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Rebel Heiress
"WHAT ARE YOU, YANKEE OR ENGLISHWOMAN? DAMN, THAT'S A RUM TOUCH TO HAVE AN ENEMY FOR A-DAUGHTER!'
But Henrietta was no one's enemy. She came to London from Boston in search of her father-- a father thought lost to her until she discovered her aunt's treachery.
Now armed with her mother's marriage papers, she set sail for England to prove her identity and, unknowingly, to gain a fortune--and a love--she had never dreamed of.
Henrietta was too beautiful to ignore. Her wealthy father was enchanted with her. Her stepmother hated her on sight. And her stepbrother Cedric was an enigma.
But nothing would stop Henrietta from becoming the talk of London society. At all the elegant parties, at fashionable Almack's, at masquerade balls, everyone was agog with the lovely young American girl.
There were a few, however, who longed to see her ruined....
But Henrietta was no one's enemy. She came to London from Boston in search of her father-- a father thought lost to her until she discovered her aunt's treachery.
Now armed with her mother's marriage papers, she set sail for England to prove her identity and, unknowingly, to gain a fortune--and a love--she had never dreamed of.
Henrietta was too beautiful to ignore. Her wealthy father was enchanted with her. Her stepmother hated her on sight. And her stepbrother Cedric was an enigma.
But nothing would stop Henrietta from becoming the talk of London society. At all the elegant parties, at fashionable Almack's, at masquerade balls, everyone was agog with the lovely young American girl.
There were a few, however, who longed to see her ruined....
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
18 people are currently reading
129 people want to read
About the author
Jane Aiken Hodge
54 books81 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 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 8, 2022
I tried! Going into the dnf pile. The h is too clueless and weak. The story is too predictable and too irritating to continue.
I think a younger reader would enjoy the simplicity of the writing, but not an adult.
I think a younger reader would enjoy the simplicity of the writing, but not an adult.
May 26, 2012
Henrietta makes an unexpected discovery upon the death of her aunt - it turns out her father is very much alive and a powerful Lord at that. With nothing to keep her in Boston, she packs her belongings and proof of her identity and despite the rumors of war looming between England and the States, manages to get herself passage to England. She eventually finds her father after a few ups and downs along the way, and Lord Marchmont is happy to find a daughter (and heir!) that he never knew existed. Lord Marchmont's new wife and her son from a previous marriage are not too thrilled at this turn of events, since Henrietta's status as heir kind of upsets their financial applecart. That's the basics of the story. There's a bit of a mystery here and there, and most of the main players in Henrietta's new life as the toast of London society seem to have secrets within secrets - all of which are waiting for the somewhat clueless Henrietta to wake up and smell the coffee.
Sorry, but this was a bit too predictable for my tastes and it was fairly easy to guess what all those deep dark secrets were. I think the author tried too hard to make the dialogue sound authentic to the period with a bunch of "do you know", as well as an over abundance of commas (although I've been told that's a common thing on that side of the pond). I've heard a lot of good things about Jane Aikens Hodge, but I think I should have started with something different. Perhaps I am just doomed to never find a Regency novel that will work for me. I'll keep on trying...
Sorry, but this was a bit too predictable for my tastes and it was fairly easy to guess what all those deep dark secrets were. I think the author tried too hard to make the dialogue sound authentic to the period with a bunch of "do you know", as well as an over abundance of commas (although I've been told that's a common thing on that side of the pond). I've heard a lot of good things about Jane Aikens Hodge, but I think I should have started with something different. Perhaps I am just doomed to never find a Regency novel that will work for me. I'll keep on trying...
September 30, 2011
Enjoyed Ms Hodge's books in the past. However 'Rebel Heiress' is not up to par...Ridiculous plot, characters and dialogue. Disappointing...
December 9, 2022
Fantastic book!!! I loved it!!
May 31, 2014
I picked up this book because the author was supposed to be similar to Georgette Heyer. While I thought this book was pretty good, it was not Heyer. But I'll just keep looking.
January 8, 2019
Valutazione 3,5.
Un romance storico molto gradevole, magari non indimenticabile ma che si fa leggere fino alla fine. Anche abbastanza movimentato e con qualche sviluppo imprevedibile...
Un romance storico molto gradevole, magari non indimenticabile ma che si fa leggere fino alla fine. Anche abbastanza movimentato e con qualche sviluppo imprevedibile...
December 20, 2023
This book was filled with too many side stories. It was too long.
February 28, 2025
'L’ereditiera ribelle' è l’unico regency (che io sappia) arrivato in Italia di Jane Aiken Hodge (1917-2009), amatissima nei paesi anglosassoni (la scrittrice è nata in Massachusetts ma si è trasferita a 3 anni in Inghilterra, dove ha sempre vissuto e di cui ha poi preso la cittadinanza), così come la sorella Joan.
Autrice tra l’altro di biografie su Jane Austen e Georgette Heyer, la Aiken Hodge ha dato vita ad un romanzo bellissimo ed originale che approfondisce molti temi assai interessanti, in primo luogo la politica del tempo e il conflitto tra americani e inglesi sul commercio (memorabile la scena nella nave mentre la protagonista viaggia verso l’Inghilterra).
L’originalità si spegne a poco a poco con il passare dei capitoli e con l’arrivo della protagonista in Inghilterra, rendendo la storia più simile ai regency tradizionali (con i balli da Almack’s, la ricerca dei vestiti per ogni occasione, le ville in campagna e l’impareggiabile Brummell), tuttavia mantenendo una sua peculiarità. Molto interessante e ben costruita la storia d’amore.
I personaggi sono molto ben descritti ed approfonditi ed anche i più negativi nascondono dietro alla maschera segreti e bugie che svelano i perché delle loro azioni.
Attraversato da una sottile vena di femminismo ante litteram (camuffato un po’ dal fatto che Henrietta è americana e quindi pensa diversamente dai nobili inglesi), stupisce forse l’ingenuità con cui la protagonista a volte affronta le situazioni in cui si ritrova (in special modo il suo rapporto con la matrigna, che è ovvio non possa vederla di buon occhio).
Complessivamente mi è piaciuto moltissimo e, come per ogni buon libro, quando è finito avrei voluto poter andare avanti e conoscere maggiori particolari della storia.
Per la recensione completa visita il mio blog: https://dilettanicastro.blogspot.com/...
Autrice tra l’altro di biografie su Jane Austen e Georgette Heyer, la Aiken Hodge ha dato vita ad un romanzo bellissimo ed originale che approfondisce molti temi assai interessanti, in primo luogo la politica del tempo e il conflitto tra americani e inglesi sul commercio (memorabile la scena nella nave mentre la protagonista viaggia verso l’Inghilterra).
L’originalità si spegne a poco a poco con il passare dei capitoli e con l’arrivo della protagonista in Inghilterra, rendendo la storia più simile ai regency tradizionali (con i balli da Almack’s, la ricerca dei vestiti per ogni occasione, le ville in campagna e l’impareggiabile Brummell), tuttavia mantenendo una sua peculiarità. Molto interessante e ben costruita la storia d’amore.
I personaggi sono molto ben descritti ed approfonditi ed anche i più negativi nascondono dietro alla maschera segreti e bugie che svelano i perché delle loro azioni.
Attraversato da una sottile vena di femminismo ante litteram (camuffato un po’ dal fatto che Henrietta è americana e quindi pensa diversamente dai nobili inglesi), stupisce forse l’ingenuità con cui la protagonista a volte affronta le situazioni in cui si ritrova (in special modo il suo rapporto con la matrigna, che è ovvio non possa vederla di buon occhio).
Complessivamente mi è piaciuto moltissimo e, come per ogni buon libro, quando è finito avrei voluto poter andare avanti e conoscere maggiori particolari della storia.
Per la recensione completa visita il mio blog: https://dilettanicastro.blogspot.com/...
May 20, 2013
I usually like Jane Aiken Hodge this one seemed a little lacklustre.
The heroine Henrietta is American just before war with England, she finds out that her father in England thought her dead and sets out to meet him.
She meets a romantic young man Captain Charles Gilbert (who coincidentally is a ward of her father's as is his younger brother) on her trip to London and falls for him.
She meets her father who had married again, has a step brother and she's to be her father's heir.
So far it seemed ok, but then Gilbert returned, he'd had an affair with hr father's wife and a child by, her this come out during the book but is obvious to the reader but not the oblivious herone who is supposed to be intelligent.
Henrietta meets the younger brother and relies on him for help, to me there is no chemistry between the younger brother who she ends up in love with. Their interactions seem more like siblings.
I was disappointed by the book definately not up to standard
The heroine Henrietta is American just before war with England, she finds out that her father in England thought her dead and sets out to meet him.
She meets a romantic young man Captain Charles Gilbert (who coincidentally is a ward of her father's as is his younger brother) on her trip to London and falls for him.
She meets her father who had married again, has a step brother and she's to be her father's heir.
So far it seemed ok, but then Gilbert returned, he'd had an affair with hr father's wife and a child by, her this come out during the book but is obvious to the reader but not the oblivious herone who is supposed to be intelligent.
Henrietta meets the younger brother and relies on him for help, to me there is no chemistry between the younger brother who she ends up in love with. Their interactions seem more like siblings.
I was disappointed by the book definately not up to standard
January 25, 2008
Henrietta sails from the USA to England amidst the threats of war. Embroiled in a new family she hears of scandals and eventually learns who her real friends are. Moving and fast-paced, well-written and enjoyable.
November 13, 2016
Haven't read a Jane Aiken Hodges book in years. Very good Regency romance with more than a little treachery involved. Although I must admit I had most of the plot twists figured out well ahead of time. Enjoyable read.
September 11, 2024
Henrietta Marchmont comes to England to find her father, who has believed she died with her mother. He welcomes her with open arms. Since this is the time of the War of 1812 and the war with Bonaparte, her being from America causes her difficulties from time to time.
November 15, 2011
Not her best book but still entertaining.
December 24, 2013
An entertaining and enjoyable read.
August 23, 2016
I'm glad Henrietta was dumb, although I wish she was much less naive. And whats with the random inputting of another love interest?? After the first half, everything went kinda flat.
August 3, 2016
This wasn't a page turner, but it was a pleasant read and not entirely predictable.
November 18, 2024
Twists & turns
I have always loved her work and thought I had read everything she had written but this was a pleasant surprise.
I have always loved her work and thought I had read everything she had written but this was a pleasant surprise.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews