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Regina
REGINA KNEW WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A MAN LIKE LORD WREXAM
Though barely twenty-three, lovely, elegant Regina had learned how cruel it was to be wed to a handsome, faithless rake- -- a captivity ended only by her husband's fortuitous demise.
Now Regina vowed to protect her innocent young niece from a similar agonizing alliance with the notorious Lord Wrexam, whose good looks and fabulous wealth were as irresistible as his reputation was lurid.
With determination Regina stepped between Lord Wrexam and the girl. And with dismay Regina realized that now she herself was the target of this man who made love a game he would break any rule to win.
But Regina's hard-won wisdom was soon warring with the folly of her heart -- -and only iron resolve would safeguard her from the maddeningly dangerous charms of the most infuriatingly romantic nobleman in all the realm. . . .
Though barely twenty-three, lovely, elegant Regina had learned how cruel it was to be wed to a handsome, faithless rake- -- a captivity ended only by her husband's fortuitous demise.
Now Regina vowed to protect her innocent young niece from a similar agonizing alliance with the notorious Lord Wrexam, whose good looks and fabulous wealth were as irresistible as his reputation was lurid.
With determination Regina stepped between Lord Wrexam and the girl. And with dismay Regina realized that now she herself was the target of this man who made love a game he would break any rule to win.
But Regina's hard-won wisdom was soon warring with the folly of her heart -- -and only iron resolve would safeguard her from the maddeningly dangerous charms of the most infuriatingly romantic nobleman in all the realm. . . .
224 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1977
1 person is currently reading
143 people want to read
About the author
Clare Darcy
28 books57 followersBorn in Ohio.
Widely considered the best of those inspired by Georgette Heyer, Darcy wrote a number of regency romances with intelligent, sparkling heroines.
A pseudonym for Mary Deasy
Information for place of birth from the jacket of one of Ms Darcy's books
Widely considered the best of those inspired by Georgette Heyer, Darcy wrote a number of regency romances with intelligent, sparkling heroines.
A pseudonym for Mary Deasy
Information for place of birth from the jacket of one of Ms Darcy's books
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
June 10, 2018
At three-and-twenty, Regina Audwyn has been widowed for two years now and living abroad. She has been called back to England by her uncle, Lord Arun, to take charge of her young cousin Bella's come-out. Bella, a headstrong girl raised according to Rousseau, absolutely insists she is going to marry the older, charming Lord Wrexham. Regina, who experienced a disastrous marriage with an older, charming man, will allow no such thing. She knows Wrexham must be fooling Bella for his own amusement. Before Regina can object too strongly, Lord Arun takes off for Mexico leaving his smallest children and teenage son with Regina and Bella in London. No sooner do they arrive in London when Lord Wrexham appears everywhere- much to Regina's annoyance. Another unwelcome visitor is her late husband's uncle, the Comte de Chelles, who is in search of a diamond necklace he claims is a family heirloom. The Comte insists Regina must have the necklace and he wants it back but Regina has never heard of this mysterious necklace and thinks the Comte may be mad. Whatever shall she do? Is the Comte telling the truth? Not even his nephew Mr. Lescot seems to be aware of this diamond necklace. As Lord Wrexham continues to make himself known in the Stacpooles' London home, Regina finds his presence more and more disagreeable, yet he is excellent at dealing with unwanted visitors and knowing what to do in a crisis. Should Regina continue to bar him from marrying Bella after all?
Regina is a very good copycat of Georgette Heyer's plots and characters with a dash of Jane Austen thrown in for good measure. The story is different enough not to violate copyright but it IS Heyer inspired and habitual readers of Georgette Heyer and traditional Regency novels will not find anything really new here. There IS a plot twist at the end but it's also taken from Heyer. I read this book so long ago and it failed to make an impression on me aside from Mexico. Once I read that Lord Arun was going to Mexico, I remembered HIM and his plot but nothing else! Reading this again for the first time I found it enjoyable. The story got off to a slow start but picked up once the affair of the necklace was introduced. While Clare Darcy doesn't quite have Heyer's skill with words or comedy, she successfully manages to copy the tone and plot structure of The Reluctant Widow and the idea of the family-centered plot of Frederica and one dash of one other novel I won't name. The romantic entanglements are caught up in the mystery but the heroine's romance doesn't come out until the end. The conclusion is a bit more satisfactory than Heyer's typical lack of overt romance.
I found this story amusing but not laugh out loud funny. Other readers may not like the constant fits of temper the female characters seem to be in. I really liked Regina because she's strong and strong willed. She handles a difficult situation better than Lizzie Bennet handled the same situation but yet I didn't like how Regina constantly relied on Wrexham for help. I didn't like Wrexham because his sense of humor leads him to "set Regina's back up" and make her lose her temper. I do wish some of the story was from Wrexham's point-of-view because it's hard to tell whether he's serious about his intentions of marrying Bella and WHY he's so annoying on purpose. He constantly needles Regina with his "satirical" sense of humor which I don't really find funny. He know she hates it and he keeps doing it. He is a strong alpha male but he doesn't ever use his alphaness on Bella or Regina. He takes control of a situation and commands attention by being charming.
The other Stacpooles are eccentric at best. The author is perhaps satirizing Jean Jacques Rousseau theories on childhood and childrearing. Lord and Lady Arun were constantly fighting and breaking up and getting back together. Lord Arun and his Stackpoole ancestors seem to delight in causing a scandal. His children are absolute horrors. They don't have any manners and behave poorly every time they're on page. I found them irritating and unnecessary except to complicate the plot further and add a supposed-to-be screwball scene to the story. That part doesn't manage to reach screwball level because it's told disjointedly after the fact. Bella is no exception to the bad behavior policy. Her behavior to her beloved Alistair is awful and she's horrid to her cousin-in other words, a typical teenage drama queen! Colin was the only family member I liked. He may be young and have pretensions to dandyism but I think he will turn out to be a fine young man when he's over his first heady infatuation with London.
The other major characters include Regina's late husband's uncle, the Comte de Chelles. Colin refers to the Comte as a "dirty dish" and this assessment is probably correct. The Comte clearly wants money and introduction to society so he can supposedly take his rightful place. However, he violated that sense of entitlement by taking advantage of Bonaparte's amnesty for nobles and throwing his lot in with Bonaparte. He's lucky to be alive. I don't even feel one bit sorry for him. His nephew, Mr. Lescot has nice manners though a bit of a temper. His temper leads him to constantly argue with Bella. I just can't forgive him for owning a cotton plantation near New Orleans.
Minor characters like Nannie and Hughes the butler add some servant humor to the story. As is often the case, the servants are starchier than their employers. Nannie tries to rule the nursery with an iron fist but the children are no match for her. Hughes seems to have a secret sense of humor though by the way he allows certain characters to come in at the same time when he knows just one is more than unwanted, let alone more than one.
If you're looking for a close match to Georgette Heyer, Clare Darcy is your best bet. In the U.S. her books can often be found where used books are sold, especially library book sales.
Regina is a very good copycat of Georgette Heyer's plots and characters with a dash of Jane Austen thrown in for good measure. The story is different enough not to violate copyright but it IS Heyer inspired and habitual readers of Georgette Heyer and traditional Regency novels will not find anything really new here. There IS a plot twist at the end but it's also taken from Heyer. I read this book so long ago and it failed to make an impression on me aside from Mexico. Once I read that Lord Arun was going to Mexico, I remembered HIM and his plot but nothing else! Reading this again for the first time I found it enjoyable. The story got off to a slow start but picked up once the affair of the necklace was introduced. While Clare Darcy doesn't quite have Heyer's skill with words or comedy, she successfully manages to copy the tone and plot structure of The Reluctant Widow and the idea of the family-centered plot of Frederica and one dash of one other novel I won't name. The romantic entanglements are caught up in the mystery but the heroine's romance doesn't come out until the end. The conclusion is a bit more satisfactory than Heyer's typical lack of overt romance.
I found this story amusing but not laugh out loud funny. Other readers may not like the constant fits of temper the female characters seem to be in. I really liked Regina because she's strong and strong willed. She handles a difficult situation better than Lizzie Bennet handled the same situation but yet I didn't like how Regina constantly relied on Wrexham for help. I didn't like Wrexham because his sense of humor leads him to "set Regina's back up" and make her lose her temper. I do wish some of the story was from Wrexham's point-of-view because it's hard to tell whether he's serious about his intentions of marrying Bella and WHY he's so annoying on purpose. He constantly needles Regina with his "satirical" sense of humor which I don't really find funny. He know she hates it and he keeps doing it. He is a strong alpha male but he doesn't ever use his alphaness on Bella or Regina. He takes control of a situation and commands attention by being charming.
The other Stacpooles are eccentric at best. The author is perhaps satirizing Jean Jacques Rousseau theories on childhood and childrearing. Lord and Lady Arun were constantly fighting and breaking up and getting back together. Lord Arun and his Stackpoole ancestors seem to delight in causing a scandal. His children are absolute horrors. They don't have any manners and behave poorly every time they're on page. I found them irritating and unnecessary except to complicate the plot further and add a supposed-to-be screwball scene to the story. That part doesn't manage to reach screwball level because it's told disjointedly after the fact. Bella is no exception to the bad behavior policy. Her behavior to her beloved Alistair is awful and she's horrid to her cousin-in other words, a typical teenage drama queen! Colin was the only family member I liked. He may be young and have pretensions to dandyism but I think he will turn out to be a fine young man when he's over his first heady infatuation with London.
The other major characters include Regina's late husband's uncle, the Comte de Chelles. Colin refers to the Comte as a "dirty dish" and this assessment is probably correct. The Comte clearly wants money and introduction to society so he can supposedly take his rightful place. However, he violated that sense of entitlement by taking advantage of Bonaparte's amnesty for nobles and throwing his lot in with Bonaparte. He's lucky to be alive. I don't even feel one bit sorry for him. His nephew, Mr. Lescot has nice manners though a bit of a temper. His temper leads him to constantly argue with Bella. I just can't forgive him for owning a cotton plantation near New Orleans.
Minor characters like Nannie and Hughes the butler add some servant humor to the story. As is often the case, the servants are starchier than their employers. Nannie tries to rule the nursery with an iron fist but the children are no match for her. Hughes seems to have a secret sense of humor though by the way he allows certain characters to come in at the same time when he knows just one is more than unwanted, let alone more than one.
If you're looking for a close match to Georgette Heyer, Clare Darcy is your best bet. In the U.S. her books can often be found where used books are sold, especially library book sales.
September 7, 2024
This 1978 Regency is by Clare Darcy, a new-to-me author who apparently thought it would be OK to include a minor character who owned a cotton plantation in Louisiana. 😶 That aside, this was a fun and fast-paced Regency mystery-cum-romance involving Regina, a widow tasked with looking after her young cousins, including Bella, who is engaged to one Lord Wrexam, a suave rake who Regina disapproves of. If only he would stop being so deuced competent at helping her solve the mystery of the diamond necklace…
August 19, 2022
One of the best by Clare Darcy.
The atmosphere (some characters and plot) reminded me of The Grand Sophy and The Pursuit of Love. Clare Darcy's language and wit weren't as great as that of Georgette Heyer, and there wasn't as deep a study of humans as in Nancy Mitford's novel. Yet, "Regina" was wonderful, charming, enjoyable, funny.
If you are a fan of the genre - you will love it and laugh like I was.
The atmosphere (some characters and plot) reminded me of The Grand Sophy and The Pursuit of Love. Clare Darcy's language and wit weren't as great as that of Georgette Heyer, and there wasn't as deep a study of humans as in Nancy Mitford's novel. Yet, "Regina" was wonderful, charming, enjoyable, funny.
If you are a fan of the genre - you will love it and laugh like I was.
February 22, 2025
Though barely twenty-three, lovely, elegant Regina had learned how cruel it was to be wed to a handsome, faithless rake- -- a captivity ended only by her husband's fortuitous demise.
Now Regina vowed to protect her innocent young niece from a similar agonizing alliance with the notorious Lord Wrexam, whose good looks and fabulous wealth were as irresistible as his reputation was lurid.
With determination Regina stepped between Lord Wrexam and the girl. And with dismay Regina realized that now she herself was the target of this man who made love a game he would break any rule to win.
But Regina's hard-won wisdom was soon warring with the folly of her heart -- -and only iron resolve would safeguard her from the maddeningly dangerous charms of the most infuriatingly romantic nobleman in all the realm. . . .
August 4, 2014
I SO enjoyed this Georgette Heyer style regency mystery! (The mystery part actually surprised me cause I had no idea Clare Darcy even wrote mysteries! haha) I laughed so hard at parts of this book, and the plot was very well though out. "Regina" had a super cute ending and overall this was a very unique and fun story- definitely a treasure! I look forward to reading Darcy's other work. :)
March 2, 2017
4.60 stars - pg13?
August 31, 2021
Started out strong, with a humorous introduction to our heroine and her wacky family members, but then rapidly went downhill. Not very far downhill, mind, but just enough to keep it from being particularly remarkable or interesting. The hero is a reformed rake who has decided he wants to marry and mold an eighteen-year-old girl so that she doesn't irritate him later on, and while he (obviously) falls in love with our (twenty-four-year-old) heroine instead (he's in his mid-thirties), because this is an old book we never get his perspective, and because it's just an okay book we never see Regina actually being particularly interesting or alluring. We know he's going to fall in love with her because it's all but on the back cover, but the way it actually works in the text is more that he comes to realize that the eighteen-year-old is in fact a stubborn, over-dramatic child and would make him miserable which, yes, but that doesn't exactly reassure me of his undying love for the heroine. In the meantime he himself never really says or does much of anything that makes it understandable why the heroine suddenly has feelings for him, particularly given her earlier unhappy marriage to a (not actually reformed) rake.
Other than that, there are plenty of wacky hijinks and a few too many supporting characters. In the last few pages there are some bizarre references to "tepees and totem poles," Aztecs, visits to Mexico (which I'm assuming was in the middle of or just over its violent War of Independence at this point so I don't quite get why it's a casual vacation destination) and someone's "considerable cotton plantation near New Orleans" (ew), so there's also that.
Other than that, there are plenty of wacky hijinks and a few too many supporting characters. In the last few pages there are some bizarre references to "tepees and totem poles," Aztecs, visits to Mexico (which I'm assuming was in the middle of or just over its violent War of Independence at this point so I don't quite get why it's a casual vacation destination) and someone's "considerable cotton plantation near New Orleans" (ew), so there's also that.
June 4, 2025
'Regina' è l’ottavo di 14 romanzi scritti da Clare Darcy (pseudonimo di Mary Deasy) ambientati nel periodo della Reggenza (libri che le hanno valso l’onore di essere definita come la vera erede di Georgette Heyer).
E’ il quarto libro che leggo della Darcy, e ancora devo dire che mi piace davvero molto. Brava, brava, brava!
In un mondo in cui siamo circondati da scene in cui il sesso viene scambiato con l’amore, e in cui pudiche vedove decidono di abbandonarsi a piaceri assurdi per l’epoca, ecco un ritratto leggero e divertente, con un pizzico di giallo davvero ben diretto.
La lettura è una gioia e una piacere che scivola allegro tra le pagine.
Interessanti anche i riferimenti alle guerre napoleoniche e al commercio con gli Stati Uniti.
I personaggi sono ben delineati e crescono con intelligenza. Simpaticissimo il fratello minore Colin, che viene raccontato con maestria in quell’età in cui non si è ancora adulti, ma neppure bambini, rendendolo spavaldo ed intimidito al tempo stesso.
Un piccolo gioiello che inspiegabilmente non viene più pubblicato dal 1982 per dare spazio a letteratura spazzatura come quella della Auci o della Lee Guhrke. La stessa Balogh non vale la metà della Darcy.
E’ il quarto libro che leggo della Darcy, e ancora devo dire che mi piace davvero molto. Brava, brava, brava!
In un mondo in cui siamo circondati da scene in cui il sesso viene scambiato con l’amore, e in cui pudiche vedove decidono di abbandonarsi a piaceri assurdi per l’epoca, ecco un ritratto leggero e divertente, con un pizzico di giallo davvero ben diretto.
La lettura è una gioia e una piacere che scivola allegro tra le pagine.
Interessanti anche i riferimenti alle guerre napoleoniche e al commercio con gli Stati Uniti.
I personaggi sono ben delineati e crescono con intelligenza. Simpaticissimo il fratello minore Colin, che viene raccontato con maestria in quell’età in cui non si è ancora adulti, ma neppure bambini, rendendolo spavaldo ed intimidito al tempo stesso.
Un piccolo gioiello che inspiegabilmente non viene più pubblicato dal 1982 per dare spazio a letteratura spazzatura come quella della Auci o della Lee Guhrke. La stessa Balogh non vale la metà della Darcy.
March 9, 2018
Wonderful. Upbeat clean Regency with excellent world creation. Darcy's many characters are a pleasure to follow. The climax of the action is hilarious, complex and satisfying. . .better than most I've read for a long time.
January 1, 2019
A delightful classic Regency with all the elements that make this genre enjoyable. It had been sitting on my TBR shelf for far too long, and when I finally picked it up it was exactly what I wanted. Clare Darcy is a true heiress to Georgette Heyer and should be read by all Regency fans.
April 27, 2022
Mildly amusing Regency, a bit too heavy on the wacky side, but OK. Regina Audwyn is a likeable heroine.
August 22, 2022
A classic Regency romance that will leave you smiling. A very entertaining read.
Five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
November 7, 2025
This was engaging enough but the end was a bit of a turn off. Old father getting married to a girl barely 20 who he knew when she was a child and considered her pretty back then it just made it yuck in my eyes but aside from that it was a fun read.
September 19, 2010
Reformed Rake alert! Reformed Rake alert!
I had to wait until page 35 for the first (and only) Puce Gown. The more I think about it, the first few books I read were full of "bronze-green" attire, so the sudden shift to all puce should not have been such a shock. This book does contain a "hideous puce turban", though.
At first, I thought that by moving to a widowed heroine, Miss Darcy was mixing it up a bit, stretching out, changing her formula, but other than the formerly-married status of the primary female and the antagonism between the secondary female and the secondary male, there's nothing new. That wouldn't be much of a problem except that the same-old-same-old just isn't particularly captivating in this outing. there are some entertaining characters, but they're mostly entertaining by dint of being exasperating, and there's only so much of that a person can take.
On the positive side, Regina is no headstrong idiot-girl who leaps into scrapes and situations, and the book does contain this passage, taken from a scene during household preparations for a ball: "And then the door opened again upon the hall,which now seemed to be inhabited by a large grove of potted palms moving steadily up the stairs to the ballroom like Birnam Wood coming to Dunsinane, and Hughes entered to announce, 'Lord Wrexam!'"
I had to wait until page 35 for the first (and only) Puce Gown. The more I think about it, the first few books I read were full of "bronze-green" attire, so the sudden shift to all puce should not have been such a shock. This book does contain a "hideous puce turban", though.
At first, I thought that by moving to a widowed heroine, Miss Darcy was mixing it up a bit, stretching out, changing her formula, but other than the formerly-married status of the primary female and the antagonism between the secondary female and the secondary male, there's nothing new. That wouldn't be much of a problem except that the same-old-same-old just isn't particularly captivating in this outing. there are some entertaining characters, but they're mostly entertaining by dint of being exasperating, and there's only so much of that a person can take.
On the positive side, Regina is no headstrong idiot-girl who leaps into scrapes and situations, and the book does contain this passage, taken from a scene during household preparations for a ball: "And then the door opened again upon the hall,which now seemed to be inhabited by a large grove of potted palms moving steadily up the stairs to the ballroom like Birnam Wood coming to Dunsinane, and Hughes entered to announce, 'Lord Wrexam!'"
June 2, 2019
Widowed Regina knows what it is like to be married to a handsome rake, and she has been taxed to keep her young cousin away from Lord Wrexam. With her young cousins left under her guardianship, Regina must guide her cousin through the complexities of the Season and endure the demands of her dead husband's uncle.
This is a fun romance. I can definitely see where the author was inspired by the works of Georgette Heyer. Regina is an intriguing character, a widow who has seen more of the cruel side of men than she'd ever known existed. She still has an innocence about her, though, and she deals with her cousins with more patience than I would have had.
We don't learn that much about Wrexam. He is the classic, tall dark, and handsome hero who steps in to match wits against Regina.
For a clean, old-fashioned Regency Romance, this would be an excellent choice.
This is a fun romance. I can definitely see where the author was inspired by the works of Georgette Heyer. Regina is an intriguing character, a widow who has seen more of the cruel side of men than she'd ever known existed. She still has an innocence about her, though, and she deals with her cousins with more patience than I would have had.
We don't learn that much about Wrexam. He is the classic, tall dark, and handsome hero who steps in to match wits against Regina.
For a clean, old-fashioned Regency Romance, this would be an excellent choice.
March 24, 2025
Set in the early 1800s, this is a Regency romance novel. The competent Regina, widowed in her early twenties, agrees to chaperone her cousin's 'Coming Out' ball, and is persuaded also to look after her younger cousins.
A series of events make for an exciting plot, including a missing diamond necklace. But although the style is a bit like that of Georgette Heyer, and the detail and background realistic, it's not quite up to Heyer's brilliance. Still, I liked the main characters. I thought the pace good, and the writing authentic.
Recommended on the whole if you like this style of historical fiction.
Longer review: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/...
A series of events make for an exciting plot, including a missing diamond necklace. But although the style is a bit like that of Georgette Heyer, and the detail and background realistic, it's not quite up to Heyer's brilliance. Still, I liked the main characters. I thought the pace good, and the writing authentic.
Recommended on the whole if you like this style of historical fiction.
Longer review: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/...
October 7, 2013
This book is so sweet! Not only is the main story line really awesome, she has all these little branches coming off from the main story line that just made me laugh and gave the book even more depth. The main character is pretty stubborn and I love it because I see so much of myself in her. A lot of the choices she makes due to her being obstinate are so funny because I totally would have done the same thing myself!
May 11, 2014
I hadn't read this book since the early 80s and still love it. Clare Darcy (Penname Mary Deasy) was second only to Georgette Heyer in this genre. A fair amount of humor, sometimes implausible situations, but still an enjoyable and quick read.
Since the author appears to have died without heirs, it is unlikely her books will be republished. Fortunately, you still can find most of her books through used sources including Amazon and Ebay.
Since the author appears to have died without heirs, it is unlikely her books will be republished. Fortunately, you still can find most of her books through used sources including Amazon and Ebay.
September 14, 2010
The book started off slow, but ended with an interesting story. I really liked Mr. Wexum. (main male character) He was a very interesting person. However I did not like the authors writing style, and the book is old English with several British old English phrases. So, it's hard to get into immediately, has complex English, but was worth the cute romance in the end.
August 24, 2010
Perhaps 3 1/2 stars? A romp ... a lots of fun ... but not a keeper, I don't think.
August 3, 2014
Thoroughly enjoyable. A fun read.
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April 24, 2019FFS, what is it with romance authors completely needlessly giving their characters grossly racist views in what would otherwise have been a pleasant read.
Here the LI of the secondary romance is a dashing young man who is aplantation slave owner in New Orleans wheeeee!
Idgaf that it's accurate to the time period that it wouldn't have raised an eyebrow in England's tonnish society, that book was published in 1977, you have no excuse, author! You could have given him about a million different backgrounds, ugh.
Here the LI of the secondary romance is a dashing young man who is a
Idgaf that it's accurate to the time period that it wouldn't have raised an eyebrow in England's tonnish society, that book was published in 1977, you have no excuse, author! You could have given him about a million different backgrounds, ugh.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews