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Jessabelle
Once, in a fit of temper, Jessabelle ran away from her tempestuous marriage, only to end up being held to ransom by a highwayman. Then her disagreeable, devilishly attractive husband divorced her, resulting in her exile from Polite Society. Now the Earl of Pennymount plans to take a second countess, and Jess is determined that her revenge will be sweet… Regency Romance by Maggie MacKeever; originally published by Fawcett Coventry
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
16 people want to read
About the author
Maggie Mackeever
46 books30 followersEver since I learned to read, I have loved books.
For almost as long, I have made up tales.
I’ve written horrible poetry, better short stories, adequate commercials, educational and industrial film narration, and very forgettable screenplays. Once I learned how to make a story last longer than a few paragraphs I moved on to novels, and there I stayed. I've written forty-three to date.
In addition to my website, I have a (sporadic) blog at http://maggiemackeever.wordpress.com/
For almost as long, I have made up tales.
I’ve written horrible poetry, better short stories, adequate commercials, educational and industrial film narration, and very forgettable screenplays. Once I learned how to make a story last longer than a few paragraphs I moved on to novels, and there I stayed. I've written forty-three to date.
In addition to my website, I have a (sporadic) blog at http://maggiemackeever.wordpress.com/
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 16, 2013
This book panned out completely differently from what I expected. It lured me with the hope of a spectacular reformation of a hero sorely in need of it but didn't deliver what I, with bated breath, wanted to read. Unpredictability be damned, I can't help but feel a bit cheated!
But first, let us start at the beginning...
Jessabelle is Vidal's (the Earl of Pennymount. Age: approx 30) first wife, whom he divorced the prologue. She has since lived in social exile while he has forbidden anyone of his acquaintance to ever utter her name again. Theirs was a tempestuous marriage between two hot-headed people which went one argument too far and boiled over into a runaway attempt, a highwayman and a mistaken rumour of an affair. Back in the present, Pennymount has decided to marry a very biddable chit and that news brings his twin aunties into town to check out the prospective new Countess. They were very fond of Jessabelle and with one look at Lady Camilla they knew she was not right for him. They then hatch a sneaky plan to get them back together again.
From the onset, this book has a 'Big Misunderstanding' plot where two people who were very much in love get torn apart by a misunderstanding and a complete lack of trust. I actually enjoyed the first half very much as Vidal was an enormously high-handed and ill-tempered ass and Jessabelle matches him blow for blow, insult for insult. I rubbed my hands with glee at Vidal getting his just deserts and getting pulled down a few rungs or ten. You could also see the aunties's Operation Re-marry setting the wheels in motion and the attraction re-igniting so it was just fun, fun, fun.
About sixty percent through the continual, willful misunderstandings began to wear thin. Vidal would sooner believe town gossip than trust in his wife's character and every time she baited him he would fall for it over and over again. The plot doesn't tell us how long they were married and how long their current estrangement has been going on but his lack of trust really got to me.
So, this ending. A lot of emphasis was put on Vidal's ill-temper and how Jessabelle ultimately complimented him. A life without constant arguments is apparently a very boring one indeed. Towards the end of the book he should have slowly learnt to trust and come to the conclusion she was innocent on his own (not to mention experience a healthy dollop of regret and angst at whether he could win her back). He would have been a better man for it. But Vidal didn't need to fight for Jessabelle's affection/forgiveness because she still loved him and they mutually fell into each other's arms again.
She ends up having to clear the misunderstanding about the elopement and only after that point does he truly put it in the past. He doesn't grovel or beg for forgiveness AT ALL!!! Nope, Vidal stays EXACTLY THE SAME and she accepts him for it. I went along with the story in the hope of the hellfire of redemption he needed to go through and I got naught. Nada. Zip.
Because of that, Vidal just isn't an attractive hero to me and though Jessabelle is a lovely, fiery character, the relationship dynamic isn't very relatable. Throughout the book he has a tendency to man-handle and shake Jessabelle which is never cool . He softens a smidgen at the end of the book but I can't help but imagine he wouldn't be a very pleasant person to live with. Sounds like tonnes of daily drama, broken pottery and make-up sex. All very exhausting.
The writing is engaging, the story well paced, the side characters pretty good and the ending may not bother some people at all but I just couldn't give the book any higher than 3 stars. I am planning to check out more of Maggie's works but I hope her other heroes are just that bit more malleable.
Rating: 3 Egyptian statues
Re-readbility: Jessabelle is probably not a book I'll revisit very soon. The thwarted hopes is still too raw...
But first, let us start at the beginning...
Jessabelle is Vidal's (the Earl of Pennymount. Age: approx 30) first wife, whom he divorced the prologue. She has since lived in social exile while he has forbidden anyone of his acquaintance to ever utter her name again. Theirs was a tempestuous marriage between two hot-headed people which went one argument too far and boiled over into a runaway attempt, a highwayman and a mistaken rumour of an affair. Back in the present, Pennymount has decided to marry a very biddable chit and that news brings his twin aunties into town to check out the prospective new Countess. They were very fond of Jessabelle and with one look at Lady Camilla they knew she was not right for him. They then hatch a sneaky plan to get them back together again.
From the onset, this book has a 'Big Misunderstanding' plot where two people who were very much in love get torn apart by a misunderstanding and a complete lack of trust. I actually enjoyed the first half very much as Vidal was an enormously high-handed and ill-tempered ass and Jessabelle matches him blow for blow, insult for insult. I rubbed my hands with glee at Vidal getting his just deserts and getting pulled down a few rungs or ten. You could also see the aunties's Operation Re-marry setting the wheels in motion and the attraction re-igniting so it was just fun, fun, fun.
About sixty percent through the continual, willful misunderstandings began to wear thin. Vidal would sooner believe town gossip than trust in his wife's character and every time she baited him he would fall for it over and over again. The plot doesn't tell us how long they were married and how long their current estrangement has been going on but his lack of trust really got to me.
So, this ending. A lot of emphasis was put on Vidal's ill-temper and how Jessabelle ultimately complimented him. A life without constant arguments is apparently a very boring one indeed. Towards the end of the book he should have slowly learnt to trust and come to the conclusion she was innocent on his own (not to mention experience a healthy dollop of regret and angst at whether he could win her back). He would have been a better man for it. But Vidal didn't need to fight for Jessabelle's affection/forgiveness because she still loved him and they mutually fell into each other's arms again.
She ends up having to clear the misunderstanding about the elopement and only after that point does he truly put it in the past. He doesn't grovel or beg for forgiveness AT ALL!!! Nope, Vidal stays EXACTLY THE SAME and she accepts him for it. I went along with the story in the hope of the hellfire of redemption he needed to go through and I got naught. Nada. Zip.
Because of that, Vidal just isn't an attractive hero to me and though Jessabelle is a lovely, fiery character, the relationship dynamic isn't very relatable. Throughout the book he has a tendency to man-handle and shake Jessabelle which is never cool . He softens a smidgen at the end of the book but I can't help but imagine he wouldn't be a very pleasant person to live with. Sounds like tonnes of daily drama, broken pottery and make-up sex. All very exhausting.
The writing is engaging, the story well paced, the side characters pretty good and the ending may not bother some people at all but I just couldn't give the book any higher than 3 stars. I am planning to check out more of Maggie's works but I hope her other heroes are just that bit more malleable.
Rating: 3 Egyptian statues
Re-readbility: Jessabelle is probably not a book I'll revisit very soon. The thwarted hopes is still too raw...
January 27, 2017
Author who likes descriptive story telling
Thought I found a new author to enjoy but the story suffered from being wordy and an unlikable leading man.
Thought I found a new author to enjoy but the story suffered from being wordy and an unlikable leading man.
December 30, 2021
Meh. Predictable. The dynamic between the two main characters was ridiculous. Georgette Heyer is always better.
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January 9, 2010Fictionwise multiformat ebook
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews