The Miser's Sister

by Carola Dunn

Desperate to escape her cruel, stingy brother, Lord Godfrey, Lady Ruth Penderric agrees to marry the boring local curate but finds her life transformed when she is kidnapped by smugglers and rescued by dashing Oliver Pardoe

Genres: Romance, Regency, Fiction, Historical Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Regency Romance

208 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2010

About the author

Carola Dunn is the author of more than 30 Regency romances, as well as 16 mysteries (the Daisy Dalrymple mystery series is set in England in the 1920s). Ms. Dunn was born and grew up in England, where she got a B.A. in Russian and French from Manchester University. She travelled as far as Fiji before returning to settle in California. After 30 years in the US, she says she still sounds as if she arrived a month ago.

Prior to writing, Ms. Dunn’s various jobs included market research, child-care, construction--from foundation trenches to roofing--and writing definitions for a dictionary of science and technology. She wrote her first novel in 1979, a Regency which she sold to Warner Books.

Now living in Eugene, Oregon, Ms. Dunn has a son in California who has just made her a grandmother, and a large black dog named Willow who takes her for a walk by the Willamette River each morning. (www.belgravehouse.com)

Reviews

[Olga Godim · Rating 2 out of 5]

A rather less than average regency novel. I like the author's later Daisy Dalrymple mystery series much better. In this book, the writing is primitive, almost amateur, as if Dunn is still learning the craft. The story has an interesting potential, but the execution is poor, and the characters - well... It could've been an adequate tale, if the author handled her characters more adroitly. Or at all. As it is, the characters are flat, paper-thin at best.
Overall: meh. No more Dunn's romances for me, thank you very much.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lady Ruth Penderric struggles to keep her crazy, miser brother from starving the family to death as well as to keep her spoiled younger sister ignorant of the true situation. She believes that marriage to the local curate will provide a better life. One foggy day, Ruth is hit on the head and abducted by wicked villains who mean to kill her if her brother doesn't pay ransom. Oliver Pardoe is the son of a wealthy London banker and an aspiring engineer. He travels to Cornwall to learn more about the latest invention to catch his interest, hot air balloons. His father and Ruth's maternal uncle are friends and Oliver has been charged with calling on the Penderrics to learn whether the young ladies are safe and well. Before he can accomplish anything, Oliver is set upon by ruffians, abducted for ransom and placed in the same hideout as Ruth. Ruth is overcome with fear and exhaustion, but Oliver is clever and levelheaded and sees a way out of their difficulties. Still fearing for Ruth's safety, Oliver begs her to write him if she feels she can not live with her brother any longer. When the situation at Penderric Castle goes from terrible to horrid, Ruth grabs her sister Letty and turns to Oliver and his friends for help. Oliver whisks Ruth and Letty off to London where his mother and sister are eager to meet them and share the delights of London while Ruth's uncle and aunt are in Paris. They are quickly enveloped in the family fold and Ruth finds a friend and confidante in Rose Pardoe. When Uncle and Aunt Hadrick return to London, their selfish aunt dismisses Ruth as an old maid but is eager to bring out the beautiful, young Letty. Lady Hardick also decrees that the Pardoes, as "cits" can not be proper friends for the Penderrics. Ruth learns to hold her own against her aunt, but fears her aunt's snobbishness will drive away the man she loves. Oliver falls in love with Ruth but being a typical hardheaded male, he misinterprets a situation and the path to true love does not run smooth.

This story is a lot darker than Dunn's later books. The villains are really nasty and Ruth's brother is not merely a miser, he's mentally ill and downright frightening. The dark plot turned me off at first, as did the misunderstanding. I really liked Ruth's development throughout the novel. She didn't seem like my kind of heroine at first but she grew and changed as the story progressed, which is Dunn's strength. Dunn also excels at writing quirky secondary characters and Auntie is no exception. I liked her the best of all the characters! Oliver isn't a very dashing hero but he's intelligent and interesting and kind. The story has lows and highs throughout the plot before rushing to a predictable conclusion. Fans of the more traditional Regency genre will like this one but those who prefer comedies of manners will not.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story with intriguing characters. Oliver was a bit different from your usual hero, and Ruth was very likeable.

One aspect that really interested me was the light the story threw on the horrible situation women of this era could find themselves in. Poor Ruth was dependent on the charity of strangers because she had absolutely no rights of her own. Thank goodness things have changed!

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have enjoyed all of Carola Dunn’s regency books I have read so far. They are a nice, quick, easy read and they have a Jane Austen feel to them. Each book is different enough from the others to feel fresh and her enjoyable writing style is consistent.

[Eden · Rating 3 out of 5]

2019. Bk 323. One of the earliest regencies by Carola Dunn. A not so hidden secret of regency authors is that many are also Mystery authors, or were waiting to reach the point to break in to the field of mystery authors. In the meantime, their readership grew first through the regency romance. This was one of the tales. Lady Ruth's brother is parsimonious, and that is the best that could be said for him. Somehow the selfishness and pettiness shown by him and their younger sister passed her by. Things go badly for our heroine, when kidnapped, not only does her brother refuse to pay the ransom but her vicar fiancee cannot stand that she spent two nights alone in a cave with another captive, and then to top if off, her brother attacks her with a knife, then a heavy stone falls from the roof to a spot where she and her sister are standing. With that, Lady Ruth packs her sister and herself and heads to a friend, who will take them to London. Pause here the mystery for lots of regency shopping, partying, and making of friends to last a lifetime. We do get back to the mystery eventually and that is where there are holes. Big ones, Big enough to ride a horse and buggy through. But it still is a decent regency and all ends fairly happily.

[Amy S · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story started off with a lot of excitement and drama. The pace ran along at a great clip for a bit and then suddenly fell off and the story turned to leisurely encounters and brief lectures on engineering and mechanics. It almost seemed like the conflict with the sister was going to go somewhere but then the sister just went on being a brat. I still enjoyed the story but it had lost momentum and when the pace picked up again towards the end it seemed more farcical than dramatic. The ending was sweet, so that was good.
Violence, no sex, mild language

[Anne Patkau · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm quite addicted to this style, despite wimpy girls and stereotypes. Author Dunn invests sweet romance with danger. Eccentrics, like Auntie (Hanoveria Hephzibah Mudd), abound.

Insane villain orders double kidnapping that introduces couple. Tumultuous circumstances somersault poor orphan into the arms of rich Gentleman. Even a balloon ascension goes astray.

[Jude Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another splendid story by Dunn

Loved the hero and the heroine. Dunn’s attention other minor character’s drawn with a few carefully chosen words, doesn’t fail her. Melodramatic plot that begins.with a kidnapping. I do love a nice melodrama.

[Fluttershy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this might be my last Carola Dunn read. Just . . . boring. I wasn't interested in the heroine or her hero, and I thought she would have been better off with one of her other suitors. This has the elements of a book, but in much the same way as a paint by numbers has the elements of art.

[Meggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started this one thinking "oh! a mystery plotline! how will this be resolved?" only for the mystery to taper off before the 20% mark and the book to shift into Typical Regency Romance mode. And then the mystery element came back in the last 20%, and it was a bit bonkers and hastily resolved.

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carola Dunn never disappoints. Another fun and enjoyable read.

[Glen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Things were going along pretty well, but hen the end ruined it for me. I can't stand plots that depend on otherwise intelligent, good people withholding critical information from others.

[Sharon Buxton · Rating 2 out of 5]

C. fiction, historic fiction, early 19th c. England, started out well, but by halfway through it became tedious, from stash, discard

[Wealhtheow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plain, penniless and lonely, the best Lady Ruth Penderric has to look forward to is a loveless marriage to a condescending pastor. But her less obvious qualities--her intelligence and courage--stand her in good stead when she is kidnapped and held for ransom. With her fellow prisoner, Oliver, she escapes and the kidnappers are caught. The incident reveals her fiancee's lack of concern and her brother's active antipathy toward her. Spurred by fear that their brother will attempt something really awful, Ruth and her pretty (but dumb) sister flee to London. And there, Ruth meets Oliver once more.

This is probably the weakest Dunn I've read yet. It was still enjoyable, but the plot was haphazard and melodramatic and the description of madness both insulting and artificial.

[CatBookMom · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I read this before, during my Carola Dunn binge a couple of years ago; I just didn't remember. Somehow this one doesn't come up to her usual standards. Starts off really well, a double-abduction, an escape. And then it stalls out for most of the rest of the book. Nice-enough principal characters, but.

[☆Ruth☆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well this is about the fourth one of Carole Dunn's novels that I have read, and in parts it is even sillier than the others! However, I did finish it and there were enjoyable sections in between.

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed this one! That sister and aunt tho...