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Seabrook Family #1
The Notorious Widow
When a scoundrel tries to tarnish a young widow's reputation, a valiant Earl tries to repair the damage -- and mend her broken heart as well....
240 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 2000
18 people are currently reading
89 people want to read
About the author
Allison Lane
40 books36 followersAllison Lane is the author of 20 Regency novels and 6 novellas. She is a Holt Medallion Winner and the 2005 Romantic Times Career Achievement Award Winner, as well as National Readers' Choice Awards Finalist for three books.
Notes from Allison Lane:
I am not one of those who always wanted to be a writer, though I suspect I wanted to be just about everything else -- doctor, astronaut, artist, scientist, and concert pianist, to name only a few. My actual careers were not quite so exciting. Designing computer software and running horse shows gave way to motherhood, home improvement projects, and teaching piano. But books have always been one of the cornerstones of my life.
When I was growing up in the mid-west, reading and music kept me sane through frequent changes of address. As an adult, books offered a respite from the strain of daily living. Often I would finish the last page with the thought, I wish I were that creative. Occasionally it would change to, Surely even I could do better than this! So one day I tried. But this is not a fairy tale, folks. My first book was less than stellar. In fact, it stunk. Good writing is hard work. But I enjoyed the process (or maybe I just enjoy playing God) so I tried again. By the third tale, I had a publishable story.
Where am I headed in the future? I don’t yet know. For now, I write Regencies. It is a fascinating period and an entertaining genre. My work is classed as traditional though I don’t consider it in quite that way. I try to avoid clichés -- except for happy endings, of course; those are what offer us respite from that daily crisis. But I like to pose universal problems to my characters and then watch them find solutions. I have long been fascinated by how people surmount problems to find the happiness that we all deserve.
These days my spare time is limited. Writing consumes most of my day. I still read as much as ever and keep up with the world of science. And everyone knows better than to step between me and a TV during football season -- it somehow takes an extra month to complete fall manuscripts.
From: Regency Reads
Notes from Allison Lane:
I am not one of those who always wanted to be a writer, though I suspect I wanted to be just about everything else -- doctor, astronaut, artist, scientist, and concert pianist, to name only a few. My actual careers were not quite so exciting. Designing computer software and running horse shows gave way to motherhood, home improvement projects, and teaching piano. But books have always been one of the cornerstones of my life.
When I was growing up in the mid-west, reading and music kept me sane through frequent changes of address. As an adult, books offered a respite from the strain of daily living. Often I would finish the last page with the thought, I wish I were that creative. Occasionally it would change to, Surely even I could do better than this! So one day I tried. But this is not a fairy tale, folks. My first book was less than stellar. In fact, it stunk. Good writing is hard work. But I enjoyed the process (or maybe I just enjoy playing God) so I tried again. By the third tale, I had a publishable story.
Where am I headed in the future? I don’t yet know. For now, I write Regencies. It is a fascinating period and an entertaining genre. My work is classed as traditional though I don’t consider it in quite that way. I try to avoid clichés -- except for happy endings, of course; those are what offer us respite from that daily crisis. But I like to pose universal problems to my characters and then watch them find solutions. I have long been fascinated by how people surmount problems to find the happiness that we all deserve.
These days my spare time is limited. Writing consumes most of my day. I still read as much as ever and keep up with the world of science. And everyone knows better than to step between me and a TV during football season -- it somehow takes an extra month to complete fall manuscripts.
From: Regency Reads
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 30, 2017
I disliked this book from the very first page, in which the "hero" sees an attractive woman step out of a lending library, decides that since she's with a child that doesn't resemble her she must be a governess, and since she's beautiful she must sleep with her employer, and then literally grabs her when she passes by him in the street and yells at her for being a wanton. This sets the stage for the next few hundred pages, in which he is continually aroused by the very sight of her and equally continually keeps cursing, grabbing at her, and blaming her for arousing him. Of course somehow this makes the "heroine" fall in love with him, because what's more attractive than a slutshaming irrational ragemonster?
That ridiculous masquerading as a romance is actually only a subplot of the book. The vast majority of these pages are various characters explaining to the "hero" how evil Jasper Rankin is, and the "hero" gasping and saying, "but how could anyone be so spiteful and evil?" over and over again. Eventually he confronts Jasper's father, convinces him that Jasper is evil just by passing along some of this heresay (incontrovertible proof right there), and the father forces Jasper to confess and apologize publicly to everyone. The overarching plot is incredibly frustrating, repetitive, and unbelievable.
Every part of this is so unlikely and poorly written that the only reason I finished it is because I was trapped on public transportation with nothing else to read.
That ridiculous masquerading as a romance is actually only a subplot of the book. The vast majority of these pages are various characters explaining to the "hero" how evil Jasper Rankin is, and the "hero" gasping and saying, "but how could anyone be so spiteful and evil?" over and over again. Eventually he confronts Jasper's father, convinces him that Jasper is evil just by passing along some of this heresay (incontrovertible proof right there), and the father forces Jasper to confess and apologize publicly to everyone. The overarching plot is incredibly frustrating, repetitive, and unbelievable.
Every part of this is so unlikely and poorly written that the only reason I finished it is because I was trapped on public transportation with nothing else to read.
March 24, 2012
This is one of those books where I'm just not affected enough either way to write much about it. I liked the honorable, crusading hero who was unafraid of marriage and spoke to women and children as his equals. The forthright heroine with the will of a fighter charmed me as she faced down a vicious rumor campaign against her without whining or playing the martyr. Unfortunately, so much of the book is dedicated to the hero building a case against the heroine's tormentor that I felt I never saw the couple interact. I thought their personalities seemed well-matched, and the possibilities were there, but I felt cheated of the opportunity to actually watch their romance unfold.
An okay book, but nothing memorable.
An okay book, but nothing memorable.
April 24, 2015
Too many mentions of 'lower classes' for my liking that I gave up on it.
April 9, 2022
It was okay, but kind of boring. The romance was a barely explored subplot in the rest of story.
I did like that it was one of the few books that actually explored rumors and ruination. It's generally a nebulous threat that never actually has consequences. So that was refreshing.
I did like that it was one of the few books that actually explored rumors and ruination. It's generally a nebulous threat that never actually has consequences. So that was refreshing.
December 22, 2019
The evil character in this overshadowed the actual romance.
August 12, 2013
"Evidence can prove guilt, but it can never prove innocence" loc.393
Author: Allison Lane
First published: 2000
Length: 3100 kindle locations
Setting: Regency, in the time of "Prinny", George IV.
Sex: Clean, a couple of kisses and swirling skirts.
Heroine: a contented widow with child. Her marriage with happy and fulfilling.
I read the book out of order. I hate that. I picked up Mary's story without realising it's a trilogy. Unfortunately, a lot of Catherine's story is told during Mary's so I had some knowledge of where it was going.
Or I thought it did.
In the end the pre-knowledge did not make that much difference. The road the author took was complex enough that knowing the outcome did not dampen the journey.
Instead, Book 1 provides a better understanding of the characters' odd actions and motivations in Book 2: why Catherine was so distant from Mary and Laura and obsessed with being A Good Wife, and Blake's animosity towards Laura. Knowing where Laura goes in Book 2 also gives Book 1 a slight twist...
"The Notorious Widow" was an enjoyable Regency with a light discussion of class divide and parliamentary reform with respect to a young lord's "High Jinks". There is surprisingly little "romance" in the story - the relationship between Catherine and Blake takes second fiddle to resolving the family problems.
It's a nice read, albeit somewhat unusual.
The Seabrook Family:
The Notorious Widow - Catherine Parrish and The Earl of Rockhurst
The Rake and the Wallflower - Mary Seabrook and Lord Grayson
The Purloined Papers - Captain Andrew Seabrook and Chloe Fields
References:
Author's website: http://www.regencyreads.com/online/al...
W'pedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/
-CR-
Author: Allison Lane
First published: 2000
Length: 3100 kindle locations
Setting: Regency, in the time of "Prinny", George IV.
Sex: Clean, a couple of kisses and swirling skirts.
Heroine: a contented widow with child. Her marriage with happy and fulfilling.
I read the book out of order. I hate that. I picked up Mary's story without realising it's a trilogy. Unfortunately, a lot of Catherine's story is told during Mary's so I had some knowledge of where it was going.
Or I thought it did.
In the end the pre-knowledge did not make that much difference. The road the author took was complex enough that knowing the outcome did not dampen the journey.
Instead, Book 1 provides a better understanding of the characters' odd actions and motivations in Book 2: why Catherine was so distant from Mary and Laura and obsessed with being A Good Wife, and Blake's animosity towards Laura. Knowing where Laura goes in Book 2 also gives Book 1 a slight twist...
"The Notorious Widow" was an enjoyable Regency with a light discussion of class divide and parliamentary reform with respect to a young lord's "High Jinks". There is surprisingly little "romance" in the story - the relationship between Catherine and Blake takes second fiddle to resolving the family problems.
It's a nice read, albeit somewhat unusual.
The Seabrook Family:
The Notorious Widow - Catherine Parrish and The Earl of Rockhurst
The Rake and the Wallflower - Mary Seabrook and Lord Grayson
The Purloined Papers - Captain Andrew Seabrook and Chloe Fields
References:
Author's website: http://www.regencyreads.com/online/al...
W'pedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/
-CR-
June 27, 2010
A delightful traditional regency. I highly recommend all three books in the series.
January 8, 2015
More of a plot than normal.
April 30, 2017
This is not a typical Regency more an endeavor to bring to justice a really terrific villian.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews