What do you think?
Rate this book
A Most Lamentable Comedy
High jinks, misunderstandings and conflicted passions - Regency rocks in the latest racy read from Janet Mullany
1822, Lady Caroline Elmhurst is twice-widowed, down on her luck and pursued by creditors. But she's optimistic about finding a new husband - or if necessary, a rich lover - and when she meets handsome, mysterious Nicholas Congrevance at a house-party in the country, she sets out to entice him. For his part, Nicholas simply sees Lady Caroline Elmhurst as just the sort of woman he's used to exploiting - rich, available, and gullible. Neither realizes the other is penniless and neither has any intention of falling in love...
1822, Lady Caroline Elmhurst is twice-widowed, down on her luck and pursued by creditors. But she's optimistic about finding a new husband - or if necessary, a rich lover - and when she meets handsome, mysterious Nicholas Congrevance at a house-party in the country, she sets out to entice him. For his part, Nicholas simply sees Lady Caroline Elmhurst as just the sort of woman he's used to exploiting - rich, available, and gullible. Neither realizes the other is penniless and neither has any intention of falling in love...
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 23, 2009
About the author
Janet Mullany
19 books106 followersJanet Mullany was raised in England by half of an amateur string quartet and now lives near Washington, DC. Persecuted from an early age for reading too long in the bathroom, she still loves books and is an avid and eclectic reader. She has worked as an archaeologist, classical music radio announcer, arts publicist, and for a small press.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
May 11, 2010
Don't recall who recommended this, and I had no idea it was a Little Black Dress book. I think that means it's supposed to be smart modern romance. We'll see.
Addendum. My comments to a friend who wanted more information.Spoilers!!
It's a regency romance where both the romantic leads are unusually disreputable types. She's ruined after 2 or 3 marriages, and now attaches herself to one protector after another. When the book opens she's climbing out of a window, dodging creditors. He's a 19th century toyboy and makes his living by accepting jewelry and other gifts from ladies. They meet at a house party where they join a motley crew taking part in much amended production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and each thinks the other would be a valuable mark. Cue misunderstandings and inintended falling head over heels.
Hmmmn. Now that I've described it, it doesn't sound too bad an idea. I don't think it was well executed though, and I quickly lost interest. Oh, there was a little sex, Rachel,(The author was trying for saucy.) but not over the top, I think.
Perhaps it was aimed at a different audience, but I'm afraid I can't recommend it.
Verdict: a most lamentable waste of time. Okay, the dialogue was amusing, but that's about it.
Addendum. My comments to a friend who wanted more information.Spoilers!!
It's a regency romance where both the romantic leads are unusually disreputable types. She's ruined after 2 or 3 marriages, and now attaches herself to one protector after another. When the book opens she's climbing out of a window, dodging creditors. He's a 19th century toyboy and makes his living by accepting jewelry and other gifts from ladies. They meet at a house party where they join a motley crew taking part in much amended production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and each thinks the other would be a valuable mark. Cue misunderstandings and inintended falling head over heels.
Hmmmn. Now that I've described it, it doesn't sound too bad an idea. I don't think it was well executed though, and I quickly lost interest. Oh, there was a little sex, Rachel,(The author was trying for saucy.) but not over the top, I think.
Perhaps it was aimed at a different audience, but I'm afraid I can't recommend it.
Verdict: a most lamentable waste of time. Okay, the dialogue was amusing, but that's about it.
July 2, 2011
Janet Mullany is one of my favorite authors. I happen to be a fan of voice-y fiction, and Janet's got style in spades. A MOST LAMENTABLE COMEDY is laugh-out-loud funny (as are all of Ms. Mullany's books that I have read to date). Best compliment I can give this novel is that I was so utterly engrossed in the story (and in laughing in the middle of a crowded bus) that I missed my stop while I was reading it. As a professional Shakespearean actress, I particularly enjoyed Ms. Mullany's clever spin, with plenty of inside jokes for those who know "A Midsummer Night's Dream" well.
October 25, 2013
I was utterly charmed by both the hero and the heroine and the natural, funny, alternating first-person narration. And the instinctive physical and emotional connection between the two of them was one of the most intense and convincing insta-lust plotlines I've read recently.
January 18, 2020
I give this book😂😂😂😂
This is a funny book. When we first meet our heroine she is climbing out a window to avoid her creditors. Twice widowed she is on her way to a house party to try to snag a third and rich husband. She married first for money; second for love. Unfortunately her much beloved second husband left her penniless.
Our hero has been living on the continent for 10 years making his way by wit, subterfuge, and a way with cards. Each marks the other for the solution to their current penury. Each is sublimely worldly, cynical and motivated.
The dialogue between the two in the situations into which they put themselves are laugh out loud funny. The friends who try to help them to find each other add to the humor.
A most lamentable comedy bills itself as a racy regency romp. If racy means a lot of sex then this book will disappoint; it could be read by your maiden aunt. It is however a romp, one that I think everyone including your maiden aunt will enjoy.
This is a funny book. When we first meet our heroine she is climbing out a window to avoid her creditors. Twice widowed she is on her way to a house party to try to snag a third and rich husband. She married first for money; second for love. Unfortunately her much beloved second husband left her penniless.
Our hero has been living on the continent for 10 years making his way by wit, subterfuge, and a way with cards. Each marks the other for the solution to their current penury. Each is sublimely worldly, cynical and motivated.
The dialogue between the two in the situations into which they put themselves are laugh out loud funny. The friends who try to help them to find each other add to the humor.
A most lamentable comedy bills itself as a racy regency romp. If racy means a lot of sex then this book will disappoint; it could be read by your maiden aunt. It is however a romp, one that I think everyone including your maiden aunt will enjoy.
December 1, 2023
Mullany’s Regency romance books are always funny & the characters are always in some crazy conundrum.
I enjoyed this book, as characters from The Rules of Gentility were re-introduced into the plot. It felt a bit too drawn out, but was a fun read.
I enjoyed this book, as characters from The Rules of Gentility were re-introduced into the plot. It felt a bit too drawn out, but was a fun read.
March 3, 2011
I picked this book up at random, skimmed the first chapter and put it back down again. It was a first person Regency that didn't quite read like a Regency, and I dismissed it. I picked it up again weeks later, again by random, because by then I had forgotten the cover (let's not even mention whether I took notice of the title or the author at this point) and skimmed through the first two chapters going "Huh, I think I've skimmed this before." I could have put it down again, but I was in wait-hell (waiting on an appointment that had no set time), so I buckled down in Chapter Three and read instead of skimmed....
By Chapter Five, and because I was in Borders, I located a little chair and sat down and read some more. And snerked. And chuckled. And snorted laughter through my nose. I bought the dang thing, took it out of the store, found a seat and read even more, this time chortling and giggling. Then my appointment came and I had to put it down for a spell... and when I picked it up again, I wondered where all the snickering had gone. It took me a little while, but near the last quarter of the story, I'd found my chortles again.
This book is NOT your regular Regency romance. For one thing, it's in alternating first person between Lady Caroline Elmhurst and Nicholas Congrevance. For another, it takes the tone of a Regency and flips it so hard on its head that it may cause a bit of a whiplash, but after that, a lot of chortles. This was so unexpected and I think that's part of this book's charm. It's wickedly funny, and maybe a touch racy--even though there was very little actual sex (kind of a pity actually).
I loved, loved Caro and Nick, and I don't want to describe them too much because I think half of the fun is meeting them for the first time straight from their words. And so a little tibbit:
Then there are the letters! And the strikeouts in those letters! And a scene rendered as a scene from a play! I would excerpt the whole book if I could. :-P
By Chapter Five, and because I was in Borders, I located a little chair and sat down and read some more. And snerked. And chuckled. And snorted laughter through my nose. I bought the dang thing, took it out of the store, found a seat and read even more, this time chortling and giggling. Then my appointment came and I had to put it down for a spell... and when I picked it up again, I wondered where all the snickering had gone. It took me a little while, but near the last quarter of the story, I'd found my chortles again.
This book is NOT your regular Regency romance. For one thing, it's in alternating first person between Lady Caroline Elmhurst and Nicholas Congrevance. For another, it takes the tone of a Regency and flips it so hard on its head that it may cause a bit of a whiplash, but after that, a lot of chortles. This was so unexpected and I think that's part of this book's charm. It's wickedly funny, and maybe a touch racy--even though there was very little actual sex (kind of a pity actually).
I loved, loved Caro and Nick, and I don't want to describe them too much because I think half of the fun is meeting them for the first time straight from their words. And so a little tibbit:
'Of course, but I wonder... Congrevance, there is something I very much desire of you.'
I fear my mouth hangs open or I drool upon my neckcloth, for she takes her hand away and snaps, 'Not that, Congrevance.'
'Not that yet?'
Then there are the letters! And the strikeouts in those letters! And a scene rendered as a scene from a play! I would excerpt the whole book if I could. :-P
February 1, 2014
A Most Lamentable Comedy is about In 1889;a widow,Lady Caroline who had divorced twice and have nothing but her maid(she doesn't even pay for her).
Her mission is to find a wealthy man because she was running from debtors.Until,she found Nicholas and immediatly fall in love with him.The unsettling about him is he's also like her;trying to found a rich woman since ex-husband Lady Caroline is wealthy and she had no money-which he never knew-.
He used to have money but when his father died,he fought with his brother,Thirwell,-because the money will be lesser if they shared-,who accidently pushed him to the river.After he got out from the river,he decided to find his own money from that day which is seduce woman to have . . . (.-.).His brother didn't even know he's still alive until they met at the party.
So Nicholas's target was Lady Caroline and he got it and
Her mission is to find a wealthy man because she was running from debtors.Until,she found Nicholas and immediatly fall in love with him.The unsettling about him is he's also like her;trying to found a rich woman since ex-husband Lady Caroline is wealthy and she had no money-which he never knew-.
He used to have money but when his father died,he fought with his brother,Thirwell,-because the money will be lesser if they shared-,who accidently pushed him to the river.After he got out from the river,he decided to find his own money from that day which is seduce woman to have . . . (.-.).His brother didn't even know he's still alive until they met at the party.
So Nicholas's target was Lady Caroline and he got it and
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 19, 2013
A delightful, slyly lascivious read! With just enough genuine feeling to save it from farce and raise it above the genre. Oops, some extremely farcical behavior toward the very end... Delicious use of A Midsummer Night's Dream but this one really takes off when the long-lost half-brother reappears...
whose "Little Lambkin misses her Great Ram most sorely and longs once more to bury her hands in his fleece" etc. etc. etc.
whose "Little Lambkin misses her Great Ram most sorely and longs once more to bury her hands in his fleece" etc. etc. etc.
November 4, 2013
As usual, it took a while to reacclimate myself to Mullany's writing style but once I did, I really enjoyed this. It makes me sad that this was the last of her regular regencies I had to read, as I don't particularly enjoy erotic fiction and I didn't love her version of Jane Austen (now with vampires!).
September 8, 2009
This was a fun little historical romance--with teeth. The characters were snarky, almost mean, fun, and surprisingly light on sap. However, the convoluted ending (involving a bear? Why?) was a bit too much. Otherwise, a nice read.
Read
August 9, 2010As much as I wanted to read this book, I just couldn't get into it. Im not really a fan of First Person POV in novels - and the fact that the character narration switched nearly every other page was just confusing.
November 29, 2011
I liked the story in this book. It was quite unusual and slightly reminds me of Georgette Heyer. I did feel like I was reading a sequel, because there were hints to previous events, but I could not discover if that was the case. This book has humor and romance in just the right amounts.
May 9, 2014
Another wonderful book by Mullany. I enjoy how she uses yet subverts the genre. The main characters have happy endings but there's many a funny twist before they get there. I don't understand why she's not more popular.
January 10, 2021
I do like Mullany's twisted romances. They have such interesting and unusual POVs.
August 1, 2010
Fun read, loved the tongue in cheek humour.
Want to Read
November 6, 2010Autographed Copy
August 9, 2011
As far as regency novels go, not too bad. Had its moments, had a few funny points. Ending was quite predictable though.
December 9, 2011
4.5 stars.
January 11, 2012
Witty, charming, and laugh-out-loud funny. And with its first person present tense style, a stylistic breath of fresh air in the regency romance market.
March 25, 2012
While I like Janet Mullany's style, I didn't care for this book nearly as much as Rules of Gentility, which I highly recommend.
June 15, 2012
I normally love all of the Little Black Dress books.
Although I liked the characters the book seemed to lack something in my opinion.
Although I liked the characters the book seemed to lack something in my opinion.
March 9, 2016
The ending - Strike 3.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews