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A Lady of Letters
Poetess in Disguise
At first Marianne was thunderstruck; then a thundering rage overtook her senses. A certain Lord Whitestone was threatening to use her family's infamous past to keep the lovely young girl away from the upcoming London Season -- and her own coming out.
But it would take more than an arrogant young nobleman to keep Marianne Arnet, a published poet and girl of some spirit, out of sorts for long. If she were forbidden to move among the ton as Marianne Arnet, then, she vowed, she would get in as a gypsy fortune-teller, an anonymous lady of fashion, a parlourmaid. And each would have the power to turn the head of Jeremy Hanbridge, Marquis of Whitestone ...and to ensnare his heart.
A highly satisfactory revenge -- but playing cupid has its dangers. For now Marianne may find herself falling in love... with a man who will loathe her beyond measure the instant he learns who she really is!
At first Marianne was thunderstruck; then a thundering rage overtook her senses. A certain Lord Whitestone was threatening to use her family's infamous past to keep the lovely young girl away from the upcoming London Season -- and her own coming out.
But it would take more than an arrogant young nobleman to keep Marianne Arnet, a published poet and girl of some spirit, out of sorts for long. If she were forbidden to move among the ton as Marianne Arnet, then, she vowed, she would get in as a gypsy fortune-teller, an anonymous lady of fashion, a parlourmaid. And each would have the power to turn the head of Jeremy Hanbridge, Marquis of Whitestone ...and to ensnare his heart.
A highly satisfactory revenge -- but playing cupid has its dangers. For now Marianne may find herself falling in love... with a man who will loathe her beyond measure the instant he learns who she really is!
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
88 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
About the author
Jacqueline Diamond
249 books173 followersUSA Today bestselling author Jacqueline Diamond has more than 100 novels to her name! A former Associated Press reporter and TV columnist, Jackie is best known for her Safe Harbor Medical romances and mysteries, as well as her traditional Regency romances.
Her newest exciting venture is the Forgotten Village Magical Mystery series, beginning with A Cat's Garden of Secrets. Other recent works include the Sisters, Lovers & Second Chances series, featuring couples over age 50.
Jackie has been honored with a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. She and her husband, who have two grown sons, live in Southern California. You can learn more about her books at www.jacquelinediamond.net or at JacquelineDiamondAuthor on Facebook.
Her newest exciting venture is the Forgotten Village Magical Mystery series, beginning with A Cat's Garden of Secrets. Other recent works include the Sisters, Lovers & Second Chances series, featuring couples over age 50.
Jackie has been honored with a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. She and her husband, who have two grown sons, live in Southern California. You can learn more about her books at www.jacquelinediamond.net or at JacquelineDiamondAuthor on Facebook.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 29, 2014
1 1/2 stars rounded up to 2
Marianne Arnet is looking forward to her Season in London. Most especially she can't wait to meet her correspondent, J. He enjoyed her published poetry so much, he felt the need to write to her and soon they became friends. Then Lord Whitestone dashes Marianne's dreams. He publicly declares that if she comes to London, her whole family will be snubbed. He can not in good faith accept the daughter of traitors. Marianne devises a scheme to so bewilder and beguile Lord Whitestone, he will be publicly humiliated when he finds out her identity. Lord Whitestone is devoted to politics. He lives in fear that someone is going to murder the Prince Regent or the Prime Minister. The only reason he attends a country party is to search for spies. Then he dances in the moonlight with the most engaging little minx. They share sweet kisses but she runs off before he can get her name. She next appears in London as a gypsy girl and then a Society lady and in the most low part of town. Who is she really and what kind of game is she playing?
I looked forward to reading this book for so long but it was a huge disappointment. The plot was dreadful. The hero and heroine kiss without even being introduced or knowing each other at all. They continue to kiss while she deceives him. I hate love stories based on deception. Most of the plot made no sense. Why wouldn't Lord Whitestone take his concerns to the family privately? The mystery towards the end was engaging enough for me to stay up late and see what happened. The love story was way too rushed and the last part of the book had too much telling with everything wrapped up neatly. The villain's story is way too far fetched. I expected something about a certain dandy but that never materialized. There's too much kissing happening in this book and very little talking. I also noted at least one minor historical error which puts a scene during afternoon tea. Afternoon tea was not a meal at that time. Other times the culture seemed more Victorian too.
The hero is an absolutely awful person. He's a rake to start with. Normally I like rakes but I prefer them not to have a mistress in the plot and not to have his mistress be a major character. Then he's so self-assured that it made me hate him. He just can't do anything right. He doesn't bother to ask, he just assumes. We all know what happens when you assume. He takes advantage of the heroine at every opportunity and they spend a lot of time kissing, yet he is too obtuse to figure out the truth.
I didn't like Marianne a whole lot better. I didn't understand the point of her deception. She spends a lot of time worrying over what to do or not to do and then she goes and does whatever scandalous idea she has. I don't think that Will would have enough social cachet to get her into Almack's and make her a part of Society. She lets the hero take advantage of her and plots revenge but never takes the time to get to know him. She's somewhat sympathetic due to her situation but mostly I didn't like her. Her poetry writing is incidental to the plot and her poems are really bad. I skipped the ones at the end.
Some of the secondary characters are good, especially the eccentric lady who believes in reincarnation. She added some much-needed comic relief and her uniqueness made the story a bit more palatable. My favorite character is Marianne's cousin Jane. I would have rather read a whole book about her and her character growth.
Marianne Arnet is looking forward to her Season in London. Most especially she can't wait to meet her correspondent, J. He enjoyed her published poetry so much, he felt the need to write to her and soon they became friends. Then Lord Whitestone dashes Marianne's dreams. He publicly declares that if she comes to London, her whole family will be snubbed. He can not in good faith accept the daughter of traitors. Marianne devises a scheme to so bewilder and beguile Lord Whitestone, he will be publicly humiliated when he finds out her identity. Lord Whitestone is devoted to politics. He lives in fear that someone is going to murder the Prince Regent or the Prime Minister. The only reason he attends a country party is to search for spies. Then he dances in the moonlight with the most engaging little minx. They share sweet kisses but she runs off before he can get her name. She next appears in London as a gypsy girl and then a Society lady and in the most low part of town. Who is she really and what kind of game is she playing?
I looked forward to reading this book for so long but it was a huge disappointment. The plot was dreadful. The hero and heroine kiss without even being introduced or knowing each other at all. They continue to kiss while she deceives him. I hate love stories based on deception. Most of the plot made no sense. Why wouldn't Lord Whitestone take his concerns to the family privately? The mystery towards the end was engaging enough for me to stay up late and see what happened. The love story was way too rushed and the last part of the book had too much telling with everything wrapped up neatly. The villain's story is way too far fetched. I expected something about a certain dandy but that never materialized. There's too much kissing happening in this book and very little talking. I also noted at least one minor historical error which puts a scene during afternoon tea. Afternoon tea was not a meal at that time. Other times the culture seemed more Victorian too.
The hero is an absolutely awful person. He's a rake to start with. Normally I like rakes but I prefer them not to have a mistress in the plot and not to have his mistress be a major character. Then he's so self-assured that it made me hate him. He just can't do anything right. He doesn't bother to ask, he just assumes. We all know what happens when you assume. He takes advantage of the heroine at every opportunity and they spend a lot of time kissing, yet he is too obtuse to figure out the truth.
I didn't like Marianne a whole lot better. I didn't understand the point of her deception. She spends a lot of time worrying over what to do or not to do and then she goes and does whatever scandalous idea she has. I don't think that Will would have enough social cachet to get her into Almack's and make her a part of Society. She lets the hero take advantage of her and plots revenge but never takes the time to get to know him. She's somewhat sympathetic due to her situation but mostly I didn't like her. Her poetry writing is incidental to the plot and her poems are really bad. I skipped the ones at the end.
Some of the secondary characters are good, especially the eccentric lady who believes in reincarnation. She added some much-needed comic relief and her uniqueness made the story a bit more palatable. My favorite character is Marianne's cousin Jane. I would have rather read a whole book about her and her character growth.
February 7, 2021
I really struggled with this book and how to write this review. On the one hand I wanted to like the unconventional nature of the heroine and how she approached the issue of revenging herself on Lord Whitestone. But on the other hand, it was really too unconventional to be believable.
Marianne is 18 years old and has been brought up very conventionally in the country. Her biggest rebellion is publishing poems under a false name and receiving secret correspondence from Lord Whitestone about those poems. And yet, somehow we’re supposed to believe that not only is this young woman comfortable accepting a kiss from a man she’s never met before, and in traipsing around London in a number of ridiculous outfits, but that her very conventional family are comfortable with her doing it as well.
Then there’s the so-called hero – whilst I’m not a fan of ‘oh my goodness, I have compromised you with my kisses, I must marry you immediately’ storylines this man feels quite comfortable with kissing a woman he’s only just met and then simply offering an apology to her. That isn’t really Regency hero behaviour in my book.
And maybe that’s where my true struggle lies – neither of these people had met the other person and yet the first thing they did was kiss? (Well ok, the second thing since the first thing they did was dance in the moonlight in a garden). That’s just too far-fetched for me and it really coloured the way I read the remainder of the book.
Then there was the commentary on ‘fallen women’ which just didn’t sit well with me. Marianne’s mother has been through some terrible times and is likely to die if she remains where she is, but she balks at staying at a refuge for ‘fallen women’? Seriously? There’s also some pretty unbelievable rescues as well as some very convenient letters from Lord Whitestone that just required me to suspend my disbelief once too often.
Ultimately though I guess you want to know – did I feel the HEA was right? Was I left with a warm and fuzzy feeling or wishing I could get my money back?
Funnily enough I did think the HEA was right for these two silly people. I was never really invested in either of them so ultimately I did think they deserved each other. I definitely didn’t have a warm and fuzzy feeling about the whole situation – I was just glad that the book had finished.
This is not recommended by me unless you’re willing to suspend quite a large part of your brain when reading it (maybe whilst drinking your favourite alcoholic beverage).
(Check out my personal blog for more Traditional Regency Romance reviews)
Marianne is 18 years old and has been brought up very conventionally in the country. Her biggest rebellion is publishing poems under a false name and receiving secret correspondence from Lord Whitestone about those poems. And yet, somehow we’re supposed to believe that not only is this young woman comfortable accepting a kiss from a man she’s never met before, and in traipsing around London in a number of ridiculous outfits, but that her very conventional family are comfortable with her doing it as well.
Then there’s the so-called hero – whilst I’m not a fan of ‘oh my goodness, I have compromised you with my kisses, I must marry you immediately’ storylines this man feels quite comfortable with kissing a woman he’s only just met and then simply offering an apology to her. That isn’t really Regency hero behaviour in my book.
And maybe that’s where my true struggle lies – neither of these people had met the other person and yet the first thing they did was kiss? (Well ok, the second thing since the first thing they did was dance in the moonlight in a garden). That’s just too far-fetched for me and it really coloured the way I read the remainder of the book.
Then there was the commentary on ‘fallen women’ which just didn’t sit well with me. Marianne’s mother has been through some terrible times and is likely to die if she remains where she is, but she balks at staying at a refuge for ‘fallen women’? Seriously? There’s also some pretty unbelievable rescues as well as some very convenient letters from Lord Whitestone that just required me to suspend my disbelief once too often.
Ultimately though I guess you want to know – did I feel the HEA was right? Was I left with a warm and fuzzy feeling or wishing I could get my money back?
Funnily enough I did think the HEA was right for these two silly people. I was never really invested in either of them so ultimately I did think they deserved each other. I definitely didn’t have a warm and fuzzy feeling about the whole situation – I was just glad that the book had finished.
This is not recommended by me unless you’re willing to suspend quite a large part of your brain when reading it (maybe whilst drinking your favourite alcoholic beverage).
(Check out my personal blog for more Traditional Regency Romance reviews)
February 10, 2018
Clever and fun
Really enjoyed this book. It would have been much better had some parts been drawn out more though, it was too short. Loved the bravery and schemes of our heroine. Loved the fun, happy side of our hero as well as his pigheaded side. The plot was superb. In no lifetime would I have come up with anything this awesome. Bravo. A fantastic read.
So easily there could have been a whole series of books relating to these characters. Jane, Lucinda, Priscilla, and Miss Cane all could have had their own books.
Really enjoyed this book. It would have been much better had some parts been drawn out more though, it was too short. Loved the bravery and schemes of our heroine. Loved the fun, happy side of our hero as well as his pigheaded side. The plot was superb. In no lifetime would I have come up with anything this awesome. Bravo. A fantastic read.
So easily there could have been a whole series of books relating to these characters. Jane, Lucinda, Priscilla, and Miss Cane all could have had their own books.
April 28, 2018
This was a fun Regency romance read. The author did a good job of maintaining the suspense between the hero not knowing who the heroine really was. That, and his love for the woman he corresponded with, along with his overpowering need to destroy her, made an interesting twist. This was my first book by Jacqueline Diamond, but it won't be my last. I enjoyed her writing very much. I highly recommend it.
February 18, 2020
A Quick, Sometimes Moving, Read
A fast-paced Regency that touches on moving subjects such as family loyalty and fears for loved ones in time of war. I found some of it rather improbable, and historically inaccurate, but I encourage readers to suspend their disbelief and simply enjoy the ride. The heroine changes costumes nearly as often as gowns, and it is fun to follow her escapades.
A fast-paced Regency that touches on moving subjects such as family loyalty and fears for loved ones in time of war. I found some of it rather improbable, and historically inaccurate, but I encourage readers to suspend their disbelief and simply enjoy the ride. The heroine changes costumes nearly as often as gowns, and it is fun to follow her escapades.
February 2, 2018
I'm just a sucker for Regency period books with their manners, dress, and romance. This book isn't up to Georgette Heyer, but was still a very light and fun read. It had too many convenient twists and turns to be believable but was still a delightful read after the other books I have been reading lately, either trauma or heavy history.
February 8, 2018
Marianne is a talented writer, and trying to keep the world from knowing who she is, and also carrying on a correspondence with Lord Whitestone, who is seeking revenge on the daughter of traitors responsible for killing many of his own men during the war. The dialogue is fast and witty. It is a great read, one I could hardly put down.
April 2, 2018
Marianne is quite an actress when she needs to be and quite comical considering the premise of the novel. What happens when a young woman falls in love with the man who is determined to ruin her reputation, destroy her parents and doesn’t realize her true identity? Light hearted read that I enjoyed sitting by the beach.
January 29, 2018
Nice plot
Enjoyed the plot and the fact that it was a clean read. The errors were distracting--periods in the middle of a sentence, a sentence stopping half way then continuing on the next line made the white space confusing. Otherwise, I may purchase more of Ms. Diamond's books.
Enjoyed the plot and the fact that it was a clean read. The errors were distracting--periods in the middle of a sentence, a sentence stopping half way then continuing on the next line made the white space confusing. Otherwise, I may purchase more of Ms. Diamond's books.
January 12, 2018
I must have gotten this confused with a different book- I expected a lot more than a few kisses in this. It's somewhat clever, and yet the ending felt oddly unsatisfying.
January 12, 2018
These plot twists, undaunted , creative, plausible, humorous, succinct, are food for this reader. Wish Columbus Metropolitan Library carried her books.
January 19, 2018
Great read
This book was a fast paced book full of intrigue, humor, and romance. I couldn’t put it down until it was finished
This book was a fast paced book full of intrigue, humor, and romance. I couldn’t put it down until it was finished
January 22, 2018
Fun, period romance with humor and action. I adored the main character as she was not the typical "girl" of the period.
July 12, 2018
A quick, fun read.
January 13, 2011
From the back cover:
"At first Marianne was thunderstruck; then a thundering rage overtook her senses. A certain Lord Whitestone was threatening to use her family's infamous past to keep the lovely young girl away from the upcoming London Season - and her own coming out.
But it would take more than an arrogant young nobleman to keep Marianne Arnet, a published poet and girl of some spirit, out of sorts for long. If she were forbidden to move among the ton as Marianne Arnet, then, she vowed, she would get in as a gypsy fortune-teller, an anonymous lady of fashion, a parlourmaid. And each would have the power to turn the head of Jeremy Hanbridge, Marquis of Whitestone... and to ensnare his heart.
A highly satisfactory revenge - but playing cupid has its dangers. For now Marianne may find herself falling in love... with a man who will loathe her beyond measure the instant he learns who she really is!"
A sweet and easy read:-)
"At first Marianne was thunderstruck; then a thundering rage overtook her senses. A certain Lord Whitestone was threatening to use her family's infamous past to keep the lovely young girl away from the upcoming London Season - and her own coming out.
But it would take more than an arrogant young nobleman to keep Marianne Arnet, a published poet and girl of some spirit, out of sorts for long. If she were forbidden to move among the ton as Marianne Arnet, then, she vowed, she would get in as a gypsy fortune-teller, an anonymous lady of fashion, a parlourmaid. And each would have the power to turn the head of Jeremy Hanbridge, Marquis of Whitestone... and to ensnare his heart.
A highly satisfactory revenge - but playing cupid has its dangers. For now Marianne may find herself falling in love... with a man who will loathe her beyond measure the instant he learns who she really is!"
A sweet and easy read:-)
August 25, 2011
A wonderful book to read on a rainy day! The plot, while rather quaint by today's sci-fi standards, is the kind you smile indulgently at but actually like. The heroine is much the same way-nearly as spunky as Elizabeth Bennet but not nearly as well-articulated or quick-witted, and wilts a bit too soon for a P&P lover when she meets the handsome hero. However, it is still an enjoyable book to read, and I definitely recommend it to old-fashioned-romance lovers.
August 28, 2014
Recency Spies
Recency spying and mysterious identities keep a Marquis very confused about Lady Marianne who keeps turning up everywhere. Who is she? Read the book to unravel everyone's secrets. Nice different twist.
Recency spying and mysterious identities keep a Marquis very confused about Lady Marianne who keeps turning up everywhere. Who is she? Read the book to unravel everyone's secrets. Nice different twist.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews