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The Golden Chronicles #4
Love Alters Not
She never dreamed being a traitor would endanger her life and her heart. Impetuous Dimity Cranford bravely sets out to rescue her wounded friend by delivering a crucial cypher to his fellow Jacobite sympathizers. But her midnight coach is overturned and she is forced into a bold deception to avoid questioning. Masquerading as Mrs. Catherine Deene, the guardian of a young boy orphaned by the accident, she plots to complete her mission. When she arrives at the lavish estate of her new charge, however, she comes face to face with the infamous Lord Anthony Farrar, the knave who deserted her very own brother's troops in the midst of battle! Unfortunately the cowardly yellow dog is extremely good to look at. Soon Dimity finds herself torn in a most daring test of courage - and of love.
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
10 people are currently reading
149 people want to read
About the author
Patricia Veryan
75 books100 followersPatricia Valeria Bannister was born in London. After World War II, she married Allan Louis Berg and moved to the United States; she lived on the West Coast and was the author of many historical novels from 1978 until 2002, using the pen names Patricia Veryan and Gwyneth Moore.
At the time of her death, she was living in Bellevue, Washington, USA.
At the time of her death, she was living in Bellevue, Washington, USA.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
April 19, 2017
What. A. Ride. This book has just about everything in it to keep a reader happy and reading well into the wee hours. Trying to explain the plot is taking me into tl;dr territory, so I yield. Plucky heroine assuming another identity with hilarious results - LOL at the clothes she inherits - too small, in poor taste and way too much bosom exposed ending in numerous laugh out loud moments as all the males seem to want to get a closer look. Bonus points when her brothers show up later on and see those exposed bosoms and their reactions.
A tortured hero with tons of angst and dishonor hanging over him from Prestonpans. An imp of a small boy doing all the things that small boys have a reputation for. LOL at his 'house toor' with the added bonus of Tony in his bath. Bonus points for the kitten and her role in the plot. Plus dastardly villains, evil doers, duels and plenty of derring do as the author keeps the reader on pins and needles waiting to see if there will be a HEA.
What more can a reader ask for?
Side note: Dimity, the heroine in this book is the sister of Peregrine who is the hero of one of Veryan's books in the Tales of the Jewelled Men series.
A tortured hero with tons of angst and dishonor hanging over him from Prestonpans. An imp of a small boy doing all the things that small boys have a reputation for. LOL at his 'house toor' with the added bonus of Tony in his bath. Bonus points for the kitten and her role in the plot. Plus dastardly villains, evil doers, duels and plenty of derring do as the author keeps the reader on pins and needles waiting to see if there will be a HEA.
What more can a reader ask for?
Side note: Dimity, the heroine in this book is the sister of Peregrine who is the hero of one of Veryan's books in the Tales of the Jewelled Men series.
April 19, 2018
This one always gets to me. Some of the saddest scenes Veryan has ever written are in here. To balance it, the bathtub scene is hilarious.
The heroe‘s plight is so totally hopeless, it wrings my heart. Even in that horrible scene in the church I could not hate him.
That the dresses the heroine has to wear as a disguise make her the target of unwanted advances by nearly every male she meets reflects badly on the times the book is set in. A women without male protection was fair game.
Veryan always sends her heroes through the wringer. What makes them heroes is the way they react to controversy, how they can still laugh, and love, even though they are going through hell. To a man who values his honor as Farrar does, to lose it so completely must be the absolute worst thing. Even worse than the knowledge that he is living on borrowed time. That he does it all out of love for his aunt is the most romantic thing ever.
I had a nasty headache by the time I was reading the final courtroom scene. Which somewhat lessened my enjoyment, but also added an element of reality to it all.
The confrontations between Otton and Muffin are always a pleasure and hint at what is to come. And we get some better understanding for the way Roland acts. In a way he is right: look what their heroism brought the heroes of the story so far: torture and exile for Quentin, bad health for Goeffrey, and Treve, Merry and Tio were all shot while trying to save the day. Yes, it IS good that he has no way of looking in the future. Because his trials will be among the worst.
The heroe‘s plight is so totally hopeless, it wrings my heart. Even in that horrible scene in the church I could not hate him.
That the dresses the heroine has to wear as a disguise make her the target of unwanted advances by nearly every male she meets reflects badly on the times the book is set in. A women without male protection was fair game.
Veryan always sends her heroes through the wringer. What makes them heroes is the way they react to controversy, how they can still laugh, and love, even though they are going through hell. To a man who values his honor as Farrar does, to lose it so completely must be the absolute worst thing. Even worse than the knowledge that he is living on borrowed time. That he does it all out of love for his aunt is the most romantic thing ever.
I had a nasty headache by the time I was reading the final courtroom scene. Which somewhat lessened my enjoyment, but also added an element of reality to it all.
The confrontations between Otton and Muffin are always a pleasure and hint at what is to come. And we get some better understanding for the way Roland acts. In a way he is right: look what their heroism brought the heroes of the story so far: torture and exile for Quentin, bad health for Goeffrey, and Treve, Merry and Tio were all shot while trying to save the day. Yes, it IS good that he has no way of looking in the future. Because his trials will be among the worst.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 28, 2018
I feel slightly guilty to give this book 3 stars since it does have the majory of the reviews rated higher...
Maybe it is because I found the language strange, or maybe the plot was almost naive... I don't know, but it took me a long time to read it.
The story is simple, but pretends to be complicated. The heroine does some things (I don't want to spoil) that seems almost TSTL, but she's a likable character and I didn't hated her like I usually do the TSTL heroines. At the end she did them with the best intentions.
The hero is portraited as a highly honorable man and he endured all the scorn with such a honorableness that I wanted to slap him! It was so OTT!
The resolution is told by secondary characters in the last chapters and it is such a convoluted story that I had to read them twice to get who's who.
So, I'm really sorry but this is not more than 3 stars...
Maybe it is because I found the language strange, or maybe the plot was almost naive... I don't know, but it took me a long time to read it.
The story is simple, but pretends to be complicated. The heroine does some things (I don't want to spoil) that seems almost TSTL, but she's a likable character and I didn't hated her like I usually do the TSTL heroines. At the end she did them with the best intentions.
The hero is portraited as a highly honorable man and he endured all the scorn with such a honorableness that I wanted to slap him! It was so OTT!
The resolution is told by secondary characters in the last chapters and it is such a convoluted story that I had to read them twice to get who's who.
So, I'm really sorry but this is not more than 3 stars...
February 11, 2011
Patricia Veryan is an author I keep hearing good things about but I have found it difficult to find her books. When I did find this one I decided to sit and read it. I did like it a lot but since I realised this is part of a series I'm wondering if I should have waited till I had the others to read them in order.
Dimity is a fun, a bit too daring heroine. While trying to carry on a secret mission she finds herself at Sir Anthony Farrar estate pretending to be the aunt of a 6 year boy, claiming to be the right owner of Farrar's inheritance. Farrar waits no time in qualifying them as impostors and Dimity as a common doxy and he treats her accordingly. Only his aunt persuades them to let them stay at the house till their papers can be examined. For Dimity this is also an ordeal because Farrar is the Captain whose actions made one of her brothers loose a foot in the war.
I think the best part of the story is how Veryan creates so many twists and turns, funny scenes and tragical one, in just one book. At first Dimity and Farrar don't like each other, then they start being intrigued because they find the other doesn't exactly match the idea they had in their heads. At the same time Dimity tries to discover to whom she was supposed to deliver the cypher that is her secret mission, avoid being thrown out of Farrar's home till she does it and her brothers keep looking for her everywhere. With Farrar there's the mystery of why everybody hates him so and how did things end up that way.
Besides the main characters the story features a long list of colourful secondary characters who add quite a bit to the success of the action. There are several hilarious scenes, a few tragic ones and many adventures to live before we reach the final conclusion and I have to say I enjoyed everyone of them. Now I'm really looking forward to find some more of her books.
Grade: 4/5
Dimity is a fun, a bit too daring heroine. While trying to carry on a secret mission she finds herself at Sir Anthony Farrar estate pretending to be the aunt of a 6 year boy, claiming to be the right owner of Farrar's inheritance. Farrar waits no time in qualifying them as impostors and Dimity as a common doxy and he treats her accordingly. Only his aunt persuades them to let them stay at the house till their papers can be examined. For Dimity this is also an ordeal because Farrar is the Captain whose actions made one of her brothers loose a foot in the war.
I think the best part of the story is how Veryan creates so many twists and turns, funny scenes and tragical one, in just one book. At first Dimity and Farrar don't like each other, then they start being intrigued because they find the other doesn't exactly match the idea they had in their heads. At the same time Dimity tries to discover to whom she was supposed to deliver the cypher that is her secret mission, avoid being thrown out of Farrar's home till she does it and her brothers keep looking for her everywhere. With Farrar there's the mystery of why everybody hates him so and how did things end up that way.
Besides the main characters the story features a long list of colourful secondary characters who add quite a bit to the success of the action. There are several hilarious scenes, a few tragic ones and many adventures to live before we reach the final conclusion and I have to say I enjoyed everyone of them. Now I'm really looking forward to find some more of her books.
Grade: 4/5
May 15, 2017
This book has got everything. It amused me, it made me sad, angry and worried, it had a great romance, suspence and some very evil characters. The hero reminded me of Captain Armitage A Shadow's Bliss. he is so noble and so sure of his fault. The heroine though trusts her instinct about him.
November 8, 2022
He looked doleful. "Why do grown-ups always say 'run along now' just when you don't want to run along? But if you want to run along, you are made to sit still?"
I adore child point of view in books (of course this kind of witty and wise). From previous novels I know that Mrs. Veryan can create child character wonderfully, so also Carlton was great.
But most of all it was a charming adventure and a lovely love story.
And don't forget some hilarious scenes. As ever, the plot was thought through and kept my attention until the end.
Like Misfit wrote: What. A. Ride. This book has just about everything in it to keep a reader happy and reading well into the wee hours.
Comparing to some other novels by Mrs. Veryan I would have given it 4, perhaps 4.5 stars, but I want to add one star for the way she coped with Roland's evolution/change. It is hard to believe I didn't like him at all in Practice to Deceive. Now I can't wait to read his own story (the last part of series). The relationship between Roland and his grandfather reminded me about Dominic (from Devil's Cub by Heyer) and his father. Did anyone feel the same?
By the way, I really recommend to read firstly 'The Golden Chronicles' and then 'The Tales of the Jewelled Men', because you will see how some characters from The Chronicles evolved in The Tales. I didn't do it that way, but nothing is lost, I am going to read the two series the second time someday, this time chronically.
tbr-deadtree
June 26, 2009
September 19, 2022
I do not keep very many books. Most of them go off to the secondhand store. I am finding myself keeping most of the books I read by this author. She has a way of combining history, plots, humor, and dialogue which results in exquisitely written books. I’ve got a several of these books when I bought lots of books off of eBay. I put them in chronological order and most of them I am having to read as a standalone. They are very readable by themselves. I really like the character of Roland in this book and am going to have to get back on eBay and purchase the book, which is the last one in the series, dedicated to him.
January 5, 2018
41/2
This series is so much fun!!! I don't feel like writing a review, but others have done a splendid job of that all ready. just finished the next book too and it keeps the excitement building!
This series is so much fun!!! I don't feel like writing a review, but others have done a splendid job of that all ready. just finished the next book too and it keeps the excitement building!
August 1, 2019
I got to feeling nostalgic the other day when talking about romance books of the past. I grew up reading Kathleen Woodiwss, Rosemary Rogers etc. but gave them up when I started feeling I was getting a warped sense of the “romance hero”. The heroes back then were very dominant and the balance very uneven so I stopped reading romance altogether for a few years. But I was brought back when I was visiting the library and saw the cover for Cherished Enemy, the paperback, not hardcover copy. I was enchanted with it always having a soft spot for Georgian attire and thought what the heck, I’ll give romance another try. I LOVED the story, so much so I really didn’t want to give the book up. But, being a good library patron I returned it and then took out the rest of the books in this series. This book, Love Alters Not was my favourite and after talking about it to friends, I felt the need to read it again.
It's hard to say what made this book and all the other books by Patricia Veryan so special but they are for me. For the most part they are kisses only and the few scenes where it goes beyond kisses, the bedroom door remains tightly shut. This was just what I needed after reading too many books on the other end of the spectrum. They are a bit on the flowery side so they won’t be for everyone. Instead I found them in general, to be sweet and somewhat innocent even though there were definite villains.
In this book our heroine is the intrepid Dimity Cranford. Her parents died young and she lives with her twin brothers. One night, when one of her brothers has to take care of something in another village and her other brother is laid up due to losing a foot in the Battle of Prestopan against the mostly Scottish Jacobite she is the only one left to help a dear friend of the three of them out of a terrible spot. He is being chased by the English army after being declared a traitor. To go into the whole story would take much too long, but the end result is she ends up at the home of Anthony Farrar who by coincidence was the commander of both of her brothers. He’s been accused of rank cowardice and deserting his troops in the battle and is generally hated and scorned by everyone.
But something doesn’t add to for Mitten. She doesn’t see a man who acts like a coward. Instead she finds him very brave and very caring and not at all the type to run. It doesn’t hurt that she also finds him very attractive. And it turns out that she’s right, things aren’t as they seem.
When I think on Ms. Veryan’s heroes the first word that comes to mind for all of them is noble. The second word if asked would be honourable. And Tony is one of the most noble and honorable of them all.
And her heroines are always full of gumption but not at all in a TSTL way. Dimity is one of my favourite heroines. And together they are wonderful. Although kisses only, Ms. Veryan clearly gets across the attraction and the longing these two have in this seemingly impossible situation and I was quite happy with the steam content.
This book is in the middle of the series. Though I think it could be read alone – when I originally read them I read them all out of order, they flow better if they are read in order. I know this because once I read the whole series, I went back and read them in order.
Love Alters Not gave me a taste of why I am so drawn to this authors works and now that I’ve had that taste again, I know it’s going to be like a Lays Potato Chip, I won’t be able to read just one.
As with every time I read this book, I’m giving it 5 stars.
It's hard to say what made this book and all the other books by Patricia Veryan so special but they are for me. For the most part they are kisses only and the few scenes where it goes beyond kisses, the bedroom door remains tightly shut. This was just what I needed after reading too many books on the other end of the spectrum. They are a bit on the flowery side so they won’t be for everyone. Instead I found them in general, to be sweet and somewhat innocent even though there were definite villains.
In this book our heroine is the intrepid Dimity Cranford. Her parents died young and she lives with her twin brothers. One night, when one of her brothers has to take care of something in another village and her other brother is laid up due to losing a foot in the Battle of Prestopan against the mostly Scottish Jacobite she is the only one left to help a dear friend of the three of them out of a terrible spot. He is being chased by the English army after being declared a traitor. To go into the whole story would take much too long, but the end result is she ends up at the home of Anthony Farrar who by coincidence was the commander of both of her brothers. He’s been accused of rank cowardice and deserting his troops in the battle and is generally hated and scorned by everyone.
But something doesn’t add to for Mitten. She doesn’t see a man who acts like a coward. Instead she finds him very brave and very caring and not at all the type to run. It doesn’t hurt that she also finds him very attractive. And it turns out that she’s right, things aren’t as they seem.
When I think on Ms. Veryan’s heroes the first word that comes to mind for all of them is noble. The second word if asked would be honourable. And Tony is one of the most noble and honorable of them all.
And her heroines are always full of gumption but not at all in a TSTL way. Dimity is one of my favourite heroines. And together they are wonderful. Although kisses only, Ms. Veryan clearly gets across the attraction and the longing these two have in this seemingly impossible situation and I was quite happy with the steam content.
This book is in the middle of the series. Though I think it could be read alone – when I originally read them I read them all out of order, they flow better if they are read in order. I know this because once I read the whole series, I went back and read them in order.
Love Alters Not gave me a taste of why I am so drawn to this authors works and now that I’ve had that taste again, I know it’s going to be like a Lays Potato Chip, I won’t be able to read just one.
As with every time I read this book, I’m giving it 5 stars.
April 30, 2017
***4 1/2*** stars. As far as Veryan's 3 series of books, I prefer the more domestic family and home and society centered novels rather than the picaresque more adventure oriented. Love Alters Not is primarily the former and culminates in a terrific court-room drama. It truly is one of the great scenes in Veryan’s canon. No one does swords and pistols better. One of her trademarks is to inject high comedy and even slapstick into deadly intense duels and fights. This novel features one of her classics.
Despite it’s strengths, Anthony, the hero, was a little too noble and a little too long suffering and pitiable to suit my taste. There is one horrible act that happens later in the book that puts the sorrow and pity issue way over the top. It was too much for me. Never were bad guys so evil and good guys so noble. And never were those in the middle so conflicted and confusing! Of course it is true that the lower the depths the hero can sink to, the higher he can rise. Of course the love story is one of my favorites. And Dimity (Mitten) is one of my favorite heroines. Brave, funny, and adorable, her influence makes itself felt throughout the series and even into the next.
Despite it’s strengths, Anthony, the hero, was a little too noble and a little too long suffering and pitiable to suit my taste. There is one horrible act that happens later in the book that puts the sorrow and pity issue way over the top. It was too much for me. Never were bad guys so evil and good guys so noble. And never were those in the middle so conflicted and confusing! Of course it is true that the lower the depths the hero can sink to, the higher he can rise. Of course the love story is one of my favorites. And Dimity (Mitten) is one of my favorite heroines. Brave, funny, and adorable, her influence makes itself felt throughout the series and even into the next.
February 11, 2018
Excellent!
August 16, 2020
Enjoyed the love story - the politics were a little too much
July 25, 2021
Delicious!
June 22, 2023
I loooved this book!! It was filled with heartbreak, trials, suspense, and just the right amount of romance. Another wonderful book from this series I highly recommend this book!
October 8, 2025
Fun fun. Not deep, zero character development, but good prose and fun plot.
November 12, 2025
Ehhhhhhh
April 27, 2015
My favorite of Patricia Veryan's books! Her trademark humor shines brightly but there is also plenty of deeply emotional drama as well that will bring you to tears. The heroine is plucky and brave but not in a brash way: she simply takes what she is given and courageously works with it to accomplish her mission. She is also compassionate and sensitive, seeing in the not-very-heroic hero the man he truly is and that no-one else sees. For his part, the hero quietly lives out his principles in spite of the derision and contempt he faces daily.
The plot ties into the larger Golden Chronicles series, dealing with the Jacobite treasure that sympathisers are intending to restore to the original owners. A few of the secondary characters will be familiar to those who have read other books in the series, although the book stands alone as its own novel. Of particular interest is Roland Otton, a character that appears in each book of the series, undergoing a remarkable transformation along the way.
Of course, Love Alters Not contains the requisite nail biting duel scene one can find in any well written Georgian/Regency romance, as well as, naturally, romantic moments between the two main characters that take your breath away. All of the usual elements are there, but in this book, they shine brighter and raise it higher than other books of the same genre.
The plot ties into the larger Golden Chronicles series, dealing with the Jacobite treasure that sympathisers are intending to restore to the original owners. A few of the secondary characters will be familiar to those who have read other books in the series, although the book stands alone as its own novel. Of particular interest is Roland Otton, a character that appears in each book of the series, undergoing a remarkable transformation along the way.
Of course, Love Alters Not contains the requisite nail biting duel scene one can find in any well written Georgian/Regency romance, as well as, naturally, romantic moments between the two main characters that take your breath away. All of the usual elements are there, but in this book, they shine brighter and raise it higher than other books of the same genre.
April 14, 2009
Will it work out to a happy ending or will it be one of those tragic ends? I won't give anything away, but reading this story is an enjoyable effort. Tragedy and comedy are both on display. One scene having to do with a bath, a kitten, and a house tour is quite hysterical. However, there are scenes of knee pounding frustration as well. All of it is quite engaging.
September 12, 2014
I loved this.
One of my all-time-favourites. It has humor, heart-ache, and two very engaging main characters. I liked the heroine, she had spunk and was sweet at the same time. The hero was one of the most attractive ones in romance novels - at least for me. Strong, but vulnerable. Honourable and funny.
Just loved it.
One of my all-time-favourites. It has humor, heart-ache, and two very engaging main characters. I liked the heroine, she had spunk and was sweet at the same time. The hero was one of the most attractive ones in romance novels - at least for me. Strong, but vulnerable. Honourable and funny.
Just loved it.
July 8, 2011
I am not a big fan of romance novels because they all seem to be saturated with a bunch of naughty adjective/noun combinations which are unnecessary and add little to the plot. This book however, was sweet, funny, innocent, refreshing even. Definitely recommend!
October 20, 2012
What can I say? Ms. Veryan has done it again. A book that proves the adage that first impressions are not always correct. Filled with love and excitement, it promises to be another masterpiece by this wonderful author. I heartily recommend it.
March 6, 2009
So many parts of this book made me laugh out loud! Dimity was a darling, and her "nephew" an adorable handful.
June 10, 2010
Loved it! This plot was so cute. The whole book I was wondering how this could end happily and I was not disappointed.
June 28, 2010
One of my favorites of the series.
September 10, 2014
I have to give this five stars because this was the first-ever romance novel that I really loved and reread until it was falling apart.
December 19, 2015
One of my FAVORITE books by Veryan.
Adventurous historical fiction which tugs at your heart and has you exploding with laughter.
Adventurous historical fiction which tugs at your heart and has you exploding with laughter.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews