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The Six Sisters #3
Deirdre and Desire
Red-haired, jade-eyed Deirdre Armitage is determined to marry for love, rejecting the choice of their hunt-happy vicar father. Lord Harry Desire is well-bred, good-looking - and rich. Deirdre contrives to elope with dashing neighbor Guy Wentwater, a slaver who first courted her elder sister. Can Harry, clever tricks up his tailored sleeve, save her from herself?
208 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
79 people are currently reading
506 people want to read
About the author
Marion Chesney
139 books750 followersMarion Chesney Gibbons
aka: Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Charlotte Ward, M.C. Beaton, Sarah Chester.
Marion Chesney was born on 1936 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK, and started her first job as a bookseller in charge of the fiction department in John Smith & Sons Ltd. While bookselling, by chance, she got an offer from the Scottish Daily Mail to review variety shows and quickly rose to be their theatre critic. She left Smith’s to join Scottish Field magazine as a secretary in the advertising department, without any shorthand or typing, but quickly got the job of fashion editor instead. She then moved to the Scottish Daily Express where she reported mostly on crime. This was followed by a move to Fleet Street to the Daily Express where she became chief woman reporter. After marrying Harry Scott Gibbons and having a son, Charles, Marion went to the United States where Harry had been offered the job of editor of the Oyster Bay Guardian. When that didn’t work out, they went to Virginia and Marion worked as a waitress in a greasy spoon on the Jefferson Davies in Alexandria while Harry washed the dishes. Both then got jobs on Rupert Murdoch’s new tabloid, The Star, and moved to New York.
Anxious to spend more time at home with her small son, Marion, urged by her husband, started to write historical romances in 1977. After she had written over 100 of them under her maiden name, Marion Chesney, and under the pseudonyms: Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Charlotte Ward, and Sarah Chester, she getting fed up with 1714 to 1910, she began to write detectives stories in 1985 under the pseudonym of M. C. Beaton. On a trip from the States to Sutherland on holiday, a course at a fishing school inspired the first Constable Hamish Macbeth story. They returned to Britain and bought a croft house and croft in Sutherland where Harry reared a flock of black sheep. But Charles was at school, in London so when he finished and both tired of the long commute to the north of Scotland, they moved to the Cotswolds where Agatha Raisin was created.
aka: Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Charlotte Ward, M.C. Beaton, Sarah Chester.
Marion Chesney was born on 1936 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK, and started her first job as a bookseller in charge of the fiction department in John Smith & Sons Ltd. While bookselling, by chance, she got an offer from the Scottish Daily Mail to review variety shows and quickly rose to be their theatre critic. She left Smith’s to join Scottish Field magazine as a secretary in the advertising department, without any shorthand or typing, but quickly got the job of fashion editor instead. She then moved to the Scottish Daily Express where she reported mostly on crime. This was followed by a move to Fleet Street to the Daily Express where she became chief woman reporter. After marrying Harry Scott Gibbons and having a son, Charles, Marion went to the United States where Harry had been offered the job of editor of the Oyster Bay Guardian. When that didn’t work out, they went to Virginia and Marion worked as a waitress in a greasy spoon on the Jefferson Davies in Alexandria while Harry washed the dishes. Both then got jobs on Rupert Murdoch’s new tabloid, The Star, and moved to New York.
Anxious to spend more time at home with her small son, Marion, urged by her husband, started to write historical romances in 1977. After she had written over 100 of them under her maiden name, Marion Chesney, and under the pseudonyms: Ann Fairfax, Jennie Tremaine, Helen Crampton, Charlotte Ward, and Sarah Chester, she getting fed up with 1714 to 1910, she began to write detectives stories in 1985 under the pseudonym of M. C. Beaton. On a trip from the States to Sutherland on holiday, a course at a fishing school inspired the first Constable Hamish Macbeth story. They returned to Britain and bought a croft house and croft in Sutherland where Harry reared a flock of black sheep. But Charles was at school, in London so when he finished and both tired of the long commute to the north of Scotland, they moved to the Cotswolds where Agatha Raisin was created.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
September 27, 2015
Some books look like a romance, read like a romance, sell like a romance, but can be so much more.
This book was my very first foray into the works of Marion Chesney, the beginning of a long and devoted readership, and one of my very first Regency romances. At the time, I was maybe in the fifth grade, and the old-fashioned hardback cover and its curlique scripted title drew me in. I read it. I didn't understand it. In fact, I didn't think much of the author.
Years later, Marion Chesney is my go-to author when I'm in a bad mood. Her writing is succinct, evocative, and, best of all, prolific. Naturally, as is the case with all prolific writers, their average rating isn't as high as a writer that is a one-shot wonder.
This book, to be honest, doesn't work that well as a romance. The character of the hero, Harry, is kind of a puzzle, and the heroine also isn't much of a heroine. But as is the case with many of Chesney's later historicals, this book reads more like a satire of the romance genre.
Deirdre is considered the "brains" of the family, but from her actions, she does one stupid, headstrong thing after another. Her "wit," such as it is, comprises mainly of impertinent comebacks, much in the way of the rebellious teenager. Actually, she yearns for romance, and finds it in the form of the first single man she meets that pays attention to her, who also is a scoundrel of the highest order (which you know from previous books in the series, but is also alluded to in this book). Very soon, she starts thinking that their relationship was a true "meeting of the mind," because he was able to converse with her on such weighty, intelligent subjects as she had always desired and which were forbidden to young girls. One such subject is the Battle of Waterloo, on which the scoundrel (Guy Wentwater) is able to speak at great length.
When Deirdre meets Harry, because of his fashionable appearance and his purposefully vacant look, she condemns him as a dummy. She looks down on him because he is unable to talk about "intelligent" topics, to which he replies languidly that the only people who want to talk about war are people who have never had to fight in war. She thinks he's not only a dummy but also a coward as well.
Herein lies Marion Chesney's genius. A lot of reviewers criticize her writing as lacking that deep characterization that flesh out people. However, I think her portrayal of human nature is exceptionally accurate. And in fact, she has stated in an interview once that love "in real life is not the way it's portrayed in novels." So, in some of her books, I feel she cleverly masks her satirical outlook by glossing the book in a veneer of "romance."
Back to the book. There is a vein of arrogance and idealistic stupidity that flows in young girls, but particularly in intelligent girls. By intelligent, I mean the girls who think too much and, moreover, take pride in the fact that they think too much, not realizing that truly intelligent people are not debating the banality of everyday things. It's worse when this self-awareness is paired with idealism and romanticism. Deirdre is one such example, and I think this book runs parallel with Pride and Prejudice with Lizzy's character. Both pride themselves on being good judges of character and having a higher mind than common, materialistic, mercenary goals. Ergo, the man who is in good standing and accepted by society must be a jackass. The man, on the other hand, who was a villain and loudly proclaims to all of his repentance -- that man is a true hero.
This is a folly that actually many intelligent girls fall victim to, in thinking that a reformed man is better than the man who is just there, boring, staid, respectable. But in real life, it seldom works like this. The man who's there chatting up a storm of pretty words and flattering conversation is usually not the saint that he presents himself to be. Alas for girls who always fall prey to verbal assurances and can't see beneath silent actions.
Does this book rank that highly as a romance? No, I don't think so. But I never thought Pride and Prejudice was particularly effective as a romance either. But on character, and youthful idealism, and a lot on growing up and learning that actions speak louder than words, this book is quite effective.
This book was my very first foray into the works of Marion Chesney, the beginning of a long and devoted readership, and one of my very first Regency romances. At the time, I was maybe in the fifth grade, and the old-fashioned hardback cover and its curlique scripted title drew me in. I read it. I didn't understand it. In fact, I didn't think much of the author.
Years later, Marion Chesney is my go-to author when I'm in a bad mood. Her writing is succinct, evocative, and, best of all, prolific. Naturally, as is the case with all prolific writers, their average rating isn't as high as a writer that is a one-shot wonder.
This book, to be honest, doesn't work that well as a romance. The character of the hero, Harry, is kind of a puzzle, and the heroine also isn't much of a heroine. But as is the case with many of Chesney's later historicals, this book reads more like a satire of the romance genre.
Deirdre is considered the "brains" of the family, but from her actions, she does one stupid, headstrong thing after another. Her "wit," such as it is, comprises mainly of impertinent comebacks, much in the way of the rebellious teenager. Actually, she yearns for romance, and finds it in the form of the first single man she meets that pays attention to her, who also is a scoundrel of the highest order (which you know from previous books in the series, but is also alluded to in this book). Very soon, she starts thinking that their relationship was a true "meeting of the mind," because he was able to converse with her on such weighty, intelligent subjects as she had always desired and which were forbidden to young girls. One such subject is the Battle of Waterloo, on which the scoundrel (Guy Wentwater) is able to speak at great length.
When Deirdre meets Harry, because of his fashionable appearance and his purposefully vacant look, she condemns him as a dummy. She looks down on him because he is unable to talk about "intelligent" topics, to which he replies languidly that the only people who want to talk about war are people who have never had to fight in war. She thinks he's not only a dummy but also a coward as well.
Herein lies Marion Chesney's genius. A lot of reviewers criticize her writing as lacking that deep characterization that flesh out people. However, I think her portrayal of human nature is exceptionally accurate. And in fact, she has stated in an interview once that love "in real life is not the way it's portrayed in novels." So, in some of her books, I feel she cleverly masks her satirical outlook by glossing the book in a veneer of "romance."
Back to the book. There is a vein of arrogance and idealistic stupidity that flows in young girls, but particularly in intelligent girls. By intelligent, I mean the girls who think too much and, moreover, take pride in the fact that they think too much, not realizing that truly intelligent people are not debating the banality of everyday things. It's worse when this self-awareness is paired with idealism and romanticism. Deirdre is one such example, and I think this book runs parallel with Pride and Prejudice with Lizzy's character. Both pride themselves on being good judges of character and having a higher mind than common, materialistic, mercenary goals. Ergo, the man who is in good standing and accepted by society must be a jackass. The man, on the other hand, who was a villain and loudly proclaims to all of his repentance -- that man is a true hero.
This is a folly that actually many intelligent girls fall victim to, in thinking that a reformed man is better than the man who is just there, boring, staid, respectable. But in real life, it seldom works like this. The man who's there chatting up a storm of pretty words and flattering conversation is usually not the saint that he presents himself to be. Alas for girls who always fall prey to verbal assurances and can't see beneath silent actions.
Does this book rank that highly as a romance? No, I don't think so. But I never thought Pride and Prejudice was particularly effective as a romance either. But on character, and youthful idealism, and a lot on growing up and learning that actions speak louder than words, this book is quite effective.
November 11, 2022
What a charming and funny story, and quite wise.
Charming.
I loved Harry Desire, his personality and his way of behaving. He was so Heyer-ish ;-) And the way the love story developed - lovely. I found here the scene that made me sigh very deep and made me want to be the heroine.
Funny.
Rev. Armitage's intrigues, Lady Godolphin's love life and her language blunder - made me laugh like in the two first parts of series. There were also many other funny situations, especially between sisters. There was also one precious poem (there were more poems, but this one was... ;-) )
I found also very hilarious the way of discovering by Deirdre where the children come from.
Wise.
How often we are labeled as e.g. stupid or wise or nice or grumpy and then it stays with us often for the rest of our life, regardless if it is true. And we are trying constantly to deserve for this or fighting with this.
Another message: When woman/man marries she/he doesn't change suddenly, she/he doesn't mature all at once. It was showed well through the older, married sisters, Minerva and Annabelle.
What could I add? I have a very good time. And I can't wait to read about other sisters, especially about Diana and Frederica.
Charming.
I loved Harry Desire, his personality and his way of behaving. He was so Heyer-ish ;-) And the way the love story developed - lovely. I found here the scene that made me sigh very deep and made me want to be the heroine.
Funny.
Rev. Armitage's intrigues, Lady Godolphin's love life and her language blunder - made me laugh like in the two first parts of series. There were also many other funny situations, especially between sisters. There was also one precious poem (there were more poems, but this one was... ;-) )
Love is the fart
Of every heart;
It pains a man when 'tis kept close;
And others doth offend, when 'tis let loose.
I found also very hilarious the way of discovering by Deirdre where the children come from.
Wise.
How often we are labeled as e.g. stupid or wise or nice or grumpy and then it stays with us often for the rest of our life, regardless if it is true. And we are trying constantly to deserve for this or fighting with this.
Another message: When woman/man marries she/he doesn't change suddenly, she/he doesn't mature all at once. It was showed well through the older, married sisters, Minerva and Annabelle.
What could I add? I have a very good time. And I can't wait to read about other sisters, especially about Diana and Frederica.
October 3, 2017
I actually listened to the audible version of this book, and very much enjoy the reader, Charlotte Anne Dore, who has done all of this series. As all of her books, this one barrels along at a breakneck pace with lots of expected and unexpected twists and turns and developments. The 3 that I have reread so far have a lot in common and several times I was struck with Déjà vue to the point that I almost quit reading thinking I picked up a recently read one by mistake. But no, I was just remembering another one. I was frustrated several times about how blind and foolish Deirdre was, especially since she was supposed to be the “intelligent one”. It was a relief when she finally was struck by self-realization and I realized that this was the whole idea and one of the themes of her story from the beginning. Harry Desire was a treat and my favorite hero so far. As always, The Vicar’s machinations and Lady Godolphin’s absurdities are fodder for many laughs along the way. After a few hints regarding the 4th sister, Daphne, I will be picking that one up very soon.
January 7, 2013
Okay so THIS one I really liked!!!
Mostly I liked it because Harry is AWESOME!!! And at the end of the book I STILL loved him (unlike Sylvester who had a terrible fall from grace at the end of 'Minerva').
Harry is indescribably beautiful, bordering on angelic. Black hair, blue eyes (my favourite combination in a man!!!) and tall. There is just one teeny tiny problem... he doesn't seem to have all his wits about him.
I loved how he made everyone think he was dull as ditch water and then sat back and derived huge amusement from shocking them with his stupidity!!! The conversation he has with Deirdre the first time he meets her had me in stitches. And the way he manages to get her to jump into his arms was positively evil!!!
All of the books have an underlying humour, and again Lady Goldophin and mixing up her words... priceless!!!
Mostly I liked it because Harry is AWESOME!!! And at the end of the book I STILL loved him (unlike Sylvester who had a terrible fall from grace at the end of 'Minerva').
Harry is indescribably beautiful, bordering on angelic. Black hair, blue eyes (my favourite combination in a man!!!) and tall. There is just one teeny tiny problem... he doesn't seem to have all his wits about him.
I loved how he made everyone think he was dull as ditch water and then sat back and derived huge amusement from shocking them with his stupidity!!! The conversation he has with Deirdre the first time he meets her had me in stitches. And the way he manages to get her to jump into his arms was positively evil!!!
All of the books have an underlying humour, and again Lady Goldophin and mixing up her words... priceless!!!
October 1, 2024
Definitely not in the Georgette Heyer class but still amusing with Lord Harry and the naive Deidre misunderstandings. Might read the other four in the series.
I liked the fox hunt mad Vicar and his fashion sense. I can understand why Deidre was mortified by his antics.
I liked the fox hunt mad Vicar and his fashion sense. I can understand why Deidre was mortified by his antics.
December 30, 2014
Second reading September 2013. I like it more than any other book that I have read from this author. Harry Desire pretends to be an idiot but he proves to be the best hero ever. Very funny.
May 24, 2022
Hmm not soo bad but mostly i was bored and irritated with the characters.
The heroine is supposed to be the smart one in the family, but in reality, although she is witty she really is not well read, nor educated enough to be truly clever. She despises the Hero when she perceives him to be slow witted and shallow, and then imagines herself in love with the villain and throws herself at him multiple times!
The author likes to portray this group of sisters as quite young, and it is on account of their youth that they act impulsively and make bad decisions. This seems to be the theme of this series so far and while it worked a couple of times, it is getting tiresome.
The heroine in this book is no different from her sisters, the situation is almost the same as the last book w her in love w someone else and the Hero in pursuit.
Now what i cannot understand is why the author portrayed the Hero as a vapid, shallow dandy. Supposedly he is not as dim as it seems, but he carries on the charade until the end. I couldnt see any rhyme or reason why he would adopt this pesona?🙄 It was never explained.
Also very weird, the Hero is described as particularly beautiful but he is the only good looking one in his family. The author makes an effort to point out how unattractive the other family members are, but she never expounds on this observation… so what was the point? 🤷🏻♀️
Not really worth the read. 😒
The heroine is supposed to be the smart one in the family, but in reality, although she is witty she really is not well read, nor educated enough to be truly clever. She despises the Hero when she perceives him to be slow witted and shallow, and then imagines herself in love with the villain and throws herself at him multiple times!
The author likes to portray this group of sisters as quite young, and it is on account of their youth that they act impulsively and make bad decisions. This seems to be the theme of this series so far and while it worked a couple of times, it is getting tiresome.
The heroine in this book is no different from her sisters, the situation is almost the same as the last book w her in love w someone else and the Hero in pursuit.
Now what i cannot understand is why the author portrayed the Hero as a vapid, shallow dandy. Supposedly he is not as dim as it seems, but he carries on the charade until the end. I couldnt see any rhyme or reason why he would adopt this pesona?🙄 It was never explained.
Also very weird, the Hero is described as particularly beautiful but he is the only good looking one in his family. The author makes an effort to point out how unattractive the other family members are, but she never expounds on this observation… so what was the point? 🤷🏻♀️
Not really worth the read. 😒
Read
April 12, 2008Another book I hadn't meant to talk about, but I think it is important to bear in mind what someone reads before and after the other books; everything is connected *small smile*
*sigh* so, I finally got a Chesney romance, another one lauded as the best thing since sliced bread, I mean Heyer. And I'm glad that at least one person once said it's insane to compare these two writers ... even though most of Chesney's fans find Heyer boring ... did I mention I'm never going to understand the world?
See, I came to loathe this writer through her two later series, the "comedy" crime novels by M.C.Beaton *belatedly realises the MC initials* I had bought those series also in bulk, since it's a fact books go OOP quickly, but she makes me sick.
All her books have nothing but unpleasant characters, and I'm saying this as a person deeply opposed to sugary sweetness and idealistic families and unrealistic portrayals of humanity. But never was there a writer who so relentlessly delights in showing nothing but despicable characters being mean to each other - again, I'm not demanding Dickensian morality lessons, nor do I believe that everyone gets their due in life, and am all for showing how complex, contradictory and usually shocking all our thoughts are, but her books are actually amusing, nay, delighting thousands, and they are just so - nasty? *looks unhappily at weak word*
In that later series, the mature woman Agatha Raisin is repeatedly reviled and humiliated, yet we are supposed to see her as brash and rude and deserving of her constant suffering. I loathe her "lover", whatshisname and was glad when she got that pretty young Lord, only she is of course being used and abused by him as well. So - I know MC's current "anti-romances" and I wish I could meet her before she dies and gets lauded as the only one daring to write them, because they are all quickly thrown out descriptions of her own life with some humiliation added.
They also all have the cyclical nature of ending and beginning the same way over and over again - they are like those toys on office desks, the silver balls hanging from chains, and if you bump them they keep whacking at each other until they run out of momentum. I like that comparison - it is so apt. All romances have many of those flaws, but MC is the most relentless in just aimlessly letting her characters hit each other until she reaches the required page count. And then resets the non-perpetuum mobile.
Erm, back to this book. I nearly gave it three stars because of having read Kleypas right before it, as I had gleaned from summaries, it had a hero like I rarely find these days, a man pretending to be dumb and shallow and being smart and sarcastic underneath, and of course worthy and hot and all that.
But the heroine has to suffer the same humiliations as all of MC's women (serious issues? it's more than simply anti-romance) and realise she's not (even) intelligent (basically, they never have anything going for them, so we're back to looks, even though her sister Daphne will then get disabused of that in her own book) so it's really the same as with Agatha. The difference is that in those older/romance novels, girl does get her man, AND the man is the only likable character in the book! He's interesting and intriguing (attractive etc. too) so that's the big difference to her later anti-romances ... ? (here Chesney is melding Heyer's Freddy and Ajax etc.)
ETA: if every single hero is like that, I'll hate them from book 2 onwards, because it's patronising and just putting down women of course. But I'd love a good book to have men like this explored and loved on in more detail, without the need to define them as "beta-males" and similar ready-made categories *gag* or turn them into identical every-bodies after a while.
I lowered the opinion to 2 stars when she even ended this book verbatim like Heyer ended one of hers, but then decided to stop doing the star system because everything lately is just crap. I still wish to read her other Six Sisters (and Poor Relation) books to see if she really has all her couples identical as well (as most romance authors do) or if she at least has some different traits and dynamics - from the view of the older two sisters, they had to have been very different, but then they are also painted so unflatteringly that it's hard to imagine.
Oh, and the sex - I think she could actually write it? But she doesn't. Genre-convention, but perhaps also the inability to show closer intimacy and emotion? Leaves me personally USTy, because Harry Desire and his devious biting of Deirdre seemed like a beginning.
Hope this helped someone - and remember - don't believe the amazon reviews.
ETA: it is NOT true that she has lots of great period detail - MC inserts blobs of copy-pasted description at some points, but her staccato style makes the placement random and the listing of clothing, food or toys just that - randomnly inserted lists *gets angrier whenever reading reviews :)*
ETA-THREE:
- there is absolutely no reason for Desire to play the fool, no motivation :/ and the summary of the Daphne book makes it sound like all MCs romance heroes get to lecture/straighten out the heroine
+ there are two instances in this nearly cracky novel that were startlingly true, when Deirdre was characterised as liking to sit on stairs, between rooms, and how she punishes herself by eloping with a man she dislikes. MC should have tried to write like Highsmith, but since she couldn't she moved to crime novels. Hm.
NOTE TO SELF:
-> I caught myself wanting to get some more books from her! ie. "Quadrille", since it's supposedly "racier" -> has actual sex, I think - but then so does Agatha Raisin, and that Hugh in "Quadrille" sounds dangerously like Agatha's men, or MCs men: starting out like interesting appealing characters to be bodysnatched by the author and replaced by brutal boors/bores that hurt their women. Must not forget her delight in mean and callous people after only one day!
*sigh* so, I finally got a Chesney romance, another one lauded as the best thing since sliced bread, I mean Heyer. And I'm glad that at least one person once said it's insane to compare these two writers ... even though most of Chesney's fans find Heyer boring ... did I mention I'm never going to understand the world?
See, I came to loathe this writer through her two later series, the "comedy" crime novels by M.C.Beaton *belatedly realises the MC initials* I had bought those series also in bulk, since it's a fact books go OOP quickly, but she makes me sick.
All her books have nothing but unpleasant characters, and I'm saying this as a person deeply opposed to sugary sweetness and idealistic families and unrealistic portrayals of humanity. But never was there a writer who so relentlessly delights in showing nothing but despicable characters being mean to each other - again, I'm not demanding Dickensian morality lessons, nor do I believe that everyone gets their due in life, and am all for showing how complex, contradictory and usually shocking all our thoughts are, but her books are actually amusing, nay, delighting thousands, and they are just so - nasty? *looks unhappily at weak word*
In that later series, the mature woman Agatha Raisin is repeatedly reviled and humiliated, yet we are supposed to see her as brash and rude and deserving of her constant suffering. I loathe her "lover", whatshisname and was glad when she got that pretty young Lord, only she is of course being used and abused by him as well. So - I know MC's current "anti-romances" and I wish I could meet her before she dies and gets lauded as the only one daring to write them, because they are all quickly thrown out descriptions of her own life with some humiliation added.
They also all have the cyclical nature of ending and beginning the same way over and over again - they are like those toys on office desks, the silver balls hanging from chains, and if you bump them they keep whacking at each other until they run out of momentum. I like that comparison - it is so apt. All romances have many of those flaws, but MC is the most relentless in just aimlessly letting her characters hit each other until she reaches the required page count. And then resets the non-perpetuum mobile.
Erm, back to this book. I nearly gave it three stars because of having read Kleypas right before it, as I had gleaned from summaries, it had a hero like I rarely find these days, a man pretending to be dumb and shallow and being smart and sarcastic underneath, and of course worthy and hot and all that.
But the heroine has to suffer the same humiliations as all of MC's women (serious issues? it's more than simply anti-romance) and realise she's not (even) intelligent (basically, they never have anything going for them, so we're back to looks, even though her sister Daphne will then get disabused of that in her own book) so it's really the same as with Agatha. The difference is that in those older/romance novels, girl does get her man, AND the man is the only likable character in the book! He's interesting and intriguing (attractive etc. too) so that's the big difference to her later anti-romances ... ? (here Chesney is melding Heyer's Freddy and Ajax etc.)
ETA: if every single hero is like that, I'll hate them from book 2 onwards, because it's patronising and just putting down women of course. But I'd love a good book to have men like this explored and loved on in more detail, without the need to define them as "beta-males" and similar ready-made categories *gag* or turn them into identical every-bodies after a while.
I lowered the opinion to 2 stars when she even ended this book verbatim like Heyer ended one of hers, but then decided to stop doing the star system because everything lately is just crap. I still wish to read her other Six Sisters (and Poor Relation) books to see if she really has all her couples identical as well (as most romance authors do) or if she at least has some different traits and dynamics - from the view of the older two sisters, they had to have been very different, but then they are also painted so unflatteringly that it's hard to imagine.
Oh, and the sex - I think she could actually write it? But she doesn't. Genre-convention, but perhaps also the inability to show closer intimacy and emotion? Leaves me personally USTy, because Harry Desire and his devious biting of Deirdre seemed like a beginning.
Hope this helped someone - and remember - don't believe the amazon reviews.
ETA: it is NOT true that she has lots of great period detail - MC inserts blobs of copy-pasted description at some points, but her staccato style makes the placement random and the listing of clothing, food or toys just that - randomnly inserted lists *gets angrier whenever reading reviews :)*
ETA-THREE:
- there is absolutely no reason for Desire to play the fool, no motivation :/ and the summary of the Daphne book makes it sound like all MCs romance heroes get to lecture/straighten out the heroine
+ there are two instances in this nearly cracky novel that were startlingly true, when Deirdre was characterised as liking to sit on stairs, between rooms, and how she punishes herself by eloping with a man she dislikes. MC should have tried to write like Highsmith, but since she couldn't she moved to crime novels. Hm.
NOTE TO SELF:
-> I caught myself wanting to get some more books from her! ie. "Quadrille", since it's supposedly "racier" -> has actual sex, I think - but then so does Agatha Raisin, and that Hugh in "Quadrille" sounds dangerously like Agatha's men, or MCs men: starting out like interesting appealing characters to be bodysnatched by the author and replaced by brutal boors/bores that hurt their women. Must not forget her delight in mean and callous people after only one day!
November 25, 2014
Deirdre and Desire, the third book in The Six Sisters series, is better than the first, and far better than the second. Deirdre is a red head (her older sisters, Minerva was dark haired, and Annabelle was a blond. One wonders about the physical features of the Amitage parents. They are described as a hunt happy reverend and a hypochondriac mother, but physically they are "middle-aged." In any case having married off his two older daughters to handsome, wealthy men, the Reverend Charles Armitage decides to do the same for his third beautiful daughter. He decides on wealthy Lord Harry Desire, and sends his third daughter back to Lady Godolphin for her "season" in London. Minerva after all found Lord Sylvestor Comfrey there, and Annabelle married a friend of his Peter, Lord Brabbington, at no expense to her family.
Deidre however does not want to be treated like chattel and vows to marry only for love. Unfortunately pickings are slim, and she decides to go for Guy Wentworth, a sleazy character who first counted her oldest sister Minerva until she found out the source of his money, "black ivory" was the slave trade. She outright rejects him, and he also tries to lure Annabelle, after her marriage with Lord Brabbington appears to be in name only, but her father "hunts" him out of the area. Back once again (he seems determined to be the villain in all the novels) to visit his mother who has a mansion in the same village, he is out to get revenge on the Armitage clan for the indignity and pain he suffered from the father. However, he is leery of going with her too openly, so the two meet in secret. Lord Harry, who is madly in love with Deidre has people watching what is going on and is able to foil most of Wentworth's scheming. Wentworth gets together with an equally disreputable friend, Silas Dubois (one of the nasty men who planned to ruin Minerva because she didn't approve of the loose morals of the ton), who wishes to keep Harry from inheriting Mr. Blewett, his uncle's fortune because he is second in line for it. The plot becomes very exciting with attempted murder, real murder, robbery and the appearance of Lord Harry Desire seducing the gullible Deidre by biting her. However since Deirdre was compromised, she is forced to marry the handsome, rich, adoring Harry, who she herself is madly in love with.
An original and highly entertaining plot to fit in the series. Let's hope the trend continues.
Deidre however does not want to be treated like chattel and vows to marry only for love. Unfortunately pickings are slim, and she decides to go for Guy Wentworth, a sleazy character who first counted her oldest sister Minerva until she found out the source of his money, "black ivory" was the slave trade. She outright rejects him, and he also tries to lure Annabelle, after her marriage with Lord Brabbington appears to be in name only, but her father "hunts" him out of the area. Back once again (he seems determined to be the villain in all the novels) to visit his mother who has a mansion in the same village, he is out to get revenge on the Armitage clan for the indignity and pain he suffered from the father. However, he is leery of going with her too openly, so the two meet in secret. Lord Harry, who is madly in love with Deidre has people watching what is going on and is able to foil most of Wentworth's scheming. Wentworth gets together with an equally disreputable friend, Silas Dubois (one of the nasty men who planned to ruin Minerva because she didn't approve of the loose morals of the ton), who wishes to keep Harry from inheriting Mr. Blewett, his uncle's fortune because he is second in line for it. The plot becomes very exciting with attempted murder, real murder, robbery and the appearance of Lord Harry Desire seducing the gullible Deidre by biting her. However since Deirdre was compromised, she is forced to marry the handsome, rich, adoring Harry, who she herself is madly in love with.
An original and highly entertaining plot to fit in the series. Let's hope the trend continues.
August 13, 2012
This may be the worst trash I have ever read in my life and I've read twilight. Why did i read it all? Simply that this book was so awful the tears of pain were mixed with those of laughter.
And to you Kirkus Reviews 'M C Beaton is the best of the regency writers', I suggest you read some other regency writers to see how it is supposed to be done.
I mean really, the hero is called Harry Desire. Was a convenient passing 8 year old asked to name him?
And to you Kirkus Reviews 'M C Beaton is the best of the regency writers', I suggest you read some other regency writers to see how it is supposed to be done.
I mean really, the hero is called Harry Desire. Was a convenient passing 8 year old asked to name him?
February 2, 2019
I’m not sure how I feel about this series. It’s about a vicar who is more interested in money and his pack of hounds then he is in his congregation. For a so-called religious person, he seems to have very little knowledge of religion, let alone belief in it. He sets out to marry off his daughters to rich men in order to get them to pay him some kind of Dowery to support his addiction to hunting, dogs, and social status. In this book, he wants to marry off his daughter Deirdre, but Deirdre has no interest in getting married and a lot of very immature misunderstandings follow.
I like the settings of these books in Regency England, with the Lords and Ladies and all of the social construct of the day. I like how amusing the stories are. Some of them make me laugh right out loud. But some of the characters are cringe worthy. For the most part I like them, so I’m giving it four stars.
I like the settings of these books in Regency England, with the Lords and Ladies and all of the social construct of the day. I like how amusing the stories are. Some of them make me laugh right out loud. But some of the characters are cringe worthy. For the most part I like them, so I’m giving it four stars.
January 12, 2020
Review of audiobook version of Regency romantic comedy
This is the third book of the Six Sisters series.
Beautiful, flame-haired, Deirdre Armitage is an extremely naive, 18-year-old provincial with a powerful romantic fantasy that marriage for her will only be for love. And, to her, true love will consist of a celestial connection with a beloved husband on a sexless spiritual plane.
Lord Harry Desire is a 29-year-old aristocrat who is the younger son of a duke. He recently returned from the Napoleonic wars and is a good friend of both of the husbands of Deirdre's two older sisters, who were fellow, titled-aristocratic officers in the army during the war. Harry is as handsome and well-built as a Greek god but, unfortunately, or so Deirdre assumes, he is an empty-headed fop.
Deirdre has been convinced over the years due to family mythology, primarily promoted by her oldest sister Minerva, who spoiled her terribly, that she is the smartest of the six sisters. Which high opinion of herself has led to her second absolute requirement for a potential husband, that he be as intelligent as she proudly assumes that she herself is.
When Deirdre is informed by her father, a crude, hard-drinking, fox-hunting, country vicar, that he wants her to marry Lord Harry, she is appalled. She would not want him for his frivolous self alone. But marrying him is utterly out of the question for the primary reason that she has fallen madly in love with a man from a neighboring estate, whom she has been secretly meeting with, the notorious Guy Wentwater. Her father, along with her entire family, loathes Guy because he made his fortune as a slave trader. Deirdre herself also used to find him disgusting when several years ago he courted her oldest sister Minerva and a year after that when he courted her second-oldest sister Annabelle. But when Guy assures her that he has given up the evil trade, and he woos her with a non-threatening, passionless romanticism that echoes her internal fantasy of the ideal man, she forgets entirely that he's an immoral jerk, and tumbles head over heels for him.
Will Deirdre succumb, as her sisters did before her, to the machinations of the wily Guy? Or will Harry prove to be much more than the dumb dandy that Deidre assumes he is and win her heart and mind away from his rival?
I have very much enjoyed this entire six-book series, but I have to say that, since I absolutely adore Harry, this book is my favorite. Though this novel is written in omniscient point of view, which frequently dips into the perspective of multiple characters in this book, including, occasionally, Harry's, we readers are not allowed to understand his full goal and motivation in regard to Deirdre until the very end of the book. This is clearly done on purpose to add an element of intriguing suspense that acts to draw the reader eagerly forward into the story. Much sooner than Deirdre or any of the other characters in this book do, we readers are allowed to gradually come to understand who Harry is and what he is up to. And the fun journey to full understanding of Harry is frequently laugh-out-loud hilarious. The humor is frequently enhanced by the fact that we the audience know things about Harry that Deirdre and some of the other characters do not yet realize.
Much as Deidre's misunderstandings about who Harry is are carried on to the end of the book, her delusions about herself and about Guy roll on almost as long because, for dramatic purposes, they exist as crucial romantic conflict that keeps Deirdre and Harry apart. I confess that sometimes I wanted to smack Deirdre upside the head because she was so unwilling for so long to admit that Guy is a horrible excuse for a human being. But at least she is never dull as a heroine. In one scene in particular, she is truly impressive as a dynamic woman, courageously rescuing herself from terrible danger. What ultimately helps the most to make her a sympathetic character is the fact that she has an extremely strong and believable growth arc, which is always a plus.
Marion Chesney's Regency novels never include graphic details for sex. As is typical for her, nothing is described beyond kissing in this book. But even so, the romance between Harry and Deirdre is surprisingly sexy for a book with closed bedroom doors. Their chemistry blazes on the page, and the several kissing scenes in the book are delightfully sensual and exciting. I personally found them much more thrilling than many other highly graphic sex scenes I have experienced in other historical romances.
Though it is not absolutely essential to read the first two books in this series before reading this one, it is highly recommended, because there is a continuing cast of quirky subcharacters in this series whom it is a joy to get to know.
Marion Chesney was a genius at writing the Regency period. She frequently laced throughout her Regency romances pertinent details about that era that add color and authenticity to her novels, including this one.
I have read this book multiple times over the years, and this particular time I experienced it as an audiobook. The talented British narrator, Charlotte Ann Dore, does an excellent job, competently portraying both male and female characters of all ages and backgrounds.
I rate this book as follows:
Heroine: 4 stars
Hero: 5 stars
Subcharacters: 5 stars
Romance plot: 5 stars
Regency setting: 5 stars
Audiobook narration: 4 stars
Writing: 5 stars
Overall: 5 stars
This is the third book of the Six Sisters series.
Beautiful, flame-haired, Deirdre Armitage is an extremely naive, 18-year-old provincial with a powerful romantic fantasy that marriage for her will only be for love. And, to her, true love will consist of a celestial connection with a beloved husband on a sexless spiritual plane.
Lord Harry Desire is a 29-year-old aristocrat who is the younger son of a duke. He recently returned from the Napoleonic wars and is a good friend of both of the husbands of Deirdre's two older sisters, who were fellow, titled-aristocratic officers in the army during the war. Harry is as handsome and well-built as a Greek god but, unfortunately, or so Deirdre assumes, he is an empty-headed fop.
Deirdre has been convinced over the years due to family mythology, primarily promoted by her oldest sister Minerva, who spoiled her terribly, that she is the smartest of the six sisters. Which high opinion of herself has led to her second absolute requirement for a potential husband, that he be as intelligent as she proudly assumes that she herself is.
When Deirdre is informed by her father, a crude, hard-drinking, fox-hunting, country vicar, that he wants her to marry Lord Harry, she is appalled. She would not want him for his frivolous self alone. But marrying him is utterly out of the question for the primary reason that she has fallen madly in love with a man from a neighboring estate, whom she has been secretly meeting with, the notorious Guy Wentwater. Her father, along with her entire family, loathes Guy because he made his fortune as a slave trader. Deirdre herself also used to find him disgusting when several years ago he courted her oldest sister Minerva and a year after that when he courted her second-oldest sister Annabelle. But when Guy assures her that he has given up the evil trade, and he woos her with a non-threatening, passionless romanticism that echoes her internal fantasy of the ideal man, she forgets entirely that he's an immoral jerk, and tumbles head over heels for him.
Will Deirdre succumb, as her sisters did before her, to the machinations of the wily Guy? Or will Harry prove to be much more than the dumb dandy that Deidre assumes he is and win her heart and mind away from his rival?
I have very much enjoyed this entire six-book series, but I have to say that, since I absolutely adore Harry, this book is my favorite. Though this novel is written in omniscient point of view, which frequently dips into the perspective of multiple characters in this book, including, occasionally, Harry's, we readers are not allowed to understand his full goal and motivation in regard to Deirdre until the very end of the book. This is clearly done on purpose to add an element of intriguing suspense that acts to draw the reader eagerly forward into the story. Much sooner than Deirdre or any of the other characters in this book do, we readers are allowed to gradually come to understand who Harry is and what he is up to. And the fun journey to full understanding of Harry is frequently laugh-out-loud hilarious. The humor is frequently enhanced by the fact that we the audience know things about Harry that Deirdre and some of the other characters do not yet realize.
Much as Deidre's misunderstandings about who Harry is are carried on to the end of the book, her delusions about herself and about Guy roll on almost as long because, for dramatic purposes, they exist as crucial romantic conflict that keeps Deirdre and Harry apart. I confess that sometimes I wanted to smack Deirdre upside the head because she was so unwilling for so long to admit that Guy is a horrible excuse for a human being. But at least she is never dull as a heroine. In one scene in particular, she is truly impressive as a dynamic woman, courageously rescuing herself from terrible danger. What ultimately helps the most to make her a sympathetic character is the fact that she has an extremely strong and believable growth arc, which is always a plus.
Marion Chesney's Regency novels never include graphic details for sex. As is typical for her, nothing is described beyond kissing in this book. But even so, the romance between Harry and Deirdre is surprisingly sexy for a book with closed bedroom doors. Their chemistry blazes on the page, and the several kissing scenes in the book are delightfully sensual and exciting. I personally found them much more thrilling than many other highly graphic sex scenes I have experienced in other historical romances.
Though it is not absolutely essential to read the first two books in this series before reading this one, it is highly recommended, because there is a continuing cast of quirky subcharacters in this series whom it is a joy to get to know.
Marion Chesney was a genius at writing the Regency period. She frequently laced throughout her Regency romances pertinent details about that era that add color and authenticity to her novels, including this one.
I have read this book multiple times over the years, and this particular time I experienced it as an audiobook. The talented British narrator, Charlotte Ann Dore, does an excellent job, competently portraying both male and female characters of all ages and backgrounds.
I rate this book as follows:
Heroine: 4 stars
Hero: 5 stars
Subcharacters: 5 stars
Romance plot: 5 stars
Regency setting: 5 stars
Audiobook narration: 4 stars
Writing: 5 stars
Overall: 5 stars
May 14, 2025
this book left me angry and amused all in one go.
July 21, 2016
With his two eldest daughters married and off to Paris to join the peace celebrations, Rev. Armitage has become excessivly vain and is in need of funds again to buy more hounds for his famous kennel. What better way to raise money than to marry off a beautiful daughter? This time, the vicar decides on an arranged marriage for his middle daughter Deirdre to Lord Harry Desire (yes, Chesney actually called her hero Desire) who needs to marry in order to inherit his uncle's fortune. Unfortunately for her papa, Deidre is a hopeless romantic who refuses to marry without love! Deirdre is known as the clever one in the family and she is certain she will know when she's in love and that her infatuation with her father's enemy Guy Wentwater is love and what she feels for Lord Harry is not. Deiredre thinks Lord Harry is lazy and not very bright though he has a knack of knowing exactly what she has been planning and a way of rescuing her that produces wanton feelings! Deirdre must learn to grow up as she falls in love, gets her heart broken and falls in love again while old enemies threaten to ruin her family.
I didn't like Deirdre much better than Annabelle. Though she believed she was clever and had a reputation for being a bluestocking, she was just a silly, naive teenager like her sister and her adventures didn't really interest me much. Lord Harry was far more interesting and there was a story that should have been developed more. I did like knowing what happened to Minerva and Annabelle though and they and their husbands make cameo appearances. There are a few funny moments involving secondary characters but overall, this book was fairly boring. The next sister Daphne is mentioned quite a lot in this story as being vain and there are hints at her story to come.
I didn't like Deirdre much better than Annabelle. Though she believed she was clever and had a reputation for being a bluestocking, she was just a silly, naive teenager like her sister and her adventures didn't really interest me much. Lord Harry was far more interesting and there was a story that should have been developed more. I did like knowing what happened to Minerva and Annabelle though and they and their husbands make cameo appearances. There are a few funny moments involving secondary characters but overall, this book was fairly boring. The next sister Daphne is mentioned quite a lot in this story as being vain and there are hints at her story to come.
September 22, 2019
I listened to the audio and while the voice is pleasant I think the narrator was inexperienced. She often paused in the wrong places so sentences were off. She also used the wrong tone a ton, as in someone speaking quietly and she’d practically yell out the sentence.
The story itself is disappointing. Some characters were funny, but the main characters were ridiculous. Immaturity doesn’t make a good love story. This girl needs another 5 years to grow up.
The story itself is disappointing. Some characters were funny, but the main characters were ridiculous. Immaturity doesn’t make a good love story. This girl needs another 5 years to grow up.
April 6, 2014
FUNNY, ROMANTIC, AND WRITTEN WITH FASTPACED CHARM!CAN'T WAIT FOR MY TURN!!!!TO READ IT. MARION CHESNEY IS
THE ABSOLUTE QUEEN OF ROMANCE WRITERS. JUNE TAYLOR
THE ABSOLUTE QUEEN OF ROMANCE WRITERS. JUNE TAYLOR
September 8, 2020
One of my favorite heroes, though the heroine is a little too stubborn. Still enjoyable, just for Lord Harry.
November 3, 2024
I have read all the 'Six Sisters' books and this one is my favourite, with Minerva coming second. I have listened to the audible version several times read by Charlotte Anne Dore. She reads so very well, and I love her different voices. I listen rather than read, if I am tired or doing some job. I love the way Harry Desire has planned to marry Deirdre from the beginning despite her rejection of him in favour of a scoundrel. But Harry is clever and always shows up when she is in trouble. I also love Lady Godolphin and Squire Radford and the Vicar. All colourful characters which add greatly to the story.
July 29, 2018
Enjoyed this one more than the previous two books in the series.
Deirdre’s main character flaw of anxiety and naivety was more relatable than her sisters’ problems.
“Ah, you’re young,’ smiled Betty, tucking the bedclothes about her, ‘and there ain’t a body in the whole wide world that don’t do stupid things when they’re young. You’ll feel clever again in the morning.’”
There was still the insta-love on the part of the paragon-ish Lord Desire to put up with, but overall it was a good story that moved along fairly quickly.
Violence, some sexual references, swearing
Deirdre’s main character flaw of anxiety and naivety was more relatable than her sisters’ problems.
“Ah, you’re young,’ smiled Betty, tucking the bedclothes about her, ‘and there ain’t a body in the whole wide world that don’t do stupid things when they’re young. You’ll feel clever again in the morning.’”
There was still the insta-love on the part of the paragon-ish Lord Desire to put up with, but overall it was a good story that moved along fairly quickly.
Violence, some sexual references, swearing
April 27, 2025
While the romance was very, very light the story was pretty fun. Each of these books has a rather heavy coming of age element for the female lead and this is no different. Deirdre being forced to confront her own self-perception and biases was done well, though as has become typical the second hand embarrassment at times was heavy. Harry was a very fun character that Chesney did a great job of showing how vacant he could appear while peeling back the corner for the reader from early on. As usual the secondary characters enhance the story and overall it was a brisk and fun read.
Read
April 30, 2020So far, my favorite book in the Six Sisters series above the previous two. Deirdre was noticeably less annoying to me than her older sisters, and I laughed continuously through her quest to discover how babies were made. Lord Harry Desire actually had a personality, if a bit odd, and I appreciated that Deirdre's married sisters also made appearances.
Lastly, I enjoyed the multi-layered meaning of the book's title, "Deirdre and Desire." Very clever!
Lastly, I enjoyed the multi-layered meaning of the book's title, "Deirdre and Desire." Very clever!
February 24, 2021
So far this book is my favorite out of the series.
The plot includes some real, comical, dangerous and lovely scenes that come about in a easy to read manner.
This was a page turner for me because of the straightforward and light writing.
A relaxing read that has some intense scenarios in it.
An intriguing love story.
I love the unexpected gestures and deeds from the man of interest in the book!
The plot includes some real, comical, dangerous and lovely scenes that come about in a easy to read manner.
This was a page turner for me because of the straightforward and light writing.
A relaxing read that has some intense scenarios in it.
An intriguing love story.
I love the unexpected gestures and deeds from the man of interest in the book!
December 10, 2024
The female lead, Deirdre, was so unlikable I just couldn’t get through this book. The love interest even admits she is too child-like and needs to grow up, which he tries to get her to do by playing mind games. When the sister I didn’t like from the previous book, Annabelle, shows up again and they start being caddy I was done with the series.
August 12, 2025
Funny, silly, historical romance with a very patient hero. To be honest, I'm not sure why he stuck with Deirdre after all her antics. Diedre herself is all over the place, but I had a good chuckle when she tried to figure out where babies come from. Her father is a great character who provide lots of entertainment.
June 26, 2018
Dear reader by the end of this book you may end up mispronouncing words like the lovable Lady Goldolphin. Join the Armitage family as they go back and forth with the wedding of Deidre and Lord Desire.
March 21, 2020
Deirdre is the next daughter her father wants to marry off. She does not approve of the loose morals. Lord Desire seems to be lazy, but he starts to help Deirdre.
The writing is not as good on this series as some of her other series. These books are very fluffy.
The writing is not as good on this series as some of her other series. These books are very fluffy.
January 10, 2022
It is entertaining to see the problems these sisters find themselves. Also the “villains” that are out to get the family through 3 books so far. I am interested to see if they come back in future books.
August 24, 2023
Great plotline
This was a very good story, with lots of twists. It was lovely seeing the relationship between father and daughter, and how he manages to do what is right for his daughters, even if it is spurred by selfish motives.
This was a very good story, with lots of twists. It was lovely seeing the relationship between father and daughter, and how he manages to do what is right for his daughters, even if it is spurred by selfish motives.
November 11, 2024
This book had potential but didn’t deliver. There were not enough moments between h and h to understand the match. There should have been way more scenes and focus on this relationship. It felt really rushed and confusing.
June 11, 2017
fun series
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