wanna you to watch it too. ;)

[Chels]

Not sure how a novel can be mean and toothless at the same time, but here we are.

[Romance_reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gothic romance with elements from fairy tales like (Snow White and the Seven Dwarves) and Shakespearean comedies like (As You Like it). Heroine is a true damsel in distress who finds herself at the mercy of the Hero after he beats her father at a game of cards. (her father kills himself after that particular game and so she is left an orphan with only her dog and her nurse to keep her company). Hero Justin is rich, notorious and titled (he's a Marquis) and in true romance novel fashion, completely uninterested in settling down or making a commitment - till he sees the h Serena of course.

After the funeral, Serena is whisked away to Justin's home Mandrake, where there are many mysteries and oddities for her to solve including the enigma called Harriet, the H's mother.. One of the most interesting characters here, Justin' mother (AKA, Snow White's Stepmother who suffers from a mortal fear of losing her looks) is one of the most intriguing books vamps I've ever come across. I've read of evil mom-in-laws before, but Harriet (MIL) is in a league of her own. She lives the life of a rockstar with parties everyday, gambling, alcohol, drugs and multiple paramours, almost unapologetically. What's more, she's a part time smuggler (gasp!) Her feelings for her son are lukewarm at best, although, she does worry for him when he sustains injuries during a duel. And as with most evil MILs, she cannot stand the virginal and sweet h and takes it upon herself to get rid of her in one way or another (including but not limited to getting her abducted by malicious men with less than honourable intentions).

The rest of the story revolves around the plotting and the machinations of Justin's mother and how Serena overcomes it all with brief romantic interludes with the H that barely go beyond a fluttering feeling in the heart or a quickening of breath. This was Insta love at it's best (as with most Barbara Cartland novels.) The HEA, when it finally arrives, does so after a storm of drama and action that's bound to appeal to the most jaded of readers.

As a teenager I've read many of this author's books and generally enjoyed the light hearted and mostly clean romance that she served up Now, almost 20 years later, I find that I still appreciate her writing style. This may not be the ultimate romance novel, but it can hold its own through its sheer storytelling power. I really enjoyed the plot (as ridiculous as it was in certain portions) and I certainly don't mind revisiting and re-reading some of her other classics that I'd read so many years ago. Four stars.

[Aayesha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very gothic and dark-themed romance, not my cup of tea

Especially the mother-in-law/Marchioness - the selfish cold blooded monstrous gambler murderess
The relationship between the H and h was not well developed, the H had no endearing qualities (especially in the first half of the book), and the H and h barely interacted for them to have fallen in love. Most of the it was about the evil witch - the title should have been different and focused on her

[LaFleurBleue · Rating 4 out of 5]

By far the best Barbara Cartland I read.
Good plot, interesting characters that are not overly simplified, as can be.
A very good historical romance, which I recommand. It is obviously demure.

[Adina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good, but THE MOVIE WAS AWESOME.

[Mudpie · Rating 4 out of 5]

People, this romance was written waaaay back in 1949! And it's a full length novel, not category romance with under 200 pages.

I first saw the TV movie starring Marcus Gilbert and Helena Bonham Carter way back in early 1990s. I had just started to discover the romance genre as a young teen, so imagine how thrilled I was that there were film adaptations of some of Barbara Cartland's romances! I did find some of her shorter category romance but they did not impress...the heroines all spoke in ellipses OMG!

I gave up hope of finding the actual book as it's so very old. Until now, after more than 20 years!

The movie and the book were not exactly the same! I cannot say which is truly better, I remembered the film set and costumes were gorgeous, but in the book Serena and Justin were able to spend just that bit more time together. I have to say the 1987/88 film was more politically correct IMHO.

Spoilers Spoilers



The differences between the movie and book:
- Serena was fair haired and Isabel dark! The movie was the opposite!
- There was a witch / tarot card reader and black boy servant for the evil Marchioness...creepy as hell
- In the movie, it was Lord Wrotham who won Serena's hand, and lost it right away to Justin. In the book, Serena's father lost directly to Justin
- Serena's father did not shoot himself as in the movie; instead he provoked a renowned marksman into a duel and shot in the air at the duel...
- The senior Lord Vulcan had not faked his death due to crippling debts incurred by his wife as per the movie; according to the book, he had faked his death to win a WAGER, for friendship and the money. Heh! I found the movie more credible because upon Justin's becoming Marquis he inherited funds to save the family and Mandrake. In the book Justin had to gamble and win funds to fill the bottomless pit that was his mother!
- Serena and Justin did not get married right away in
London as they did in the book; instead when Serena woke up in Grosvenor Square, Justin proposed, while explaining about his "mistress", putting her mind at ease. THEN he had sent Serena home to Mandrake where his mother had been informed to prepare for a wedding!
- Isabel would have made all feminists go up in arms: she loved her men "brutal"! Yes her own words! She fell right in love with Nicholas finally, after he SLAPPED AND SHOOK her, gave her a savage kiss and told her goodbye! Of course in the more politically correct movie more suited to the late 80s, Nicholas only gave Isabel a piece of his mind, a hard kiss, and left. Isabel was smitten and ran chasing after him!
- Movie Lord Wrotham was the villain because he drove Serena's father to death. Book version, he was the villain who had seduced her servant and abandoned the poor pregnant girl.
- Movie Lord Wrotham was also the one who killed the Marchioness in the underground cave at Mandrake. He had taken Serena hostage when Justin arrived and was killed by Justin. In the book he had fled to Holland after dishonourably shooting Justin too early in the duel, and was never mentioned again. The Marchioness was killed by the smugglers when she did not pay them the gold she had promised.
- In the book ending, Serena had fallen off the cliffs and Justin rescued her thanks to loyal mastiff Torqo. They confessed their love for each other after she'd recovered. HEA.

Thank goodness Serena only started to speak in dotsdots when she tried to tell Justin her love: "I love...you Justin." ... LOL

Overall I enjoyed the book - plot, characters and settings. Given the choice between a reread or rewatch of the movie, I think I'd choose the movie because of the gorgeous visuals! The movie really brought the book to live, amazing!

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had no illusions that this would be a 5 start read.

I remembered from the film that the plot was quite sensational and it seems that it followed the book's plot pretty faithfully, with just a few changes (for the best, I'd say, as the book was even more exaggerated).

While I enjoyed parts of the book, maybe even all the way to 50% (with some minor complaints), the plot was even more over the top.

The really low scoring is due to:

- Beauty as the most important feature. This might be a spoiler, and I apologise (although I'm sure you'd expect this just reading the synopsis), but Serena and Justin both fall in love with each other because of how beautiful/handsome they are. Serena in particular. At least Justin mentions a few more of Serena's traits that drew him (after he'd fallen in love with her beauty), but other than him being handsome, tall and strong Serena never says anything else about him? (Just some speculation that his cold facade is just that).

To be honest, I took this a bit personally. As someone who occasionally but very rarely thinks of herself as looking nice at the very best, it actually hurts when so many writers put beauty before anything else.

- The obsessive focus on fashion and clothing! It felt like Project Runway, the way the French seamstress was whipping up new gowns every other day. Really? A detailed, complicated, layered gown every other day, with no mention of anyone else helping? Besides, I didn't need a detailed description of Serena's every outfit and how gorgeous she looked.

- The sexism was strong with this one! Yes, it depicts an era when women were seen as clearly inferior, but some of the things were so unnecessary!

So overall, while the writing in itself was good, this was a pretty big let-down that not even nostalgia could save from 2 stars.

[MissKitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used to read a lot of Barbara Cartland - they're all fluff.

This one is much better. It has a very gothic feel and there is a lot of meat to the story. Truly evil villains, mystery and action.

The hero is a bit aloof but it's in keeping with his character and he is always tender towards the heroine. The heroine is also appealing. Although young, she is capable and level-headed, she also doesn't unnecessarily martyr herself.

All in all pretty good read. WAY better than the cheesy movie adaptation, despite Helena Bonham Carter in the lead role.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mean… I wasn’t bored 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well then. 🤣

A solid 3 for entertainment factor and laughs. A bit over-the-top, but I think I enjoyed this one more than some of the others I've read/started reading and abandoned for this book club.

[Samvander · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[D.w. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Normally I would not read Cartland but I came across some of the plot whilst researching the Regency Era and then saw similarities there that forced me to investigate the book. Before getting it I saw the cheesy film version which is much more readily available in the teens of the 21st century then the book is.

Where once Cartland was recognized as a queen of the genre, i do not think she holds up well. We have added more history and attention to the details of the period than Ms. Cartland seemed to have here in this sampling of her style and tale.

Where it might be fine for those who like their romances in such a way that there is a hero, a villain, and a heroine, I can't seem to allow Cartland to have a hold on me as either Austen or Heyer does of writers who have left us. Or more modern writers whom give me enjoyment.

The tale revolves around the plot line of a woman being lost to our hero over the turn of the play at cards. I think we are assured now in our study of the regency that even were such play to be done, it would be considered debasing against all sides, and that would mean the hero we learn to know in this story, Lord Vulcan, would never engage in such. Or should he try, countless other gentlemen witnessing this would stop them.

Cartland, though may not have stopped at such a study of the Regency in order to create her plot and tell her tale. I think that is the disconnect. Suspend my disbelief, but do not force me to think that this is an alternate universe. Thus in the end, I can not recommend this work to others who like the Regency, and since it was difficult enough for me to find, 65 years after it was first published, seeing it fade away from the canon of regencies we read might be better than urging any to find it and read it as well.

[Harman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE BARBARA CARTLAND'S ALL NOVELS. THIS ONE WAS GREAT. SHE HAD SUCH MAGIC IN HER HANDS THAT SHE TRANSPORT YOU TO ANOTHER WORLD. YOU DONT READ IT BUT YOU SEE IT, DRINK IT , SLEEP IT DIVE IN IT.
WORDS ARE LESS TO DESCRIBE BARBARA CARTLAND'S WORKS.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite of Barbara Cartland’s writing.

[Tamera]

I’ve been so curious to read a Barbara Cartland book for quite a while, and this was the first one I picked up.

I was pleasantly surprised at how interesting it was, not just a romance novel as I knew it would be, and which Cartland is famous for, but also a bit of a thriller too.
I admit I thought her books would be a bit boring, rigid, old fashioned and stuffy, especially after her famous torrent of insults she threw at Jackie Collins (whose books I love) but this book was nothing of the sort and it kept me captivated throughout.

Cartland was a true literary author, her writing is beautiful and she has a unique way of storytelling which really draws you in. It is also utterly impressive that she wrote over 700 books like this in her lifetime.

A Hazard of Hearts is a true fairytale, princess story with of course a happy ending, for anyone who longs for a bit of romance escapism. This was definitely the type of book I needed, and I’ll definitely be reading more of her work.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not sure what I entirely expected going into reading this book. I suspected probably a typical historic Romance or Regency Romance. However, what it delivered defied my expectations in so many ways and it was a lot more than just a romance book. This intern resulted in a very interesting read. There was murder, addiction, suspense and crime as unexpected core themes to the story.

The romance was very slow burn, which I have come to expect from these early/mid 20th century romances.

But, the author cleverly included snippets of cute or romantic interactions, no matter how brief or how glimpsing they were, so it didn’t feel too sudden of a realisation. The moment of Serena‘s realisation surrounding her feelings for Justin was just assigning a name to her emotions rather than discovering them entirely, which has happened in some of the early romance books I have read recently. I like that they had a healthy respect for one another and the teasing energy Justin bought to the book was a highlight of my reading experience. However, I would have liked to see more of their relationship, interactions between the two of them, and suggesting to be a more flushed out character.

I really liked Serena as a character and main female protagonist. She had somewhat of a backbone and seem to hold her own in lots of situations, particularly surrounding Justin‘s mother. She had her own opinions and delivered a positive energy to the narrative despite her at times dire circumstances. Moreover, Serena was always kind and respectful to the other characters in the story the matter their status, gender, or ability. Serena feels like a breath of fresh air and so much more human in comparison to the female protagonists in Hull’s The Sheik and Heyer’s These Old Shades. She also seemed like a subtle mouthpiece for social commentary on issues such as class and gender roles/relations.

I think that the book was well written. I like the recurring motifs of the fireplace and what that suggests about a household.

I like the association of Serena flowers, gold, and sunshine - it gives us useful insight into the nature of her character. Additionally, I really enjoyed Cartland’s description and imagery.

Despite its age, this book holds up for the most part for modern readers. The romance doesn’t feel particularly problematic, even very cute and realistic the majority of the time, and the ideas expressed feel modern. This is especially true in relation to social class and gender.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Love Love this romance! Having said that, there are some parts in the book that I did not like and that didn't make sense. So, this story is about a young woman Serena Staverley who has lost her mother in child birth and lives with her father, who just loves to gamble. There's this evil man in the story, Lord Wrotham who has always beat her father and one day Serena's father bets everything he owns including his daughter's hand in marriage. So in comes the hero Justin Vulcan, a man known to be cold and has never lost a bet in his life, he overhears the bet, and when Lord Staverley leaves, he bets Wrotham and beat him, but it's too late, because Mr. Staverley gets into a 'stupid' fight and gets killed. That's the part I didn't like. So Lord Vulcan wins a house and the hand of a stranger he's never met.
Serena, is a strong and curious young woman strongly accepts her fate to be indebted to Lord Vulcan even though her cousin tries to save her by marrying her, she meets him and he said she should move into their family home, where his mother is. This is where the story picks up pace. Justin's mother is an addicted gambler and gangster. In the book Barbara paints her as getting into everything, fortune tellers, drugs. Some of it is just too far out for me. Serena learns that the rumors about Justin just isn't true. At various parts of the story he says romantic things in a strange way, to her..it's obvious they are falling in love. There is a big, dark secret at Mandrake, and Serena...curious figures it out. His mother wants to remain the 'queen' of Mandrake and doesn't want Justin to ever marry anyone and when a terrible abduction occurs and Justin defends Serena the inevitable happens as she goes to rescue him and gets compromised. How far will his mother go to stop it?
There is a movie and it's available at Amazon.com, good price, buy it. It's much better 'organized' than parts of the book. Near the end of the book when Serena is running for her life, Vulcan's mother chases her and stops midway and goes in another direction. In the movie, she keeps chasing her until she reaches her fate. It just makes more sense that way. And as usual all's well that ends well. You will not be disappointed if you pick up a copy of this book.

[Aca · Rating 4 out of 5]

❤ Favorite lines:

"The laburnums were fountains of golden rain and the fruit blossom lay beneath the trees in a pink-and-white snowdrift."

"I knew then that one should never gamble with the thing one loves."

"So in a moment of generosity," Isabel said sarcastically, "you took from him his fortune, his house and his daughter's hand in marriage!"

"I don't believe that you enjoy half the things you do, Justin."

"Perhaps everybody is dead. Let us go away and come another time."

"Impetuous and reckless, she had yet the singleness of heart and the happy, sunny nature of a child. A spoilt child, it was true, but nevertheless a child."

❤ ❤ ❤

Honestly, this book is so much better than I expected. I have this tiny prejudice against romance genre because I've read so much trashy books in that category, but this was far from it.

Barbara Cartland is such an amazing writer. She's litteraly the third most commercial author ever, topped only by Agatha Christie (another genius) and William Shakespeare (the most famous writer of all time).

She's so prolific, writing more than 700 novels. I was curious if she's all quantity and no quality, but this woman has it all.

This book is beautifully written, with so much poetic talent it's a treat to read. Characters are interesting and unique, quite complex and appealing. I liked Isabel the most, despite her questionable taste for men.

Relationships are well-developed, but a bit rushed near the end. It also provides some interesting views about gambling and shows the way people lived in that time.

I'm very impressed and in awe with this genius writer.

❤

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not ashamed to say that I read this book in the Seventies and I adored it. It had been my very first Barbara Cartland book and I loved its characters and of course I was drawn to the book cover!

I had no idea how many books Mrs. Cartland had written and whatever one might say: her first books were adorable and it is no shame to admit one has read a few!
'A Hazard of Hearts', proofs that my taste had not been dreadful - because in 1987 British television made a film with the then unknown superb actress 'Helena Bonham-Carter' in the leading role as 'Serena' and many more acclaimed Stars like Diana Rigg, Stewart Granger, Edward Fox, Marcus Gilbert and even Christopher Plummer. Besides, three book of her books were chosen for British television - all with excellent Actors.
I have fond memories reading some of her books, especially for this Novel and would even buy it nowadays for my granddaughters ;-)

[Abi Demina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
Oddly, although my favourite books to read are historical romances (especially Georgette Heyer), and although Barbara Cartland wrote an astonishing 723 books in her lifetime, this is the first time I have actually read one.

I enjoyed it. It is not the best literary work in the world nor the most historically accurate (e.g. why was Serena dancing every night only a month after her father's death? Strict mourning was a thing...), it is not realistic in any way shape or form, includes tons of melodrama and smugglers and murder and duels and friendly highwaymen and men who say "my darling, my perfect love" like any of that would ever happen, and yet, I liked it. So sue me.

Harmless fun.

[Teinevi · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was a time in my teens where I was really into Barbara Cartland and I read a lot of her books, problem is, is that I can't remember what most of the titles were and now thinking back about it most of the books were similar the only difference was change of hero/heroine names and perhaps location.

[Strangerealms · Rating 3 out of 5]

It might sound strange but I prefer the background love story between the brother (or the cousin) of the heroine and a lady he has his eyes on, it's much more interesting than the main boring love story between the heroine and the guy she ends up with.