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Light Division Romances #1
A Regrettable Reputation
It is 1816, war is over, Napoleon in exile and Regency England is at peace.
Mr Nicholas Witham, land agent at the Yorkshire estate of Lord Ashberry has found a haven of quiet, far from the bloodshed of war and the horror of Waterloo. With poachers and lost sheep his most pressing concerns, Nicholas is not seeking anything more exciting than the occasional trip to York and a game of cards with friends.
The tranquillity of Ashberry is about to be disrupted by the arrival of Miss Camilla Dorne, a young woman of doubtful reputation, sent away from London by her guardian to avoid the consequences of a disastrous and very public love affair with a disreputable officer which has broken her heart.
An officer of the army, past or present, is the last man Camilla wishes to spend time with. But she discovers that a lost reputation can bring unexpected freedom and possibly a second chance at happiness.
With the shadow of war firmly behind him, Nicholas is ready to move on, but poverty and rising prices bring rumblings of discontent and rumours of Luddite activity in the industrial towns, and as violence erupts, the land agent of Ashberry finds himself swept up in a new conflict where the enemy is hard to identify. Faced with a stark choice between love and duty, Nicholas is beginning to realise that he may not have left the regiment behind at all…
Mr Nicholas Witham, land agent at the Yorkshire estate of Lord Ashberry has found a haven of quiet, far from the bloodshed of war and the horror of Waterloo. With poachers and lost sheep his most pressing concerns, Nicholas is not seeking anything more exciting than the occasional trip to York and a game of cards with friends.
The tranquillity of Ashberry is about to be disrupted by the arrival of Miss Camilla Dorne, a young woman of doubtful reputation, sent away from London by her guardian to avoid the consequences of a disastrous and very public love affair with a disreputable officer which has broken her heart.
An officer of the army, past or present, is the last man Camilla wishes to spend time with. But she discovers that a lost reputation can bring unexpected freedom and possibly a second chance at happiness.
With the shadow of war firmly behind him, Nicholas is ready to move on, but poverty and rising prices bring rumblings of discontent and rumours of Luddite activity in the industrial towns, and as violence erupts, the land agent of Ashberry finds himself swept up in a new conflict where the enemy is hard to identify. Faced with a stark choice between love and duty, Nicholas is beginning to realise that he may not have left the regiment behind at all…
311 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 12, 2017
33 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Lynn Bryant
29 books33 followersLynn Bryant was born and raised in London’s East End. She studied History at University and had dreams of being a writer from a young age. Since this was clearly not something a working class girl made good could aspire to, she had a variety of careers including a librarian, NHS administrator, relationship counsellor and manager of an art gallery before realising that most of these were just as unlikely as being a writer and took the step of publishing her first book.
She now lives in the Isle of Man and is married to a man who understands technology, which saves her a job, and has two teenage children and a labrador. History is still a passion, with a particular enthusiasm for the Napoleonic era and the sixteenth century. When not writing she plays with her dog, reads anything that’s put in front of her and makes periodic and unsuccessful attempts to keep a tidy house.
“An Unwilling Alliance” the first book in the Manxman series was shortlisted for the 2019 Society for Army Historical Research fiction prize.
She now lives in the Isle of Man and is married to a man who understands technology, which saves her a job, and has two teenage children and a labrador. History is still a passion, with a particular enthusiasm for the Napoleonic era and the sixteenth century. When not writing she plays with her dog, reads anything that’s put in front of her and makes periodic and unsuccessful attempts to keep a tidy house.
“An Unwilling Alliance” the first book in the Manxman series was shortlisted for the 2019 Society for Army Historical Research fiction prize.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 1, 2018
Good story
I was a little put off by the synopsis but I am glad I gave this a try. The writing is quite good and pulled me in. The Luddite aspect was boring to me, so I pretty much skimmed over some of that. I don't read romances for a history lesson.
The heroine is a young woman who made a terrible error in judgment. She thought she was in love and thought she was eloping. However the cad was only interested in money and made sure they were discovered. The heroine's step-father paid him off but the monster spread the tale all over London before rejoining his regiment. She is eventually sent to the country to wait for the scandal to die down.
The hero is the estate agent, a former military man and while not particularly handsome, he is a wonderful hero. He at first is only concerned that she be treated properly and protecting her as much as possible - a few people had been appraised of her situation.
As he looks after her the two grow close. She realizes that not all men are the same. He had been wounded while fighting and experienced quite a lot, plus he had younger sisters and knew how he would want them treated if they had made a similar mistake.
The road isn't completely smooth. I found it difficult to believe people in that time period would be so understanding, but one would like to hope so.
I was a little put off by the synopsis but I am glad I gave this a try. The writing is quite good and pulled me in. The Luddite aspect was boring to me, so I pretty much skimmed over some of that. I don't read romances for a history lesson.
The heroine is a young woman who made a terrible error in judgment. She thought she was in love and thought she was eloping. However the cad was only interested in money and made sure they were discovered. The heroine's step-father paid him off but the monster spread the tale all over London before rejoining his regiment. She is eventually sent to the country to wait for the scandal to die down.
The hero is the estate agent, a former military man and while not particularly handsome, he is a wonderful hero. He at first is only concerned that she be treated properly and protecting her as much as possible - a few people had been appraised of her situation.
As he looks after her the two grow close. She realizes that not all men are the same. He had been wounded while fighting and experienced quite a lot, plus he had younger sisters and knew how he would want them treated if they had made a similar mistake.
The road isn't completely smooth. I found it difficult to believe people in that time period would be so understanding, but one would like to hope so.
September 28, 2019
Average
I have been enjoying the stories written by Ms. Bryant related to the members of the fictional 110th regiment of Britain's light division during the early 19th century.
This one about an ex-captain of the regiment who is now employed as an estate manager after wounds suffered on the battlefield at Waterloo is pretty good, but I do have reservations given the rather modern tone in dialogue and mannerisms of the era which is always a stickler for me personally. It makes it that much harder for me to get into the plot however good the plot may be. I also have a problem with the more female personality attributes given the rather hardened soldier description of this captain. It seems a bit much when every decent officer or other make character in these stories is so ready to shed tears and utter the words "I love you" as often as they do. Just not very real to me.
The female character here, Camiila, certainly needed a protector. And it always amazes me how such a young girl is blamed for being seduced. But I know this was the way of society then.
I'm on the fence here about a personal recommendation, so I think I'll leave it for others to decide after reading the book's synopsis like I did.
I have been enjoying the stories written by Ms. Bryant related to the members of the fictional 110th regiment of Britain's light division during the early 19th century.
This one about an ex-captain of the regiment who is now employed as an estate manager after wounds suffered on the battlefield at Waterloo is pretty good, but I do have reservations given the rather modern tone in dialogue and mannerisms of the era which is always a stickler for me personally. It makes it that much harder for me to get into the plot however good the plot may be. I also have a problem with the more female personality attributes given the rather hardened soldier description of this captain. It seems a bit much when every decent officer or other make character in these stories is so ready to shed tears and utter the words "I love you" as often as they do. Just not very real to me.
The female character here, Camiila, certainly needed a protector. And it always amazes me how such a young girl is blamed for being seduced. But I know this was the way of society then.
I'm on the fence here about a personal recommendation, so I think I'll leave it for others to decide after reading the book's synopsis like I did.
December 23, 2022
Redemption and Resolution
A great story to accompany the Peninsula War derided by the same author. The plot line continued to keep you involved with a set of wonderful characters involved. Truly illustrated the plight of young women in 18 and 19th century England. But redemption and resolution brought a wonderful close.
A great story to accompany the Peninsula War derided by the same author. The plot line continued to keep you involved with a set of wonderful characters involved. Truly illustrated the plight of young women in 18 and 19th century England. But redemption and resolution brought a wonderful close.
August 17, 2017
This was lovely. Very gentle in places but with plenty of action scenes. I liked it better than A Reluctant Debutante mainly because I fell in love with this hero more than any of her others.
March 1, 2021
5 star
If I could I would have rated it
6 stars however I would love to see Cordelia with Camilla and Anne. What a trio
If I could I would have rated it
6 stars however I would love to see Cordelia with Camilla and Anne. What a trio
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews