What do you think?
Rate this book
Honora Clare
Honora had not expected romance to be one of her school's subjects! But then, she had not expected to be left penniless at the death of her father. All she had were two houses in Bath, but they did provide her with freedom. And with the shocked disapproval of her nearest relatives. For in those houses she opened a boarding school for young ladies. However, never in her wildest dreams did Honora envision pupils like these: dull Evelina, who was subject to fits; wild, unloved Nancy, whose exploits almost sent Honora to prison; lovely Corisande, whose mother turned out to be London's leading courtesan; shy Henrietta whose 'cousin' Dick turned out to be her unscrupulous seducer; and little Sally Colvin, whose willful father began to arouse very unscholarly passions in Honora's heart. . . .
- GenresHistorical Romance
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 18, 2022
The blurb explains the plot fairly well. Honora, or Honor as she prefers, decides to open a boarding school with the two connected houses she was left by relatives. The other option is to live with her brother and sister-in-law as an unpaid governess to their children. So she moves to Bath with the children's former governess, who was dismissed since they thought they could get free labor and, through circumstances, opens the school without much knowledge of how to go about doing so. She gets a ramshackle assortment of students and problems ensue. She starts on the wrong foot with one of the pupil's father, who believes her to be an incompetent person to have charge of young girls (she kind of is). Eventually, they start getting to know each other and, of course, falling in love.
I really liked the heroine at first. She is older (24) and seems wise and practical. Instead of bemoaning her fate, she takes her future into her own hands. Unfortunately, once she starts working on opening her school, she shows herself to be mostly incompetent and the hero keeps on rescuing her. Now, I do appreciate that the author didn't make her perfect and all knowledgeable. She's gentry and has no idea how to put a school together - I get that. But other things were common sense. For example, she spends a bunch of money that she doesn't have decorating the house with things that she doesn't need at the moment or, after being taken by some parents, she doesn't question other students who come into her care. The irony is that there's a bit of discussion on reading A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft and, I assume, the parallel of them trying to be independent, but the hero is the one saving the day (although the elopement is partly his fault). I liked the hero well enough even though he's a bit high handed at first, but I can't say the romance was that exciting.
Even though I read the book for the romance, the parts I liked the most were the day to day of the school, the students' outings, and the girls' relationship with each other. This was a small part of the book, but it brought to the front the female bond I also enjoy reading about. Even Nancy, who was a terror at first, developed a friendship with the girls. I would like to have seen what has become of them all, especially poor Evelina. I could see one of the girls who had a strong bond with her taking care of her as they become adults. On a side note, there's a bit of comedy derived from Evelina's condition. Even though it's not described in detail, she seems to suffer from convulsions or seizures, and she's slow to learn. Perhaps some will take offense at that. That said, the characters treat her well in the story and one of them, in particular, develops a sweet friendship with her.
I really liked Sheila Bishop's writing style, which is more traditional, and I think that helped me get through some of the less interesting parts of the story. This is definitely a clean romance, although there's a plot point related to Henrietta and Dick (very apt name) that brings up some uncomfortable subjects.
I really liked the heroine at first. She is older (24) and seems wise and practical. Instead of bemoaning her fate, she takes her future into her own hands. Unfortunately, once she starts working on opening her school, she shows herself to be mostly incompetent and the hero keeps on rescuing her. Now, I do appreciate that the author didn't make her perfect and all knowledgeable. She's gentry and has no idea how to put a school together - I get that. But other things were common sense. For example, she spends a bunch of money that she doesn't have decorating the house with things that she doesn't need at the moment or, after being taken by some parents, she doesn't question other students who come into her care. The irony is that there's a bit of discussion on reading A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft and, I assume, the parallel of them trying to be independent, but the hero is the one saving the day (although the elopement is partly his fault). I liked the hero well enough even though he's a bit high handed at first, but I can't say the romance was that exciting.
Even though I read the book for the romance, the parts I liked the most were the day to day of the school, the students' outings, and the girls' relationship with each other. This was a small part of the book, but it brought to the front the female bond I also enjoy reading about. Even Nancy, who was a terror at first, developed a friendship with the girls. I would like to have seen what has become of them all, especially poor Evelina. I could see one of the girls who had a strong bond with her taking care of her as they become adults. On a side note, there's a bit of comedy derived from Evelina's condition. Even though it's not described in detail, she seems to suffer from convulsions or seizures, and she's slow to learn. Perhaps some will take offense at that. That said, the characters treat her well in the story and one of them, in particular, develops a sweet friendship with her.
I really liked Sheila Bishop's writing style, which is more traditional, and I think that helped me get through some of the less interesting parts of the story. This is definitely a clean romance, although there's a plot point related to Henrietta and Dick (very apt name) that brings up some uncomfortable subjects.
October 25, 2025
A bit light on the romance with an ending that feels a little abrupt.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews