Bless Thine Inheritance

by Sophia Holloway

Pretty Celia Mardham should have been a success in her London Season, but it never took place. A near fatal riding accident has left her with a pronounced limp which means she cannot even make a good curtsey, let alone dance.

There can be no expectation of marriage, but her Mama makes one last effort, not least to avoid her cousin inheriting a considerable sum from their grandfather’s will. She draws up a list of guests for a country house sojourn, picking only young ladies she feels will not be rivals, and some potential suitors.

Among the well-bred gentlemen is Lord Levedale, sent by his reprobate father to restore the family fortunes by wooing an heiress, a beauty tarnished by her family background in trade. When he meets Celia he sees her, not the limp, but even as his heart draws him to her, he is held back by his duty to his family name.

Sophia Holloway’s graceful Bless Thine Inheritance is about who people are, not how they look. The book’s sharp and witty social observation and elegant verbal duelling weave together two love stories, a guest from Hell, a meddling mama and a grandmama who would give Downton Abbey’s Dowager Lady Grantham a run for her money.

Praise for Sophia Holloway...
"The Devil You Know is an immensely satisfying read. Everyone loves a Georgian rake and Sophia’s hero doesn’t disappoint. Lord Ledbury’s as naughty as they come – enough George Wickham to set the pulse racing, with a civilising measure of Mr Darcy’s nobility to ensure you fall in love for all the right reasons" - Annie Holder, author of Against All Odds

Sophia Holloway describes herself as a ‘wordsmith’ who is only really happy when writing. She read Modern History at Oxford and her factual book on the Royal Marines in the First World War, From Trench and Turret, was published in 2006. Among her published fiction is The Devil You Know, another Classic Regency. She also writes mediaeval murder mysteries under another pen name.

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Regency, Clean Romance, Historical Fiction, Historical, Audiobook

293 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

Sophia Holloway describes herself as a ‘wordsmith’. She read Modern History at Oxford, and her factual book on the Royal Marines in the First World War, From Trench and Turret, was published in 2006. Shea takes her pen name from her great grandmother ( hence the photograph portrait). She also writes the Bradecote & Catchpoll mediaeval murder mysteries under the pen name, Sarah Hawkswood. Her third Classic Regency novel, 'Kingscastle' was published in paperback and ebook by Allison & Busby in November 2021, with another due out in spring 2022.

She is a member of the Historical Writers’ Association, the Historical Novel Society, and the Crime Writers' Associationand the Romantic Novelists' Association.

Reviews

[OLT · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked Sophia Holloway's first Regency, THE DEVIL YOU KNOW, and was looking forward to this second one. Well, rats. This one started out as a lovely, comforting, entertaining, witty read. It's not that the plot is unusual. I've read many a storyline almost exactly like this one with characters in this same mould. What set it apart was the fun I derived from the way Holloway set up the story and introduced her characters. And the droll, tongue-in-cheek, clever dialogue. This checked all my boxes for a fun Regency read.

I also appreciated the several letters to her father written by a grammar-and-punctuation-impaired secondary character, whose philosophy of punctuation was "when in doubt, leave it out", leading to sentences such as "Mr. Mardham has taken the gentlemen out this afternoon to shoot Sir Marcus Colgrave though did not accompany them saying his shoulder was too stiff." And also there's the dowager grandma of our heroine, who says things such as "I have my sources, young man. Just because I live in the middle of a field does not make me a cow."

So I was delighted at first and settled in for a cozy read. The main female character is Celia Mardham, lovely 19-year-old daughter of Lord and Lady Mardham, who two years ago was predicted to be a London success when tragedy struck. A riding accident badly broke one of her legs and left her crippled, with a shortened leg, a very pronounced limp, and an inability to ride, dance, or walk gracefully again. Now her mother despairs of any man ever choosing Celia as his wife. A terrible shame, considering the inheritance Celia's late grandfather has left to the first of his granddaughters to marry. What a pity if that money were not to come to her daughter Celia, thinks Lady Mardham.

So Lady Mardham has the bright idea of hosting a houseparty with as many eligible bachelors as she can come up with, and, of course, filling up the female guest slots with young women who, it is hoped, won't be too much competition for Celia. The female guests will include Celia's cousin Sarah (aka The Poor Relation), friend Marianne Burton, daughter of a very rich man in trade (aka The Money Pot, also referred to as The Ninny), and Miss Darven, unbearable, humorless, narcissistic socialite cruel enough to have given those unkind sobriquets to the above-mentioned ladies, along with "The Cripple" for Celia.

And we have, of course, the gentlemen. Mr. Wombwell, a ne'er-do-well, self-obsessed fortune hunter; Lord Levedale, upright, honorable gentleman finding himself forced to marry an heiress because of the profligacy of his father and his late brother; Lord Deven, a kind, quiet sort; and Richard Mardham, Celia's brother. There's also Sir Marcus Colgrave, an older widowed gentleman who has been diligently wooing Celia for months now, feeling that she needs to be cared for and coddled in his unbearable, stifling manner. (And if there's one thing Celia doesn't want, it's pity and coddling or being seen only as a cripple.)

You may notice that there are two gentlemen who need to marry money: the fortune hunter and the noble would-be savior of his ancestral home. And there are two heiresses: the daughter of the gentleman in trade and Celia, if she is the first granddaughter to marry in her family. The problem is that no one but family knows about Celia's possible inheritance, since a provision in her grandfather's will stipulates that it be a secret. This leads to a huge dilemma for our hero Lord Levedale, who, from the moment he sees and interacts with Celia, feels immediate attraction. But he must marry money. What to do?

Well, all, of course, shall be well in the end, but there's a lot of confusion and misunderstanding to clear up along the way. Mostly, this is a sweet, warm, humorous story, but it verges into the cartoon-ish by the halfway point. The most unappealing characters become unbearable and the failures to communicate become tedious and annoying. And there's even an abduction-like scene in the story which causes our hero to fly "ventre a terre" to the rescue and, oh, dear lordy, how I hate theatrical abductions.

This had so much promise. It started out so very well. That's why its devolution into an over-the-top, farcical, exaggerated comedy of manners and errors with too many misunderstandings disappointed.

[Elizabeth]

DNF at 3%. Doesn't work for me.

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet clean Regency romance between Celia, disabled after a riding accident, and Lord Levedale, who sees her for herself, not her pronounced limp. Histfic romance fans will adore it, as I did! (Originally released as Bless Thine Inheritance in 2018, then repackaged with that gorgeous cover.)

[Gerrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 out of 5 stars

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Duration: 9 hrs 46 mins
Publisher: Soundings for Isis Audiobooks

Bless Thine Inheritance by Sophia Holloway is a traditional Regency romance whose unlikely heroine is anything but the usual society belle. When a family bequest heightens the rivalry between two branches of the family, Celia Mardham finds herself - and her future happiness - caught between warring Mamas.

Audible Summary: Pretty Celia Mardham should have been a success in her London Season, but a near fatal riding accident has left her with a pronounced limp which means she cannot even make a good curtsy, let alone dance.

There can be no expectation of marriage, but her mama makes one last effort. She draws up a list of guests for a country house sojourn, picking only young ladies she feels will not be rivals, and some potential suitors. Among the well-bred gentlemen is Lord Levedale.

When he meets Celia he sees her, not the limp, but even as his heart draws him to her, he is held back by his duty to his family name.

©2018 Sophia Holloway (P)2019 Soundings

Bless Thine Inheritance opens with a delightfully catty scene between sisters-in-law which made me laugh aloud before I was even five minutes into the book. Due to the 'house party' format, there is a large cast to set up in the beginning and it did well to avoid feeling laborious while introducing the group we would follow throughout their eventful summer at Meysey manor.

The hosts, Lord and Lady Mardham, were somewhat reminiscent of Pride and Prejudice's Mr and Mrs Bennett, though Lord Mardham's understanding of his daughter's circumstances was both more compassionate and more tactful than any of Mr Bennett's views on his less-desirable daughters. I also very much enjoyed the camaraderie between our heroine, Celia, and her brother, Richard. Siblings in Regency novels frequently treat each other like they are separate species, which is often reflective of how very differently the sexes were raised. There felt to be sincere warmth between the young Mardhams, and because of this it felt very natural that Richard would have reassured his sister that there would always be a place for her in the Dower house when he inherited Meysey. It allowed Celia a level of security that most unmarried ladies of the period could only hope to attain via marriage, and in that regard Celia was less vulnerable than many of her peers (a position which was nicely contrasted with her cousin Sarah's experience as "the poor relation"). Allowing Celia's circumstances to remain nuanced, with her privilege juxtaposed against her misfortunes, was vital to helping her feel like a rounded character with a story all her own and not simply a tragic plot device.

I also thought it was a brave choice to place Celia between Miss Clandon and Miss Burton in terms of appearance. Regency heroines are often either an incomparable beauty or an ugly-duckling whom the hero is the only one to truly notice, and eventually love, despite her shortcomings. There is an element of this with Celia, of course, but it feels less exaggerated than is common to the trope. Having the beautiful Miss Burton there to dazzle and introducing Miss Clandon as the shy wallflower risked leaving Celia as the unremarkable 'middle child'. Instead, I felt that it gave Celia the room to be herself and helped with the sense that she was finding her place in the world following the dramatic alteration in her circumstances. I was also pleasantly surprised by the development in the other young ladies, both of whom broke out of their assigned roles a little by the end of the book.

There is a point toward the end of almost every Regency romance where the reader is conscious of awaiting that one last, crushing, misunderstanding between the central couple which must be resolved before their HEA, and it always has the potential to grind. Here, however, it was done well, with the scheming Darwen's claw-sharpening practically audible in the background as the stage is set for the final act. Overall the book felt very well paced, neither dragging nor feeling rushed.

Unlike many modern Regencies, there was a wonderful levity to much of this audiobook, which one might not expect given the prominence of Celia's injury. Her witty exchanges with the playful Lord Levedale were a delight, and the gloriously-irascible Dowager was a highlight of every scene she entered. There were so many characters I came to like, including Lord Deben, who reminded me very much of Bertie Wooster; kind-hearted and jolly but not terribly bright. Miss Darwen was the perfect antagonist, far outdoing the spoilt cockscomb, Mr Wombwell, as the villain of the piece. In fact, so entertaining were they all that while listening to this audiobook I was struck by how well I felt it would work on screen. I am utterly oblivious to the technicalities of adapting a novel, but it felt very visual and the supporting characters were so well developed that it was easy to imagine it in the traditional 'television miniseries' format typical of period dramas.

Much as I loved this audiobook, it is not entirely without fault. There is occasionally too much explanation of people's motives and behaviours, which often feels a little like the listener is being spoon-fed the story. There's also some repetitive wording throughout which is a bit of a pet hate due to its clumsiness, and something I think is exacerbated by the audio format as it is much more noticeable when spoken. Neither issue was very troublesome, nor did they hinder my enjoyment of the story, it's simply that my preference would have been for a little tightening in those areas. That aside, I did appreciated learning the word 'toxophilite' (a lover of archery) with which I was previously unfamiliar, despite - or perhaps because of - my not having drawn a bow in 20 years. There is something so pleasurable about encountering a new word, however commonplace it may be for others.

Another aspect of this audiobook that is important to address more specifically is the author's approach to Celia's disability. A horse riding accident left Celia with a pronounced limp in an era when young women were judged on their grace, poise, and dancing when assessing their eligibility for marriage. With matrimony being a necessity for most women if they were to have any chance of avoiding becoming a burden on their families, Celia's injury was life-changing in every regard. This could have proven to be a difficult aspect to incorporate sensitively, but I felt that Holloway succeeded and several moments within the book were especially resonant with my own lived experiences of disability.

I cringed when Miss Marianne Burton greeted Celia by saying "Oh Celia, my dear friend, how terrible. And you used to be the best of dancers, and so very pretty." Miss Burton's sincerity does not erase her indiscretion, but it is very reflective of the way healthy/physically 'desirable' people often view disability. I have lost count of the times in the last twenty years when I have received similar comments from well-meaning but tactless observers of my own situation. "You're too pretty to be in a wheelchair!" is at best nonsensical, but it is still regarded as churlish to be anything but appreciative of the intended compliment. Celia's reaction - to inwardly wince while attempting to maintain polite gratitude - was painfully familiar.

As, too, was Celia's self-deprecating humour at the dinner table, to relieve the patronising awkwardness caused by those who treat her frailty too earnestly. People can be quite othering in their attentions to disabled people, often assuming our limitations to be greater than they are. Pretending not to be mortified by whatever gaffe one's friends or relations have just made is not exclusive to people with a chronic illness or disability, but - for many - making light of one's own circumstances is the easiest way back into the club.

One of the reasons I liked her so much was that whilst Celia is certainly pitied by a society that cannot see beyond her disability, she is never pitiable in herself. She is fully cognisant of the impact her impairment has on her value in the 'marriage mart', but she is not defined by it and it is never treated as a gimmick. When Sir Marcus Cotgrave infuriates Celia with his stifling attentions, his co-dependency and near fetishisation of Celia's disability is evident in their every interaction. It aptly demonstrated the infantilisation of people with disabilities, which is not at all uncommon even in our own, supposedly more progressive, society. In stark contrast, Lord Levedale's determination that he will help Celia do as much as she feels able to, without pushing her to do more, illustrates the difference between suffocation and support.

Though Celia's injury was referenced regularly, it was seldom the primary focus for long. I was glad that it wasn't only viewed through the prism of other people's reactions to her situation, and felt that Celia's own experience was honoured in its depiction of her pain and frustration. For example, Celia's observation that even lying down upon the bed felt like too much effort when wracked with pain, anxiety, and fatigue was very well described, as was the icy dread with which she feared any further decline.

One of the most important aspects of Celia's story to note is that she is not miraculously cured by the love of a good man. True love does not recoil from imperfection, and it is wonderful to see a heroine whose happily-ever-after embraces her as she is, and does not insist that she must be fixed to be happy.

Lifting the entire novel and infusing it with humour and emotion was the narrator, Matt Addis. I challenge anyone to listen to this book and not fall a little in love with his voice by the end of it. He infuses personality into his portrayal of each character, adroitly performing both the male and female parts; in fact, few gentlemen-narrators give a better Dowager or overbearing Mama, and I am always impressed by how seamlessly he can switch from one character to another. I know few narrators who could convincingly portray a furious Earl, an imperious Dowager, and a heartbroken ingénue almost within the same breath. In fact, there were times (such as during a heated argument between Levedale and his father, Curborough,) when I was so invested in the performance that I almost forgot that the book has a single narrator. There was none of the blurring of one character into another that is common to such an energetic moment in most narration, even by the most talented voice actor. (There was recently a discussion in my audiobook group about how even the inimitable Stephen Fry appears to mistake Slugthorne and Hagrid in one of the Harry Potter books, an awareness of which only makes Addis' performance all the more impressive!) Addis does have an unusual way of pronouncing 'phaeton' but once I grew used to it I did not find it distracting despite the prevalence of the word throughout the book. The performance as a whole was so engaging that the odd false step was eminently forgivable.

I thoroughly enjoyed Sophia Holloway's previous book, The Devil You Know , which was also narrated by Addis, yet this novel comfortably surpassed it; juggling the wealth of characters and the restrictions of the setting to emerge feeling generally much more accomplished. It is rare to find a traditional, 'clean', Regency novel with so much humour and vibrancy, and I very much hope that it is not the last Regency romance by this author, especially when aided by such a marvellous narrator.

I love the richness to Holloway's stories; from the detailed historical references, (which are generally very faithful to the era), to the colourful secondary characters whose personalities are always well rounded. Hers are books which have not skimped on the time and attention that is required to present them to their best advantage, and this is also present in the quality of the audiobook production. Holloway's books always feel as though the characters are well-known to her by the time they reach us, and have been sufficiently nurtured throughout the process of their creation, in both print and audio. They are not audiobooks to rush through at (gasp!) 2x speed, as some are apparently inclined, but instead are stories to curl up with away from the stresses of the world at the moment, while drinking tea from your favourite mug. (Teacups, though infinitely prettier, do not hold nearly enough tea for a true connoisseur.)

My overall rating for this audiobook is 4.5 stars, but has been rounded up to 5 because of the wonderful narration and the astute, compassionate portrayal of chronic pain and disability. I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in Regency romance, but most especially to those who yearn to see themselves represented within its pages, and may finally find that in Miss Celia Mardham.

*I received this audiobook from the publisher free of charge in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

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[Mrs Lianne Fitzpatrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good

A thoroughly entertaining read. The main characters are very likeable and the dialogue is witty. I'm a long standing fan of Georgette Heyer and this is equally good.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been deluded once again into thinking that I have found a worthy successor to Georgette Heyer. I keep trying these Regency romances hoping that someone will replicate that je ne sais quoi that Heyer had, but I am constantly disappointed.

I had very high expectations of Sophia Holloway because unlike most shallow imitators of Heyer, her prose was high quality. Not only did she use period-accurate and rich vocabulary, but she attempted Heyer’s complex sentence structure as well. For a while I felt as if I was reading one of Heyer’s unpublished novels; the prose style matched so well with Heyer’s dry wit and careful introduction of characters. Unlike most silly Regency romances, Holloway put effort into her side characters, filling Celia’s house with a group of people with such contrasting motivations, ages, and personalities that they were bound to clash in hilarious ways. Many romances only put work into the main couple and their romantic tension, but Holloway commendably attempted more than that. Her humor was often on point as well; there were a couple of moments that made me literally laugh out loud, which is rare in any book.

Unfortunately, as I continued I began to realize that all of Holloway’s strengths are in the microcomponents of a novel, not the macros. Her sentence structure is exquisite; her plot structure is execrable. She started off well, with a situation that would pose reasonable barriers to romance in the time period. Celia Mardham, young debutante, has suffered a horse riding accident and now walks with a permanent limp, a disability that will severely hamper her chances at matrimony in an age when there were far more young women on the catch than there were eligible gentlemen to marry them. Her mother is in despair of finding her a husband who can look past her limp, and as a last resort invites a group of men and several women, who will surely not siphon off potential suitors from Celia, to visit at her house for a few weeks. Once the whole cast is assembled, however, Holloway loses control of her plot. She includes random scenes that don’t go anywhere, summarizes each plot development in letters that function as instant replays and add little, and set up very contrived situations that stretched my suspension of disbelief to the breaking point. The element that always eventually drives me away from these cheap Regency romance imitations is cheesiness, and at first Holloway avoided the trap, but eventually like all of her peers she succumbed to temptation for drama and her characters began chewing the scenery and shouting their motivations dramatically at the audience like a high school stage play. Heyer was not immune to cheesiness and contrivance in her novels, either, but she infused her books with such absurdity and sarcasm that each novel ended in a rollicking barely believable conclusion that left me grinning, as opposed to the tasteless and odorless string of events that concludes Celia, which left me checking the page count.

This is possibly the best historical fiction romance that I have read outside of Heyer, which is just depressing because it is such a mixed bag. This is one of those reviews in which the star rating system does not reflect my nuanced opinion well; Celia’s high points were very high. The characters were plausible, the prose amazing, the historical detail accurate and fun, and the romance cute. However, the pacing was awful, most of the characters gradually lost their flavor until they were mere cardboard cutouts of their original introductions, and one person in particular was so spiteful and selfish that she didn’t seem real; she was clearly just a convenient punching bag for the other characters to sharpen their wits on and bond over how much they all hated her. The book became bogged down in trying to achieve its foregone conclusions and had little substance or drama to throw at the reader in the second half. I liked a lot of the elements, but by the end I was simply glad it was over.

[victoria_tonks · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

This was like reading a newly-found Georgette Heyer novel (well, with a bit more heat, but don't worry, the book is clean). I loved the characters and the story, and I could not put the book down. I wish it was longer, though - that would have allowed to tie some aspect of the story which felt a bit like loose ends and maybe some characters would get some closure instead of just being left in a limbo of sorts. Or maybe an epilogue would have been enough - but these are all minor complaints. The main characters were well fleshed out well and their relationships felt real. The secondary ones - one of them felt a bit cartoonish - Miss Darwen, obviously and one semeed a bit too wise for her years - I mean Miss Burton (even with her Papa's guidance), (although her letters, quoted in their entirety, were pure gold :D), but overall, the book was really well written and also very funny. Plus, I have a thing for kind, self-deprecating heroes/characters so I obviously fell for Lord Deben. I do hope to read more novels from this author.

[Lilian80 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story with witty dialogues, colorful and amazing characters and two sweet romances. I really enjoyed it.

[JANET SMITH · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good read.

This is the second book I have read by this author and I have thoroughly enjoyed both, it's a shame there was a year between the two! I think 'Bless Thine Inheritance' is well written and very interesting, it highlights how people feel about disability, which must have been worse in the 1800's when very few people were enlightened and in the upper echelons when every one had to be perfect! I felt for Celia who was considered to be 'poor Celia' even by her mother, Celia in actual fact was pretty, witty, and intelligent and a brave girl (in my estimation) who had a limp, due to breaking her leg, fortunately the hero Lord Leedale could see past this and encouraged Celias independence. Sir Cotgrave another suitor who was much older than Celia and decidedly odd, encouraged her dependency. All in all I thought it an excellent read and would wholeheartedly recommend it. I look forward to the next book.

[Everalice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deuxième lecture de cette auteure, et encore une fois, je ressors enchantée ! Sophia Holloway, inédite en français, est une de mes plus jolies découvertes de cette année. La lecture de son dernier roman, The Chaperone, m’a convaincue de poursuivre mon incursion dans son univers, et grand bien m’en a pris, car cette seconde expérience, avec Celia, m’a encore une fois transportée.
Sophia Holloway écrit ce que l’on nomme outre-atlantique des romances régence classiques, c’est-à-dire des romances élégantes, spirituelles, attentives aux détails, ancrées dans leur époque, tant au niveau des usages que des façons de s’exprimer, et sans scène de sexe. Autant dire que cette auteure avait tout pour me plaire, et surtout cet usage si spirituel de la langue anglaise, et cette expression des sentiments à la fois euphémisé et, étrangement, si romantique et sexy.
L’histoire de Celia et lord Levedale, commence avec une première scène déjà très drôle, lorsque la mère de Celia, lady Mardham, décide de préparer une partie de campagne afin que sa fille, handicapée à la suite d’un accident de cheval, ait toute ses chances d’être courtisée par un potentiel époux. Ceci sur fond de rivalité familiale autour d’un héritage.
En un tournemain, au gré d’un dialogue empli de sous-entendus et de mots vachards, couverts par l’onctuosité des bonnes manières de la bonne société anglaise, ce prologue, entre lady Marham et sa belle-sœur, nous fait entrer dans ce qui sera une étourdissante histoire d’amour, toute vibrante de scènes vivantes et colorées, en un page-turner imparable. Cette romance adorable est en plus vibrante d’humour, ce qui a rajouté à mon bonheur, tant les mots d’esprit et l’écriture font feu de tout bois, avec cette spiritualité mordante si propre à l’humour anglais. Je n���ai pas cessé de rire, ce qui est assez rare à la lecture de romances historiques.
Le couple de héros a participé pleinement à mon plaisir à la lecture de ces pages. Celia, si prometteuse, a vu s’éloigner tout espoir d’une vie « normale », et si elle a accepté son sort, elle n’en ressent pas moins, par moments, un profond sentiment d’injustice et de colère intérieure, qu’elle maîtrise grâce à son intelligence et à son grand sens des convenances. Elle est aussi dotée d’un sens de l’humour assez acéré et elle a l’œil pour détecter les imbéciles et autres indélicats. Mais toutes ces forces vives ne l’empêchent pas de regretter ce qu’elle ne pourra jamais avoir, même si elle a bien conscience que les efforts de sa mère seront vains et la mettront plutôt trop souvent en position difficile.
La galerie de personnages qui l’entoure est incroyablement vivante et décrite, en quelques lignes parfois, à grands traits vigoureux et emplis d’ironie, mais aussi d’affection et de tendresse, voire d’admiration. Certains en prennent pour leur grade, tandis que d’autres se révéleront bien éloignés des stéréotypes auxquels on aurait pu s’attendre.
Sophia Holloway nous propose pratiquement un catalogue des silhouettes traditionnelles que l’on peut croiser en régence, mais ces silhouettes, elle va bien vite les remplumer grâce à sa plume à la fois légère, élégante et mordante, pour en faire des figures si bien plantées qu’on a l’impression d’être parmi eux, éblouis, au beau milieu de ce tourbillon.
On a d’abord Richard, le frère de Celia, et c’est un adorable rapport qui les unit tous les deux, complices, attendrissants et si affectueux. Aux côtés de Richard, ses deux amis, lord Pocklington, aux propos souvents décousus, et lord Deben, le gentil vicomte un peu benêt, dont les faux pas et les interventions prêtent si souvent à rire, et dont le caractère s’affirmera au fil du roman pour vaincre le coeur de sa belle dans une mignonne seconde romance.
Du côté masculin, il ne faut pas oublier la figure de l’infâme gredin séducteur, tout empli de sa propre ténébreuse beauté, Mr Wombwell, le « beau » de la place londonienne, évidemment méprisant envers ce petit monde provincial, mais à la recherche d'une bourse féminine bien remplie ( son entrée en scène le jour de son arrivée, décrite en quelques lignes, vaut vraiment le détour).
Ah, bien sûr, les femmes ne sont pas sacrifiées dans ce ballet : Marianne Burton, l’héritière richissime, à la beauté presque irréelle, mais dont l’argent sent le négoce, est une des plus jolies surprises de cette histoire. Non, elle ne sera pas que cela, non, elle ne sera pas une bécasse idiote, ni une insupportable jeune fille gâtée, etc. En fait, l’auteure lui réserve un traitement tout à fait original et bienvenu, ce qui en fait un personnage incontournable de cette histoire. On a aussi une « parente pauvre », une cousine désargentée de Celia, insipide, effarouchée, et destinée à une vie d’effacement social. Là encore, le personnage gagne en profondeur au fil des pages, et devient l’un des moteurs de cette histoire. Et, bien sûr, au sein de ces personnages féminins, on aussi les dragons : miss Drawen, effrayante, que tous les jeunes gens essayent de fuir tant elle fait preuve d’un manque écrasant de manières, ce qui ne manque pas de donner lieu à des pages à la fois drôles et hallucinantes. Autre dragon : l’inénarrable grand-mère de Celia. A elle seule, elle mériterait un roman, tant elle mène tout ce petit monde à la baguette, avec son art de sabrer de ses propos coupants et sans aucune retenue toute contestation. C’est aussi très drôle de voir ce petit monde faire profil bas devant elle.
Je garde le meilleur pour la fin : lord Levedale est un trésor, un homme fin, intelligent et aux manières impeccables, qui tombe en arrêt devant Celia lors de leur première rencontre et n’aura de cesse, dès lors, que de tout faire pour démêler ses sentiments et faire la part belle en même temps à son grand sens des responsabilités. Pour mieux la conquérir. Son humour et ses échanges avec Celia sont jubilatoires, marqués de complicité, de tendresse et de respect, et c’est juste une joie de les accompagner sur le chemin de leur happy end si mérité.
Pour celles qui aiment les belles romances régences romantiques, et spirituelles, à la croisée de Jane Austen et de Georgette Heyer, une histoire qui nous fait appréhender les individus au-delà de leurs apparences, Celia sera une magnique expérience de lecture. Et l’occasion de découvrir une auteure à suivre ! Pour ma part, j’ai déjà augmenté ma PAL d’autres titres !

[maura g brady · Rating 5 out of 5]

A country house party over the course of several weeks - no great drama or conflict but a very enjoyable story.

In many ways this reminded me of Jane Austen in the focus of achieving an advantageous marriage. The switch here is that the ladies have the fortunes and the gentleman needs to marry well. There is the charming scoundrel/cad who fails in his plans. Finally the poor relation who against all expectations finds love and an advantageous marriage.

Also I am reminded of Georgette Heyer in the wit and charm of the conversations.

[Emmalg · Rating 5 out of 5]

A proper historical romance

Finally!
What a treat to finally find a historical romance written that is a) not filled with formulaic sex scenes b) not written in jarring English.
I think most Heyer fans would enjoy this. I don't think the imagery was built quite as strongly as Heyer's but it felt right.

[GG · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful romance! The characterizations of both Lady Celia and Lord Levedale were superb, as well as all the auxiliary members of the house party. Dowager Lady Mardham's handling of Lord Curborough was perfect. I highly recommend this book. Really wish there were more HR books by this author.

[Mrs A Nicholson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just excellent

This is a superb novel, which both amuses, and stirs the emotions. The main and more important supporting characters are very well drawn, and it’s easy to imagine the settings. Thoroughly recommend.

[Marilyn Librarilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a romance where I can admire both the hero and the heroine from beginning to end. And of course, I just love the language. There were naturally some contrived misunderstandings, but they passed quickly and without my usual groan of “well, if you’d just talk about it!”

[Sian · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rating rounded up to 5! This was a good time. It had all the humor, personality, and richness of a classic regency. The author really captured the varied psychology exposed in a 3rd person omniscient POV in a setting where every character has their own reasons for making or not making a match. Getting the situational angles from all the characters was dense, and it did take me longer than my normal to read this book, but it was fun!

This was on the light-hearted side but in a realistic way, so there were still deeper human problems and insecurity woven throughout. I loved the juxtaposition of society’s criticism of Celia’s physical disability being “unattractive” with the inward unattractiveness of so many who couldn’t see past it to her. How Celia handles all of this was done so well and I loved her. Very realistic and funny displays on human interaction.

The romance(s) felt natural and provided a ton of great quotes. There was a main romance and a side romance. I really loved the two couples that came out of the story. I think the ending could have been stronger. But I really enjoyed this

in this book: multi-pov, house party, slow burn, physical disability rep, unexpected love, forced proximity, feeling seen

content guide: clean for romance and violence, infrequent and minor language

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. There were a lot of characters to keep track of because of the house party where most of the story takes place, but I managed to keep the important ones straight, which doesn't always happen. Many aspects of the plot have definitely been done before, but I appreciated the fact that the hero is actually physically attracted to the heroine, instead of it being a case where he eventually falls in love with her because of her kindness or bravery or intelligence and despite her injury. He is attracted to her from the start, and those other traits strengthen his feelings. His doubts come from his financial situation, and even when he thinks he can't marry her, he is still trying to make her life easier and improve her situation. I believe in them as a couple. I also appreciated that the often-present secondary couple are well-developed as characters and have personalities; I was rooting for them just as much. The heroine's mother and the hero's father are both horrible people, as are a few of the house party guests, but not unbelievably so (unfortunately). Overall, I enjoyed the book quite a bit.

[Virginia Tican · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miss Celia Mardham had a rosy future ahead of her until that Promise turned into thorns. Two months before her debut, she had a disastrous riding accident that left her crippled on one leg. Now, all she had to look forward to is a solitary life in the Dower House when all her elders have gone and be a lifetime pensioner to her loving brother when he inherits Meysey. A bleak prospect indeed, so a Drastic Plan must be made to marry her off before she is twenty~one, ahead of her cousin Jane who is to be presented. There is also that pesky will of Celia's grandfather stipulating that the first granddaughter to marry, before reaching her twenty~first birthday, a man of property with at least Five Thousand a year, will receive Thirty Thousand pounds without letting it be known to all suitors plus to weed~out the fortune hunters and not to be used as an inducement to those swimming in the River Tick. So Lady Mardham proposed a house party. The author made this a brisk and Fun read, full of mordant humor, witty narrative and smart dialogues.

[Heidi Meaton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Celia Mardham thought she's never marry due to a debilitating accident. However, there is a loved one for everyone

Sophia Holloway's account of this house party, which is a last ditch attempt to marry Celia off is humorous in places thanks to the Dowager Lady Mardham.
The many characters in this book are well thought out but often the jumble of their accounts often lead to a disjointed story.
Miss Burton's letters were not needed at such length. Although contributed some humour and insight to her character.
Miss Dewen, provided the 'bitch' to the story and twist available for love to be realised for others.
However despite being entertained by several characters I found Lord Mardham under used and Lady Mardham rather tedious.
This book could have been better if it wasn't so jumbled in places.
Better editing is needed to accomplish this and enable the flow of the story to be achieved.
However, I did enjoy it. Made me giggle in places.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious and entertaining.

Matt Addis should narrate all books this author brings out please. He always leaves me in applause and appreciation. Just such a good time.

The story is hilarious and well written. A light read that can truly lift one's spirit! And thankfully clean too. No explicit scenes and we love that in these parts.

I also love that our female lead is not weak and frail despite having a disability in a time period when people valued "perfection" to an obsessive level. She was confident and such a delight to read.

The English is also beautiful and indicative of the times. I will never stop championing this. Love love love when authors honor time periods this way. Makes the immersion as it should be. Hope other period authors start doing this a lot better too.

All in all it is a lovely, light, fun read that had me laughing out loud so many times. Glad I bought it.

[Lafawnduh! · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a well-written clean regency romance and I will definitley check out Sophia Holloway's other works.

While nicd, the romance between the two main characters was what I found the least interesting. They were both likable enough, but nothing really stood out for me. I was actually more invested in the secondary romance, which was sweet.

The book felt a bit too stretched out and the plot wasn't anything new. While I appreciated that the author took time to introduce and flesh out the side characters and I found their points of view diverting, they took up a bit too much space.

As mentioned above, the book was really well written and felt time-appropriate, but as far as Regency romances go, the plot was nothing really noteworthy.

[Tabitha Dickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this prior to getting good reads but i did this year and it was my first foray into the regency romance ganre. I love it ceila and levedale have a beautiful relationship that builds over the course of the story. And everyone has a presence. Spoilers here but there is beautiful female friendships too. Which admittedly i don't see very much of so that makes me smile.And the best foil to our main leads in a beautiful mess of a character you meet in the story. I atually love it so much i went out and bought all Sophia Holloway books my local bookshop has available of her work. One copy of ech i must point out. 10/10

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I struggled with this book at first- the characters all intermingled into one confused mass and I was tempted to dnf, but the premise was great and I read to the end and then re-read!

Lovely character development, interesting and engaging characters (once i had got them all
straightened out in my mind!!) and a rather refreshing, if predictable, plot.

[Jennifer McAllister · Rating 5 out of 5]

Refreshingly wonderfully romantic and realistic!

I enjoyed this book very much.
The characters were interesting.and the 'baddies'in the story suitably dealt with .
The heroine was both brave and funny and
kind and loveable.
The hero was so much in love..
and so heroic and handsome...ahhhhh.

[Pgchuis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This started off very strongly and was well-characterized. It dragged during the second half, and the secondary romance was sweeter and more believable than the main one (which is something I felt about another novel by this author). The removal of the last obstacle to the main couple's marriage struck me as unlikely to hold up in a court of law, but whatever...

[Sandie Tangen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

Sophia Holloway always tells a good story and very much in the style of Georgette Heyer, but this one is my favourite. All the characters are well written, the plot is entertaining and witty, and the writing is of very good quality. I would definitely recommend this author and in particular this book.

[Heather Alford · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is fun and funny and exceptionally well written. Sophia Holloway’s writing style is very reminiscent of Georgette Heyer — she has such a way with words! Her characters are delightfully quirky and the plot rambles along in the most enchanting way, I could hardly bear to put the book down. I loved every minute of it.

[Audiobook Accomplice (Gillian) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, so maybe it does drag a bit, but that just means more Regency Romance to love!
3.75 stars rounded up!
My Full Review

[S.K. Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sophia Holloway is just too good!

I love every single one of her books and this one is no exception. In fact, this one is extra witty and fun, not to mention the sweet love story. Can’t wait for her next book!