A Regency Scandal

by Alice Chetwynd Ley

Behind the discreet facade of proud wealth and privilege, a London scandal is brewing...
The most provocative charmer outside the demimonde gives way to forbidden passion at the Moonlight Masquerade...
An embittered Earl tries to locate a missing heir and wreck the titled future of his son...

An impetuous young innocent endangers her life to protect the handsome lover of a famous courtesan...
And a hot blooded commoner, maddened by desire for a titled beauty, plot the downfall of a wealthy Viscount...
Turbulent romance, glittering intrigue in fashionable Regency London

Genres: Historical Romance, Regency, Romance, Historical Fiction, Historical, Traditional Regency, Friends To Lovers

474 pages, Paperback

First published January 12, 1979

About the author

Born Alice Mary Chetwynd Humphrey on 12 October 1913 in Halifax, Yorkshire, England, UK, she studied at King Edward VI Grammar School in Birmingham. On 3 February 1945, she married Kenneth James Ley. They had two sons; Richard James Humphrey Ley and Graham Kenneth Hugh Ley.

She was a teacher at Harrow College of Higher Education. In 1962, she obtained a diploma in Sociology at London University, and was awarded the Gilchrist Award of 1962. She was a lecturer in Sociology and Social History, from 1968 to 1971.

Under her married name, Alice Chetwynd Ley, she published romance novels from 1959 to 1986. She was also tutor in Creative Writing, from 1962 to 1984. She was elected the sixth Chairman (1971-1973) of the Romantic Novelists' Association and was named an honoured Life Member.

Alice Chetwynd passed away in 2004.

Reviews

[OLT · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alice Chetwynd Ley's novels are great for a walk down the memory lane of when Regency and Georgian romances were classy, well written and very PG. The author (1913-2004) wrote her historicals (both romances and a few mysteries) from 1959 to 1989. This particular one was published in 1979, so, as you can see, it has a few miles on its odometer.

It's long, perhaps even a tad too long, but I still found myself interested in the read, not skipping and skimming as I usually do when bored or exasperated. And, although there really was not much that was unique about any of the plot points, Chetwynd Ley had me caring enough about these characters and wrote the story so well that I didn't roll my eyes even at its most predictable moments.

You can find all the usual suspects to be found in historical romance. Arranged marriages, domineering fathers, unrequited love, a secret marriage and a possible secret heir to a title, a devious and sly young woman who only cares about herself, a nobleman's employee who is resentful of those who consider him an inferior, and a bit more coincidence in the unraveling of the plot than there should have been. Even so, I liked this.

For one thing, this is a story that has characters from three generations of certain families. Although the third generation is the one we are most invested in here, all the generations have interesting, well thought out, flawed characters. And we see also how the "sins" of the father can have consequences in the life of the son.

In addition, the author integrates a good deal of history into her stories, without being boring and didactic or obvious about it. One of the characters, for instance, is studying to become a medical doctor, and we learn a good deal about hospitals and medicine and medical school of the times as we read about his life.

There are also several actual historical personages either referred to in the story or presented in cameos here. And there's a wide cast of fictional characters from all walks of life. Chetwynd Ley paints a good picture of how they lived (even a couple of circus performers).

There's also an actual mystery here with a bit of a twist in its development. Is our third-generation hero actually his father's heir? That's for you and him to find out. Granted, you may find that there's a bit too much coincidence in the pat resolution, but I forgave the author. This was fun.

The romances (and there are several) are also nicely done. Even though they are understated and chaste, you still can feel the love and attraction. No written sex scenes are necessary when the writing is good enough to show a satisfying relationship without them.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where to start!!!! I had previously only read one book by this author which I enjoyed. It was a typical easy read Regency romance. So I picked this one up expecting the same. What a surprise! Yes it is a Regency romance. Yes it's an easy read and yes it's very enjoyable. But it is so much more!
It starts off with a couple of families in an area and all the falling in love and mistakes and wrong marriages that you often get. Then it moves on to the offspring of these characters and more of the book is dedicated to them than the previous characters.
It has a bit of everything. Rich families and those not so well off. People pining for those they can't have. In fact everything that involves the ton. Then there's a mystery thrown in and this comes about because of one of the characters of the previous generation. It's done extremely well. At one stage I thought, oh no that's just too coincidental, because of the way it was going, then suddenly a twist again and I was wrong. I didn't actually see what was coming and this was great.
I really liked the characters of Helen and her friends but Cynthia was a horrible self centered creature who tried to manipulate everyone around her for her own selfish pleasure. She was a well written character though who made me want to slap her.
Anyone who enjoys Jane Austen will enjoy this book. I couldn't put it down. In fact I was sitting finishing it now when I should be doing the ironing. I found it that good.
I have to thank the ladies on the Word Wenches site for recommending this author. She's a gem and I'm definitely buying more of her books.

[Gerrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 out of 5 stars

[HR-ML · Rating 3 out of 5]

England 1789-1816. This felt 200 pages too long, & too
repetitive. A mixed bag. Gave this 3 stars.

The Earl of Alvington controlled his son Neville (who later
became earl,) portrayed all along as a spineless liar &
secret keeper. Neville never wanted to be a father. Neville's
heir/ viscount son Anthony saw through smoke & mirrors
and valued the truth. So 3 generations of men in one family.

Had positive aspects:
* great characters, especially Rev. Theo Somerby, his
wife Amanda & offspring James and Helen. They were
the moral compass of the story.
* several couples fell in love.
* a taste of how folks lived in that era.

Had not so good aspects:
* several men were attracted to unspoiled Helen, but one
made a pest of himself.
* beautiful, catty & at times cruel Cynthia needed to get
over herself.
* one oily man was out for revenge.
* several characters speculated: why did Neville the
earl hire his friend's secretary Bertram to make discreet
inquiries in Sussex? This became a repeat-fest of info.

Revised.

[suzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this. I love all the different characters all across the timeline. The first part was hard to get through for me because I dislike reading about characters that I hate. But it was worth it to get the full picture and to have a glimpse at the character motivations behind all the happenings. And I'm so happy that it didn't end up being a soap opera. Very enjoyable.

[Cathy R Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 5th Earl of Alvington was used to keeping his son Neville under his thumb and arranged an advantageous marriage for him. But Neville fell in love with a most unsuitable girl and ended up marrying her secretly. Before things reached the point where he had no choice but to admit what he had done, she died in childbirth, leaving a sickly son who was not expected to live. When the girl's mother realised that he wasn't willing to acknowledge the child, she whisked him away and was heard from no more. Conveniently, Neville was then free to obey his father's orders and marry the girl he'd chosen. A loveless marriage resulted in one son, Anthony, and his wife died several years later. Now, Anthony is grown up and Neville, now the 6th Earl, expects him to obey in regard to marriage as he himself had done (eventually...) When Anthony threatens to defy him, events are set in train that may bring the whole scandalous tale to light. Can Anthony weather the storm and find the happiness in marriage that his father (and grandfather) never did?

This is definitely not your typical 'modern' romance, but feels a much older style - which I really enjoyed once I got into that mindset. About the first quarter of the book is setting the scene with Neville and his secret and public marriages, before the main characters were even born, and there are (depending on what you count) three or four main 'couples' in the second generation part of the story. Honestly, though it's definitely not Dickens, that's what came to mind when I thought about the style - quite a collection of intertwined 'stories' with a bunch of main characters and few minor characters, rather than two main characters and a group of supporting characters, with a single storyline. For me, that was a good thing once I got over my mild confusion (I tend to automatically expect the typical 'two main characters' setup, but this just didn't quite fit), but others might not feel the same. The language use was very refreshing - so many books nowadays seem to misuse (or overuse) words all the time, but I don't think I noticed a single 'jarring' word in that way - though I could have done without the occasional blasphemy and similar. Also, there was some behaviour I would have preferred to miss, but nothing explicit, so I'd still call it generally clean. All in all, not your typical romance, but I would happily recommend it, particularly to those who enjoy older books.

Note that I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and this is my considered opinion of the book.

[Yue · Rating 3 out of 5]

No doubt the writing was excellent as always. I was immersed in Regency era the whole time I was reading it. And the ladies were all wonderful... it surprised me at first that the story was about the older generation (for about 20% of the book): sweet Maria getting married to the awful, coward Earl, and sweet Amanda, getting married to a wonderful Rector.

So of course the Rector's son is lovely while the Earl's son is meh. I enjoyed the ladies' POV very much: too bad for Cynthia to get hitched, finally a girl of the ton being a flirt and having fun and with just one night, to get pregnant! Melissa was a bit too young to get married, why couldn't she wait 6 months? James seemed sensible but he too was on a hurry :S As for Nell, I never rooted her with Anthony. First of all, he wasn't very likeable. Second, till more than half of the book his assiduous companion was Harriette Wilson, and everyone knew about that. And he visits her again almost at the ending, bc he was feeling low with Nell's possible engagement to someone else.

It was a tad too long and the outcome was a bit disappointing (the possible heir has been dead for the last 20+ years) Not great in the romance aspect, but was very engaging in the Regency era description and dialogues.

[Andrea Dalling · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a re-release of a book originally published in 1979, It's difficult to review, because whether you like it or not depends on taste. It's well written and the story is interesting. It's a long book full of lush descriptions and detailed world-building.

I prefer faster-paced stories, and would enjoy the book more if the word count were cut by about 50%. I think there was a lost opportunity to update this book for modern tastes in a world of cable TV, Netflix, and the internet. Yet I understand how the words of a classic novel might be considered sacrosanct. If you like slower-paced Regency romance and family sagas, this book might be for you.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received.

[Arte R · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alice Chetwynd Ley does something different in this book. Usually her books are short and an easy clean read. While there is nothing really steamy, there is really a lot going on and that is not comfortable.

A Regency Scandal has a more complex story line than usual and covers 2 generations of friends and their children. Also the description provided for this book does not reflect what happens with the key characters.

The story starts with old Viscount Shaldon, an autocratic man who pushes his unwilling son into marriage with a friend's daughter.
The son is a man who has secrets. He wants them to stay hidden as his father has an uncertain temper and would disinherit him if the secret came to his ears.

The girl, Maria agrees to the marriage because she is in love with him and thinks that her love will win him over eventually. She discloses as much to her friend Amanda Paxton. Her friend Amanda has her own little romance going on that is far more interesting and fun to read about (though short).

At this point, after the marriages, the story sags a bit and is quite predictable. The autocratic father dies, and the insecure & indecisive son becomes the new Viscount. There are changes in people's lives that are mentioned in passing.

The story then moves forward a few years to their children ( Maria's son Anthony and Amanda's children Harry & Helen & their friends). All of them providentially land up in London at the same time and we get into all their romances (love triangles, misunderstandings, heartaches etc.)

In the midst of this, the current Viscount in a fit of annoyance with his son decides to bring his secret to light. This is where the book finally gets interesting as his son investigates the secret and his friends & the heroine help in their own different ways.

The heroine in this book, Helen, is a little silly, and behaves pretty scandalously (walking out of a dance to greet her brother, attending village fairs alone, walking alone in the streets of London etc.) and all of this without anyone in the ton taking notice or offence.

The romance too is a bit sudden and unsatisfactory as Helen is mostly interacting with one person in her group and suddenly decides she actually loves the hero.

Everything gets resolved in the end and it is not very surprising as you can guess why different characters are brought into the story beforehand.

All in all, not the best book by this author. Also, as the book is very long, it gets difficult to read when the story slows down.

The 3 stars are for patches of enjoyment (Amanda Paxton's romance for one).

[Em]

I found this paperback edition in a local little free library and took it home out of historical interest. It was a tough start. But I was having trouble sleeping, and when my doctor offhand suggested reading a boring book before bed, I thought - what a good reason to read this book.

Anyway, I finally finished it! I didn't grow up on the proverbial Grandma's Bodice-Rippers so this is basically the only pre-2000s romance novel I've read but I've been assured by someone who knows better that it wasn't a genre staple to start out your book with 140 pages of the previous generation's secret baby plot just to set up a potential secret heir for the main characters. The main characters barely interact and only have the faintest interest in each other until the last few pages when they swoon into each other's arms. The writing is solidly mediocre soap stuff and the final point of view is the heroine's dog.

All that said, I'm glad I read it. As an artifact, it was interesting enough that I want to read another from this author or this decade to see if it's an outlier. And it was pretty relaxing to read before bed.

cw: uses slur for Romany people, the evil temptress character falls pregnant and abortion is presented as horrible option performed by wicked people

[Mystica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Viscount Shaldon has had a disturbing childhood. His father has never actually shown any affection always associating his son with his mild mannered mother. Now the Duke wants or rather insists that his son marries Cynthia Lynley, an attractive girl who is their neighbour whose lands run alongside their own.

Shaldon is not very keen on marriage but Cynthia is very beautiful and he feels that the match will not be that bad. Intrigue sets in very quickly however when an innocent girl gets unwittingly drawn into a scandalous past and when an employee of one of Shaldon's friends feels that he is put upon, and ignored and decides to take matters into his own hands.

Past scandals buried for years are now being uncovered and the Viscount faces disinheritance and being ostracized from the aristocracy for the fault of his father. Uncovering the mystery, and to set things right is not easy because there is viciousness and jealousy behind the actions of a few.

A Regency romance but with lots of other stuff coming in to make the story quite an intriguing one.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a number of Ley's books many years ago and most of these were shorter length with most of the seamier side of historical life left behind closed doors. This is a very different book by her, later in her career and much longer length. But the richness of the research and story is there as ever.

It's story for which there is a longer road. It begins with a misalliance and a weak son of a powerful aristocrat. From this introduction of several families of more background figures we jump to the future and the weak man's son is a very different creature with a different upbringing and solid, warm friends.

I'll leave the dastardly scandal for the reader to enjoy themselves but there are plenty of those moments to keep them going until we reach our happy conclusion. But still remembering the women of the beginning of the book something also a little different too?

I think this remains my favourite of her books.

[Pauline Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a strange book. I’ve read other books by this author, and they were all light, fluffy affairs. This is a much more serious read, longer, wordier and darker generally. It also has an odd structure, where the first third of the book is essentially prologue, a long, rambling exposition of the backstory to the main part of the novel. It would be very easy to read the blurb and start reading and then wonder if you had the wrong book altogether. I know, because that’s exactly what I did.

The first part of the book deals with an earlier generation, with Viscount Shaldon, son and heir of the Earl of Alvington. Shaldon is a weak man, quite unable to stand up to his strong-minded father, and held financially captive by him. But he’s also quite unable to keep himself out of trouble. So when he’s attracted to a pretty, vapid and quite unsuitable girl who’s barely gentry, he thinks it would be a clever wheeze to marry her. That will show his father that he’s his own man! But somehow, he never quite summons the courage to tell his father what he’s done, and when his father pushes him towards a far more suitable match, to the daughter of a neighbour, Shaldon dithers about, putting off the moment when he absolutely has to offer for her, but also rapidly losing interest in his wife, now in the sickly throes of pregnancy.

But fortuitously the wife dies in childbirth, her mother, thoroughly disenchanted with her son-in-law, scarpers with the child, and Shaldon is able to pretend it never happened and offer for the neighbour’s daughter. She’s head over heels in love with him, so she accepts at once, and this should be a happy ending. But a weak man like Shaldon isn’t going to reform his character overnight, or possibly at all, so the marriage isn’t a happy one.

The main part of the book is set firmly in the Regency, and deals with the next generation. Shaldon is now the Earl of Alvington, and his son from his second marriage is now twenty-five. Various other offspring of characters from the first part are all reaching adulthood, the men sprigs of fashion on the town and enjoying their freedom, the women making their come-out in London, but with all the history from the previous generation as baggage. And history is repeating itself, for the current earl is bent on making a good match for his son with a neighbour’s daughter. But this Viscount Shaldon is not his father - he’s just as reluctant to be pushed into matrimony before he’s ready, but he’s not financially dependent on his father, having inherited an estate from a relative.

The earl is not willing to be gainsaid, however, and determines to thwart his supposed heir by finding his son from his first, secret marriage, disinheriting the son from the second marriage, and never mind what scandal may ensue. Such a nice man.

This is in essence the major plot of the second part of the book, but it’s woven through with the romantic entanglements of the younger generation. This part, taking place almost entirely in London during the season, is very much more like other Chetwynd Ley books, so don’t be put off by the protracted opening, keep going and it does conform more to expectations. I’m not going to say anything about the romances (yes, there are several) because none of them lit me on fire. I liked some of the characters, and the younger Viscount Shaldon is a far more honourable man than his father, but they all seemed a bit ordinary to me. The villains brought about their own downfall far too easily for my liking, and the resolution to the matter of the missing heir was all a bit of a damp squib in the end.

I did enjoy this, once it got going, and I applaud the author for stepping off the well-worn path and trying something a bit different. So many Regencies depend for their resonance on great secrets from the past, but this is the first book I can remember which has shown the whole of the backstory, not just a short prologue or little snippets here and there. I don’t think it’s totally successful, but it was still a solid four star read for me.

[Vana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Alice Chetwyn Ley but this is my least favourite book. It is written in the form of a saga (over 2 generations) which is okay in itself, but at over 500 pages is it padded out with irrelevancies which distract from the main theme of the novel. (Example- detailed account of a cricket match).
The theme is a good one but it is a story that can be told in in 300 pages. I had to slog to the end and skip read at times but it was worth it as Ley tied up the pieces nicely bringing the theme all together.
Shame it was just too long.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a terribly engaging family saga, reissued posthumously by the authors children. The original scandal occurs during the parents’ time as young people (part 1), but the bulk of the novel takes place as their off-spring navigate the London season. I appreciated the two parts of the book; usually the past action is only referenced but having read it made part 2 all the more interesting.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Patrizia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Qui Alice Ley mira molto in alto: la storia (quasi una saga) in due volumi, ricorda l'impianto narrativo di Mary Braddon, con i suoi segreti e i suoi colpi di scena, ed è decisamente ben costruita, con un'ambientazione credibile, e una serie di riferimenti che tradiscono la sua minuta ricerca dei particolari. Non do volentieri quattro stelle a una moderna autrice di 'Regency Romance', ma credo che stavolta siano meritate.

[Rona Nimmo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Regency Scandalby Alice Chetwynd

A re release of a previously published book

An original styled historical romance unlike the modern ones. It follows two generations of Earls and how the sins of the father impact on the son.

Well written very much in the style Georgette Heyer. Although I found this a slightly slow it was an enjoyable well written read. At the moment the jury still out regarding the style I prefer most. 3.5/5

[Laura Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written historical romance

Author gives you all the bells and whistles, warts and all in this generational romance. The characters are given humanity in all forms whether for good or bad, selfless or self serving. What I really appreciated the story was centered around the women.

[Shirley Hamlod · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of long term friendships and relationships between a group of friends and their children. The story is very detailed and it is all held together by a mistake that Viscount Stratton makes in his youthful folly. It is possibly a bit long for me but it wouldn’t be the same if it was cut down. Eventually, there is a happily ever after.

[Akhila Giriraj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved it

Enjoyed a long tale well told with all the loose ends neatly tied. I do miss the sparkling conversation of Georgette Heyer but the romance and mystery far outweigh the lack.

[Mrs H J Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Expert in her field

How lovely to find a novel that focuses on a believable plot, as opposed to the modern convention of using sex to detract from the lack of story and historical accuracy.

[Julia Hebner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed

This book has interwoven plot lines. All is tied up satisfactorily by the end. I particularly liked the friendships among the main characters but sometimes the historical coloring came across as superfluous.

[I. Encinas · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring! Not the type of Regency romance I like to read

[DD · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this book very hard to get into. Don't particularly like the format either.

[Sybil Mcguire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never dull or formula. Ley writes complex characters.

[Lynn Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good Regency romance novel, a second favourite of this author and one I have read many times.