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Westerby #2
The Westerby Sisters
The impudent baggage cared naught for his rank, consequence, haughty demeanor, nor immaculate attire, but Lady Betty may be the only woman who can make the Duke of Collingham happy. At 13 and 11, Sally and Betty lost papa, but sister Jane 17 gained Lord Charles and three fortunes for dowries. Mama Hetty, whose poaching fed the family when poor, taught her girls to shoot.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
87 people are currently reading
194 people want to read
About the author
Marion Chesney
139 books751 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 32 reviews
June 13, 2017
This might be the single one of her romantic titles that made me want to stop rereading this author's romances entirely.
I thought I had read all of her books, but alas, I should have done a checklist from her website. I had missed this book entirely, although I had read its precursor, the Westerby Inheritance, which was vastly superior.
Written after a lapse of a few years, the main lovable characters of the Westerby Inheritance have all been killed off (in the book, it's 5 years), and Lady Jane's younger stepsisters, now going by the names Hester and Betty. (In the first book, the stepmother was Hettie, and the stepsisters were Sally and Betty.) This change was jarring (and unnecessary) to say the least, but it is clear from the version I read that it is the sequel, as there are references to the first book's plot.
To begin with, the blurb above is completely wrong. Nobody could ever call Betty impudent. Timid and dreamy would be far closer to the mark. It doesn't fail on this, however, Betty's nonexistent nature, but on the fact that the Duke and Betty have the same prideful misunderstandings and back and forth two-step over and over again, ad nauseum. Now, who in Romance mode doesn't understand, accept, and love the "Great Misunderstanding" that causes rifts between the protagonists? But it seemed to me that in this book, it was incredibly badly done because it felt repetitive and did not advance the plot at all. In fact, I was going to stop reading it entirely (a Marion Chesney!!). But I plodded through and of course the Duke and Betty get their happily ever after as does Hester, and the evil person who plotted the deaths and downfall of the family gets (some kind of) comeuppance.
I don't recommend. Her Regencies are better, and her Edwardian are second to those.
I thought I had read all of her books, but alas, I should have done a checklist from her website. I had missed this book entirely, although I had read its precursor, the Westerby Inheritance, which was vastly superior.
Written after a lapse of a few years, the main lovable characters of the Westerby Inheritance have all been killed off (in the book, it's 5 years), and Lady Jane's younger stepsisters, now going by the names Hester and Betty. (In the first book, the stepmother was Hettie, and the stepsisters were Sally and Betty.) This change was jarring (and unnecessary) to say the least, but it is clear from the version I read that it is the sequel, as there are references to the first book's plot.
To begin with, the blurb above is completely wrong. Nobody could ever call Betty impudent. Timid and dreamy would be far closer to the mark. It doesn't fail on this, however, Betty's nonexistent nature, but on the fact that the Duke and Betty have the same prideful misunderstandings and back and forth two-step over and over again, ad nauseum. Now, who in Romance mode doesn't understand, accept, and love the "Great Misunderstanding" that causes rifts between the protagonists? But it seemed to me that in this book, it was incredibly badly done because it felt repetitive and did not advance the plot at all. In fact, I was going to stop reading it entirely (a Marion Chesney!!). But I plodded through and of course the Duke and Betty get their happily ever after as does Hester, and the evil person who plotted the deaths and downfall of the family gets (some kind of) comeuppance.
I don't recommend. Her Regencies are better, and her Edwardian are second to those.
August 8, 2024
Review from 2015
A for narration / B- for content.
Set in the late Georgian era, The Westerby Sisters is the sequel to The Westerby Inheritance. While there are references to the earlier story and the characters are related, it’s not necessary to have read or listened to The Westerby Inheritance before this, as the background is very clearly explained in the first chapter. The sisters in question are Hester and Betty Lovelace, who, although they are incredibly wealthy, are looked down upon by society because they are the daughters of a blacksmith whose mother married above her station when she took the Marquess of Westerby as her second husband. The ladies live contentedly at Eppington Chase with their six-year-old nephew Simon, the current marquess, and at the beginning of the book have decided to go to London for the Season.
Betty is reluctant to go; she loves her home and has no desire to find a husband, but Hester’s enthusiasm and her insistence that Simon will love all the amusements London has to offer a young boy immediately signals that she has made up her mind – and Betty has never been able to change her sister’s mind about anything.
Betty is very shy and escapes from the crush of parties and balls as quickly as she can, preferring to hide somewhere out of the way until such time as she can go home. Her stunning beauty – and her massive fortune – means she does not lack for suitors, but she is not interested in any of them, having a vague idea of finding a man as retiring as she is who will come to love Eppington Chase as much as she does. When the handsome, haughty Duke of Collingham asks her to dance, Betty is startled and refuses him – and he walks off, thoroughly annoyed at the thought that the young woman had no idea of the honour being done her. But then, he reasons, what can one expect from a mere blacksmith’s daughter? Still, he can’t put her lovely face out of his mind, and at their next meeting, they strike up a conversation during which Collingham discovers Betty to be an engaging and quick-witted companion. Betty is similarly attracted to the duke, although she finds herself somewhat unnerved by the feelings he evokes in her.
The romance between Betty and Collingham is one of those that seems to take two steps forward and one step back. Possessed of his title from a very young age, Collingham is well aware of the deference due to his exalted position, so his fascination with a blacksmith’s daughter is both unexpected and annoying. Each time he and Betty seem to be coming to a closer understanding of each other, something happens to wreck it, often the fact that, in spite of his polished manners, he has an unerring ability to put his foot in his mouth. Collingham reminds me a little of Darcy in some respects; he’s most definitely proud, yet whatever he thinks – or tries to think – about Betty, he can’t forget her, and is her staunchest ally, prepared come to her aid whenever she needs it.
There is a secondary romance for Hester, and a plotline concerning a threat to Simon’s life which continues the story begun in the previous book. The resolution is simple but well put-together, although the identity of the villain is obvious from the outset. The thing that elevates this story to the slightly above average is the author’s attention to historical detail in the descriptions of the dress, settings and customs of the day, the glimpse into the marriage of an ill-suited couple, and in the humour displayed in a number of scenes featuring the secondary characters. As an example, the unhappily married Sir Anthony and the equally unhappy Fanny Bentley are drawn together through their mutual love of food. Both have been ruthlessly subjected to slimming diets – Sir Anthony by his wife and Fanny by her mother – and find they are kindred spirits when it comes to the dinner table. Kate Reading makes the most of their scenes together, playing for laughs it’s true, but doing brilliantly nonetheless, going into orgasmic raptures during discussions about truffles, roast beef and frumenty. The later scene with the sausage and the peaches is a hoot. ;-) And then there are those moments when Collingham and Betty decide it’s time to throw caution to the winds and lock lips – but are interrupted by the sounds of others getting it on, which is perhaps a little cheeky for an historical first published in 1983!
I enjoyed the story more than I had expected to (most of the reviews on Amazon are fairly negative, principally due to issues relating to the previous book!), and Kate Reading is once again on top form, her unerring ability to locate the irony and humour in any given story making me laugh out loud on several occasions. The two sisters are very clearly delineated so that there is never any danger of mixing them up. Hester has a slightly stronger accent and forceful tone that accurately reflects her more forceful personality, while Betty’s voice is higher pitched with a slightly dreamy air sometimes that works well to indicate her youth and inexperience. Collingham sounds exactly as he is supposed to – extremely masculine and somewhat awe-inspiring, and Mrs Bentley has an unpleasant nasal twang that leaves the listener in no doubt of her spiteful, grasping nature. All the other secondary characters are portrayed very well, from the bluff Sir Anthony and Hester’s beau, Captain Dunbray, to young Simon and the various servants and lackeys who crop up throughout. Ms Reading delivers the narrative smoothly and at a good pace and, as in the dialogue, is scalpel sharp when it comes to picking up on the author’s ironic asides and her subtle pokes at some of society’s more ridiculous mores (!).
The Westerby Sisters is a fairly short audiobook, at around seven and a half hours, and I listened to it all in one day as I pottered around. I suspect Ms Reading’s performance contributed to my enjoyment in no small way, but even though some aspects of the storytelling are a little uneven, I found it both amusing and engaging, and would certainly recommend it to anyone looking for a light-hearted historical to listen to.
Note: Marion Chesney, aka M.C Beaton and a number of other aliases is an incredibly prolific writer of historical romances and mysteries (the Agatha Raisin and Hamish MacBeth books number among the latter), and many of the romances are being republished under the Beaton name. When it comes to the audiobooks, however, it’s confusing, because some are published as Beaton and some as Chesney, and Audible mixes them up, so it’s common to find a title listed as M.C Beaton that has Marion Chesney on the cover. Basically, if you’re a fan of hers, you’ll have to look under both names to get a complete listing of available audiobooks.
A for narration / B- for content.
Set in the late Georgian era, The Westerby Sisters is the sequel to The Westerby Inheritance. While there are references to the earlier story and the characters are related, it’s not necessary to have read or listened to The Westerby Inheritance before this, as the background is very clearly explained in the first chapter. The sisters in question are Hester and Betty Lovelace, who, although they are incredibly wealthy, are looked down upon by society because they are the daughters of a blacksmith whose mother married above her station when she took the Marquess of Westerby as her second husband. The ladies live contentedly at Eppington Chase with their six-year-old nephew Simon, the current marquess, and at the beginning of the book have decided to go to London for the Season.
Betty is reluctant to go; she loves her home and has no desire to find a husband, but Hester’s enthusiasm and her insistence that Simon will love all the amusements London has to offer a young boy immediately signals that she has made up her mind – and Betty has never been able to change her sister’s mind about anything.
Betty is very shy and escapes from the crush of parties and balls as quickly as she can, preferring to hide somewhere out of the way until such time as she can go home. Her stunning beauty – and her massive fortune – means she does not lack for suitors, but she is not interested in any of them, having a vague idea of finding a man as retiring as she is who will come to love Eppington Chase as much as she does. When the handsome, haughty Duke of Collingham asks her to dance, Betty is startled and refuses him – and he walks off, thoroughly annoyed at the thought that the young woman had no idea of the honour being done her. But then, he reasons, what can one expect from a mere blacksmith’s daughter? Still, he can’t put her lovely face out of his mind, and at their next meeting, they strike up a conversation during which Collingham discovers Betty to be an engaging and quick-witted companion. Betty is similarly attracted to the duke, although she finds herself somewhat unnerved by the feelings he evokes in her.
The romance between Betty and Collingham is one of those that seems to take two steps forward and one step back. Possessed of his title from a very young age, Collingham is well aware of the deference due to his exalted position, so his fascination with a blacksmith’s daughter is both unexpected and annoying. Each time he and Betty seem to be coming to a closer understanding of each other, something happens to wreck it, often the fact that, in spite of his polished manners, he has an unerring ability to put his foot in his mouth. Collingham reminds me a little of Darcy in some respects; he’s most definitely proud, yet whatever he thinks – or tries to think – about Betty, he can’t forget her, and is her staunchest ally, prepared come to her aid whenever she needs it.
There is a secondary romance for Hester, and a plotline concerning a threat to Simon’s life which continues the story begun in the previous book. The resolution is simple but well put-together, although the identity of the villain is obvious from the outset. The thing that elevates this story to the slightly above average is the author’s attention to historical detail in the descriptions of the dress, settings and customs of the day, the glimpse into the marriage of an ill-suited couple, and in the humour displayed in a number of scenes featuring the secondary characters. As an example, the unhappily married Sir Anthony and the equally unhappy Fanny Bentley are drawn together through their mutual love of food. Both have been ruthlessly subjected to slimming diets – Sir Anthony by his wife and Fanny by her mother – and find they are kindred spirits when it comes to the dinner table. Kate Reading makes the most of their scenes together, playing for laughs it’s true, but doing brilliantly nonetheless, going into orgasmic raptures during discussions about truffles, roast beef and frumenty. The later scene with the sausage and the peaches is a hoot. ;-) And then there are those moments when Collingham and Betty decide it’s time to throw caution to the winds and lock lips – but are interrupted by the sounds of others getting it on, which is perhaps a little cheeky for an historical first published in 1983!
I enjoyed the story more than I had expected to (most of the reviews on Amazon are fairly negative, principally due to issues relating to the previous book!), and Kate Reading is once again on top form, her unerring ability to locate the irony and humour in any given story making me laugh out loud on several occasions. The two sisters are very clearly delineated so that there is never any danger of mixing them up. Hester has a slightly stronger accent and forceful tone that accurately reflects her more forceful personality, while Betty’s voice is higher pitched with a slightly dreamy air sometimes that works well to indicate her youth and inexperience. Collingham sounds exactly as he is supposed to – extremely masculine and somewhat awe-inspiring, and Mrs Bentley has an unpleasant nasal twang that leaves the listener in no doubt of her spiteful, grasping nature. All the other secondary characters are portrayed very well, from the bluff Sir Anthony and Hester’s beau, Captain Dunbray, to young Simon and the various servants and lackeys who crop up throughout. Ms Reading delivers the narrative smoothly and at a good pace and, as in the dialogue, is scalpel sharp when it comes to picking up on the author’s ironic asides and her subtle pokes at some of society’s more ridiculous mores (!).
The Westerby Sisters is a fairly short audiobook, at around seven and a half hours, and I listened to it all in one day as I pottered around. I suspect Ms Reading’s performance contributed to my enjoyment in no small way, but even though some aspects of the storytelling are a little uneven, I found it both amusing and engaging, and would certainly recommend it to anyone looking for a light-hearted historical to listen to.
Note: Marion Chesney, aka M.C Beaton and a number of other aliases is an incredibly prolific writer of historical romances and mysteries (the Agatha Raisin and Hamish MacBeth books number among the latter), and many of the romances are being republished under the Beaton name. When it comes to the audiobooks, however, it’s confusing, because some are published as Beaton and some as Chesney, and Audible mixes them up, so it’s common to find a title listed as M.C Beaton that has Marion Chesney on the cover. Basically, if you’re a fan of hers, you’ll have to look under both names to get a complete listing of available audiobooks.
February 21, 2009
The story line was good, but it really bugged me that two of the characters from the previous book had their names switch. I kept wanting to correct the book to the end.
April 25, 2019
Less than 1 star. Half a star tops because the mystery plot made me wants to keep reading.
Betty and Hester Lovelace are sisters but could not be more different. Where Betty is shy, refined and devoted to her family's estate, Hester is loud, coarse and speaks her mind, betraying their blacksmith origins. When their mother married a Marquess, Betty adapted quickly to their new life. Now their parents are dead, the wicked cousin who tried to steal their estate is dead and their stepsister Jane and her husband are dead. Jane left behind a small boy, Simon, the new Marquess of Westerby, aged 6. Betty and Hester agree on their devotion to their nephew but Betty is more overprotective, fearing the misfortunes that befell their family were not accidents. Indeed, Mrs. Bentley wants revenge on the Westerbys for her husband's suicide. Her plan includes snaring a Duke or Marquess for her own two daughters.
When everyone heads to London for the Season, Betty wants to stay behind. She hates the falseness of society manners and isn't interested in balls or parties. While hiding behind a curtain, Betty makes the acquaintance of the Duke of Collingham and proceeds to snub his offer to dance. The Duke is confused, thinking perhaps she doesn't know who he is. When Betty reveals she is aware of his identity, he is outraged, shocked, confused. Who wouldn't want to dance with the Duke of Collingham? Well who needs this country miss anyway? Unfortunately, the Duke can't take his eyes or thoughts off Betty. As Betty comes to increasingly rely on the Duke for assistance, she comes to see beyond his pride and he gets to know her sweetness and quiet strength. How could he marry her with such a dreadful family?
This is an absolutely dreadful, potboiler romance from Marion Chesney. Her Regency novels are such fun and so well researched that I expected to enjoy this one. I should have read the reviews and saved myself the time. The plot hinges on the inheritance and according to the law, women don't inherit. Little Simon would be Lord Welbourne but not Lord Westerby and the Bentley women would lose Westerby anyway when James died, whether he commited suicide or not. It's a moot point because NOTHING about this story is realistic or appealing. The plot is a bizarre mashup of gothic mystery and a bawdy Pride and Prejudice.
None of the characters are all that likable including Betty. There's a lack of communication between Betty and the Duke that led to the same misunderstanding over and over. Hester is too over the top and the opposite of Betty. The only character I had any sympathy for was Fanny.
Content notes
casual mention of "oriental" eyes by the narrator and characters
lusty lovemaking
one scene involving food would lead Rob Reiner's mother to utter her famous catchphrase "I'll have what she's having." (Or in this case, "they")
violence that I did not expect
Do yourselves a favor and don't waste your time. I just skimmed a lot of this.
Betty and Hester Lovelace are sisters but could not be more different. Where Betty is shy, refined and devoted to her family's estate, Hester is loud, coarse and speaks her mind, betraying their blacksmith origins. When their mother married a Marquess, Betty adapted quickly to their new life. Now their parents are dead, the wicked cousin who tried to steal their estate is dead and their stepsister Jane and her husband are dead. Jane left behind a small boy, Simon, the new Marquess of Westerby, aged 6. Betty and Hester agree on their devotion to their nephew but Betty is more overprotective, fearing the misfortunes that befell their family were not accidents. Indeed, Mrs. Bentley wants revenge on the Westerbys for her husband's suicide. Her plan includes snaring a Duke or Marquess for her own two daughters.
When everyone heads to London for the Season, Betty wants to stay behind. She hates the falseness of society manners and isn't interested in balls or parties. While hiding behind a curtain, Betty makes the acquaintance of the Duke of Collingham and proceeds to snub his offer to dance. The Duke is confused, thinking perhaps she doesn't know who he is. When Betty reveals she is aware of his identity, he is outraged, shocked, confused. Who wouldn't want to dance with the Duke of Collingham? Well who needs this country miss anyway? Unfortunately, the Duke can't take his eyes or thoughts off Betty. As Betty comes to increasingly rely on the Duke for assistance, she comes to see beyond his pride and he gets to know her sweetness and quiet strength. How could he marry her with such a dreadful family?
This is an absolutely dreadful, potboiler romance from Marion Chesney. Her Regency novels are such fun and so well researched that I expected to enjoy this one. I should have read the reviews and saved myself the time. The plot hinges on the inheritance and according to the law, women don't inherit. Little Simon would be Lord Welbourne but not Lord Westerby and the Bentley women would lose Westerby anyway when James died, whether he commited suicide or not. It's a moot point because NOTHING about this story is realistic or appealing. The plot is a bizarre mashup of gothic mystery and a bawdy Pride and Prejudice.
None of the characters are all that likable including Betty. There's a lack of communication between Betty and the Duke that led to the same misunderstanding over and over. Hester is too over the top and the opposite of Betty. The only character I had any sympathy for was Fanny.
Content notes
casual mention of "oriental" eyes by the narrator and characters
lusty lovemaking
one scene involving food would lead Rob Reiner's mother to utter her famous catchphrase "I'll have what she's having." (Or in this case, "they")
violence that I did not expect
Do yourselves a favor and don't waste your time. I just skimmed a lot of this.
July 11, 2019
This book hit me on the face of the first page, in the first book of this series, the Westerby Inheritance, we meet Jane and Charles, the protagonists in the book.
In this book, both are killed shortly after the last page of the previous one.
To kill a previous protagonists is unforgivable, really, all the way this book is re telling the previous book in a very sad way.
The heroine in this book is Betty who has multi personality in my opinion, suddenly hates suddenly loves, suddenly shy and weak then turns brave and encouraging.
Hero, Adolphus, is an irritating Duke who was suddenly interested in Betty.
Things develops in slow long pages, which was really boring AND !!! This book turns to be a repetition of Mannerling house, with evil lurking in the house itself and people vastly obsessed with it.
It was really sad, unhappy book
In this book, both are killed shortly after the last page of the previous one.
To kill a previous protagonists is unforgivable, really, all the way this book is re telling the previous book in a very sad way.
The heroine in this book is Betty who has multi personality in my opinion, suddenly hates suddenly loves, suddenly shy and weak then turns brave and encouraging.
Hero, Adolphus, is an irritating Duke who was suddenly interested in Betty.
Things develops in slow long pages, which was really boring AND !!! This book turns to be a repetition of Mannerling house, with evil lurking in the house itself and people vastly obsessed with it.
It was really sad, unhappy book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2021
There are two things that very jarring and off putting for me and they are mentioned in other reviews of this book:
1. A major mistake is The author changed the mother’s and the daughter’s name. In the prequel (th first book) the mother’s name was Hetty and the daughters are Sally and Betty but in this book the mother’s name is Sally and the daughters are Hester and Betty. Marion, How could you make a mistake like that? You wrote both books, you could have gone and checked the previous book just to be consistent. It shows laziness and no effort to make it a good book.
2. The author killed almost all the protagonists in book one, and I thought it’s a romance with HEA.
1. A major mistake is The author changed the mother’s and the daughter’s name. In the prequel (th first book) the mother’s name was Hetty and the daughters are Sally and Betty but in this book the mother’s name is Sally and the daughters are Hester and Betty. Marion, How could you make a mistake like that? You wrote both books, you could have gone and checked the previous book just to be consistent. It shows laziness and no effort to make it a good book.
2. The author killed almost all the protagonists in book one, and I thought it’s a romance with HEA.
August 2, 2018
Not Marion Chesney's (i.e. M. C. Beaton) best romance, but still good (especially the audio!). While it's a sequel to The Westerby Inheritance, there's a lot of strange changes- characters have been renamed being the most annoying, and favorite characters killed off. The strange pull of the family home is never explained, but I did enjoy all the stories- I do wish Fanny and Hester's stories had been a little more fleshed out, but glad for their character arcs.
March 18, 2016
I can't explain why, but this book absolutely mesmerized me. I made the mistake of reading reviews on Amazon before I finished the first book, The Westerby Inheritance, and as a result, I needed to see if there was a happy ending in this book so I could feel better. I could not get Lord Charles and Lady Jane out of my mind throughout this book.
I can’t say I felt good after reading this, but it was so absorbing, entertaining, and haunting. I don’t think I will forget these two books for a very long time.
I loved ALL of the characters, except the evil ones, and I would include the house as one of these “evil” characters.
I can’t say I felt good after reading this, but it was so absorbing, entertaining, and haunting. I don’t think I will forget these two books for a very long time.
I loved ALL of the characters, except the evil ones, and I would include the house as one of these “evil” characters.
March 21, 2019
This is a mystery masquerading as a romance, and not doing either genre justice. Hard to have a lighthearted romance when it starts with the violent death of the previous book's couple. I'm finding it harder and harder to read this author's work.
February 4, 2022
Adolphus & Betty
I'm giving this just 1 star because despite being a page turner there were just so many damn problems.
I started this because the first book simply stopped in mid story and annoyed me to no end, but within moments my annoyance turned to anger and disgust as the author blithely killed off the very characters that brought me to this book. I suppose this way there is no competition between heros and heroines, and it places the two sisters in a more vulnerable position, but I was so pissed!
Next for no apparent reason Chesney just changes one of the sister's names. Why?
Others have done a better job of explaining some of the other issues so I will just point out a few of my biggest grievances:
* Betty is bland as bathwater
* The nonstop "misunderstandings" that can literally have the hero or heroine change their mind in the same sentence get old real quick.
* Book 1, the Westerby Inheritance, was largely saved by secondary characters. Here, beyond the old maid servant, the secondary characters are evil and criminal;
* which brings me to my next gripe, there was a ton of violence: attempted murder, actual murder, attempted rape, kidnapping, more murder, angry mobs, druging, more murder, etc. etc.
*and, while not a "crime" adultery that turned another secondary character from likeable to pathetic.
I'm sure there's more but I don't want to spend any more time on this book.
Honestly, this is more Gothic horror than romance. Maybe if that's what I wanted out of it, I would have been happier.
Aside: Ok, I think I have a better handle on how the series work. The 2 Westerby books (the Westerby series) bookend the "Changing Fortunes" series. How these each make sense within the "Royal Series," I'm not 100% sure. I'm glad I unraveled this much at least.
I'm giving this just 1 star because despite being a page turner there were just so many damn problems.
I started this because the first book simply stopped in mid story and annoyed me to no end, but within moments my annoyance turned to anger and disgust as the author blithely killed off the very characters that brought me to this book. I suppose this way there is no competition between heros and heroines, and it places the two sisters in a more vulnerable position, but I was so pissed!
Next for no apparent reason Chesney just changes one of the sister's names. Why?
Others have done a better job of explaining some of the other issues so I will just point out a few of my biggest grievances:
* Betty is bland as bathwater
* The nonstop "misunderstandings" that can literally have the hero or heroine change their mind in the same sentence get old real quick.
* Book 1, the Westerby Inheritance, was largely saved by secondary characters. Here, beyond the old maid servant, the secondary characters are evil and criminal;
* which brings me to my next gripe, there was a ton of violence: attempted murder, actual murder, attempted rape, kidnapping, more murder, angry mobs, druging, more murder, etc. etc.
*and, while not a "crime" adultery that turned another secondary character from likeable to pathetic.
I'm sure there's more but I don't want to spend any more time on this book.
Honestly, this is more Gothic horror than romance. Maybe if that's what I wanted out of it, I would have been happier.
Aside: Ok, I think I have a better handle on how the series work. The 2 Westerby books (the Westerby series) bookend the "Changing Fortunes" series. How these each make sense within the "Royal Series," I'm not 100% sure. I'm glad I unraveled this much at least.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 29, 2022
I read this book (second in a little series) because this is written by M.C. Beaton (of Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth) fame.
First, I wanted to finish the series because it bugs me to start a series and not complete it.
Second, because it's by M.C., it has moments of hilarity!
So yes, it's a romance (just look at the cover) but some of the love scenes were based on food and had me laughing out loud while listening to this while walking my dog in the public park.
Between heavier reads (and during long non-fiction reads) it nice to take a break on a mindless romp of a book just for fun!
First, I wanted to finish the series because it bugs me to start a series and not complete it.
Second, because it's by M.C., it has moments of hilarity!
So yes, it's a romance (just look at the cover) but some of the love scenes were based on food and had me laughing out loud while listening to this while walking my dog in the public park.
Between heavier reads (and during long non-fiction reads) it nice to take a break on a mindless romp of a book just for fun!
April 17, 2020
Well, well, well. We finally got to read the finale' to The Westerby Inheritance. I was glad to finally have a few things wrapped up and explained. This was a mediocre read in that the characters were not that appealing and the story line went down through the valley , over the hill and into the swamp to get to next door. It ended well for all but poor Sir Anthony left stuck with passionless Philadelphia. I recommend this book ONLY if you had the misfortune to read The Westerby Inheritance and was left hanging like millions of other readers.
September 25, 2020
The late Mrs. Beaton let die the main characters of book 1 (The Westerby inheritance). This is so unbelievably nasty, I would not read this book, even if the readers gave it 5 stars.
Furthermore, I saw in the abstract that the names of the stepmother and stepsisters are different than in book 1. What kind of idiocy is this?
I do not know what Beaton was thinking, but both books are an abomination who left me deeply upset.
No lover of Regency romance novels wants to read such an awful, nasty, vicious story.
Furthermore, I saw in the abstract that the names of the stepmother and stepsisters are different than in book 1. What kind of idiocy is this?
I do not know what Beaton was thinking, but both books are an abomination who left me deeply upset.
No lover of Regency romance novels wants to read such an awful, nasty, vicious story.
March 15, 2022
Really good book. Thrilling and full of adventures. It doesn't matter if the names of a couple of characters have been changed. You can't compare Marion Chesney to Jane Austen because Marion Chesney is so much better in both quality and quantity. I like that Chesney always gives us some historical data so we know why the characters acted a certain way. I am a fan of Chesney and I think I have read all the books from the time before, during and after the Regency.
December 15, 2016
There are evil villains galore in this story, but none so terrible as Mrs. Bentley. But what I find most fascinating is Beaton's ability to make capture the passions and emotions engendered by a house, a pile of bricks and mortar. Eppington Chase makes people love it, and they are willing to kill for it. That's the true villain in the story.
May 12, 2024
tragicomedy
A surprising outing from a writer more noted for her comic romps. Although one is guaranteed a HEA, there are murders and threats to small children and homicidal maniacs. The only comic element is a couple who have a romantic attachment to food—and each other. And there is an opiate addict and a poisoned rocking horse. but all’s well that ends well.
A surprising outing from a writer more noted for her comic romps. Although one is guaranteed a HEA, there are murders and threats to small children and homicidal maniacs. The only comic element is a couple who have a romantic attachment to food—and each other. And there is an opiate addict and a poisoned rocking horse. but all’s well that ends well.
May 15, 2024
This is almost a copy of the Westerby Inheritance with some name changes and a couple of instances that were different. Kind of frustrating, hence 3 stars. Don't know where Marion Chesney's head was in 1983-4 but continuity on the publisher's part was lacking.
Read The Westerby Inheritance and then skip to the third book in the series.
Read The Westerby Inheritance and then skip to the third book in the series.
July 15, 2024
I can’t imagine why someone thought it was good idea to change some of the characters’ names between one book and the next, and conflate some of their characteristics as well. That confused me for a good bit at the beginning, before I decided I must have remembered wrong. But then I looked it up and no, I remembered correctly and the names really did just change.
May 1, 2022
This was a good story, well written and has a good plot. I enjoyed reading about the main characters and liked the premise. I did not get as much as I hoped from the story, but others will LOVE it, of that I am certain. Yes, I recommend this book.
April 16, 2023
This must surely rank among her worst, along with the posthumous books "cowritten" with Green.
The Westerby Inheritance was such a delight to read
too, as were the others in the Regency Royal series. And fancy interchanging the names of mother & daughter!
The Westerby Inheritance was such a delight to read
too, as were the others in the Regency Royal series. And fancy interchanging the names of mother & daughter!
Read
November 30, 2019I wish parents of little Marquise didn't have to die....I like them from first book. But I am glad this horrible woman met her end in this book.
March 18, 2020
Audible Romance Package
AUDIOBOOK: Read 16 March 2020
7hrs 39min
Narrator: Kate Reading does a good job
It was good. A bit long in the beginning but got more interesting as it went on.
AUDIOBOOK: Read 16 March 2020
7hrs 39min
Narrator: Kate Reading does a good job
It was good. A bit long in the beginning but got more interesting as it went on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 3, 2020
This book was not written by Marion Chesney but Margaret Chesney
June 14, 2020
All of the interesting characters from the first book were all killed. Such a waste.
January 11, 2021
Ebook version.
November 9, 2021
Not bad.
September 12, 2023
I don't know of ill ever finish this one, after discovering a reoccurring character has died.
January 17, 2024
What a mess. I only gave this 2 stars because I finished it.
December 2, 2024
Audiobook
3.5⭐️
3.5⭐️
October 20, 2025
Not my favorite. Broad, exaggerated characters
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