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Marry in Haste
Camilla Forest finds herself alone on a muddy road, left to fend for herself, when the carriage of Lord Leominster pulls up alongside. This sets off an agreement to a marriage of convenience with Camilla and Lavenham, the Lord. They move to Portugal, along with his sister, Chloe. Camilla finds herself falling in love with her husband. But will her French brother ruin everything?
Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1961
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About the author
Jane Aiken Hodge
54 books80 followersJane Aiken Hodge was born in the USA, brought up in the UK and read English at Oxford. She received a master's degree from Radcliffe College, Harvard University.
Before her books became her living she worked as a civil servant, journalist, publishers' reader and a reviewer.
She has written lives of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer as well as a book about women in the Regency period, PASSION AND PRINCIPLE. But her main output has been over twenty historical novels set in the eighteenth century, including POLONAISE, THE LOST GARDEN, and SAVANNAH PURCHASE, the beloved third volume of a trilogy set during and after the American War of Independence. More recently she has written novels for Severn House Publishers.
She enjoys the borderland between mystery and novel, is pleased to be classed as a feminist writer, and is glad that there is neither a glass ceiling nor a retiring age in the writers' world. She was the daughter of Conrad Aiken and sister of Joan Aiken.
Before her books became her living she worked as a civil servant, journalist, publishers' reader and a reviewer.
She has written lives of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer as well as a book about women in the Regency period, PASSION AND PRINCIPLE. But her main output has been over twenty historical novels set in the eighteenth century, including POLONAISE, THE LOST GARDEN, and SAVANNAH PURCHASE, the beloved third volume of a trilogy set during and after the American War of Independence. More recently she has written novels for Severn House Publishers.
She enjoys the borderland between mystery and novel, is pleased to be classed as a feminist writer, and is glad that there is neither a glass ceiling nor a retiring age in the writers' world. She was the daughter of Conrad Aiken and sister of Joan Aiken.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
October 5, 2012
Imagine the most contrived Georgette Heyer plot you've ever read, with her most unsympathetic and too-stupid-to-live characters. Take away Heyer's wit and sparkling writing. In Portugal.
Camilla is the Gothic romance cliche heroine: a lovely and virtuous upper class girl, forced by lack of money and family to work as a governess. Penniless and on the road with night falling, she coincidentally meets a wealthy and handsome nobleman who needs to get married right away to keep his inheritance, but hates women. They agree on a marriage on convenience. he pays off the debts of her asshole French gambler father and she will be a supportive hostess of his diplomatic post in Lisbon and also be responsible for his flighty teen sister who keeps trying to elope and has run away from school.
Okay, we're a little sympathetic to Camilla because she is desperate. Every other character is a complete selfish idiot jerkface. Chloe, the sister, is like the worst of the stereotypical "romantic" young girl who keeps fancying herself desperately in love with assholes who are using her. But she's actually had some experience with men using her so it's not like she's too sheltered to know better, she's just stupid and doesn't care if she ruins her reputation, her brother's career, her friend's marriage, etc. I think Hodge meant for the reader to like her anyway, as she asserts Camilla does, but I didn't. At all. I felt sorry for .
I did not see anything to make me believe Camilla and Lavenham loved each other. I mean, I guess they might as well since they're married already, but there was no chemistry, or emotion, or anything. But it was slightly interesting to me that despite the ready-to-hand background of espionage and invasion Hodge did not use the common plot device of having the hero have to save the heroine from danger and then realizing he loves her. In fact, she makes Lavenham prioritize his diplomatic duty over his wife and sister and abandon them to deal with the French invasion on their own. So that was different, if not something that made me like him any better. Nor did the fact that he . Lucky for him Camilla is so forgiving. Not to mention helplessly dependent on him. That's always romantic.
Oh, and the Portuguese are all dirty and ignorant and eat gross sausages. So if you're Portuguese this book will probably offend you.
Camilla is the Gothic romance cliche heroine: a lovely and virtuous upper class girl, forced by lack of money and family to work as a governess. Penniless and on the road with night falling, she coincidentally meets a wealthy and handsome nobleman who needs to get married right away to keep his inheritance, but hates women. They agree on a marriage on convenience. he pays off the debts of her asshole French gambler father and she will be a supportive hostess of his diplomatic post in Lisbon and also be responsible for his flighty teen sister who keeps trying to elope and has run away from school.
Okay, we're a little sympathetic to Camilla because she is desperate. Every other character is a complete selfish idiot jerkface. Chloe, the sister, is like the worst of the stereotypical "romantic" young girl who keeps fancying herself desperately in love with assholes who are using her. But she's actually had some experience with men using her so it's not like she's too sheltered to know better, she's just stupid and doesn't care if she ruins her reputation, her brother's career, her friend's marriage, etc. I think Hodge meant for the reader to like her anyway, as she asserts Camilla does, but I didn't. At all. I felt sorry for .
I did not see anything to make me believe Camilla and Lavenham loved each other. I mean, I guess they might as well since they're married already, but there was no chemistry, or emotion, or anything. But it was slightly interesting to me that despite the ready-to-hand background of espionage and invasion Hodge did not use the common plot device of having the hero have to save the heroine from danger and then realizing he loves her. In fact, she makes Lavenham prioritize his diplomatic duty over his wife and sister and abandon them to deal with the French invasion on their own. So that was different, if not something that made me like him any better. Nor did the fact that he . Lucky for him Camilla is so forgiving. Not to mention helplessly dependent on him. That's always romantic.
Oh, and the Portuguese are all dirty and ignorant and eat gross sausages. So if you're Portuguese this book will probably offend you.
November 19, 2016
I first read MARRY IN HASTE when I was in high school over thirty years ago, and it was one of the first really great romance novels of my reading life. I recently purchased a copy, and I was once again an eager young reader devouring the very well crafted story by Jane Aiken Hodge. Intrigue, espionage and rich historical detail combine with a remote but dashing hero who is brought to life by a warm, kind and forgiving heroine. At age 50-Plus, I enjoy this book even more now than I did when I was 15!
December 12, 2020
By mutual agreement, theirs was to be a marriage in name only, but Camilla Forest could not help falling in love with her husband, the handsome and enigmatic Lord Leominster.
I don't remember where I found my first edition hardcover but it had been autographed by the author, so is doubly precious.
I don't remember where I found my first edition hardcover but it had been autographed by the author, so is doubly precious.
August 1, 2015
I used to love Jane Aiken Hodge way back when, but this book makes me wonder why. The storyline was silly, the romance lacked depth, the characters were nondescript, and there really didn't seem to be much reason for the romance other than gratitude and propinquity. The heroine, Camilla, begins falling in love with the hero almost instantly--apparently for no reasons other than physical attraction and because he rescues her from governess hell. The hero, Lavenham, takes a little longer because he doesn't trust women. Emphasis mine, because we're told over and over that he doesn't trust women. In fact, the story occasionally dips into his point of view just so he can mutter to himself about how much he doesn't trust women. The episode from his childhood is certainly traumatic, which makes his attitude at least somewhat understandable, but after a while I just wanted to say, for god's sake grow up and get over it. The plot revolves around Lavenham's mission to Portugal which is comically vague. (The author includes a lot of history about Portugal's role in the Napoleonic Wars but skates over minor details like the hero's reason for being there.) His one brush with danger seems included only to provide a romantic interlude. He spends the rest of his time dancing attendance on the Portuguese royals to absolutely no effect. It is this life-or-death non-mission that also leads to his abandoning the heroine for close on 50% of the novel, leaving her and his own sister to fend for themselves as war erupts in Portugal. This is hardly heroic behavior but is not even the worst of what he does to the heroine. Happily for the romance, she's more willing to forgive him than I was on her behalf. All in all, a forgettable romance.
March 15, 2021
This book actually starts off in rather promising fashion. Camilla Forest, daughter of a French aristocrat who fled the Terror, has just been let go from what sounds like an unpleasant post as a governess. Since she has no assets, her options in life are very limited. When offered a marriage of convenience by Maurice Lavenham, Earl of Leominster, she accepts.
Lavenham must leave immediately for a diplomatic post in Portugal, so after the wedding, he, Camilla and Lavenham's sister Chloe set out. While the characters aren't the most fully developed, the spark of attraction and the budding friendship between Camilla and her mysterious, austere husband shines through and I was initially interested in the rather convoluted plot.
In Portugal, Camilla finds herself in a hotbed of intrigue. The French and British are jockeying for position at the Portuguese court,and Camilla is quickly finding out that Lavenham isn't quite what he seems. At first I thought it would be interesting to see what happened as Camilla found herself hemmed in by mysteries on all sides, but instead I soon started to alternate between feeling bored and frustrated.
As a reader, I often got bored because the book plods along and the character development is fairly minimal. Camilla and Lavenham do build a relationship, but it's hard to see why. And the frustration? Well, the depictions of Portugal and the the Portuguese were incredibly stereotypical, so as Camilla got better acquainted with her surroundings, I as a reader had to endure more references to the Portuguese being dirty and serving what was described as greasy, nasty food. Ugh. Add in some good old-fashioned slut shaming and poor communication, and we have ourselves a book that just did not do it for me.
Lavenham must leave immediately for a diplomatic post in Portugal, so after the wedding, he, Camilla and Lavenham's sister Chloe set out. While the characters aren't the most fully developed, the spark of attraction and the budding friendship between Camilla and her mysterious, austere husband shines through and I was initially interested in the rather convoluted plot.
In Portugal, Camilla finds herself in a hotbed of intrigue. The French and British are jockeying for position at the Portuguese court,and Camilla is quickly finding out that Lavenham isn't quite what he seems. At first I thought it would be interesting to see what happened as Camilla found herself hemmed in by mysteries on all sides, but instead I soon started to alternate between feeling bored and frustrated.
As a reader, I often got bored because the book plods along and the character development is fairly minimal. Camilla and Lavenham do build a relationship, but it's hard to see why. And the frustration? Well, the depictions of Portugal and the the Portuguese were incredibly stereotypical, so as Camilla got better acquainted with her surroundings, I as a reader had to endure more references to the Portuguese being dirty and serving what was described as greasy, nasty food. Ugh. Add in some good old-fashioned slut shaming and poor communication, and we have ourselves a book that just did not do it for me.
December 11, 2010
Oh dear, I really should not have reread this. I remember reading it when I was a teen, barely able to read english and enjoying it, but well, you can´t go back.
The setup of the novel is quite good, but the rest is a problem. This was a serial published in a woman´s magazine apparently and the structure of the novel shows it : a lot of description of historical events (quite dull sometimes), sometimes very slow, sometimes very fast action. The main problem was the psychology of the characters, it´s frustrating how emotionally and sexually restrained ( far more than Austen actually. Lydia was after all found in bed. Here Chloe "being compromised" raises no practical concerns, but nevermind that) and sometimes plain stupid the characters are! The plot is melodramatic, and I have no patience for big misunderstandings and characters being in misery just because they would not tell their loved one *stuff* they should know but might cause somebody else to look bad ( the horror. much better to have a marriage fail irrevocably!).
Onto another point, I remember originally picking this up, actually this was probably available to be picked up because it was set in Portugal. I am afraid this reread involved a lot of teeth gnashing, it does go into not particular nice racial stereotyping of a very old fashioned kind which can be offensive. Some I can not disprove ( did peasants during the french invasions do this or that?), but some I found horrific ( no, servants in aristrocratics households and nobody respectable would keep pigs roaming free in their living quarters!) but others were just wrong ( bullfights in Portugal in that period would not involve death of a bull or most likely any matador figure. It is all about the horses or the forcados), as was some of the geography.
Sometimes, it is much better to not reread things you remember loving!
The setup of the novel is quite good, but the rest is a problem. This was a serial published in a woman´s magazine apparently and the structure of the novel shows it : a lot of description of historical events (quite dull sometimes), sometimes very slow, sometimes very fast action. The main problem was the psychology of the characters, it´s frustrating how emotionally and sexually restrained ( far more than Austen actually. Lydia was after all found in bed. Here Chloe "being compromised" raises no practical concerns, but nevermind that) and sometimes plain stupid the characters are! The plot is melodramatic, and I have no patience for big misunderstandings and characters being in misery just because they would not tell their loved one *stuff* they should know but might cause somebody else to look bad ( the horror. much better to have a marriage fail irrevocably!).
Onto another point, I remember originally picking this up, actually this was probably available to be picked up because it was set in Portugal. I am afraid this reread involved a lot of teeth gnashing, it does go into not particular nice racial stereotyping of a very old fashioned kind which can be offensive. Some I can not disprove ( did peasants during the french invasions do this or that?), but some I found horrific ( no, servants in aristrocratics households and nobody respectable would keep pigs roaming free in their living quarters!) but others were just wrong ( bullfights in Portugal in that period would not involve death of a bull or most likely any matador figure. It is all about the horses or the forcados), as was some of the geography.
Sometimes, it is much better to not reread things you remember loving!
January 1, 2019
Surprisingly good! When I was looking through Amazon Unlimited trying to find my next read, I stumbled on this little gem. Believe it or not, I was actually drawn in by the cover. It was republished in 2018 with a really beautiful cover. When I went to Goodreads, I had to laugh when I saw the the cover from the original published version in 1969. It really is hideous and I probably would have skipped over this book had it still had this cover. I am so glad I didn’t, because this was a really good book. I absolutely adore marriage of convenience stories, but this had so much more. The historical details woven throughout the plot and the uniqueness of the storyline made this one so much better than your average book. I also enjoy occasionally expanding my horizons and reading something that was written during a different time.
August 27, 2016
Predictable, silly, contrived yet an enjoyable, fun and romantic historical fiction. 4 stars rounded up to five for a fantastic ending!
May 19, 2016
This is one of the first Regency romances I read when I was elementary school. Our neighbors had a huge library with an incredibly diverse mix of books, and they would let me check out a few books a week. I re-read it recently, and it was just as well written and charming as it was then
January 21, 2015
Delightful.
April 25, 2018
I love gothic fiction. It could be full of clichés and the strangest and the most unbelievable twists, but still I enjoy reading it. There is something alluring about foreboding, malicious atmosphere of these kind of books and about dark, brooding heroes with hidden depths and horrible secrets that the lonely heroine has to discover. Unfortunately, “Marry in Haste” was a bit of a disappointment for me. There were some things that I really liked about it. I liked the beginning, the novel started very promising. I enjoyed dry humour and practical approach to marriage shown by Miss Camilla Forest:
“Romance, I begin to see, is something of an expensive commodity and I am not sure that I can afford it.”
Camilla in her dire circumstances decided to accept an offer of marriage made by Lord Leominster (called Lavenham by his family). He had to marry in haste for his grandmother’s money. Also, he declared that he hated women. Of course he had some clandestine reasons for that.
The character I liked the most in this book was Lord Leominster’s grandmother. She was funny, practical and could bear no romantic nonsense:
“You’ll do far better for Lavenham than one of those milk and water society misses who think marriage is just another kind of nursery game.”
Unfortunately the promising start led to convulsed plot. This novel was published for the first time in 1969 and it felt badly dated. Even for me, an enthusiast of gothic-fiction, the intrigue in this book was too far-fetched. Honestly, when I read it, I was like: WHAT?! But, the most annoying thing about this novel was the way the characters treated foreigners and how they viewed Portugal. Only the English way was the right way for them. The English breakfast was the best breakfast in the whole wide world. The Portuguese houses were dirty, the foreigners were annoying and their customs pointless. I was hoping to discover the beauty of Portugal and its atmosphere with the characters and was badly disappointed in this regard. But I am not giving up on this author and I’ve decided to read a different novel written by her. Maybe I will enjoy it more than this one.
I received "Marry in Haste" from the publisher via NetGalley. I would like to thank the publisher for providing me with the advance reader copy of the book.
“Romance, I begin to see, is something of an expensive commodity and I am not sure that I can afford it.”
Camilla in her dire circumstances decided to accept an offer of marriage made by Lord Leominster (called Lavenham by his family). He had to marry in haste for his grandmother’s money. Also, he declared that he hated women. Of course he had some clandestine reasons for that.
The character I liked the most in this book was Lord Leominster’s grandmother. She was funny, practical and could bear no romantic nonsense:
“You’ll do far better for Lavenham than one of those milk and water society misses who think marriage is just another kind of nursery game.”
Unfortunately the promising start led to convulsed plot. This novel was published for the first time in 1969 and it felt badly dated. Even for me, an enthusiast of gothic-fiction, the intrigue in this book was too far-fetched. Honestly, when I read it, I was like: WHAT?! But, the most annoying thing about this novel was the way the characters treated foreigners and how they viewed Portugal. Only the English way was the right way for them. The English breakfast was the best breakfast in the whole wide world. The Portuguese houses were dirty, the foreigners were annoying and their customs pointless. I was hoping to discover the beauty of Portugal and its atmosphere with the characters and was badly disappointed in this regard. But I am not giving up on this author and I’ve decided to read a different novel written by her. Maybe I will enjoy it more than this one.
I received "Marry in Haste" from the publisher via NetGalley. I would like to thank the publisher for providing me with the advance reader copy of the book.
February 12, 2018
I always loved and devoured ALL the Joan Aiken's I could lay hands on (children's, gothics, regencies, short stories...I glommed them all). But Jane Aiken Hodge...although tried repeatedly back in the day...I don't remember ever finishing one.
HOWEVER, this review makes this one sound kind of interesting. Maybe I need to try again? http://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/re...
Hmm, now that I've read the review, I'm thinking this sounds very vaguely familiar. Luckily, it's available from Kindle Unlimited, so I can try it with no qualms or guilt if it doesn't work for me. (Always nice).
HOWEVER, this review makes this one sound kind of interesting. Maybe I need to try again? http://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/re...
Hmm, now that I've read the review, I'm thinking this sounds very vaguely familiar. Luckily, it's available from Kindle Unlimited, so I can try it with no qualms or guilt if it doesn't work for me. (Always nice).
March 8, 2018
This is the third Jane Aiken Hodge novel I’ve read and my favourite so far. Based on an earlier story, Camilla, which was serialised in Ladies’ Home Journal in 1961, Marry in Haste was originally published in 1969. It is set in England and Portugal during the Napoleonic Wars and has just the combination of romance, suspense and history that I am coming to expect from her novels.
The saying “marry in haste and repent at leisure” perfectly describes Camille de Forêt’s situation. Having fled to England with her father, a French Comte, and changed her name to Camilla Forest to distance herself from her French origins, she has spent several years in the home of the Duchess of Devonshire. Following the death of the Duchess, Camilla found a position as governess in another household but when we meet her at the beginning of the novel she has been dismissed from her job and sent away with no money and nowhere to go.
A chance encounter with the Earl of Leominster when his carriage passes her on the road seems to provide the perfect solution to Camilla’s problems. She needs a husband, a home and some money; Leominster (or Lavenham, as he is known to his friends) needs a wife in order to claim his inheritance. In the sort of plot development which will be familiar to readers of Georgette Heyer’s Regency romances, Lavenham proposes to Camilla and she accepts – on the condition that it will be a marriage in name only...
Marry in Haste is an enjoyable and entertaining novel; it’s not particularly original and most of the plot twists are very predictable, but that doesn’t make it any less fun to read. The romance between Lavenham and Camilla is thwarted by misunderstandings, lies and communication problems, which makes it feel very contrived at times, but it’s satisfying overall – and anyway, things which would be likely to annoy me in a more ‘serious’ novel feel much more acceptable in this sort of book. There’s also a secondary romance later in the book, involving Lavenham’s younger sister, the lively and irresponsible Chloe, and I enjoyed this storyline too.
Most of the action takes place in Portugal, where Lavenham is sent early in the novel to carry out secret diplomatic work. Camilla and Chloe accompany him there and promptly find themselves caught up in the conflict involving France, Britain, Spain and Portugal which has been escalating in Europe. There are some lovely descriptions of Portugal and enough historical detail to give the reader a basic understanding of the Peninsular War, but the focus is always on the characters and the relationships between them. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to continuing to work through Jane Aiken Hodge's novels.
The saying “marry in haste and repent at leisure” perfectly describes Camille de Forêt’s situation. Having fled to England with her father, a French Comte, and changed her name to Camilla Forest to distance herself from her French origins, she has spent several years in the home of the Duchess of Devonshire. Following the death of the Duchess, Camilla found a position as governess in another household but when we meet her at the beginning of the novel she has been dismissed from her job and sent away with no money and nowhere to go.
A chance encounter with the Earl of Leominster when his carriage passes her on the road seems to provide the perfect solution to Camilla’s problems. She needs a husband, a home and some money; Leominster (or Lavenham, as he is known to his friends) needs a wife in order to claim his inheritance. In the sort of plot development which will be familiar to readers of Georgette Heyer’s Regency romances, Lavenham proposes to Camilla and she accepts – on the condition that it will be a marriage in name only...
Marry in Haste is an enjoyable and entertaining novel; it’s not particularly original and most of the plot twists are very predictable, but that doesn’t make it any less fun to read. The romance between Lavenham and Camilla is thwarted by misunderstandings, lies and communication problems, which makes it feel very contrived at times, but it’s satisfying overall – and anyway, things which would be likely to annoy me in a more ‘serious’ novel feel much more acceptable in this sort of book. There’s also a secondary romance later in the book, involving Lavenham’s younger sister, the lively and irresponsible Chloe, and I enjoyed this storyline too.
Most of the action takes place in Portugal, where Lavenham is sent early in the novel to carry out secret diplomatic work. Camilla and Chloe accompany him there and promptly find themselves caught up in the conflict involving France, Britain, Spain and Portugal which has been escalating in Europe. There are some lovely descriptions of Portugal and enough historical detail to give the reader a basic understanding of the Peninsular War, but the focus is always on the characters and the relationships between them. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to continuing to work through Jane Aiken Hodge's novels.
June 29, 2015
I told myself I wasn't going to do any re-reading of old favorites until I hit my reading goal of the year, but Marry in Haste popped into my head while I was on vacation and I really needed to get it out of my system before moving on. I never reviewed it here before, so you're welcome ;) Marry in Haste is about a Lady turned Governess named Camilla Forest, who finds herself turned out from her last post as governess and alone on a road in the middle of the night. Now granted, the series of events in this novel are farfetched at best (that or Camilla just has incredible luck) but as fate would have it, the carriage of Lord Leominster comes across her late at night and he rescues her from the dark. As it just so happens, Leominster is in a bit of a pickle. His grandmother wants heirs and Leominster wants his inheritance. Because he can't get what he wants until his grandmother gets what she wants, Leominster proposes a deal to Camilla: marry him, live the life of the Lady as she was born into it, and in doing so he gets his money and estates. Romantic, right? As fate would also have it, Camilla's new husband is involved with some shady business, and they both struggle to trust one another...and keep from falling in love.
July 6, 2016
Complicated plot, characters and a HEA
A marriage of convenience between a Earl with title and estate and the English raised daughter of a French Comte who escaped from the Revolution. The Earl would inherit his Grandmother's wealth if he married before leaving on a diplomatic mission to Portugal. Although considerate of his wife, he is untrusting of women due to past experiences and maintains a distance between them. The plot continues into pre-invasion politics between Portugal, England and France while his younger sister ends up complicating both their relationship and his political career. Major miscommunications on all sides snowball into a crisis. Our hero is not overly heroic and falls prey to his imaginations. But keep reading as after quite a few plot twists the ending is nicely done. In fact the last sentence is the best ending.
A marriage of convenience between a Earl with title and estate and the English raised daughter of a French Comte who escaped from the Revolution. The Earl would inherit his Grandmother's wealth if he married before leaving on a diplomatic mission to Portugal. Although considerate of his wife, he is untrusting of women due to past experiences and maintains a distance between them. The plot continues into pre-invasion politics between Portugal, England and France while his younger sister ends up complicating both their relationship and his political career. Major miscommunications on all sides snowball into a crisis. Our hero is not overly heroic and falls prey to his imaginations. But keep reading as after quite a few plot twists the ending is nicely done. In fact the last sentence is the best ending.
February 1, 2008
I first read this serialized in Ladies Home Journal. Years later, I finally found it in paperback and reread it often. I love the romance, suspense, action and especially the look into European history. As an American the only way I have learned about the conflicts on the continent is through historical novels. They peak my interest in actual history.
During Napoleon's time, Camilla Forest and Lord Leominster marry as a convenience so they both can relieve their economic pressures. She accompanies him with his young impulsive sister to Portugal. At first she believes that he is a diplomat to the Portuguese court. Finally she realizes that he is a spy, but for whom is he spying?
During Napoleon's time, Camilla Forest and Lord Leominster marry as a convenience so they both can relieve their economic pressures. She accompanies him with his young impulsive sister to Portugal. At first she believes that he is a diplomat to the Portuguese court. Finally she realizes that he is a spy, but for whom is he spying?
November 17, 2015
At the opening of the Peninsular Wars, Camilla accepts the proposal of a marriage of convenience from Lavenham, Lord Leominster. Lavenham is to take up a diplomatic post in Portugal and has a family history that has resulted in a deep mistrust of women. Camilla has escaped The Terror as an aristocrat but her remaining family creates havoc as war comes closer.
This part of the Napoleonic Wars is often ignored but has clearly been well researched. The story flows best when dialogue is used in preference to narrative as to how the characters are agonizing over issues.
This part of the Napoleonic Wars is often ignored but has clearly been well researched. The story flows best when dialogue is used in preference to narrative as to how the characters are agonizing over issues.
March 10, 2023
I like Jane Aiken Hodge but this was not one of her best. Unbelievable characters and plot. I got half way through and abandoned it. Came back several weeks later and finished it but still not impressed. Not a patch on Georgette Heyer.
January 27, 2018
Marry in Haste, Jane Aiken Hodge
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews
Genre: Women's Fiction, Historical Romance
Quick moan as usual about Woman's fiction – why? Just why do we exclude a whole segment of readers? Men can and do enjoy writing and reading romances....
Republished from a 1969 story, but doesn't feel dated, the advantages of a historical novel I guess.
Its a fun read, I don't review many historical works, but like to take a dip back in time for a change from whatever else I've been reading, especially if its been a heavy suspense or intense fantasy work. Kind of recharges/refreshes my brain.
Camilla was a lovely girl, lucky too, but a book where she ended up on the streets and died wouldn't be much fun would it ;-) Or long...I liked her willingness to try and make her way, her determination to make the best of every situation, and of course her loyalty.
Lord Leominster seems quite a cold guy when we first meet him, but he has his reasons, and he's kind to Camilla, and to his wayward younger sister.
Much of the story takes place in Europe at the height of the French/English/Spanish wars and Leominster is heavily involved uncover in some dangerous work. Camilla once again needs to pull together all her resources and do her best to keep them all safe.
There's some drama here, quite intense at times, and of course some romance, but which is very muted, more a slow kindling of love coming from mutual respect. Its how things often were back then though, with so many arranged marriages, so where it would have irked me in a contemporary romance it felt perfect here. I did like the way things got bad before they became better, I do love that lost love potential dramatics in a romance and here it worked well for me.
Stars: Five, a fun and interesting read, felt very period appropriate and with some terrific characters.
ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews
Genre: Women's Fiction, Historical Romance
Quick moan as usual about Woman's fiction – why? Just why do we exclude a whole segment of readers? Men can and do enjoy writing and reading romances....
Republished from a 1969 story, but doesn't feel dated, the advantages of a historical novel I guess.
Its a fun read, I don't review many historical works, but like to take a dip back in time for a change from whatever else I've been reading, especially if its been a heavy suspense or intense fantasy work. Kind of recharges/refreshes my brain.
Camilla was a lovely girl, lucky too, but a book where she ended up on the streets and died wouldn't be much fun would it ;-) Or long...I liked her willingness to try and make her way, her determination to make the best of every situation, and of course her loyalty.
Lord Leominster seems quite a cold guy when we first meet him, but he has his reasons, and he's kind to Camilla, and to his wayward younger sister.
Much of the story takes place in Europe at the height of the French/English/Spanish wars and Leominster is heavily involved uncover in some dangerous work. Camilla once again needs to pull together all her resources and do her best to keep them all safe.
There's some drama here, quite intense at times, and of course some romance, but which is very muted, more a slow kindling of love coming from mutual respect. Its how things often were back then though, with so many arranged marriages, so where it would have irked me in a contemporary romance it felt perfect here. I did like the way things got bad before they became better, I do love that lost love potential dramatics in a romance and here it worked well for me.
Stars: Five, a fun and interesting read, felt very period appropriate and with some terrific characters.
ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers
February 19, 2018
I got to read this book off NetGalley and I reckon, it makes for an interesting adventure in terms of the countries explored by the characters. On romance, well, is it safe to say that I wanted to get inside the book and knock the daylights off Lavenham every few minutes? Is it also safe to say that I was bogged down by so many descriptions that I had to cast it aside, not once but thrice in order to think straight? If you're into historical romance, damsels in distress and knights or lords in coaches....by all means, give this a read.
April 29, 2018
I remember reading most of this author's books over 40 years ago. Loved them all then. This one just showed up as a bargain on Books Bub so decided to reread. Now seems dated and characters flat but it was good for an afternoon read. Enjoyed the historical bits.
June 19, 2012
This is my second time reading this book, and I have to admit that Jane Aiken Hodge is a guilty pleasure of mine. I rarely read such romantic fluff, but I just can't help myself. I love her stories and the time settings she uses. This particular story takes place as Napolean is taking over Europe. Having actually studied that era since my first reading of the book, I got a little more out of the story; but honestly, there's not really a lot of depth to the story. Msometimes you need that.
July 14, 2009
A fun romantic adventure. A little predictable, but I still liked it.
January 30, 2010
This was rather outlandish but very entertaining and very readable.
February 1, 2010
Chapters: 14 // Pages: 205
Couldn't put it down, as always with Mrs. Hodge's books.
Couldn't put it down, as always with Mrs. Hodge's books.
May 22, 2012
More Jane Aiken Hodge fun. It's crazy how much he dislikes women and why he is so willing to believe the worst about them.
June 26, 2012
Fun, light, romantic read, along the lines of the Scarlet Pimpernel but not as well developed, I thought.
November 21, 2015
Typical. But not bad.
January 9, 2016
Maybe not quite a four, but enjoyable. Some editing errors, but much better-written than my recent reads.
July 20, 2016
Fan of this author, but this one was not her best. Plodded along with unnecessary details.
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