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Ladies of Scandal #1
A Fallen Lady
Six years ago, to the outrage of her family and the delight of London gossips, Lady Helen Dehaven refused to marry the man to whom she was betrothed. Even more shockingly, her refusal came on the heels of her scandalous behavior: she and her betrothed were caught in a most compromising position. Leaving her reputation in tatters and her motivations a mystery, Helen withdrew to a simple life in a little village among friends, where her secrets remained hers alone.
For reasons of his own, Stephen Hampton, Lord Summerdale, is determined to learn the truth behind the tangled tale of Helen's ruin. There is nothing he abhors so much as scandal - nothing he prizes so well as discretion - and so he is shocked to find, when he tracks Helen down, that he cannot but admire her. Against all expectations, he finds himself forgiving her scandalous history in favor of only being near her.
But the bitter past will not relinquish Helen's heart so easily. How can she trust a man so steeped in the culture of high society, who conceals so much? And how can he, so devoted to the appearance of propriety, ever love a fallen lady?
For reasons of his own, Stephen Hampton, Lord Summerdale, is determined to learn the truth behind the tangled tale of Helen's ruin. There is nothing he abhors so much as scandal - nothing he prizes so well as discretion - and so he is shocked to find, when he tracks Helen down, that he cannot but admire her. Against all expectations, he finds himself forgiving her scandalous history in favor of only being near her.
But the bitter past will not relinquish Helen's heart so easily. How can she trust a man so steeped in the culture of high society, who conceals so much? And how can he, so devoted to the appearance of propriety, ever love a fallen lady?
364 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 30, 2015
590 people are currently reading
951 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Kingston
12 books315 followers
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Elizabeth Kingston lives in Chicago, where she can be found gleefully subverting tropes and inventing new ways to make fictional people kiss. When there's time for it (hint: there's always time for it) she shouts loudly about the intersection of historical romance and white supremacist narratives. Lipstick, skincare, and baked goods all rank high on her list of Other Interests. She sincerely hopes you enjoy her writing, and that you'll share it with others.
Elizabeth Kingston lives in Chicago, where she can be found gleefully subverting tropes and inventing new ways to make fictional people kiss. When there's time for it (hint: there's always time for it) she shouts loudly about the intersection of historical romance and white supremacist narratives. Lipstick, skincare, and baked goods all rank high on her list of Other Interests. She sincerely hopes you enjoy her writing, and that you'll share it with others.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 167 reviews
June 2, 2025
This is one of the earlier audiobooks that I purchased. I originally gave it 2* and don't remember it. I just finished my reread of it and moved it to 3*. I did think the writing was one of most illustrative books that I have read recently of how a woman was treated and shunned for being a ruined woman. Even her brother believed her fiancé (Helen broke it off). The injustice was infuriating. The repeated hints and small parts of the past that are sprinkled through the story told of how Helen was abused and the tragic events that happened. If the couple had married and had a hea I would have thought, it was well worth it. BUT there was more, and it was just too much and too drawn out. I was worn out over Helen and her nice guy husband who is always trying to fix a broken situation.
September 9, 2025
England 1820
Lady Helen was a fallen woman. At seventeen, she was betrothed to Lord Henley. She was in love with him.
But she had been seen in a compromising situation. It seemed like she had given her virtue to her betrothed, and then refused to marry him, ruining herself.
Ashamed, her older brother cut ties with her.
Helen moved to a little village in a house she had inherited.
Six years went by.
Stephen was the second son of an Earl. He was a very handsome thirty-one year old, with a spotless reputation.
He was in love with a very beautiful, intelligent and proper Lady, Clara, and she was in love with him.
As he was the second son of an Earl he did not have very high prospects, so Clara made the choice to marry a Duke.
Little did she know that a few months after her marriage to the Duke, Stephen's older brother would pass away and that Stephen would become the new Earl.
That's when the letters started. Clara was not happy in her marriage. She regretted her decision to marry the Duke. She loved Stephen. They should become lovers. But even though Stephen was in love with her, he possessed a deep sense of morality.
Helen's estranged brother sent Stephen to find out the truth of what had happened to Helen six years ago. As Stephen had a country manor nearby, he managed to meet Helen in the little village, and became enchanted by her.
He told her that her brother, who was her only relative, seek a reconciliation as his new bride urged him to make peace.
But no matter how hard Stephen would try to find out the truth from Helen, she would refuse to talk.
He had failed but he found himself wishing to find more excuses to see her.
Helen is a tragic heroine who kept her painful secrets close to the vest. And just who was Katie, the six year old girl that Helen would do anything in the world to protect, including prostituting herself to the Hero?
A wonderful Hero who wouldn't give up on the heroine until he had to, and a very likeable, tortured heroine.
A book that manages to make me cry, (yes, l cried), can be nothing but a good one!
Lady Helen was a fallen woman. At seventeen, she was betrothed to Lord Henley. She was in love with him.
But she had been seen in a compromising situation. It seemed like she had given her virtue to her betrothed, and then refused to marry him, ruining herself.
Ashamed, her older brother cut ties with her.
Helen moved to a little village in a house she had inherited.
Six years went by.
Stephen was the second son of an Earl. He was a very handsome thirty-one year old, with a spotless reputation.
He was in love with a very beautiful, intelligent and proper Lady, Clara, and she was in love with him.
As he was the second son of an Earl he did not have very high prospects, so Clara made the choice to marry a Duke.
Little did she know that a few months after her marriage to the Duke, Stephen's older brother would pass away and that Stephen would become the new Earl.
That's when the letters started. Clara was not happy in her marriage. She regretted her decision to marry the Duke. She loved Stephen. They should become lovers. But even though Stephen was in love with her, he possessed a deep sense of morality.
Helen's estranged brother sent Stephen to find out the truth of what had happened to Helen six years ago. As Stephen had a country manor nearby, he managed to meet Helen in the little village, and became enchanted by her.
He told her that her brother, who was her only relative, seek a reconciliation as his new bride urged him to make peace.
But no matter how hard Stephen would try to find out the truth from Helen, she would refuse to talk.
He had failed but he found himself wishing to find more excuses to see her.
Helen is a tragic heroine who kept her painful secrets close to the vest. And just who was Katie, the six year old girl that Helen would do anything in the world to protect, including prostituting herself to the Hero?
A wonderful Hero who wouldn't give up on the heroine until he had to, and a very likeable, tortured heroine.
A book that manages to make me cry, (yes, l cried), can be nothing but a good one!
August 9, 2023
One of the most feminist romance novels I've yet read. Lady Helen Dehaven is Completely Fed Up With Patriarchy. Specifically, men who refuse to believe that she made the right decision to break an engagement after a horrific trauma. Stephen Hampton, Lord Summerdale, is tasked by Helen's brother to find out what happened, which to Helen is yet another insult (and she's not wrong.) She's built a life with her friends and found a goal worth living for, and she doesn't need any more condescending interference from outsiders, especially men, thank you very much.
The story of how they become friends and then lovers is an often painful read, because Kingston doesn't shy away from showing the damage that's inflicted on women by sexism and by individual men, including Stephen himself hurting Helen. He's not a bad guy, but he hasn't done any of the work to unpack his own attitudes and realize how much he fundamentally doesn't trust Helen as a competent expert on her own life. It takes a fairly nasty incident to shock him out of his complacency and start to grow, which he does unevenly, and I appreciated how Kingston showed his difficulty and didn't just give him one "aha" moment that fixed everything. That's not how unlearning works.
The female friendships in this novel are powerful and lovely. Recommended if you want a historical romance that aggressively engages with sexism, and comes out the other side with hope.
Content warning: Sexual violence, described in detail by the character who experienced it.
The story of how they become friends and then lovers is an often painful read, because Kingston doesn't shy away from showing the damage that's inflicted on women by sexism and by individual men, including Stephen himself hurting Helen. He's not a bad guy, but he hasn't done any of the work to unpack his own attitudes and realize how much he fundamentally doesn't trust Helen as a competent expert on her own life. It takes a fairly nasty incident to shock him out of his complacency and start to grow, which he does unevenly, and I appreciated how Kingston showed his difficulty and didn't just give him one "aha" moment that fixed everything. That's not how unlearning works.
The female friendships in this novel are powerful and lovely. Recommended if you want a historical romance that aggressively engages with sexism, and comes out the other side with hope.
Content warning: Sexual violence, described in detail by the character who experienced it.
May 1, 2025
Well, here’s an interesting quandary: how do you rate an excellent book that makes you miserable? What do you feel about a heroine who was horribly traumatized at the age of 17 (sympathy) who can’t trust anyone ever again (frustration), including herself (pity), and attacks before being attacked (aversion)?
Stephen, newly minted Earl of Summerdale, is in Herefordshire to locate Lady Helen, the disgraced and banished sister of a business associate and friend, to determine whether the relationship between brother and sister might be repaired or to ascertain that she is so degenerate that repairing the relationship would not be advisable. Stephen finds Helen, an intelligent, prickly, and fascinating woman, and his preconceived beliefs about scandalized women are challenged.
The evolution of their acquaintance is a roller coaster. The highs sometimes feel histrionic, the lows sometimes wallow in deep depressions, but even the parts that are too extreme are interesting.
Stephen is carrying personal baggage and more than a few secrets, but he’s the one that pushes the relationship with Helen: he visits her, he tries to help her, he wants to understand her, he is attracted to her, he wants her.
And Helen resists. She refuses to talk about the scandal that caused her public disgrace. She won’t share her thoughts, her emotions, her fears. She finds reasons to be angry and resentful. She is aware of how difficult she is, and feels powerless to change it.
I suppose I must seem terribly difficult – hiding everything, then shouting at him, then telling him the truth, and then–"
"And then making love to him and vomiting! It's priceless!"
She doesn’t want him because she wants him too much.
So these two characters repeatedly test each other and hurt each other and reach accord and then fracture the accord, tentatively trust each other and then betray each other.
I couldn’t give it 5 stars even if I’d loved it because after all the scratching and kicking and crying and hopelessness, the ending slid into place a little too easily.
But I couldn’t love it because it was just too ugly and exhausting. But the story was well told and the characters will remain with me for quite awhile.
Stephen, newly minted Earl of Summerdale, is in Herefordshire to locate Lady Helen, the disgraced and banished sister of a business associate and friend, to determine whether the relationship between brother and sister might be repaired or to ascertain that she is so degenerate that repairing the relationship would not be advisable. Stephen finds Helen, an intelligent, prickly, and fascinating woman, and his preconceived beliefs about scandalized women are challenged.
The evolution of their acquaintance is a roller coaster. The highs sometimes feel histrionic, the lows sometimes wallow in deep depressions, but even the parts that are too extreme are interesting.
Stephen is carrying personal baggage and more than a few secrets, but he’s the one that pushes the relationship with Helen: he visits her, he tries to help her, he wants to understand her, he is attracted to her, he wants her.
And Helen resists. She refuses to talk about the scandal that caused her public disgrace. She won’t share her thoughts, her emotions, her fears. She finds reasons to be angry and resentful. She is aware of how difficult she is, and feels powerless to change it.
I suppose I must seem terribly difficult – hiding everything, then shouting at him, then telling him the truth, and then–"
"And then making love to him and vomiting! It's priceless!"
She doesn’t want him because she wants him too much.
So these two characters repeatedly test each other and hurt each other and reach accord and then fracture the accord, tentatively trust each other and then betray each other.
I couldn’t give it 5 stars even if I’d loved it because after all the scratching and kicking and crying and hopelessness, the ending slid into place a little too easily.
But I couldn’t love it because it was just too ugly and exhausting. But the story was well told and the characters will remain with me for quite awhile.
Read
September 5, 2017Edito para añadir que después de consultar a lectores mexicanos y de otros países de Latinoamérica, sigo pensando lo mismo. Aunque justo es decir, que tras una conversación con la autora, al final sí me he sentido escuchada.
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DNF porque la traducción es terrible, le iba a poner una estrella porque creo que es lo que merece una traducción tan literal que hace el libro entre incomprensible, raro y aburrido, pero como nunca lo hago con el DNF me limitaré a dar mi opinión.
Varias lectoras españolas y yo le hemos hecho llegar a la autora lo problemática que es la traducción, y su contestación ha sido que es para público latinoamericano, concretamente mexicano y que la experiencia es subjetiva. Bien, cierto es que el español que se habla en España es distinto al que se habla en México, Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia (bendito español colombiano), Venezuela, etc... Pero, esas diferencias no hacen que cuando yo escucho a mi amiga mexicana crea que me habla en otro idioma y no comprenda nada de lo que dice, y supongo que a ella le pasará lo mismo, nunca me ha dicho lo contrario xD. El público latinoamericano y español estamos acostumbrados a leer traducciones de diferentes países, yo leí a los vampiros de la Ward traducidos en Latinoamérica, o a Florencia Bonelli en español de Argentina, esos son solo algunos ejemplos, y aunque algunas palabras se utilizan de formas distintas y hay variantes, no me hacía el texto incomprensible como ocurre aquí. La traducción es literal, algunas construcciones gramaticales no tienen sentido, no se utiliza el sujeto omitido que es propio del español, y así podría seguir hasta el infinito.
No sé, puede que esté equivocada y ahora alguna lectora mexicana me diga que la traducción es maravillosa. O también puede ser que si varias lectoras decimos que es una traducción mala y muy literal es porque lo es.
-----
DNF porque la traducción es terrible, le iba a poner una estrella porque creo que es lo que merece una traducción tan literal que hace el libro entre incomprensible, raro y aburrido, pero como nunca lo hago con el DNF me limitaré a dar mi opinión.
Varias lectoras españolas y yo le hemos hecho llegar a la autora lo problemática que es la traducción, y su contestación ha sido que es para público latinoamericano, concretamente mexicano y que la experiencia es subjetiva. Bien, cierto es que el español que se habla en España es distinto al que se habla en México, Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia (bendito español colombiano), Venezuela, etc... Pero, esas diferencias no hacen que cuando yo escucho a mi amiga mexicana crea que me habla en otro idioma y no comprenda nada de lo que dice, y supongo que a ella le pasará lo mismo, nunca me ha dicho lo contrario xD. El público latinoamericano y español estamos acostumbrados a leer traducciones de diferentes países, yo leí a los vampiros de la Ward traducidos en Latinoamérica, o a Florencia Bonelli en español de Argentina, esos son solo algunos ejemplos, y aunque algunas palabras se utilizan de formas distintas y hay variantes, no me hacía el texto incomprensible como ocurre aquí. La traducción es literal, algunas construcciones gramaticales no tienen sentido, no se utiliza el sujeto omitido que es propio del español, y así podría seguir hasta el infinito.
No sé, puede que esté equivocada y ahora alguna lectora mexicana me diga que la traducción es maravillosa. O también puede ser que si varias lectoras decimos que es una traducción mala y muy literal es porque lo es.
August 15, 2017
4.5 (I read the Spanish version of this novel therefore my review will be in Spanish)
Esta es una novela romántica que toma lugar en el Reino Unido durante el período de Regencia, alrededor de los años 1800. Nuestra protagonista es Helen Dehaven la cuál ha decidido mudarse a un pueblito debido a que su reputación fue arruinada por un evento que ocurrió hace seis años en Londres. Como era costumbre durante esos tiempos, después que la reputación de una mujer ha sido arruinada se le hace muy dificil poder continuar participando en la sociedad aristócrata de esos días y muchas tomaban la decisión de irse lejos del escrutinio.
Helen vive sus días felices apartada en una pequeña villa hasta que un día un hombre llega y cambia su destino. Este hombre es Stephen Hampton, el Lord Summerdale. Él llega con la excusa de venir de parte del hermano de Helen que hace años no sabe de ella y desea informarse si ella está bien. Bueno, aquí empieza la historia y poco a poco se van desenlazando los eventos.
Esta novela es romántica, cómica, e interesante. Esta escrita en un lenguaje formal que va perfecto con el tono y periodo del libro. Helen es un personaje orgulloso y curioso mientras que Lord Summerdale es un encanto que poco a poco se va ganando el corazón de Helen y el de las lectoras como yo.
Les recomiendo esta novela si les gustan las historias de amor que toman lugar en eras pasadas como lo fue Inglaterra hace un par de siglos.
Nota final: recibí este libro a cambio de mi honesta opinión la cual he expresado arriba.
Esta es una novela romántica que toma lugar en el Reino Unido durante el período de Regencia, alrededor de los años 1800. Nuestra protagonista es Helen Dehaven la cuál ha decidido mudarse a un pueblito debido a que su reputación fue arruinada por un evento que ocurrió hace seis años en Londres. Como era costumbre durante esos tiempos, después que la reputación de una mujer ha sido arruinada se le hace muy dificil poder continuar participando en la sociedad aristócrata de esos días y muchas tomaban la decisión de irse lejos del escrutinio.
Helen vive sus días felices apartada en una pequeña villa hasta que un día un hombre llega y cambia su destino. Este hombre es Stephen Hampton, el Lord Summerdale. Él llega con la excusa de venir de parte del hermano de Helen que hace años no sabe de ella y desea informarse si ella está bien. Bueno, aquí empieza la historia y poco a poco se van desenlazando los eventos.
Esta novela es romántica, cómica, e interesante. Esta escrita en un lenguaje formal que va perfecto con el tono y periodo del libro. Helen es un personaje orgulloso y curioso mientras que Lord Summerdale es un encanto que poco a poco se va ganando el corazón de Helen y el de las lectoras como yo.
Les recomiendo esta novela si les gustan las historias de amor que toman lugar en eras pasadas como lo fue Inglaterra hace un par de siglos.
Nota final: recibí este libro a cambio de mi honesta opinión la cual he expresado arriba.
December 11, 2025
Emotionally battered by the story, emotionally resurrected by the epilogue
omg omg omg omg that epilogueeeee i can't even form a decent sentence~~~ who gave these two permission to be so freaking adorable 😭😭😭😭♡♡♡♡♡
࿔*:･ Thoughts
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
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omg omg omg omg that epilogueeeee i can't even form a decent sentence~~~ who gave these two permission to be so freaking adorable 😭😭😭😭♡♡♡♡♡
࿔*:･ Thoughts
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
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Read
December 30, 2021Read for the URR New Year 2018 Reading Challenge: Enemies to Lovers.
Too soppy, you say? But what if I tell you that this scene doesn't take place between the heartbroken heroine and the hero, but in the moment of the separation between the heroine and her closest female friend? And indeed, female friendship takes the lion's share of the first half of the book: the relationship between Helen, the titular Fallen Lady, the scandalous Frenchwoman Marie-Anne, the Irish maid Maggie and Emily, whose deafness makes her a burden and an embarrassment to her noble family, is what immediately caught my attention and makes A Fallen Lady a much different beast than many other HR (and a lot of romance in general, really), where other women - women that aren't the heroine, that is - are often seen as obstacles towards the heroine's HEA, instrumental in making it happen or they're simply kept in the background, depicted as a gaggle of geese without much sense or purpose.
Intruding in the life of this little group comes Lord Summerdale, bent on determining once and for all the truth of the story behind Helen's fall from grace: a truth that, while not explicitly stated at this point in the story, is all but evident to the readers but simply unimaginable for Stephen, and in his mind, Helen's unseemly past behavior says it all about the matter of her broken engagement (in fact, his snooping around has nothing to do with giving voice to Helen's truth, that she's guilty of her own ruin is something he has no doubt about: he merely wants to make sure that ).
The arrival of the hero in the lives that these women have so painstakingly built for themselves is as far from meet-cute as you can imagine: Stephen represents everything that Helen fears and loathes, one of the most distinguished representatives of the same genteel Society that tried to destroy her. And when he starts to insinuate himself in her life, asking uncomfortable and painful questions with his impeccable manners, it's impossible for Helen to turn him away, to ask him to leave her house and never come back, to tell him to mind his own fucking business. Helen has no protection against his curiosity: Lord Summerdale isn't a bully, he simply wants to know something about this woman's past for reasons he isn't required to explain - her position in society doesn't grant Helen the right to defend against a nosy man and his position in society demands that his inquiry is given an answer, period.
Luckily for us, there's more to Stephen than a stuck-up asshole incapable of seeing past social customs and once he begins to warm up to this little cosmos of feminine fellowship, he slowly starts to question the values of the society that tossed Helen outside the realm of respectability, unprotected. His dogged pursuit of the truth of what happened to her and Helen's determination in keeping her hurtful past a secret (out of a sense of self-preservation rather than shame) make for the theme at the core of the book - how much are we willing to let the other person see of ourselves? The difficulty of opening our hearts to others can be there whether we've been unlucky enough to suffer a terrible trauma or, like in Stephen's case, it can simply be born out of loneliness, fear of rejection, and a sense of inadequacy. Kingston makes the case for both without ever turning Helen's painful past and Stephen's sense of estrangement the only thing that defines them as characters, but rather something they need to work on to finally be truly happy, as individuals and as a couple.
A Fallen Lady is a much richer read than I expected: great characterization, a strong cast of female characters that have truly meaningful relationships with each other, and romantic leads with something more to go on than simple insta-lust (and also a few typos here and there, but with such a story and good writing, do you really, really care?)
They only held hands as the cart pulled away, letting the distance pull their arms straight before the grasp was broken. Helen kept her arms outstretched, the emptiness of her hands saying all the things that she could not voice.
Too soppy, you say? But what if I tell you that this scene doesn't take place between the heartbroken heroine and the hero, but in the moment of the separation between the heroine and her closest female friend? And indeed, female friendship takes the lion's share of the first half of the book: the relationship between Helen, the titular Fallen Lady, the scandalous Frenchwoman Marie-Anne, the Irish maid Maggie and Emily, whose deafness makes her a burden and an embarrassment to her noble family, is what immediately caught my attention and makes A Fallen Lady a much different beast than many other HR (and a lot of romance in general, really), where other women - women that aren't the heroine, that is - are often seen as obstacles towards the heroine's HEA, instrumental in making it happen or they're simply kept in the background, depicted as a gaggle of geese without much sense or purpose.
Intruding in the life of this little group comes Lord Summerdale, bent on determining once and for all the truth of the story behind Helen's fall from grace: a truth that, while not explicitly stated at this point in the story, is all but evident to the readers but simply unimaginable for Stephen, and in his mind, Helen's unseemly past behavior says it all about the matter of her broken engagement (in fact, his snooping around has nothing to do with giving voice to Helen's truth, that she's guilty of her own ruin is something he has no doubt about: he merely wants to make sure that ).
The arrival of the hero in the lives that these women have so painstakingly built for themselves is as far from meet-cute as you can imagine: Stephen represents everything that Helen fears and loathes, one of the most distinguished representatives of the same genteel Society that tried to destroy her. And when he starts to insinuate himself in her life, asking uncomfortable and painful questions with his impeccable manners, it's impossible for Helen to turn him away, to ask him to leave her house and never come back, to tell him to mind his own fucking business. Helen has no protection against his curiosity: Lord Summerdale isn't a bully, he simply wants to know something about this woman's past for reasons he isn't required to explain - her position in society doesn't grant Helen the right to defend against a nosy man and his position in society demands that his inquiry is given an answer, period.
Luckily for us, there's more to Stephen than a stuck-up asshole incapable of seeing past social customs and once he begins to warm up to this little cosmos of feminine fellowship, he slowly starts to question the values of the society that tossed Helen outside the realm of respectability, unprotected. His dogged pursuit of the truth of what happened to her and Helen's determination in keeping her hurtful past a secret (out of a sense of self-preservation rather than shame) make for the theme at the core of the book - how much are we willing to let the other person see of ourselves? The difficulty of opening our hearts to others can be there whether we've been unlucky enough to suffer a terrible trauma or, like in Stephen's case, it can simply be born out of loneliness, fear of rejection, and a sense of inadequacy. Kingston makes the case for both without ever turning Helen's painful past and Stephen's sense of estrangement the only thing that defines them as characters, but rather something they need to work on to finally be truly happy, as individuals and as a couple.
A Fallen Lady is a much richer read than I expected: great characterization, a strong cast of female characters that have truly meaningful relationships with each other, and romantic leads with something more to go on than simple insta-lust (and also a few typos here and there, but with such a story and good writing, do you really, really care?)
August 28, 2018
I had such high hopes for this book given my enjoyment of Kingston's previous books, especially the amazing The King's Man. In two of Kingston's books, she truly excelled at emotional stories that grabbed me from start to finish. What happened here?
A Fallen Lady is an angsty and at times dark read with some heavy themes of sexual violence and the old-fashioned theme of shunning a ruined woman. For the first quarter of the book, I was convinced I was reading another stellar effort from Kingston, and I was eager to see how this author in particular would explore the characterization of a "fallen woman." I am sorry to say that the best work on this issue comes in the first quarter of the book. From that point on, new story lines emerge that offer ever new obstacles and sources of misunderstanding for the main couple. I had significant difficulty getting my bearings every time a new source of tension emerged to tear Helen and Stephen apart, and at around 60% I gave up trying to figure out where the story was going.
In Fair, Bright, and Terrible, Kingston did a very nice job depicting a "difficult" woman. Eluned never truly becomes likeable in the way readers might expect a romance heroine to behave, but she is always complex and ultimately understandable in her cynicism and distrust of people. Here though, Helen tells us she is "difficult" via internal musings, but in reality she is an incomprehensible mess of confusing behaviors and emotions. Helen's behavior jumps from love to hate, from trust to suspicion, and from desire to repulsion for much of the novel, and in the end, it is exhausting. I see myself as a heroine-centric reader with wide latitude for the so-called difficult women of the world, but this book left me confused. The last chapters were especially problematic with respect to Helen's actions toward her husband, and unfortunately, the tacked on happy ending epilogue felt forced. I had no real belief that Helen and Stephen were going to be able to sustain a happy life together based on everything preceding the final words of the book.
I gave this a generous three stars for Stephen, who is an understanding, kind, and patient man, and for the old-fashioned feel of the book. Too many historical romances today elide the realities of the regressive views on women's sexuality, and this book felt historically accurate in its depiction of sexual mores. Overall though, it was not an enjoyable read, and I am thankful that I have read other Kingston books because if this had been my first, it may have been my last.
A Fallen Lady is an angsty and at times dark read with some heavy themes of sexual violence and the old-fashioned theme of shunning a ruined woman. For the first quarter of the book, I was convinced I was reading another stellar effort from Kingston, and I was eager to see how this author in particular would explore the characterization of a "fallen woman." I am sorry to say that the best work on this issue comes in the first quarter of the book. From that point on, new story lines emerge that offer ever new obstacles and sources of misunderstanding for the main couple. I had significant difficulty getting my bearings every time a new source of tension emerged to tear Helen and Stephen apart, and at around 60% I gave up trying to figure out where the story was going.
In Fair, Bright, and Terrible, Kingston did a very nice job depicting a "difficult" woman. Eluned never truly becomes likeable in the way readers might expect a romance heroine to behave, but she is always complex and ultimately understandable in her cynicism and distrust of people. Here though, Helen tells us she is "difficult" via internal musings, but in reality she is an incomprehensible mess of confusing behaviors and emotions. Helen's behavior jumps from love to hate, from trust to suspicion, and from desire to repulsion for much of the novel, and in the end, it is exhausting. I see myself as a heroine-centric reader with wide latitude for the so-called difficult women of the world, but this book left me confused. The last chapters were especially problematic with respect to Helen's actions toward her husband, and unfortunately, the tacked on happy ending epilogue felt forced. I had no real belief that Helen and Stephen were going to be able to sustain a happy life together based on everything preceding the final words of the book.
I gave this a generous three stars for Stephen, who is an understanding, kind, and patient man, and for the old-fashioned feel of the book. Too many historical romances today elide the realities of the regressive views on women's sexuality, and this book felt historically accurate in its depiction of sexual mores. Overall though, it was not an enjoyable read, and I am thankful that I have read other Kingston books because if this had been my first, it may have been my last.
September 18, 2016
I've given this a B+ at AAR, so 4.5 stars.
This second book from new author Elizabeth Kingston is miles away – both chronologically and geographically – from her first one -The King's Man - which was set in medieval Wales. A Fallen Lady is a Regency set in a quiet English village, and I am pleased to say that Ms Kingston is as much at home with the social conventions of the early nineteenth century as she was with the brutal, turbulent times of the thirteenth century.
Six years earlier, Lady Helen Dehaven suddenly and unaccountably ended her betrothal, even after she and her fiancé had been discovered in a compromising position. Ruined in the eyes of an unforgiving society, Helen flees her brother’s home after he dismisses her one attempt at an explanation, and settles in a small village where she lives in relative obscurity but among friends.
But now, Alex, the Earl of Whitemarsh, wants to find his sister, and in a case such as this, there is only one man to whom he can turn. Stephen Hampton, the Earl of Summerdale is the keeper of society secrets, a man who knows everyone and everything and who can be relied upon to use that knowledge with the utmost discretion. Alex gives Stephen to understand that he wants to find out if Helen will consider a reconciliation and also suggests that maybe Stephen will be able to find out the truth of what happened six years ago.
Stephen Hampton is young, rich, good-looking and extremely well respected, with a reputation for upstanding propriety. He might not, then, be the best person to go looking for a fallen woman, but his friend’s request comes to him at a propitious time. Increasingly uncomfortable with the demands of his position and of the endless round of tawdry secrets and intrigue into which he is so often drawn, Stephen is keen to get away from London for a while. The prospect of a sojourn at his estate in Herefordshire – which is close to the village of Bartle-on-the-Glen which Helen has made her home – is thus an attractive one.
Helen is naturally suspicious when Stephen appears, making it clear that while she would love to see Alex and his new wife, she is not prepared to do so at any price. Her brother didn’t believe her years ago when she told him the truth and she was deeply, indelibly hurt by that. At first, Stephen judges her as society has judged her, but there is something about Helen that draws him, and he can’t resist seeking her out, coming to realise that there is more to her situation than meets the eye and that society has condemned her unjustly. The pair develops an unlikely friendship, finding pleasure in each other’s company even as they tread warily around one another – and for the first time in his life, Stephen discovers a sense of belonging; with Helen, with her friends and the society in which she lives.
A Fallen Lady is a gently moving story in which there is no overarching plot or major action; the romance IS the story and it’s by turns funny, tender and incredibly poignant. The two leads are well-developed, complex characters whose roles are slightly reversed; Helen is the one with the dark past and Stephen is the peacemaker, possessed of a warm, sunny disposition, even though he, too, has some demons of his own to exorcise. Their romance moves at a leisurely but believable pace, given what Helen experienced in the past, and while Ms Kingston doesn’t write overly explicit love scenes, she has imbued the relationship with a wonderful degree of longing and sexual tension.
Stephen is a truly lovely hero; warm, funny and protective, when he falls, he falls hard, and it’s clear he is prepared to do anything for Helen, even if it means making a sacrifice of his own reputation and good standing. Helen is rather more difficult to like, however, and even though the trauma she suffered makes her thoughts and actions completely understandable, it is almost heart-breaking to read the way she holds back from Stephen while he gives her so much of himself.
That’s the only reason I’ve given A Fallen Lady a B+ rather than an A-. Otherwise, it’s a compelling and beautifully written story about characters I came to genuinely care about. Elizabeth Kingston has well-and-truly cemented her position on my radar, and I will definitely be looking out for whatever she comes up with next.
This second book from new author Elizabeth Kingston is miles away – both chronologically and geographically – from her first one -The King's Man - which was set in medieval Wales. A Fallen Lady is a Regency set in a quiet English village, and I am pleased to say that Ms Kingston is as much at home with the social conventions of the early nineteenth century as she was with the brutal, turbulent times of the thirteenth century.
Six years earlier, Lady Helen Dehaven suddenly and unaccountably ended her betrothal, even after she and her fiancé had been discovered in a compromising position. Ruined in the eyes of an unforgiving society, Helen flees her brother’s home after he dismisses her one attempt at an explanation, and settles in a small village where she lives in relative obscurity but among friends.
But now, Alex, the Earl of Whitemarsh, wants to find his sister, and in a case such as this, there is only one man to whom he can turn. Stephen Hampton, the Earl of Summerdale is the keeper of society secrets, a man who knows everyone and everything and who can be relied upon to use that knowledge with the utmost discretion. Alex gives Stephen to understand that he wants to find out if Helen will consider a reconciliation and also suggests that maybe Stephen will be able to find out the truth of what happened six years ago.
Stephen Hampton is young, rich, good-looking and extremely well respected, with a reputation for upstanding propriety. He might not, then, be the best person to go looking for a fallen woman, but his friend’s request comes to him at a propitious time. Increasingly uncomfortable with the demands of his position and of the endless round of tawdry secrets and intrigue into which he is so often drawn, Stephen is keen to get away from London for a while. The prospect of a sojourn at his estate in Herefordshire – which is close to the village of Bartle-on-the-Glen which Helen has made her home – is thus an attractive one.
Helen is naturally suspicious when Stephen appears, making it clear that while she would love to see Alex and his new wife, she is not prepared to do so at any price. Her brother didn’t believe her years ago when she told him the truth and she was deeply, indelibly hurt by that. At first, Stephen judges her as society has judged her, but there is something about Helen that draws him, and he can’t resist seeking her out, coming to realise that there is more to her situation than meets the eye and that society has condemned her unjustly. The pair develops an unlikely friendship, finding pleasure in each other’s company even as they tread warily around one another – and for the first time in his life, Stephen discovers a sense of belonging; with Helen, with her friends and the society in which she lives.
A Fallen Lady is a gently moving story in which there is no overarching plot or major action; the romance IS the story and it’s by turns funny, tender and incredibly poignant. The two leads are well-developed, complex characters whose roles are slightly reversed; Helen is the one with the dark past and Stephen is the peacemaker, possessed of a warm, sunny disposition, even though he, too, has some demons of his own to exorcise. Their romance moves at a leisurely but believable pace, given what Helen experienced in the past, and while Ms Kingston doesn’t write overly explicit love scenes, she has imbued the relationship with a wonderful degree of longing and sexual tension.
Stephen is a truly lovely hero; warm, funny and protective, when he falls, he falls hard, and it’s clear he is prepared to do anything for Helen, even if it means making a sacrifice of his own reputation and good standing. Helen is rather more difficult to like, however, and even though the trauma she suffered makes her thoughts and actions completely understandable, it is almost heart-breaking to read the way she holds back from Stephen while he gives her so much of himself.
That’s the only reason I’ve given A Fallen Lady a B+ rather than an A-. Otherwise, it’s a compelling and beautifully written story about characters I came to genuinely care about. Elizabeth Kingston has well-and-truly cemented her position on my radar, and I will definitely be looking out for whatever she comes up with next.
May 20, 2024
Review from 2017
I've given this an A+ for narration (duh!) and an A- for content at AudioGals.
In A Fallen Lady, Elizabeth Kingston and Nicholas Boulton leave the political intrigue and the rolling hills and valleys of medieval Wales behind them and head East (and a few centuries into the future) to end up in Regency era Herefordshire for this story of a young woman who refused to endure the censure of society and her family and left both of them behind her in order to carve out a new life for herself.
Six years earlier and aged just seventeen, Lady Helen Dehaven jilted her fiancé without explanation, even though they had previously been found in a compromising position. In refusing to marry him, Helen risks irretrievable damage to her reputation and being shunned by society, but when she attempts to explain the situation to her brother, he dismisses her as hysterical and her explanation as wild and incomprehensible. Young as she is, Helen is stunned by his lack of faith in her, and leaves home, settling in the small village of Bartle-on-the Glen in Herefordshire where she owns a small dower house. She makes a life for herself there, becoming popular with the villagers who are all very protective of her. It’s not easy – Helen was born into luxury and has had to learn to keep house for herself, and she lives practically from hand to mouth – but she is independent and mostly content, especially in her friendship with Marie Anne de Vauteuil, the former mistress of a nobleman and another “fallen” woman who lives in the village.
Into this rustic idyll one day rides Stephen Hampton the Earl of Summerdale, whose country estate is not far from Bartle, and who has been asked by Helen’s brother, Alex, the Earl of Whitemarsh, to ascertain the state of Helen’s well-being and to see if there is any possibility of a reconciliation between them. Stephen is young, handsome, wealthy and widely regarded as one of the most honourable, upstanding gentlemen in society. He knows everyone and everything; his reputation for discretion and for giving good advice is second-to-none and he has become something of society’s keeper of secrets. But he is finding himself increasingly uncomfortable in that role and tired of the tawdry secrets and intrigues into which he is often drawn, so when his friend Whitemarsh asks him to check on his sister, and try to discover the truth of what happened six years ago, Stephen is only too glad to have the excuse to leave London and settle in the country for a few months.
Helen is suspicious of Stephen, and makes it clear that while she would love to see her brother and his new wife – who wrote to Helen upon the occasion of their marriage – Alex’s refusal to accept or even listen to her explanation for her actions all those years ago hurt her deeply, and that she cannot just forgive and forget. At first, Stephen is inclined to believe Helen to be what society says she is – a fallen woman – but there is something about her that draws him to her, an inner strength and determination he cannot help but admire as well as a certain vulnerability she keeps very well hidden. Over the next days and weeks, he seeks her out frequently, enjoying her company and appreciating her intelligence and quick wit. She remains steadfastly tight-lipped about the past, but Stephen finds himself caring less and less about her brother’s request and more and more interested in her for her own sake; he realises society has judged her harshly – and worse, that things could have been smoothed over had Alex stood by her instead of rejecting her.
Helen finds herself gradually shedding her suspicions about Stephen and allows herself to take pleasure in his company, too, although she tries to ignore the stirrings of attraction he evokes in her. She hasn’t felt anything like that for a man since she was so foolishly infatuated with her erstwhile fiancé and tells herself that her life is different now and that she has other priorities. Yet she is as drawn to Stephen as he is to her and gradually, she lowers some of her defences and allows him to get closer to her than she has allowed anyone apart from Marie-Anne, and to learn something of the truth.
The romance between Helen and Stephen moves at a leisurely pace and is imbued with tenderness, longing and simmering sexual tension. It’s clear to the listener fairly early on what must have happened to Helen, and her refusal to tell the truth can be a little frustrating. But when taken in context of the time at which the book is set, and her unwillingness to allow that event to define her, it becomes more understandable, even though her stubbornness looks set to threaten the happiness she is beginning to find with Stephen.
There’s something of a role reversal going on, as Helen is the one with the dark past while Stephen is warm and open-hearted, seemingly without a care in the world – although it emerges that this isn’t quite the case and that he has his crosses to bear, too. He’s a lovely hero, though – charming, kind and protective, it’s clear he’d do anything for Helen, even sacrifice his own good name and reputation if necessary. Helen is harder to like, however; she has grown so used to guarding her emotions that she persists in holding herself back, even in moments of intimacy, whereas Stephen willingly gives her himself – heart, body and soul – and it’s almost heartbreaking to listen to his bewilderment at why the woman he loves won’t – or can’t – share herself with him completely.
I really enjoyed the book when I read it a couple of years back; it’s a compelling and very well-written story and the complex characterisations and emotions just leapt off the page. As Ms. Kingston proved in Fair, Bright and Terrible, she has a knack for writing prickly heroines – not that Helen is much like Eluned! – and making their prickliness understandable even if it’s not always easy to like them as a result. Adding Nicholas Boulton into the mix, however, brings an extra dimension to Helen, because he is able to convey so much of the emotional conflict that is going on beneath her words and expressions. Maybe that seems an obvious thing to say – having someone actually speaking the dialogue is of course different to reading it for oneself – but in much the same way as he makes Maddy’s actions that much more understandable in Laura Kinsale’s Flowers from the Storm (I’ve chosen her because she’s a heroine whom many find hard to like), so he does the same with Helen; she’s strong and stubborn, but the woman who still hurts beneath the thick layers of self-protection is there – buried and long-suppressed, but she’s there. Stephen is more of an open-book; charming, kind and mostly optimistic, his good-humour is apparent in his voice and demeanour, but Mr. Boulton’s portrayal is also full of subtle nuances that bring out the complexities in his character. He’s an easy going man, but is also one possessed of great natural authority and all the different facets to him are expertly communicated to the listener.
I have yet to fault any of the technical aspects of any of Nicholas Boulton’s performances, and I’m not about to do so here, because his pacing and character differentiation are excellent and his vocal characterisations are superb. Helen’s friend, Marie-Anne is deliciously Gallic, the local villagers and farmers are suitably rustic, and Stephen’s mother and sister sound – appropriately – horribly snooty and snootily horrible!
Historical Romance is a popular sub-genre and while there are a lot of good books out there (and a lot of dross, too!) there are also a small number of gems published each year which stick in my memory – and A Fallen Lady is one of them. Strong writing, rich characterisation and a tender and (sometimes) angsty central relationship combine to make this an engrossing listen; and with Nicholas Boulton proving, once again, exactly why his name on the front of an audiobook makes us jump for joy, it’s highly recommended.
I've given this an A+ for narration (duh!) and an A- for content at AudioGals.
In A Fallen Lady, Elizabeth Kingston and Nicholas Boulton leave the political intrigue and the rolling hills and valleys of medieval Wales behind them and head East (and a few centuries into the future) to end up in Regency era Herefordshire for this story of a young woman who refused to endure the censure of society and her family and left both of them behind her in order to carve out a new life for herself.
Six years earlier and aged just seventeen, Lady Helen Dehaven jilted her fiancé without explanation, even though they had previously been found in a compromising position. In refusing to marry him, Helen risks irretrievable damage to her reputation and being shunned by society, but when she attempts to explain the situation to her brother, he dismisses her as hysterical and her explanation as wild and incomprehensible. Young as she is, Helen is stunned by his lack of faith in her, and leaves home, settling in the small village of Bartle-on-the Glen in Herefordshire where she owns a small dower house. She makes a life for herself there, becoming popular with the villagers who are all very protective of her. It’s not easy – Helen was born into luxury and has had to learn to keep house for herself, and she lives practically from hand to mouth – but she is independent and mostly content, especially in her friendship with Marie Anne de Vauteuil, the former mistress of a nobleman and another “fallen” woman who lives in the village.
Into this rustic idyll one day rides Stephen Hampton the Earl of Summerdale, whose country estate is not far from Bartle, and who has been asked by Helen’s brother, Alex, the Earl of Whitemarsh, to ascertain the state of Helen’s well-being and to see if there is any possibility of a reconciliation between them. Stephen is young, handsome, wealthy and widely regarded as one of the most honourable, upstanding gentlemen in society. He knows everyone and everything; his reputation for discretion and for giving good advice is second-to-none and he has become something of society’s keeper of secrets. But he is finding himself increasingly uncomfortable in that role and tired of the tawdry secrets and intrigues into which he is often drawn, so when his friend Whitemarsh asks him to check on his sister, and try to discover the truth of what happened six years ago, Stephen is only too glad to have the excuse to leave London and settle in the country for a few months.
Helen is suspicious of Stephen, and makes it clear that while she would love to see her brother and his new wife – who wrote to Helen upon the occasion of their marriage – Alex’s refusal to accept or even listen to her explanation for her actions all those years ago hurt her deeply, and that she cannot just forgive and forget. At first, Stephen is inclined to believe Helen to be what society says she is – a fallen woman – but there is something about her that draws him to her, an inner strength and determination he cannot help but admire as well as a certain vulnerability she keeps very well hidden. Over the next days and weeks, he seeks her out frequently, enjoying her company and appreciating her intelligence and quick wit. She remains steadfastly tight-lipped about the past, but Stephen finds himself caring less and less about her brother’s request and more and more interested in her for her own sake; he realises society has judged her harshly – and worse, that things could have been smoothed over had Alex stood by her instead of rejecting her.
Helen finds herself gradually shedding her suspicions about Stephen and allows herself to take pleasure in his company, too, although she tries to ignore the stirrings of attraction he evokes in her. She hasn’t felt anything like that for a man since she was so foolishly infatuated with her erstwhile fiancé and tells herself that her life is different now and that she has other priorities. Yet she is as drawn to Stephen as he is to her and gradually, she lowers some of her defences and allows him to get closer to her than she has allowed anyone apart from Marie-Anne, and to learn something of the truth.
The romance between Helen and Stephen moves at a leisurely pace and is imbued with tenderness, longing and simmering sexual tension. It’s clear to the listener fairly early on what must have happened to Helen, and her refusal to tell the truth can be a little frustrating. But when taken in context of the time at which the book is set, and her unwillingness to allow that event to define her, it becomes more understandable, even though her stubbornness looks set to threaten the happiness she is beginning to find with Stephen.
There’s something of a role reversal going on, as Helen is the one with the dark past while Stephen is warm and open-hearted, seemingly without a care in the world – although it emerges that this isn’t quite the case and that he has his crosses to bear, too. He’s a lovely hero, though – charming, kind and protective, it’s clear he’d do anything for Helen, even sacrifice his own good name and reputation if necessary. Helen is harder to like, however; she has grown so used to guarding her emotions that she persists in holding herself back, even in moments of intimacy, whereas Stephen willingly gives her himself – heart, body and soul – and it’s almost heartbreaking to listen to his bewilderment at why the woman he loves won’t – or can’t – share herself with him completely.
I really enjoyed the book when I read it a couple of years back; it’s a compelling and very well-written story and the complex characterisations and emotions just leapt off the page. As Ms. Kingston proved in Fair, Bright and Terrible, she has a knack for writing prickly heroines – not that Helen is much like Eluned! – and making their prickliness understandable even if it’s not always easy to like them as a result. Adding Nicholas Boulton into the mix, however, brings an extra dimension to Helen, because he is able to convey so much of the emotional conflict that is going on beneath her words and expressions. Maybe that seems an obvious thing to say – having someone actually speaking the dialogue is of course different to reading it for oneself – but in much the same way as he makes Maddy’s actions that much more understandable in Laura Kinsale’s Flowers from the Storm (I’ve chosen her because she’s a heroine whom many find hard to like), so he does the same with Helen; she’s strong and stubborn, but the woman who still hurts beneath the thick layers of self-protection is there – buried and long-suppressed, but she’s there. Stephen is more of an open-book; charming, kind and mostly optimistic, his good-humour is apparent in his voice and demeanour, but Mr. Boulton’s portrayal is also full of subtle nuances that bring out the complexities in his character. He’s an easy going man, but is also one possessed of great natural authority and all the different facets to him are expertly communicated to the listener.
I have yet to fault any of the technical aspects of any of Nicholas Boulton’s performances, and I’m not about to do so here, because his pacing and character differentiation are excellent and his vocal characterisations are superb. Helen’s friend, Marie-Anne is deliciously Gallic, the local villagers and farmers are suitably rustic, and Stephen’s mother and sister sound – appropriately – horribly snooty and snootily horrible!
Historical Romance is a popular sub-genre and while there are a lot of good books out there (and a lot of dross, too!) there are also a small number of gems published each year which stick in my memory – and A Fallen Lady is one of them. Strong writing, rich characterisation and a tender and (sometimes) angsty central relationship combine to make this an engrossing listen; and with Nicholas Boulton proving, once again, exactly why his name on the front of an audiobook makes us jump for joy, it’s highly recommended.
July 5, 2017
Review written July 4, 2017
3.8 Stars - A good one ... but not as great as Kingston's newer medieval
A Fallen Lady is a earlier written HR from Elizabeth Kingston. A author who already impressed me when with her great two medieval (year 12xx) Welsh Blades historicals*). An author who gives you characters with strong feelings and a pretty cool temperate mood. We are not dealing with just normal.
Once again a very well narrated audiobook by the great and formidable Nicholas Boulton. Summary: 10 hours Regency romance I mostly enjoyed a lot.
**********************************************
A Fallen Lady is truly a bit "different", I could even use a strong word as "unique", compared to most historicals I read.
Slightly heavy, dark, very emotional, with a lot of melodrama, but all time also engaging. Sometimes there in the middle was it honestly a bit lengthy and I wanted more to happen faster. Nevertheless are these strange characters Helen and Stephen and their story overall very intriguing. Not as good as the two medieval I did earlyer, but A Fallen Lady truly hooked me regardless of some shortcomings.
I'm not sure I would manage to do books like this one too often. I honestly need more fun, light bantering and romantic sweetness, but now and then is this more emotional style a excellent romance fiction to spend time with.
Longing for more by Elizabeth Kingston and narrated by Nicholas Boulton. — A excellent audiobook combo.
**********************************************
I LIKE - good well told stories to remember
*)
— Sincerely recommended!!
3.8 Stars - A good one ... but not as great as Kingston's newer medieval
A Fallen Lady is a earlier written HR from Elizabeth Kingston. A author who already impressed me when with her great two medieval (year 12xx) Welsh Blades historicals*). An author who gives you characters with strong feelings and a pretty cool temperate mood. We are not dealing with just normal.
Once again a very well narrated audiobook by the great and formidable Nicholas Boulton. Summary: 10 hours Regency romance I mostly enjoyed a lot.
**********************************************
A Fallen Lady is truly a bit "different", I could even use a strong word as "unique", compared to most historicals I read.
Slightly heavy, dark, very emotional, with a lot of melodrama, but all time also engaging. Sometimes there in the middle was it honestly a bit lengthy and I wanted more to happen faster. Nevertheless are these strange characters Helen and Stephen and their story overall very intriguing. Not as good as the two medieval I did earlyer, but A Fallen Lady truly hooked me regardless of some shortcomings.
« Six years ago, to the outrage of her family and the delight of London gossips, Lady Helen Dehaven refused to marry the man to whom she was betrothed. ~ For reasons of his own, Stephen Hampton, Lord Summerdale, is determined to learn the truth behind the tangled tale of Helen's ruin. »
I'm not sure I would manage to do books like this one too often. I honestly need more fun, light bantering and romantic sweetness, but now and then is this more emotional style a excellent romance fiction to spend time with.
Longing for more by Elizabeth Kingston and narrated by Nicholas Boulton. — A excellent audiobook combo.
**********************************************
I LIKE - good well told stories to remember
*)
— Sincerely recommended!!
September 19, 2024
this was so angsty and romantic i can’t cope
April 26, 2018
Slow burn romance with two people who really deserved an HEA. Helen is fabulous and I adored her strengths. Her BFF Marie-Anne is equally great and this was one of the best, non-wallpaper historicals I have read in AGES.
November 30, 2025
"Every road leads to you, and I cannot stop traveling it. But at the end you let me in and shut me out. Both, at the same time." He blinked, looking to her in appeal. "Will you never let me stay?"
After the excellent The King's Man, I had high expectations for this book. I really wanted to like it, but I struggled with it from the beginning to the end.
The main characters struggled as well. With themselves. With each other. With their families. With their past. With misunderstandings. With their secrets.
And there were many secrets. Too many, I'd say, and they were drawn out for far too long. The ominous hints, the secrecy, and the half-truths really got on my nerves. So did the main characters. Their inconsistent behaviour made me like them in one moment and dislike them in the next. This applied even more to Helen than to Stephen, because her false pride prevents her from accepting help, even though she desperately needs it, and because she fails to see the good even when it is right in front of her eyes. It was frustrating.
2.5
After the excellent The King's Man, I had high expectations for this book. I really wanted to like it, but I struggled with it from the beginning to the end.
The main characters struggled as well. With themselves. With each other. With their families. With their past. With misunderstandings. With their secrets.
And there were many secrets. Too many, I'd say, and they were drawn out for far too long. The ominous hints, the secrecy, and the half-truths really got on my nerves. So did the main characters. Their inconsistent behaviour made me like them in one moment and dislike them in the next. This applied even more to Helen than to Stephen, because her false pride prevents her from accepting help, even though she desperately needs it, and because she fails to see the good even when it is right in front of her eyes. It was frustrating.
2.5
June 9, 2016
3.5 stars
Six years ago 17-year-old Lady Helen Dehaven became a fallen woman. It would have been a trifling thing, that she had given her virtue to her betrothed before they were wed, but her true sin was that she had then refused to marry Henley (her fiancé).With her reputation in tatters Helen removed herself from society to the country house she had inherited from her grandmother. When her brother, her only remaining family, came home to England and demanded an explanation for her rush and foolish-like decision, he got what he deemed “wild stories”. Alienated from a very disapproving brother and society at large, Helen settles to a quiet life in a small village where her secrets are safe, where she finds friends and relative peace. But six years later her quiet life is disrupted again with appearance of Stephen, the Earl of Summerdale, who came to seek Helen (apparently at a behest of her brother) to find the truth of what happened six years ago and to promote reconciliation. There were other reasons for Stephen’s presence but these would remain secret until later as would many other secrets. Their revelation is painfully slow and the sheer number of them and drip-drip speed of their exposure is the main reason for my lower rating. It seems nobody is forthcoming enough and has the willingness to talk and listen.
On the other hand, in Helen and Stephen, the author created such complex and multilayered characters that is on par with some of the best romances I read. Both are generous, carrying and ultimately likable people but they also are hiding inside walls - and even more walls-some are not even recognized by them until later. Each had been wounded in both love and family relationships and it shaped their characters and outlook in life. Their romance develops slowly and very convincingly. Combine this with an excellent writing and I'm definitely looking forward to Kingston's next story.
Helen, named for the face that launched a thousand ships, only to be left shipwrecked…
The story starts slow, very-very slow, but picks up steam half-way through with escalated tension and unveiling of secrets upon secrets.Six years ago 17-year-old Lady Helen Dehaven became a fallen woman. It would have been a trifling thing, that she had given her virtue to her betrothed before they were wed, but her true sin was that she had then refused to marry Henley (her fiancé).With her reputation in tatters Helen removed herself from society to the country house she had inherited from her grandmother. When her brother, her only remaining family, came home to England and demanded an explanation for her rush and foolish-like decision, he got what he deemed “wild stories”. Alienated from a very disapproving brother and society at large, Helen settles to a quiet life in a small village where her secrets are safe, where she finds friends and relative peace. But six years later her quiet life is disrupted again with appearance of Stephen, the Earl of Summerdale, who came to seek Helen (apparently at a behest of her brother) to find the truth of what happened six years ago and to promote reconciliation. There were other reasons for Stephen’s presence but these would remain secret until later as would many other secrets. Their revelation is painfully slow and the sheer number of them and drip-drip speed of their exposure is the main reason for my lower rating. It seems nobody is forthcoming enough and has the willingness to talk and listen.
On the other hand, in Helen and Stephen, the author created such complex and multilayered characters that is on par with some of the best romances I read. Both are generous, carrying and ultimately likable people but they also are hiding inside walls - and even more walls-some are not even recognized by them until later. Each had been wounded in both love and family relationships and it shaped their characters and outlook in life. Their romance develops slowly and very convincingly. Combine this with an excellent writing and I'm definitely looking forward to Kingston's next story.
May 25, 2022
5 STARS
Loved it. New author for me. I really enjoyed the story. Excellent characters, both realistically flawed. Good writing. What more can I say. Looking forward to reading more from this author.
"It's frightening... to look at love and happiness, to know it was all contained in one place" – in his eyes when he looked at her. "Can it be so simple?"
Loved it. New author for me. I really enjoyed the story. Excellent characters, both realistically flawed. Good writing. What more can I say. Looking forward to reading more from this author.
March 2, 2023
A bit of a spoiler here and there, so I am sorry in advance.
I thought that this book would be harder to read. Don't get me wrong, it was quite hard right from the first page, but it took sooooo long for the heroine to move on and let herself trust again that I was a bit frustrated by the end of it.
The hero was a cinnamon roll in a boring kind of way. His descriptions were perfect. I trully liked him and in the end I was more sad about his life story and circumstances than the heroine's.
I can see why most of my GR friends gave this book a 5 star but were I in the hero's position in the end, I wouldn't have gone after her again. It was always him him him and never her. So this made me want to lower my rate.
3.5 stars.
I thought that this book would be harder to read. Don't get me wrong, it was quite hard right from the first page, but it took sooooo long for the heroine to move on and let herself trust again that I was a bit frustrated by the end of it.
The hero was a cinnamon roll in a boring kind of way. His descriptions were perfect. I trully liked him and in the end I was more sad about his life story and circumstances than the heroine's.
I can see why most of my GR friends gave this book a 5 star but were I in the hero's position in the end, I wouldn't have gone after her again. It was always him him him and never her. So this made me want to lower my rate.
3.5 stars.
December 9, 2017
(3.5 stars) This was a difficult HR for me to rate. It has much-better-than-average writing (except for the "lie/lay" difference which nobody seems to get anymore) and the characters were complex and well developed. I can see a good argument for giving this 4-5 stars but I also see the point of view of those who rated it a 3.
The heroine, Lady Helen Dehaven, sister to the Earl of Whitemarsh, 6 years ago was a young 17-year-old betrothed to a Lord Henley. Scandal has it she and he anticipated their marriage vows and then she jilted him, leaving her a ruined, scandalous woman. Her brother doesn't want her around to blacken the family name and she now lives a quiet, isolated, low-income life in a small village. But the scandal isn't exactly what it looks like on the surface and, by dribs and drabs, there is a painfully slow revelation of the whole story of her split from Lord Henley.
The hero, Stephen Hampton, Earl of Summerdale, has his own problems and past backstories. I actually found myself liking him more than many of the other reviewers apparently did. No, his issues weren't as big as the heroine's but he didn't exactly know that. Which brings me to my problem with this book. Nobody is forthcoming enough. Nobody really talks to anybody. Nobody listens to anybody. If only Helen and her brother had really, really communicated 6 years ago. If only Helen and Stephen really, really communicated now in the present of the story. I was, doggone it anyway, really frustrated by the slow drip of information.
Fortunately, the writing was good enough and the characters were developed well enough to compensate for this. I've decided to go with a 4-star rating because of that and because I've been reading so many inferior HRs lately that this one shines in comparison.
The heroine, Lady Helen Dehaven, sister to the Earl of Whitemarsh, 6 years ago was a young 17-year-old betrothed to a Lord Henley. Scandal has it she and he anticipated their marriage vows and then she jilted him, leaving her a ruined, scandalous woman. Her brother doesn't want her around to blacken the family name and she now lives a quiet, isolated, low-income life in a small village. But the scandal isn't exactly what it looks like on the surface and, by dribs and drabs, there is a painfully slow revelation of the whole story of her split from Lord Henley.
The hero, Stephen Hampton, Earl of Summerdale, has his own problems and past backstories. I actually found myself liking him more than many of the other reviewers apparently did. No, his issues weren't as big as the heroine's but he didn't exactly know that. Which brings me to my problem with this book. Nobody is forthcoming enough. Nobody really talks to anybody. Nobody listens to anybody. If only Helen and her brother had really, really communicated 6 years ago. If only Helen and Stephen really, really communicated now in the present of the story. I was, doggone it anyway, really frustrated by the slow drip of information.
Fortunately, the writing was good enough and the characters were developed well enough to compensate for this. I've decided to go with a 4-star rating because of that and because I've been reading so many inferior HRs lately that this one shines in comparison.
January 25, 2020
I was absolutely loving this dark, tortured, beautifully told story up until the very last argument. After so much angst for some reason the last time just made me doubt the HEA even though I know the author did it to make sure all the poison from the past was out in the open.
Regardless this story was well written and gripping. The writing style was different but I was into it. The best part is how the author herself described the book on had website. If you haven't checked her out, she is FUNNY.
Will definitely be checking out her other works.
Regardless this story was well written and gripping. The writing style was different but I was into it. The best part is how the author herself described the book on had website. If you haven't checked her out, she is FUNNY.
Will definitely be checking out her other works.
February 21, 2019
I returned to this book so many times in 2018. It has much promise. A lot of good writing. But by God, I was bored. Something indefinable was missing for me. I simply ceased to care about any of the characters and thus the romance. Reached about 60% and decided life is too short and gave up for good.
Thought Kingston’s medieval effort was excellent though. Not sure why this fell so flat for me.
Thought Kingston’s medieval effort was excellent though. Not sure why this fell so flat for me.
January 18, 2024
Angsty h, abandoned by her family. When the H approaches her on behalf of her brother, she immediately mistrusts him. He's repelled by her, then sees there must be more to her story. Very upsetting read, if seemed incoherent at times. Very understandable - she deserves her HEA.
January 11, 2016
I just read on Elizabeth Kingston's website that this was actually her first book, written in 2002 and put away for years before she brought it back out for polishing and publication. All I can say, in that case, is that she's been an excellent writer for a long time, even if we readers are only just discovering her with this book and the first one she published, The King's Man.
The heroine of A Fallen Lady, Lady Helen Dehaven, broke off her engagement six years before the story begins, under circumstances that have branded her, in the oh-so-kind judgment of Regency England, as "ruined." She lives hidden away in a small village, with a few good friends nearby, but far from the aristocratic society in which she grew up. She is estranged from her only remaining family, her brother Alex, so when Stephen Hampton, Lord Summerdale, arrives in the village in search of her and claiming to be an emissary from Alex, Helen is suspicious of his and her brother's motives.
The truth of Helen's ruination is much more horrible and heartbreaking than almost anyone knows, and she's very self-protective and closed off as a result. Stephen starts out judging her as society has judged her, but as he gets to know her he can't help feeling that society's conclusions -- and her brother's -- have been wrong. He finds himself falling for her, too, wanting the sense of belonging that comes from befriending her and becoming enmeshed in her circle. With her he feels a belonging that he's never experienced before, either with his dysfunctional, verbally abusive family, or in the upper class society that respects him but always keeps him at arm's length.
Seeing these two lovable but flawed people make their way to each other on a bumpy emotional journey is the essence of this novel. There is no big plot, no major action, but it's a compelling story, beautifully and poignantly written, with characters I truly came to care about.
So...a medieval romance, and now a Regency. I wonder what's next for Elizabeth Kingston? A Western romance? Something set in Victorian times? Whatever she writes and whatever time period it's set in, I'll be waiting anxiously to read her next book.
The heroine of A Fallen Lady, Lady Helen Dehaven, broke off her engagement six years before the story begins, under circumstances that have branded her, in the oh-so-kind judgment of Regency England, as "ruined." She lives hidden away in a small village, with a few good friends nearby, but far from the aristocratic society in which she grew up. She is estranged from her only remaining family, her brother Alex, so when Stephen Hampton, Lord Summerdale, arrives in the village in search of her and claiming to be an emissary from Alex, Helen is suspicious of his and her brother's motives.
The truth of Helen's ruination is much more horrible and heartbreaking than almost anyone knows, and she's very self-protective and closed off as a result. Stephen starts out judging her as society has judged her, but as he gets to know her he can't help feeling that society's conclusions -- and her brother's -- have been wrong. He finds himself falling for her, too, wanting the sense of belonging that comes from befriending her and becoming enmeshed in her circle. With her he feels a belonging that he's never experienced before, either with his dysfunctional, verbally abusive family, or in the upper class society that respects him but always keeps him at arm's length.
Seeing these two lovable but flawed people make their way to each other on a bumpy emotional journey is the essence of this novel. There is no big plot, no major action, but it's a compelling story, beautifully and poignantly written, with characters I truly came to care about.
So...a medieval romance, and now a Regency. I wonder what's next for Elizabeth Kingston? A Western romance? Something set in Victorian times? Whatever she writes and whatever time period it's set in, I'll be waiting anxiously to read her next book.
April 28, 2017
This book's a hard one to rate. I have to go with my gut feeling and say that I didn't really enjoy it all that much. It was well written, to be sure, and there were definitely moments that felt like a glimpse at the author's above average writing skill, but the MCs and plot were overwhelmingly sad. Honestly, it was depressing. And while I'm not a chick lit fan by any means, I don't need to be reminded by how awful and unfair real life can be.
I found it hard to connect to the MCs at the beginning of this story. The H was very judgmental and the h was so cynical, secretive, and burdened. The transformation of both was nice to read and the H was especially lovely, but I felt like the drama inserted at the end of the story was just too much. The MCs seemed like they were finally happy and figuring things out when the author threw them for a loop. I mean, enough already. The epilogue was cute but didn't give enough details about the MCs' life together. I really wanted to know and felt like it was due for having to wade through all of the Debbie Downer sadness.
I found it hard to connect to the MCs at the beginning of this story. The H was very judgmental and the h was so cynical, secretive, and burdened. The transformation of both was nice to read and the H was especially lovely, but I felt like the drama inserted at the end of the story was just too much. The MCs seemed like they were finally happy and figuring things out when the author threw them for a loop. I mean, enough already. The epilogue was cute but didn't give enough details about the MCs' life together. I really wanted to know and felt like it was due for having to wade through all of the Debbie Downer sadness.
October 1, 2017
Quedé con las emociones a flor de piel.
Una mujer con un trauma del pasado, muchos secretos, cosas no dichas. ¿puede el amor superar las peores cosas? ¿puede un alma profundamente herida poder tener una vida normal o tener una percepción clara de la realidad?
Sinceramente, me gustó mucho esta historia a pesar de que tiene cosas por las que he criticado mucho a otras novelas.
Por ej, cuando los problemas se generan por cosas no dichas. Pero en este caso es comprensible. Por lo menos para mí.
Se ha hablado de la traducción. Es verdad que algunas palabras no están bien traducidas y concuerdo que no son localismos. Creo que encontré sólo dos localismos: ahorita (por "ya mismo") y chongo (por "rodete" de pelo, cuando en Argentina se usa para referirse a un muchacho viril que otorga favores sexuales a hombres o mujeres mayores que él por dinero o regalos). Los demás son fallas, tipo collar en vez de cuello, introducción por presentación o civil por civilizado, etc. Pero después dejé de darme cuenta de esas fallas porque, sinceramente, me atrapó la historia.
¡Hasta me acostumbré a las comillas en vez de los guiones de diálogo!
No podía dejar de leerla hasta saber el final. Pero ojo, quizá sea que me tocó fibras íntimas, principalmente la falta de comunicación en la pareja.
Por otra parte, en una opinión por aquí leí que es cómica. Para mí no lo es para nada, es un profundo drama en la que Helen es una víctima.
Una mujer con un trauma del pasado, muchos secretos, cosas no dichas. ¿puede el amor superar las peores cosas? ¿puede un alma profundamente herida poder tener una vida normal o tener una percepción clara de la realidad?
Sinceramente, me gustó mucho esta historia a pesar de que tiene cosas por las que he criticado mucho a otras novelas.
Por ej, cuando los problemas se generan por cosas no dichas. Pero en este caso es comprensible. Por lo menos para mí.
Se ha hablado de la traducción. Es verdad que algunas palabras no están bien traducidas y concuerdo que no son localismos. Creo que encontré sólo dos localismos: ahorita (por "ya mismo") y chongo (por "rodete" de pelo, cuando en Argentina se usa para referirse a un muchacho viril que otorga favores sexuales a hombres o mujeres mayores que él por dinero o regalos). Los demás son fallas, tipo collar en vez de cuello, introducción por presentación o civil por civilizado, etc. Pero después dejé de darme cuenta de esas fallas porque, sinceramente, me atrapó la historia.
¡Hasta me acostumbré a las comillas en vez de los guiones de diálogo!
No podía dejar de leerla hasta saber el final. Pero ojo, quizá sea que me tocó fibras íntimas, principalmente la falta de comunicación en la pareja.
Por otra parte, en una opinión por aquí leí que es cómica. Para mí no lo es para nada, es un profundo drama en la que Helen es una víctima.
August 24, 2019
This was such a beautifully written and deeply emotional love story and it has definitely made me want to read more of Elizabeth Kingston’s books.
The traumatic events of six years ago left Lady Helen Dehaven ruined in the eyes of society. It also led to an estrangement between herself and her brother, Alex, Earl of Whitemarsh, when he rejected her explanation of what happened as ‘wild, incomprehensible tales.’
Forced to flee her brother’s home, she has built a new life for herself in the rural Herefordshire village of Bartle-on-the-Glen and the rent from the Dower House, inherited from her grandmother, provides enough income to live on. Helen has a small circle of devoted friends and has earned the loyalty and respect of all those around her. But her quiet, unobtrusive life is about to be shattered by the arrival of a stranger.
I admire Helen for her courage and determination in the face of such adversity but she remains haunted by the ghosts of the past. She still feels deeply hurt by her brother’s treatment of her and I couldn’t help but be moved by her yearning for something she believes she can never have…an ordinary life.
Stephen Hampton, the younger son of the Earl of Summerdale, has a gift for discovering other people’s secrets, and his reputation for the upmost discretion has garnered him some influential friends and a position of relative power. Following the death of his elder brother from influenza two years ago and his father’s recently, Stephen is now the earl. In his position, he could easily use his skills for his own benefit, but he has ‘grown to hate tawdry secrets and intrigue’ and wants to get as far away from London as possible. An opportunity arises when the Earl of Whitemarsh, encouraged by his new wife, asks Stephen to approach his sister with a view to seeking a reconciliation, and discovering the truth of what happened six years ago. As Stephen’s Manor House is not far from Bartle-in-the Glen, he accepts.
Stephen is a man who has never really belonged anywhere and it was heart-breaking to see how his own family subjected him to ridicule and scorn. I had a real sense of the depth of loneliness he feels.
The initial meeting between Helen and Stephen does not seem very auspicious but, as they get to know each other, Helen is won over by Stephen’s friendly and easy going manner, and Stephen realises that, with Helen and her friends, he has found somewhere he truly feels he belongs.
For the first time he could remember, he belonged. He was not shut out here.
I like how Ms. Kingston develops their relationship gradually, which not only heightens the sexual tension, but also reveals what a wonderful hero Stephen is – tender, patient, amusing and protective. At the same time, it was heart-rending to see Helen struggle with her deep-seated fears.
It was a monster from the deep, dedicated to pulling her down into the depths and smothering her.
Stephen’s reputation has always been spotless and it is testament to the strength of his love for Helen that he is willing to sacrifice everything by marrying her. So, I was really frustrated by her lack of trust in him.
There are some very emotional twists and turns before they reach their Happy Ever After, which made me enjoy the delightful Epilogue even more.
I loved seeing the close bond of friendship between Helen, Marie-Anne, a woman entirely at ease with her own scandalous reputation, and Maggie, Helen’s small but fierce Irish servant.
Having lived in Herefordshire for several years, I had to grit my teeth every time Bartle-on-the-Glen was mentioned. There are glens in Scotland but not in this particular English county!
MY VERDICT: Elizabeth Kingston weaves such a compelling and intensely emotional love story with complex characters that I truly cared about. Highly recommended.
Ladies of Scandal series (click on cover for more details):
This review was first posted of the Rakes and Rascals blog:
https://rakesandrascals.wordpress.com...
The traumatic events of six years ago left Lady Helen Dehaven ruined in the eyes of society. It also led to an estrangement between herself and her brother, Alex, Earl of Whitemarsh, when he rejected her explanation of what happened as ‘wild, incomprehensible tales.’
Forced to flee her brother’s home, she has built a new life for herself in the rural Herefordshire village of Bartle-on-the-Glen and the rent from the Dower House, inherited from her grandmother, provides enough income to live on. Helen has a small circle of devoted friends and has earned the loyalty and respect of all those around her. But her quiet, unobtrusive life is about to be shattered by the arrival of a stranger.
I admire Helen for her courage and determination in the face of such adversity but she remains haunted by the ghosts of the past. She still feels deeply hurt by her brother’s treatment of her and I couldn’t help but be moved by her yearning for something she believes she can never have…an ordinary life.
Stephen Hampton, the younger son of the Earl of Summerdale, has a gift for discovering other people’s secrets, and his reputation for the upmost discretion has garnered him some influential friends and a position of relative power. Following the death of his elder brother from influenza two years ago and his father’s recently, Stephen is now the earl. In his position, he could easily use his skills for his own benefit, but he has ‘grown to hate tawdry secrets and intrigue’ and wants to get as far away from London as possible. An opportunity arises when the Earl of Whitemarsh, encouraged by his new wife, asks Stephen to approach his sister with a view to seeking a reconciliation, and discovering the truth of what happened six years ago. As Stephen’s Manor House is not far from Bartle-in-the Glen, he accepts.
Stephen is a man who has never really belonged anywhere and it was heart-breaking to see how his own family subjected him to ridicule and scorn. I had a real sense of the depth of loneliness he feels.
The initial meeting between Helen and Stephen does not seem very auspicious but, as they get to know each other, Helen is won over by Stephen’s friendly and easy going manner, and Stephen realises that, with Helen and her friends, he has found somewhere he truly feels he belongs.
For the first time he could remember, he belonged. He was not shut out here.
I like how Ms. Kingston develops their relationship gradually, which not only heightens the sexual tension, but also reveals what a wonderful hero Stephen is – tender, patient, amusing and protective. At the same time, it was heart-rending to see Helen struggle with her deep-seated fears.
It was a monster from the deep, dedicated to pulling her down into the depths and smothering her.
Stephen’s reputation has always been spotless and it is testament to the strength of his love for Helen that he is willing to sacrifice everything by marrying her. So, I was really frustrated by her lack of trust in him.
There are some very emotional twists and turns before they reach their Happy Ever After, which made me enjoy the delightful Epilogue even more.
I loved seeing the close bond of friendship between Helen, Marie-Anne, a woman entirely at ease with her own scandalous reputation, and Maggie, Helen’s small but fierce Irish servant.
Having lived in Herefordshire for several years, I had to grit my teeth every time Bartle-on-the-Glen was mentioned. There are glens in Scotland but not in this particular English county!
MY VERDICT: Elizabeth Kingston weaves such a compelling and intensely emotional love story with complex characters that I truly cared about. Highly recommended.
Ladies of Scandal series (click on cover for more details):
This review was first posted of the Rakes and Rascals blog:
https://rakesandrascals.wordpress.com...
March 3, 2017
Pressing pause.
I don't like this as much as everyone else (the story of my romance-reading life!) - to me, this is the juvenalia of a very good writer. The book is sometimes pretty good, frequently okay, and there are occasional hints of something much better than okay. But it's a somewhat frustrating read for me, because much of it doesn't live up to its own promise. It has ambitions and doesn't fulfill them. I'll probably try again at some point.
(Because of THE WAY I AM, I can't handle the thing where modern writers penning historical romances sometimes pretend that servants and their employers were great friends and just like family and that the servants loved working for free and had a totally democratic roommates relationship with the people they cooked, cleaned, and scrubbed for. I mean think about this logically. You're talking about people you hire to do things like empty your chamberpots and wash your dirty sheets. People who get up before you on cold mornings so you don't have to get out of bed into a cold house. People who do the grunt work of keeping a household running before electricity, running water, and mechanized tools. Pretending that someone does all of that because they're your good friend makes me feel so tense and weird. I can't deal with it and I can't keep reading after I encounter it. It makes the whole book suddenly seem to exist in a realm of fantastical relationship dynamics, and I can't tell which way is up.)
I don't like this as much as everyone else (the story of my romance-reading life!) - to me, this is the juvenalia of a very good writer. The book is sometimes pretty good, frequently okay, and there are occasional hints of something much better than okay. But it's a somewhat frustrating read for me, because much of it doesn't live up to its own promise. It has ambitions and doesn't fulfill them. I'll probably try again at some point.
(Because of THE WAY I AM, I can't handle the thing where modern writers penning historical romances sometimes pretend that servants and their employers were great friends and just like family and that the servants loved working for free and had a totally democratic roommates relationship with the people they cooked, cleaned, and scrubbed for. I mean think about this logically. You're talking about people you hire to do things like empty your chamberpots and wash your dirty sheets. People who get up before you on cold mornings so you don't have to get out of bed into a cold house. People who do the grunt work of keeping a household running before electricity, running water, and mechanized tools. Pretending that someone does all of that because they're your good friend makes me feel so tense and weird. I can't deal with it and I can't keep reading after I encounter it. It makes the whole book suddenly seem to exist in a realm of fantastical relationship dynamics, and I can't tell which way is up.)
June 9, 2020
Una novela entretenida. Un estilo diferente. Tal vez me gusten más otros estilos, pero la autora ha sabido llevar hasta el final la intriga y el desarrollo fue más que satisfactorio.
An entertaining novel. A different style. Maybe I like more other styles, but the author has managed to carry the intrigue to the end and the development was more than satisfactory.
An entertaining novel. A different style. Maybe I like more other styles, but the author has managed to carry the intrigue to the end and the development was more than satisfactory.
June 30, 2017
I’ve only recently discovered this author and the two medieval books she wrote, I just loved. This one is set in Regency period and while the plot was slow moving, I thought the story revolved mostly around the developing characters and their growing relationship. I believe the complexity of the characters (and trust me, both characters had a lot of issues that only with time would be resolved) and their growing romance are as much of a plot as the real reason behind their meeting and the heroine’s past.
Our hero Stephen is sharp, intuitive and funny while the heroine Helen, is strong, witty and vulnerable. No wonder Stephen was taken with her, despite her reputation.
The story not just starts slow, but it moves at a sedate pace throughout and to some this might be an obstacle. To me, I rather thought it was a conscious decision on the part of the author. I believe that if this story was given a fast pace, we would have lost the point of what it really takes for two vastly different, extremely complex individuals to not just fall in love with one another, but to accept each others flaws and circumstances that brought them together.
Some stories are written to entertain and titillate, some to make us laugh and some to make us cry. This story actually has all of those elements but it also makes us think. We are forced to see the society and its people of Regency Era as they truly were. A society that treated women as property and put very little value on them.
Elizabeth Kingston and Nicholas Boulton are a force to be reckoned 🙂 I love them both.
Melanie for b2b
Gift copy provided by the publisher for an honest review
Our hero Stephen is sharp, intuitive and funny while the heroine Helen, is strong, witty and vulnerable. No wonder Stephen was taken with her, despite her reputation.
The story not just starts slow, but it moves at a sedate pace throughout and to some this might be an obstacle. To me, I rather thought it was a conscious decision on the part of the author. I believe that if this story was given a fast pace, we would have lost the point of what it really takes for two vastly different, extremely complex individuals to not just fall in love with one another, but to accept each others flaws and circumstances that brought them together.
Some stories are written to entertain and titillate, some to make us laugh and some to make us cry. This story actually has all of those elements but it also makes us think. We are forced to see the society and its people of Regency Era as they truly were. A society that treated women as property and put very little value on them.
Elizabeth Kingston and Nicholas Boulton are a force to be reckoned 🙂 I love them both.
Melanie for b2b
Gift copy provided by the publisher for an honest review
July 7, 2017
Audio Edition: For the most part, this was a great story. The heroine and hero were both really likable with amazing secondary characters, Marie-Anne and Maggie were my favs. I thought that the plot was really interesting, what brought these two together was one I've not read before. There were also a few curve balls I didn't expect. This is a new author, highly recommended by Laura Kinsale. I do have two gripes:
1) While the plot was great, the buildup to understanding the heroine's fall from grace took entirely too long.
2) I said "For the most part this was a great story" Well it was, up until the last hour where the heroine took a turn onto misunderstanding stubborn lane and you know the rest of the story.
Why can't authors get creative instead of having a long, drawn our angst fest when we KNOW how it ends? Luckily this one was just an hour or so.
As a result, I'm giving the author 4/5 stars for this story, she has promise and I'll keep an eye out to the followup of this book. I actually bought the first book in her "Welsh Blades" series" before purchasing this one.
The narrator 5/5 stars, hands down. Nicholas is always so clutch.
1) While the plot was great, the buildup to understanding the heroine's fall from grace took entirely too long.
2) I said "For the most part this was a great story" Well it was, up until the last hour where the heroine took a turn onto misunderstanding stubborn lane and you know the rest of the story.
Why can't authors get creative instead of having a long, drawn our angst fest when we KNOW how it ends? Luckily this one was just an hour or so.
As a result, I'm giving the author 4/5 stars for this story, she has promise and I'll keep an eye out to the followup of this book. I actually bought the first book in her "Welsh Blades" series" before purchasing this one.
The narrator 5/5 stars, hands down. Nicholas is always so clutch.
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