The Tyrant

The Golden Chronicles #3

by Patricia Veryan

The Tyrant is the eagerly awaited third volume in Patricia Veryan's series of romantic adventures set in Georgian England, The Golden Chronicles. The year is 1746, and as the beautiful Phoebe Ramsay, who is in love with Brooks Lambert, prepares herself for the Ramsay Summer Ball, she can hardly suspect that she will be betrothed before the night is over to a virtual stranger-a man named Meredith Carruthers, who is also known as The Tyrant.

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical Fiction, Historical, Georgian, Fiction, Georgian Romance

354 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Patricia 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.

Reviews

[Misfit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my, what a finish! Loved it.

This book is a bit different than others by Veryan. There was a lot less derring-do and swashbuckling and more focus was put on the developing relationship after they are forced into an 'unwelcome' engagement after being caught in a compromising position. I loved the character developments and the interaction with their families and household. While this is third in a complex series, this one could actually read well enough as a stand alone.

Edit, bonus points for the hound and the trouble-making black cat named Satan.

[Tweety · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's so many things I loved about this book! I really don't know why I waited so long to read it.

The story stars off quite simply with Phoebe and The Tryant's sham engagement to get themselves out of a scrape. It all started when they found a Jacobite rebel in the garden during a party and found in a compromising place because of it. Now they've got to find a way of getting the rebel away before they are taken as traitors as well as a way out of their engagement which one of them at least, doesn't want to end...

I loved the chemistry between the hero and heroine, I loved the characters back history and the plot had several of my favorite elements, decrepit buildings with secret rooms, man hunts, wild horse rides and an unseen enemy who won't stop at anything to get what he/she wants, even murder. Another tidbit, the hero is scarred and very blunt at social functions, he doesn't mind tell guests to go away she he can sleep. Even better, there is some humor to lighten darker moments. Oh, there's so many exciting things I'd love to talk about but I'd give the whole thing away so I'll just stop now and say it was amazing and if you like Georgette Heyer and Sylvia Thorpe you'd like this.

Note: this is the third book in the Golden Chronicles Series, I haven't read the first two, and I didn't need to. I'd probably have recognized some of the characters but it was fine as a standalone.

PG Some violence in the form of fisticuffs, shots and knocks in the head. Swears are limited to Ds and a few Bs as well as one or two Hs. Some of the covers to this book look a bit steamy, but it really can't be called steamy or racy. Other than one bad guy who tries to fondle two of the girls in this story. Which is put over in such a way I can hardly mention it. In no way is it described or put over to entertain. Other than that I can't think of anything objectionable.

[Linda (NOT RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Closer to 4.5 stars.

This is my first novel by Patricia Veryan and I enjoyed it very much. Until now I wasn't sure what a Georgian romance was. The Georgian era is a period of British history normally defined as including the reigns of George I, George II, George III, and George IV, i.e. covering the period from 1714 to 1830. This novel takes place in the mid-1700s. A Regency is defined by the Regency of George IV as Prince of Wales during the illness of his father George III. Often, the short reign of King William IV (1830 to 1837) is also included. This information comes from Wikipedia.

Phoebe Ramsey is a proper and responsible, not cardboard, lady. But within 24 hours of helping her brother assist a gentleman who is hurt, she finds herself betrothed to another. A virtual stranger, Meredith Carruthers aka 'The Tyrant' has no intention of getting entangled in this family's affair the night he met the Ramseys. Both 'Merry' and Phoebe are frustrated at their dilemma and agree to find a way out of marrying each other.

This is one of those stories that shows that a good writer can make the romance sensuous without the characters having sex. It was entirely enchanting; they develop a slow irresistible attraction to one another. I wanted, no, I needed to learn the circumstances of why Merry behaved the way he did. The wonderful disagreements Phoebe and he have are priceless. This was one of those rarer times when you realized the hero fell in love sooner then the heroine did.

Out of print, I picked up my copy at the library. There are six volumes: #1-Practice to Deceive, #2-Journey to Enchantment, #3-The Tyrant, #4-Love Alters Not, #5-Cherished Enemy and #6-The Dedicated Villain. The third volume of The Golden Chronicles, I had no problem reading it alone.

I would have given it five stars but I have never read any of Ms. Veryan's other books. It took me awhile to warm up to the dialogue of that era. Toad-eater, suds, rusticated, and dragoons are some of the words you'll find here. I found it was necessary to look up what some of them meant but once I did I breezed through the book. Whether you enjoy Georgian or regency romances I would encourage you to find this book. You will be glad you did.

[Mela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am ashamed that I have given only 3 stars after a first reading. My only excuse is that two years ago I wasn't yet in love with this kind of adventure books. Now, after 9 novels by Mrs. Veyran, I enjoyed "The Tyrant" enormously.

Most of my first review is still true. But now I appreciate more an idea of Phoebe's love life and a character of Otton. In two first parts of the series, I didn't like him at all. Here, he showed his better side (and probably prepared me for his whole story).

So, now it is 5 stars for an adventure side of the book, 5 stars for a romance, 3 stars for funny parts, 5 stars for a pleasure the book gave me and additionally 5 stars for a family drama and historical background and accuracy.

My first review (from Dec. 2016):

I think that if I was a fan of adventure novels I would give it more stars. An action, a plot was really good and thought-out. In my opinion, it was the best part of the book. There were all: a mystery, a hidden family's secret, a hunted treasure, a danger, villains, heroes, friends. I wonder if there is an element of an adventure book which wasn't here. And of course, there were chases (on horses obviously ;-) ), duels, fist fights, moreover quite engaging.

Next, there were a few really complex, multidimensional characters. I can see that they would be a good main hero for another story. I am really fond of Roly, some black sheep are simply irresistible for me ;-) I have even searched for a novel when he is the main hero and I found it, the last part of series: "The Dedicated Villain". Probably, when I am in the mood for another Patricia Veryan's novel it will be "The Dedicated Villain".

You may ask, why I give only three stars. Because I like this story but I have expected two more things: more romance and more witty charm (like Heyer). Yes, there was a romance, quite interesting, and there was some humor. But still, not so much I would like. I wasn't captivated by the love story.

So, 4 stars for an adventure side of the book, 3 stars for a romance, 2 stars for funny parts and 3 stars for a pleasure the book gave me.

[Christa Schönmann Abbühl · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my very favorites by Veryan.

Love the gruff hero, the fake engagement plot, the family dynamics, the wild flights, the crazy escape plans...

Veryan‘s stories may be nonsensically wild if looked at from a distance, but I believe them with all my heart while I’m engrossed in one of them. In the same way I believe in fairytales when I read them, or in dragons, when a Fantasy novel is truly great.

The scene where Merry walks into his mothers arms close to the end is just so beautifully heart wrenching. Sniff. My eyes were constantly wet for the last 10% of the book.

My re-read is going well, but I need to pace myself if I want to do anything else except read! The next one will be hard for me to put down even for a minute. It is one of the two or three books by this author I have re-read most.

This may be my most disciplined re-read of Veryan‘s work ever, and I seem to be aware a little more of how she does what she does. While her stories and characters are quite varied, she does have preferred elements, tropes, and character traits that she uses quite regularly. But she pulls it of so well, I can’t complain. Apparently I share her tastes in what I feel is romantic, heroic or funny, and therefore enjoy whatever she throws at me.

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although the last section is full of adventure, danger, and suspense, this one is mostly a more domestic romance and more of a comedy of manners than many of Veryan's novels. It is charmingly old-fashioned as are all of her books. The final love scene between the Phoebe and "Merry" is one of Veryan's most romantic and touching. It is full of period detail and is engaging throughout. There is one part that drags a bit, as usual, but this one part is pretty short. As usual, so far, the couriers of the cypher that name Jacobite (Jacky-bites, as called by one old codger) "traitors" and give the clues to the treasure collected to raise funds for Bonnie Prince Charlie, are ill-chosen, as they are, although long on bravery and nobility, are pretty weak in the brain department. This gets a little tedious after awhile. Luckily our hero and heroine are loyalists, not rebels, but have sympathy for the victims of Cumberland's atrocities.

[Michele Dale]

I first was introduced to Patricia Veryan at the Library. I loved to read historical fiction books and that is where I found her books. Youth History fictions. I enjoyed the stories and it made me think about Loyalty and what it really means.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 18th century is my favourite historical era. From the Jacobite rebellion to the French revolution it is filled with opportunities for those of us who love swashbuckling adventure and romance. If, like me, you long for a book that that is set in 18th century Scotland I have the perfect author to add to your to be read list: Patricia Veryan. Though I warn you, her writing is very addictive. I discovered her works quite by chance and have all bought all the books available in Kindle format and haunt the local 2nd hand bookshops hoping to come across the rest. She is every bit as good a writer as our darling Georgette Heyer with the same attention to period details, her charming prose simply flow off the page, and she possesses a wicked sense of humour that comes out vividly in her characters. On top of this, Veryan also brings to her writing the swashbuckling action and adventure of Sabatini at his best, with just a hint of the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel for good measure. (Teams of noblemen united for a cause abound.) Patricia Veryan is not as well known nowadays as Georgette Heyer, which is a pity. I hope to do my bit to reverse this injustice

The first book of Veryan’s I read was The Tyrant which is part of her Golden Chronicles saga, though not the first book in the series. The Golden Chronicles’ overarching plot has to do with the ruthless hunting down of Jacobite fugitives after the battle of Culloden, and the hunt for the hidden Jacobite gold. Our heroine, Phoebe Ramsey, finds herself caught up in the plot quite by accident. Her family is struggling to keep the manor, and she is expected to marry well. Unfortunately, she is in love with a poor army officer. Could life be any more troublesome? The answer is yes. Within the first few chapters she finds herself aiding and abetting the Scottish fugitives, and in a betrothal to a man known as The Tyrant (who she neither likes nor trusts) not only to save her reputation but the lives of her co-conspirators.

On the surface, Veryan’s writing would seem to be filled with the usual cliched characters and plot complications of the historical romance genre, but I can assure you that this is not the case! Each one of her heroines and heros is unique, three dimensional, and memorable, and her plots will keep you on the edge of your seat. As is often the case, the back cover blurb manages to bring a thoroughly good novel down to the level of a bodice ripper. Whoever chose the cover did her no favours either! The romance sizzles with chemistry but stays well and truly on the clean side of the scale, (always nice). The romance and the adventure are firmly linked in the plot, rather than the adventure being an add on and page filler.

An excellent book/series for those who enjoy Outlander or who like me, loath and despise Outlander but crave Scottish and/or 18th century reading material.

[Saadia Y · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. My first Patricia Veryan book and hopefully not my last. As I enjoyed this book I'll give the first and second instalment in this series a go. I enjoyed Phoebe and Meredith as our protagonist with their love/hate relationship and although I was worried at one point in the middle of the book that it was becoming a love triangle (which I loath), it wasn't as bad as it could have become..

I wasn't a fan of Meredith's mother and the way she treated him for mistakes SHE made, or the fact that one person didn't get their just desserts. There is also one revelation we discover that affects Jeffrey near the end that made me gag 😩😷.

However, after reading a string of Georgette Heyer novels, it was nice to read something that didn't waffle about things and people I have no interest in. The pace was good and I never felt the need to skip a paragraph or two because I was becoming bored.

[Patrizia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gli ingredienti del 'romance' di ambientazione georgiana ci sono tutti: l'abbigliamento, le pettinature, il massacro di Culloden, i Giacobiti ribelli, le repressioni… Forse un po' troppi, e forse presi un po' troppo sul serio: ho cercato invano tra le pagine di questo libro quello spirito scanzonato che mi aveva divertito in 'The Wagered Widow'. E la descrizione (per tre lunghe pagine) di una violenta scazzottata tra il 'buono' e il 'cattivo' mi ha ricordato un 'western all'italiana' di seconda categoria.

[Ksenia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess if I've read this book when I was a teenager I would be delighted with it. Since I am not a teenager, I didn't enjoy the book as much. The one thing that particularly drove me nuts was that the author, for the reason I cannot fathom, referred to the H by his first and last name in paragraphs next to each other. She did the same with the OM's name, the H's mother name ( sometimes with title, sometimes just plain first name). That alone made reading a chore.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Tyrant is the first book by Patricia Veryan that I have read. What I can say is that it made a pleasant impression on me. I was not bored. I liked the chemistry between the heroine and the hero, and the other characters were interesting. I even liked the descriptions, which sometimes bore me. I give it 4.5 stars.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed it!

[The Daydreamologist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of confusing at times, but then again, I was half asleep most of the time while reading this. I hate getting up at 6.

[Priyam Mehta · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.3 stars

[R G V · Rating 5 out of 5]

kindle book part of series but good stand alone. Have other dead tree books

[WSAB · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! It had the perfect amount of plot twists and suspence, and had my favourite enemies to lovers dynamic. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone. :)

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - lots of fun, not much depth or character development, but I enjoyed it. Well written prose, of course!

[TheWidowRose · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was very disappointed this is even called a historical romance. The problem isn’t that there are just kisses, it’s that ‘enemies to lovers’ is advertised….. but you get enemies to minor chemistry, close proximity and “I’m worried about you in danger.”

Other than the two main characters sharing their entrapment in a treasonous plot, adventure, and twisting storyline, there really isn’t any emotion of love. Ok, maybe when one of them is in dire straits, 3/4 of the way through the book.
There is a lot of bickering between them so maybe that is considered tension banter??

The treasonous plot, and all that it encompasses is the main character of this book. That is what gets 90% of attention and although it is entertaining and fast paced, it took the place of romance. Characters constantly think they are out of luck with no options – and then someone will concoct an extremely elaborate plan to circumvent it, at the snap of a finger. Everything became too perfect in happenstance, and more often than not, paragraphs jump from point to point so quickly you sometimes forget what just happened or why it happened – with many things being left explained.

The romantic part sprung up in a twist at the last 22 pages of the book. You read that correctly…. the last 22 pages of 294 pages. The I love you’s honestly surprised me.
Read it for adventure, but not for romance. I totally wasted my time on this.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Described as a "romantic adventure", Veryan's The Tyrant is set in Georgian England, just after the Jacobites have have been defeated, leaving the militia and bounty hunters scouring the countryside searching for remaining supporters of Bonnie Prince Charlie. Miss Phoebe Ramsay, in the middle of a campaign to convince her parents to allow her to marry her penniless suitor, discovers a horribly wounded man in her garden during a party. Her efforts to secure his safety manage to get her compromised by and then betrothed to Meredith Carruthers, a friend of the wounded man. What follows is a test of everyone's courage as Phoebe, Meredith, and Phoebe's brother try to set everything right without being beheaded for treason.

The book was not only an entertaining adventure (with an appropriately romantic happy ending), but a bit of a history lesson as well. I'll admit to forgetting most of what I'd learned in high school about Bonnie Prince Charlie and his rebellion. The pace seemed to plod a bit at times, but the characters were delightfully written and the story compelling.

[Eirene Ritznore · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll give this book 3 stars because there were moments that I really did enioy, but Phoebe drove me nuts through most of the book. Though there were times that I thought she was fine, and a bit heroic, I just didn't like her all that much. Meredith was a bit flat to me as a charater, even though I did like aspects of him. I did enjoy the suspense of the chase for Lance, though. My favorite characters were the grandmother of Phoebe and Roly. They had pluck and dimensionality that seemed genuine to me. I do enjoy Veryan's style of writing, but was not overly impressed with this offering.

[K.D Moriarty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book... It is clean fiction, but is an evident romance novel, It features plenty of adventurous plot to make it interesting with a few twists and turns. Her bio compares her writing to that of Georgette Heyer and is definitely justified.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

5th in my Veryan re-read. Phoebe's brother is helping escaped Jacobites, and she ends up engaged to Meredith Carruthers (despite hoping to marry Brooks Lambert).

Roland Otten is a major secondary character, Horatio Glendenning, Treve De Villars, Marbury (aka Muffin), Duncan Tiele (apparently a cousin of Carruthers) and Mariner Fotheringay are name-dropped. Cameos from Mrs. Monaghan and Fitzilliam Boudreaux (The Wagered Widow), along with a reference to Johnny Boothe. Captain Holt is a significant antagonist.

[Kazia0002 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the book to be overdramacized. The one thing it had in its favour were the main pair - but otherwise the sole amount of scandals, close calls and dramatics was... tiring. If the main hero was wounded and healed and wounded in the short span of time it was depicted in the book, he would be long ten feet underground, resting in a grave... At first it was interesting but near the end it was just tiresome.

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful period romance. I hadn't read much of this genre for a while, then I discovered this from my library's electronic shelf. Lots of fistfights, some history, and a great heroine (who for once has a valid reason for thinking that the male lead might have another love).

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, I wish the covers of these books weren't so cheesy. With that aside, I loved this book. I'm so glad I kept with this series because this book and the next were wonderful!

[Tressa (Wishful Endings) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read. It has humor, suspence, and romance. Set in late 1700's England.

[Mary23nm · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Tyrant is my favorite of the series so far. Almost perfect-Loved it!

[Vero · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good historical romance - I really loved Merry!

I re-read this from time to time, was one of the first romance novels I was allowed to read :-)

[Perhapsme · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my FAVORITE books by Veryan.

Adventurous historical fiction with romance and wit!