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Romantic Lady
CAROLINE WAS QUITE A BEAUTY... She was a young red-headed woman with all the impetuous gaiety that goes with red hair. And though her life as governess to her uncle's children seemed rather dreary, nothing could stifle her romantic spirit. And it was just this romantic spirit that caused Caroline to do a dangerous and impulsive act. An act that would nearly lose her all her friends. An act that would jeopardize both her liberty and honor. Only one person could save Caroline from such a fate--Guy Ravenshaw. And he had no taste for romantic ladies.
224 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1974
58 people want to read
About the author
Sylvia Thorpe
38 books22 followersJune Sylvia Thimblethorpe was born in 1926 in London, England. Educated in London at a school in Brondesbury, Kilburn High School for Girls, Slade School of Fine Arts, and University College. She worked as secretary from 1949 to 1952 and later she worked as school teacher.
As Sylvia Thorpe, she wrote over 25 historical romance novels from 1950 to 1983. Her novel "The Scapegrace" (1971) won the Elizabeth Goudge Historical Award. She was the third elected Chairman (1965-1967) of the Romantic Novelists' Association, and was named a Honor Life Member of the organization.
Sylvia is now a trustee for the Goodrich Village Hall Trust. Goodrich is a village, in south Herefordshire which is very close to Gloucestershire and the Forest of Dean situated near the River Wye and is famous for its old red sandstone Norman and medieval castle.
As Sylvia Thorpe, she wrote over 25 historical romance novels from 1950 to 1983. Her novel "The Scapegrace" (1971) won the Elizabeth Goudge Historical Award. She was the third elected Chairman (1965-1967) of the Romantic Novelists' Association, and was named a Honor Life Member of the organization.
Sylvia is now a trustee for the Goodrich Village Hall Trust. Goodrich is a village, in south Herefordshire which is very close to Gloucestershire and the Forest of Dean situated near the River Wye and is famous for its old red sandstone Norman and medieval castle.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 25, 2019
I'd think a woman in such woeful financial and social conditions as the h - penniless and completely dependent on her odious relatives for both roof and soup- would rather be involved in bettering her own life or at least trying to.
But this one here is a meddling busybody of the worst kind - planning and executing elopements for others, others who apparently are too much of dunderheads to do it themselves. Not just planning it down to the last detail but also essaying a starring role in it.
I like the H.
He's as a hero should be - strong, no-nonsense and undemonstrative to begin with. But gets into knight-mode just when needed. He's engaged to the girl, the h encourages to elope. I am still okay with this first escapade of the h. Everyone is allowed one mistake or mis-adventure.
But, it's her later stupidity that ruined the book for me.
But this one here is a meddling busybody of the worst kind - planning and executing elopements for others, others who apparently are too much of dunderheads to do it themselves. Not just planning it down to the last detail but also essaying a starring role in it.
I like the H.
He's as a hero should be - strong, no-nonsense and undemonstrative to begin with. But gets into knight-mode just when needed. He's engaged to the girl, the h encourages to elope. I am still okay with this first escapade of the h. Everyone is allowed one mistake or mis-adventure.
But, it's her later stupidity that ruined the book for me.
August 23, 2019
2,5
Caroline Cresswell is a poor relation living with her wealthy uncle and his obnoxious family as an unpaid helper. When we first meet her shes trying to help her friend organize an elopement with the girl he loves. After believing he was dead in the war she was pressured into accepting the proposal of Mr. Guy Ravenshaw,a rich gentleman who has the reputation of being a cold and unlikeable man.
After various things goes wrong and Caroline is kidnapped by Ravenshaws dissolute nephew who confuses her with Miss Linley (Ravenshaw) she and Guy end up stranded in the middle of the countryside without Money and has to make their way back to London.
One blurb describes Caroline as "a Beauty" wich is not at all the case in the book. From the description I kind of envisioned her as looking like Reese Witherspoon.
It was not bad and I would like to read another book by the author.
I may compare it unfavourably with one my favorite regencies ,Reluctant Bride by Joan Smith who also has road-trip shenanigans and missing jewelry.
Caroline Cresswell is a poor relation living with her wealthy uncle and his obnoxious family as an unpaid helper. When we first meet her shes trying to help her friend organize an elopement with the girl he loves. After believing he was dead in the war she was pressured into accepting the proposal of Mr. Guy Ravenshaw,a rich gentleman who has the reputation of being a cold and unlikeable man.
After various things goes wrong and Caroline is kidnapped by Ravenshaws dissolute nephew who confuses her with Miss Linley (Ravenshaw) she and Guy end up stranded in the middle of the countryside without Money and has to make their way back to London.
One blurb describes Caroline as "a Beauty" wich is not at all the case in the book. From the description I kind of envisioned her as looking like Reese Witherspoon.
It was not bad and I would like to read another book by the author.
I may compare it unfavourably with one my favorite regencies ,Reluctant Bride by Joan Smith who also has road-trip shenanigans and missing jewelry.
June 7, 2017
4.40 stars - pg13
[From the back cover: There was to be an elopement. .... Caroline Cresswell couldn't bear to see her friend, dearest Jenny, separated from her childhood sweetheart and forced into marriage with the odious Mr. Ravenshaw. Jenny and Roland must elope and she, Caroline, would help.... It was exactly the kind of romantic adventure she needed to lift her spirits from the dull routine of a life looking after her uncle's children. She was twenty-seven, penniless, and had unfashionable red hair. Romance, for her, was participating in other people's lives. .... But she hadn't bargained for the elopement going wrong. Jenny and Roland got away all right, but Caroline found herself in a most dangerous predicament, and it was only the 'odious' Mr. Ravenshaw who could help her...]
I enjoyed this Georgian/Regency romance. The story is probably more adventures and misadventures than romance. Jewel theft, elopement, kidnapping, murder, evil relatives, rescues & more rescues, more than one villain. It actually gets a tad bit tedious with too many ongoing different villainous plots and intrigues. One gets solved and you think you're on the way to the HEA and another villain with a different scheme/crime pops up.
Loved the "Heyer-style" mature, capable, wealthy, slightly aloof, protective Hero, who quietly falls in love with heroine almost from the start whilst rescuing her from various scrapes. "We have been acquainted for little more than a week, and during that time I have been obliged to rescue you from imprisonment, seduction and murder, to say nothing of a trifling matter concerning stolen property."
The heroine is a smart, sensible, romantic, "managing" type, who is "on-the-shelf" at twenty-seven years old. However, she occasionally becomes stubbornly tstl. After all the "scrapes" they've been through together, she should turn to the very capable and willing Hero, but instead her pride dictates she hide everything from him and try to deal with more villains, theft, murder, etc. by herself. She doesn't feel she could possibly embroil him in anything else so unsavory. Of course, she doesn't realize that he loves her and she couldn't possibly believe he would, because of her "reduced" social/financial standing.
The story had a very lovely ending and overall I enjoyed the book. This is the second book by Sylvia Thorpe that I've read and so far my favorite is Tarrington Chase.
[From the back cover: There was to be an elopement. .... Caroline Cresswell couldn't bear to see her friend, dearest Jenny, separated from her childhood sweetheart and forced into marriage with the odious Mr. Ravenshaw. Jenny and Roland must elope and she, Caroline, would help.... It was exactly the kind of romantic adventure she needed to lift her spirits from the dull routine of a life looking after her uncle's children. She was twenty-seven, penniless, and had unfashionable red hair. Romance, for her, was participating in other people's lives. .... But she hadn't bargained for the elopement going wrong. Jenny and Roland got away all right, but Caroline found herself in a most dangerous predicament, and it was only the 'odious' Mr. Ravenshaw who could help her...]
I enjoyed this Georgian/Regency romance. The story is probably more adventures and misadventures than romance. Jewel theft, elopement, kidnapping, murder, evil relatives, rescues & more rescues, more than one villain. It actually gets a tad bit tedious with too many ongoing different villainous plots and intrigues. One gets solved and you think you're on the way to the HEA and another villain with a different scheme/crime pops up.
Loved the "Heyer-style" mature, capable, wealthy, slightly aloof, protective Hero, who quietly falls in love with heroine almost from the start whilst rescuing her from various scrapes. "We have been acquainted for little more than a week, and during that time I have been obliged to rescue you from imprisonment, seduction and murder, to say nothing of a trifling matter concerning stolen property."
The heroine is a smart, sensible, romantic, "managing" type, who is "on-the-shelf" at twenty-seven years old. However, she occasionally becomes stubbornly tstl. After all the "scrapes" they've been through together, she should turn to the very capable and willing Hero, but instead her pride dictates she hide everything from him and try to deal with more villains, theft, murder, etc. by herself. She doesn't feel she could possibly embroil him in anything else so unsavory. Of course, she doesn't realize that he loves her and she couldn't possibly believe he would, because of her "reduced" social/financial standing.
The story had a very lovely ending and overall I enjoyed the book. This is the second book by Sylvia Thorpe that I've read and so far my favorite is Tarrington Chase.
September 14, 2015
Closer to 2.5 stars. The whole story takes place over a week. It starts out by the heroine pretending to be someone else, which results in her being abducted by accident (because the kidnapper actually wanted to abduct the person she was pretending to be). After that she gets thrown penniless out of her job and the house she was living in, almost raped, and finally almost murdered, before all the evildoers get their comeuppance and are put away, and the hero can ask her to marry him. Nice clean traditional Regency romance, but too much emphasis on the skulduggery and not enough emphasis on the romance for my taste. The author owes a big debt to Georgette Heyer for her characters, plot points, and style.
August 29, 2021
This is one of my favorite Regency Romances, perhaps because it was the first one I ever read. I also really like this heroine who 1) is not beautiful, 2) is orphaned, 3) has not one penny to her name, 4) has red hair (not auburn nor Titian. Just red), 5) is old (by Regency English standards), and 6) is unwanted by her community. Despite this, she is optimistic, bright, spirited, and has a backbone. Caroline helps her friends elope and gets accidentally kidnapped for her trouble. This starts a series of adventures that are a bit preposterous but fun. Caroline and the hero are a good match and I enjoyed their verbal battles with each other. Good, clean fun without being reduced to bodice-ripping antics.
July 25, 2022
Sylvia Thorpe reread #18. Another foray into the regency period, though with a heroine past her prime. At six-and-twenty with no fortune and working as a drudge for her rich relations Caroline Cresswell felt herself past the age of romance. However she knew she could help her childhood friends Jenny and Roland to achieve their happiness and therefore contrived in their elopement and escape from Jenny’s betrothal to the odious Mr Guy Ravenshaw. Little did she know what was to follow and the help that said Mr Ravenshaw would be. A dashing tale of elopements, abductions, theft, murder, outspoken heroines and a sprinkling of romance. I was totally enchanted and could not put it down.
November 29, 2022
It was fine. Writing style was pretty good. Characters were fine. I didn't hate it, it didn't make me mad, but I also didn't love it. Not quite compelling enough, maybe because the characters didn't have quite enough development for my liking. Wish Caroline were a little smarter and more useful (she has to be saved in every big event). I liked that it had plots of kidnapping and murder and stuff, to make it more adventurous (not just relationship drama).
November 27, 2016
I'm a huge fan of Sylvia Thorpe, and this is a great one! Caroline, a heroine living on the reluctant charity of extended family, meets Guy, a wealthy hero in the best Mr. Darcy style, on an accidental adventure. Great writing and great characters, this is a keeper.
January 20, 2022
A true Regency. Quite delightful.
May 23, 2022
Read as a teenager and enjoyed
October 1, 2022
Sweet, dated, delightful.
March 15, 2023
3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ I liked the fast pace of the adventurous plot! This is my first book by this author and it won’t be the last. This reminded me of a Carla Kelly or even georgette Heyer.
July 3, 2024
One of my favourite romance reads this year...
I'm a sucker for a historical romance. Having made my way through quite a few lately, I can safely say that this is up there as one of my favourites. It has a strong yet unbelievably likable heroine, a swoon-worthy hero who would do anything for the woman he loves, witty banter and dialogues that don't feel forced, and a strong plot that keeps you turning the pages.
Now, please note: is this one of the greatest works of the English language? Nope.
But is it a comfy read that you can snuggle down with? Most certainly.
If you enjoy books by Georgette Heyer, Alice Chetwynd Ley and the likes, I would highly recommend you give this one a go!!!
I'm a sucker for a historical romance. Having made my way through quite a few lately, I can safely say that this is up there as one of my favourites. It has a strong yet unbelievably likable heroine, a swoon-worthy hero who would do anything for the woman he loves, witty banter and dialogues that don't feel forced, and a strong plot that keeps you turning the pages.
Now, please note: is this one of the greatest works of the English language? Nope.
But is it a comfy read that you can snuggle down with? Most certainly.
If you enjoy books by Georgette Heyer, Alice Chetwynd Ley and the likes, I would highly recommend you give this one a go!!!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews