What do you think?
Rate this book
The Wicked Guardian
Clare Penryck is playing a dangerous game with Regency England’s most elegant bachelor…
Under the care of Lady Thorne, Clare meets Sir Benedict Choate, recognising him from her old paintings at home…
She is supposed to return to her Grandmother in Dorset, but when she dies, Sir Benedict is to become her guardian, much to Clare’s horror.
She had known this elegant aristocrat for only one London season — but that time had sufficed to show her how insufferably arrogant he could be.
Benedict made it clear that he expected Clare to be a very proper young lady, to remain safe on her secluded country estate and to wait for a decent match — an idea which Clare struggles with.
Both Benedict and the law said she must obey him. But headstrong Clare has no intention of doing so...
Sir Benedict Choate was clearly unprepared for the lesson in love he was about to be given — by a maddeningly wilful young girl who had so much to learn herself…
Is Benedict really the wicked guardian Clare believes him to be?
Or could he be her greatest protector?
Under the care of Lady Thorne, Clare meets Sir Benedict Choate, recognising him from her old paintings at home…
She is supposed to return to her Grandmother in Dorset, but when she dies, Sir Benedict is to become her guardian, much to Clare’s horror.
She had known this elegant aristocrat for only one London season — but that time had sufficed to show her how insufferably arrogant he could be.
Benedict made it clear that he expected Clare to be a very proper young lady, to remain safe on her secluded country estate and to wait for a decent match — an idea which Clare struggles with.
Both Benedict and the law said she must obey him. But headstrong Clare has no intention of doing so...
Sir Benedict Choate was clearly unprepared for the lesson in love he was about to be given — by a maddeningly wilful young girl who had so much to learn herself…
Is Benedict really the wicked guardian Clare believes him to be?
Or could he be her greatest protector?
278 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 5, 1978
34 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 24, 2015
A cross between Jane Austin and Barbara Cartland. Got to love the oldies!
February 14, 2021
2.5 stars.
I was more excited about finishing a book than anything else. I was in a looong funk. Hats off to this book for keeping my interest for as long as it did- which was up to about 65%. The book started off good. I love a slow burn romance so I was enjoying the slow burn of the courtship for a while until it dawned on me that there wasn't really gonna be a "courtship" in the traditional sense. The protagonists didn't spend enough time together for that to happen. The hero was mostly just a long distance guardian bemoaning his responsibilities for the troublesome heroine throughout the whole book. When they did get together all they did was argue and provoked each other, and then in the end it suddenly dawned on both of them that they loved and wanted to marry each other. That's all fine and good but I would have like to have seen some desire for each other throughout.
The age difference was a bit strange as well. The heroine was fifteen when the book started and she met the hero, so when she turned sixteen, I thought some years would be skipped in the book, but sixteen was still her age at the end of the book. The hero appeared to be in his thirties if I'm not mistaken. The age difference was definitely a big part of the story but I don't think the story was nurtured throughly enough for it to work.
I was more excited about finishing a book than anything else. I was in a looong funk. Hats off to this book for keeping my interest for as long as it did- which was up to about 65%. The book started off good. I love a slow burn romance so I was enjoying the slow burn of the courtship for a while until it dawned on me that there wasn't really gonna be a "courtship" in the traditional sense. The protagonists didn't spend enough time together for that to happen. The hero was mostly just a long distance guardian bemoaning his responsibilities for the troublesome heroine throughout the whole book. When they did get together all they did was argue and provoked each other, and then in the end it suddenly dawned on both of them that they loved and wanted to marry each other. That's all fine and good but I would have like to have seen some desire for each other throughout.
The age difference was a bit strange as well. The heroine was fifteen when the book started and she met the hero, so when she turned sixteen, I thought some years would be skipped in the book, but sixteen was still her age at the end of the book. The hero appeared to be in his thirties if I'm not mistaken. The age difference was definitely a big part of the story but I don't think the story was nurtured throughly enough for it to work.
December 10, 2015
Clean Historical English romance set in London, Bath and a country abbey.
Miss Clare Penryck is almost completely alone in the world. She was orphaned as a child and has lived a lonely life in the countryside with her old sick grandmother, but she is now being thrown into London high society to find a husband before she has to go into mourning for her grandmother.
Clare is very young, only almost 16 when we meet her out in society. She finds a 'cousin' (although the direct relationship is never explained) Lord Choate who will become her Guardian and then more in this silly fluff story. I liked the mothers in this story, like Lady Thorne and the evil fiance, Margaret's mother. Lord Benedict Choate has a childhood engagement duty to marry the nasty Margaret, so he has never had the chance to fall in love so it happens abruptly without him noticing which was cute.
536 pages (but it felt more like 300 pages at the most) and a kindle freebie
3 stars
Miss Clare Penryck is almost completely alone in the world. She was orphaned as a child and has lived a lonely life in the countryside with her old sick grandmother, but she is now being thrown into London high society to find a husband before she has to go into mourning for her grandmother.
Clare is very young, only almost 16 when we meet her out in society. She finds a 'cousin' (although the direct relationship is never explained) Lord Choate who will become her Guardian and then more in this silly fluff story. I liked the mothers in this story, like Lady Thorne and the evil fiance, Margaret's mother. Lord Benedict Choate has a childhood engagement duty to marry the nasty Margaret, so he has never had the chance to fall in love so it happens abruptly without him noticing which was cute.
536 pages (but it felt more like 300 pages at the most) and a kindle freebie
3 stars
January 23, 2021
A feisty heroine, lots of scrapes, make this novel enjoyable to read.
Very much in the vein of Georgette Heyer and many authors after her, Vanessa Gray manages a sufficiently exciting Regency romp with all the ‘bells and whistles’ a committed Regency novel fan could want. We get a feisty young maid whose youth and independence gets her into several interesting and potentially disastrous scrapes, staid suitors, lots of social action, a dastardly villain, jealousy, and of course, the handsome but high-handed ‘wicked guardian’. Although the ending was as predictable as all these novels are, it was deftly handled by the author and it was difficult to know how things would really work out until the very end. My only (small) criticism is the number of scanning errors that appear throughout what is, otherwise, a very well written novel.
Very much in the vein of Georgette Heyer and many authors after her, Vanessa Gray manages a sufficiently exciting Regency romp with all the ‘bells and whistles’ a committed Regency novel fan could want. We get a feisty young maid whose youth and independence gets her into several interesting and potentially disastrous scrapes, staid suitors, lots of social action, a dastardly villain, jealousy, and of course, the handsome but high-handed ‘wicked guardian’. Although the ending was as predictable as all these novels are, it was deftly handled by the author and it was difficult to know how things would really work out until the very end. My only (small) criticism is the number of scanning errors that appear throughout what is, otherwise, a very well written novel.
April 11, 2024
Enjoyable romp
Lord Choate finds himself the guardian of an irrepressible teenager, Clare, and has his hands full. With strict etiquette and rules of the times, young Clare pushes the borders of propriety and creates situations Choate is ill-equipped to deal with. In this battle of wills, there is the seeds of love.
Enjoyable and compelling, the pace is quick and there is a hint of danger. Spiteful rumours and rakish behaviour spice up the tale.
Lord Choate finds himself the guardian of an irrepressible teenager, Clare, and has his hands full. With strict etiquette and rules of the times, young Clare pushes the borders of propriety and creates situations Choate is ill-equipped to deal with. In this battle of wills, there is the seeds of love.
Enjoyable and compelling, the pace is quick and there is a hint of danger. Spiteful rumours and rakish behaviour spice up the tale.
April 14, 2024
Clean romance
This is a clean romance, which I enjoy, but it was a little hard to get through. The main character Clare is a rebellious spoiled teenager, but she does change at the end. All in all it was a good clean romance.
This is a clean romance, which I enjoy, but it was a little hard to get through. The main character Clare is a rebellious spoiled teenager, but she does change at the end. All in all it was a good clean romance.
May 7, 2024
Exceptionally good
This is not only a tender and touching love story but also an exciting and adventurous one showing the power of true love.
This is not only a tender and touching love story but also an exciting and adventurous one showing the power of true love.
January 9, 2025
Jan 2025
Only wished it had a more comprehensive ending. This is a very well put together story even if it is predictable, apart from lacking some proof reading. Very enjoyable.
Only wished it had a more comprehensive ending. This is a very well put together story even if it is predictable, apart from lacking some proof reading. Very enjoyable.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews