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Silver Linings Mysteries #0.5
The Clerk
A novella-length prequel to the Silver Linings Mysteries series.
Off the coast of Cornwall in the southwestern tip of England, the sturdy ship the Brig Minerva is making its way from Dublin to its home port of Southampton. But tragedy strikes: the ship hits rocks and sinks almost at once, with only three survivors.
For fiercely independent Ginny Chandry, struggling to hold her family together after her father’s death, the wrecking turns her life upside down. And the most unsettling aspect is injured Jonathan Ellsworthy, a humble clerk looking for work. Is this the moment for Ginny to finally surrender to love? Or does Jonathan have secrets in his past to keep them apart?
This is a complete story with a HEA. A traditional Regency romance, drawing room rather than bedroom.
Off the coast of Cornwall in the southwestern tip of England, the sturdy ship the Brig Minerva is making its way from Dublin to its home port of Southampton. But tragedy strikes: the ship hits rocks and sinks almost at once, with only three survivors.
For fiercely independent Ginny Chandry, struggling to hold her family together after her father’s death, the wrecking turns her life upside down. And the most unsettling aspect is injured Jonathan Ellsworthy, a humble clerk looking for work. Is this the moment for Ginny to finally surrender to love? Or does Jonathan have secrets in his past to keep them apart?
This is a complete story with a HEA. A traditional Regency romance, drawing room rather than bedroom.
178 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 16, 2019
About the author
Mary Kingswood
64 books486 followersI live in the beautiful Highlands of Scotland with my husband. I like chocolate, whisky, my Kindle, massed pipe bands, long leisurely lunches, chocolate, going places in my campervan, eating pizza in Italy, summer nights that never get dark, wood fires in winter, chocolate, the view from the study window looking out over the Moray Firth and the Black Isle to the mountains beyond. And chocolate. I dislike driving on motorways, cooking, shopping, hospitals.
The lovely lady in my avatar is Archduchess Clementina of Austria (1798-1881), Princess of Salerno, painted around 1839.
NOTE: I read Regency romances as well as write them, and I review them all on my website, or you can find them right here on Goodreads on my real-name account at Pauline M. Ross.
The lovely lady in my avatar is Archduchess Clementina of Austria (1798-1881), Princess of Salerno, painted around 1839.
NOTE: I read Regency romances as well as write them, and I review them all on my website, or you can find them right here on Goodreads on my real-name account at Pauline M. Ross.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
June 7, 2019
A novella-length prequel to the Silver Linings Mysteries series which is available to subscribers of the author’s newsletter
Off the coast of Cornwall the Brig Minerva is making its way from Dublin to its home port of Southampton. But tragedy strikes: the ship hits rocks and sinks almost at once, with only three survivors.
For fiercely independent Ginny Chandry, struggling to hold her family together after her father’s death, the wrecking turns her life upside down. And the most unsettling aspect is injured Jonathan Ellsworthy, a humble clerk looking for work. Jonathan is taken to the Chandry’s home & there he makes his slow recovery. This long novella is a prequel so posed lots of questions & secrets which I hope will be answered in the books to follow. What this book did was set the scene for the series & totally whetted my appetite to find out the secrets especially Jonathan's - I have a theory & can't wait to see if I'm correct or totally barking up the wrong tree. The author’s books are well written & well researched. The characters are complex & the more of the series you read the more the layers are revealed. I can’t wait to read the next book.
Off the coast of Cornwall the Brig Minerva is making its way from Dublin to its home port of Southampton. But tragedy strikes: the ship hits rocks and sinks almost at once, with only three survivors.
For fiercely independent Ginny Chandry, struggling to hold her family together after her father’s death, the wrecking turns her life upside down. And the most unsettling aspect is injured Jonathan Ellsworthy, a humble clerk looking for work. Jonathan is taken to the Chandry’s home & there he makes his slow recovery. This long novella is a prequel so posed lots of questions & secrets which I hope will be answered in the books to follow. What this book did was set the scene for the series & totally whetted my appetite to find out the secrets especially Jonathan's - I have a theory & can't wait to see if I'm correct or totally barking up the wrong tree. The author’s books are well written & well researched. The characters are complex & the more of the series you read the more the layers are revealed. I can’t wait to read the next book.
April 14, 2021
I really liked this. It's a well written, realistic Regency story with a good plot, quality story telling, sensible dialogue, and likeable characters.
June 4, 2019
The Clerk is the prequel to Mary Kingswood’s newest series The Silver Lining Mysteries. Brig Minerva, a ship bound from Dublin to Southampton runs aground and sinks off the coast of Cornwall with only three survivors – the second mate, the cabin boy and a passenger. The passenger is seriously injured and is carried to the home of the Chandry family to recuperate.
As usual with Mary Kingwood’s novels, the characters are complex and their interaction is realistic. The series is listed as “mystery” and several characters have secrets that I expect will be resolved in future books. The passenger, Jonathan Ellsworthy, definitely has a secret, but Ginny, the oldest Chandry daughter is willing to overlook it for now. I look forward to the next books in the series since I enjoyed the characters and story line in The Clerk.
I received this novelette as part of my mailing list subscription. It was a quick and enjoyable read. The review is my honest opinion of the story.
As usual with Mary Kingwood’s novels, the characters are complex and their interaction is realistic. The series is listed as “mystery” and several characters have secrets that I expect will be resolved in future books. The passenger, Jonathan Ellsworthy, definitely has a secret, but Ginny, the oldest Chandry daughter is willing to overlook it for now. I look forward to the next books in the series since I enjoyed the characters and story line in The Clerk.
I received this novelette as part of my mailing list subscription. It was a quick and enjoyable read. The review is my honest opinion of the story.
May 10, 2020
This novella is the prequel to the so far five books each covering the fate of relatives of drowned passengers of the Brig Minerva. We learn how the wreckage happened, about the investigation, and the surviving man who claims to be a clerk.
The mystery why he had jewels and money sewn into his clothes is not revealed, so we have to wait for the sixth book to have all questions answered.
There were some inconsistencies with the story: Ginny's brother was furious to learn a strange man living in the house with his family most of them females of marriageable age and only agreed to let him stay because Jonathan was incapacitated by his broken leg. But Jonathan keeps on living with the Chandry family that should be a blow to the females' reputation. What about the money issues? Their need to live like paupers and the money hidden in the safe? The neglected bookkeeping, the not collected leases ( they were said to possess a lot of land).
Hopefully everything will be explained in the book to come.
The mystery why he had jewels and money sewn into his clothes is not revealed, so we have to wait for the sixth book to have all questions answered.
There were some inconsistencies with the story: Ginny's brother was furious to learn a strange man living in the house with his family most of them females of marriageable age and only agreed to let him stay because Jonathan was incapacitated by his broken leg. But Jonathan keeps on living with the Chandry family that should be a blow to the females' reputation. What about the money issues? Their need to live like paupers and the money hidden in the safe? The neglected bookkeeping, the not collected leases ( they were said to possess a lot of land).
Hopefully everything will be explained in the book to come.
January 31, 2025
I feel like I should applaud for this great setup of a series. It leaves you hanging in the most delightful way. I have to get to book 5 to get the full story? Game on!
April 24, 2022
I love all of Mary Kingswood's books. I read all the Silver Linings Mysteries except for the last one and I felt compelled to seek out and read The Clerk. I'm glad I did. There was some sadness but I got a hint of a mystery surrounding Mr.Ellsworthy. I can't wait to finish the last book, The Duke. I ended up reading The Widow a second time. I am excited to see what fun Ms. Kingswood has crafted for the finale. Thank you for a Good Read.
April 3, 2023
Lovely story! Mary Kingswood's style is a joy to read. Her characters are interesting and lively. Her plots are equal to them. There was a lot going on in this one, for all it is a novella. I had no trouble keeping up with everything. The story didn't drag on and on, either. If you enjoy clean Regency romance, do try this one.
December 3, 2022
A free novella, prequel to the Silver Linings Mystery series, offered when signing up for Mary Kingswood's newletter.
The Brig Minerva has sunk off the Cornwall coast, near the home of Chandry family. The townspeople rush to the shore to see if there are any survivors to rescue. One, Jonathan Ellsworthy, washes up at the feet of Miss Ginny Chandry. He is taken home, unconscious, to heal. A broken leg and hand, and broken ribs, make his recovery lengthy. As Ginny works to repair his clothing, she discovers money and jewels sewn into his coat. Not being a nosy or gossipy person, she tells no one, but it adds to Mr. Ellsworthy's mystery. The deceased father of the family, Patrick Chandry, has left the family impoverished. His appeal for women is legendary, all of which combines to make their life a struggle.
Very clever is Mary Kingswood. The mystery surrounding Mr. Ellsworthy is not revealed, leaving the reader hungry for learning what his story really is. She hints that more will become known in the 6th book of the series. I have to comment on the cover art. The Clerk's face is most intriguing. Very well written. I'm now embarking on a Mary Kingswood marathon.
The Brig Minerva has sunk off the Cornwall coast, near the home of Chandry family. The townspeople rush to the shore to see if there are any survivors to rescue. One, Jonathan Ellsworthy, washes up at the feet of Miss Ginny Chandry. He is taken home, unconscious, to heal. A broken leg and hand, and broken ribs, make his recovery lengthy. As Ginny works to repair his clothing, she discovers money and jewels sewn into his coat. Not being a nosy or gossipy person, she tells no one, but it adds to Mr. Ellsworthy's mystery. The deceased father of the family, Patrick Chandry, has left the family impoverished. His appeal for women is legendary, all of which combines to make their life a struggle.
Very clever is Mary Kingswood. The mystery surrounding Mr. Ellsworthy is not revealed, leaving the reader hungry for learning what his story really is. She hints that more will become known in the 6th book of the series. I have to comment on the cover art. The Clerk's face is most intriguing. Very well written. I'm now embarking on a Mary Kingswood marathon.
October 20, 2025
This novella is a historical romance with some mystery set in the Regency. It is the prequel to a series called The Silver Lining Mysteries.
The story starts with a shipwreck in Cornwall. Only three of the crew and passengers survive. One of them, the clerk of the title, is gravely injured and left to convalesce with a local family. We are told the story of the romance between the clerk and Ginny, the eldest daughter of the local family, as well as another romance on the side. There are some family secrets to be discovered on the way and a little silly mystery regarding some missing pastries. We're left with an open question (which the author says will be solved later in the series), to whet our appetites and make sure we read all six books in the series, with stories originating in the shipwreck. (To be honest, I'll probably read them all just because I usually enjoy this author, regardless of the unsolved mystery here).
This is a short story, so the romance or the mystery can't be as elaborate as in a full-length book. They are still interesting and compelling, with the good writing and the historical feeling I've come to expect from this author. A very promising start of the series.
The story starts with a shipwreck in Cornwall. Only three of the crew and passengers survive. One of them, the clerk of the title, is gravely injured and left to convalesce with a local family. We are told the story of the romance between the clerk and Ginny, the eldest daughter of the local family, as well as another romance on the side. There are some family secrets to be discovered on the way and a little silly mystery regarding some missing pastries. We're left with an open question (which the author says will be solved later in the series), to whet our appetites and make sure we read all six books in the series, with stories originating in the shipwreck. (To be honest, I'll probably read them all just because I usually enjoy this author, regardless of the unsolved mystery here).
This is a short story, so the romance or the mystery can't be as elaborate as in a full-length book. They are still interesting and compelling, with the good writing and the historical feeling I've come to expect from this author. A very promising start of the series.
June 27, 2019
I absolutely loved this novella. The characters of Ginny, her family and Jonathan move around in my head like real people. The mysteries of the sinking of the brig Minerva and Jonathan's identity, the hidden money and her widowed mother's reluctance to leave the house all create an atmosphere of everyday intrigue. Why does the family live so frugally now? What did Ginny's father do to earn money? Who is stealing the pies?
It seems like the central theme is how to know that you can trust another person. Do you trust your own judgment and believe the intuition inside you? When a person does, she can take real risks to create her own happiness.
It seems like the central theme is how to know that you can trust another person. Do you trust your own judgment and believe the intuition inside you? When a person does, she can take real risks to create her own happiness.
May 18, 2019
I love ready Kingswood’s “novellas” because they are closer to being a novel than a short story. The Clerk introduces us to a new family and hints at the clerk’s mysterious past which I am excited to find out about.
May 19, 2019
Interesting novella with some intriguing undertones. The story has you wondering from the start and the end only adds to the questions.
May 27, 2019
Very engaging, has some twists and turns to keep you reading and wanting more. Must read. My free opinion. Thanks.
October 2, 2019
Loved this sweet regency romance. Like this new author and series. You really get transpirted to the era. The charactwrs and situations seem quiety authentic.
February 19, 2020
A quick read and a nice filler of some of the other stories.
Now to find which story has the clerks pas in it!
Now to find which story has the clerks pas in it!
June 10, 2020
4 stars. Well written & enjoyable little novella. Very interested for the continuation in the final book!!
May 4, 2021
Loved it!!
May 29, 2021
This works well on its own, but the central mystery is Not resolved, so it is a true teaser and very effective as such.
July 7, 2023
The Silver Linings series is good, and this prequel is available free from the author on her website.
March 14, 2024
Mary Kingswood is SO good - her books never fail to satisfy! I have already read the Silver Linings Mysteries, but after enjoying this novella I feel like going back and reading them all over again.
November 11, 2024
Read this prequel in one day. Oh i would like a love like ginny & jons, full of laughter. best kind.❤️ (reread it the very next day, happy sigh)
August 27, 2025
If my theory about Jonathan is correct, then . And I didn't much like the heroine's prejudices.
December 30, 2020
Oh my goodness. The thoughtless problems that one man can cause by his choices.
August 31, 2021
A great setup for the series. Leaves just enough unanswered questions to intrigue me. Some of the characters are delightful, but there are so many packed into this novella that I am left with a feeling that the side stories resolved too soon. They felt rushed. But I'm delighted to see characters from another series cross into this one!
June 17, 2024
This is merely a teaser for a continuing series, but the author gives the reader enough satisfaction to be content.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews