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The Mad Miss Mathley
When she is ordered to marry the next man who asks, headstrong Melinda Mathley plans to stage an engagement to the notorious Lord Carlton, a match so outrageous that she believes her society-conscious parents will have to object.
248 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 27, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
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March 30, 2022Oh wow, I just could NOT with this book. I think it's meant to be fun and whimsical, but the humor just didn't work for me. Miranda Mathley is definitely a Manic Pixie Dream Heiress and her "being impulsive just for the sake of ruffling feathers" way of doing things was grating rather than refreshing.
I only made it about 1/3 of the way through the book and we've already contrived a fake engagement, curl tossing, and pulling of acquaintances into an elaborate rescue of a complete stranger. It was a lot and I don't think I need more.
I only made it about 1/3 of the way through the book and we've already contrived a fake engagement, curl tossing, and pulling of acquaintances into an elaborate rescue of a complete stranger. It was a lot and I don't think I need more.
April 21, 2014
Melinda Mathley is seen as mad by most of the ton and even her own family. When she refuses her 7th offer of marriage (to her father's friend) her father is outraged. He vows to marry her off to the next man who asks even if he has to drag her to the altar himself. Mel knows Papa will calm down after a time but she has other suitors waiting in the wings, none of whom she wants to marry. She's a realist about marriage - she doesn't dream of true love as in the novels but she would at least like some degree of affections. She knows these men are all fortune hunters after her dowry and she has plans to spend her dowry that don't involve marriage. Mama is too busy having spasms to help and Mel's dear, sweet sister Jane is just too biddable to understand. She's on the verge of marriage to a Marquess in order to please the family. Whatever shall Mel do? Enter Peter, Lord Carlton, a rake and a scoundrel who has recently returned to London from Yorkshire. He has entered Society again in order to please a dying uncle who promised to leave Peter a fortune if Peter could be respectable for a month. Peter desperately wants the money to repair his estates but he finds Society very dull. Then he meets Melinda who proposes a sham engagement and soon Peter is embroiled in Melinda's mad starts. For the first time since childhood, he's truly happy and having fun. Melinda comes to rely on Peter's help enacting her grand plans. It's too bad they have to end the engagement as soon as Papa reconsiders.
This book reads like a Georgette Heyer knock-off. There are elements of Arabella and Friday's Child and other Regency books. Unfortunately, the story doesn't live up to the high standards set by Ms. Heyer. Melinda is crazy. In the first chapter alone she manages to break a lot of the rules and continues to ignore almost all the rules of etiquette. She espouses some very modern viewpoints that seemed improbably coming from someone with such silly parents. I can't say that no one at that time would have agreed with her, but she wasn't supposed to do or say those things even if she did think them. I admire heroines who speak their mind but Melinda went way too far. Peter is also mad. He can get away with a lot more, being a gentleman, but he too has some very modern ideas and goes along with all of Melinda's crazy plans without a care for her reputation. There's a method to their madness and both have hearts of gold. I found Peter to be a rather boring hero. His reputation was worse than his actual exploits, at least as far as the reader is told. The reasons behind their behavior are revealed too late. The plot dragged on and on with one madcap adventure after the other. The last one seemed tacked on and out of place. I didn't like it and didn't like the way it was resolved. I don't think the author had much knowledge of the Regency era.
The romance is very Heyeresque, as in it's a meeting of the minds. There's no real passion or anything other than mutual respect and friendship. The characters take too long to talk to each other and when they do, it seems kind of forced in order to bring them closer. I kept waiting for the kiss but it didn't happen when I expected. The misunderstanding at least made sense.
This is a mediocre Regency that I wouldn't recommend to high sticklers and devoted Regency readers.
This book reads like a Georgette Heyer knock-off. There are elements of Arabella and Friday's Child and other Regency books. Unfortunately, the story doesn't live up to the high standards set by Ms. Heyer. Melinda is crazy. In the first chapter alone she manages to break a lot of the rules and continues to ignore almost all the rules of etiquette. She espouses some very modern viewpoints that seemed improbably coming from someone with such silly parents. I can't say that no one at that time would have agreed with her, but she wasn't supposed to do or say those things even if she did think them. I admire heroines who speak their mind but Melinda went way too far. Peter is also mad. He can get away with a lot more, being a gentleman, but he too has some very modern ideas and goes along with all of Melinda's crazy plans without a care for her reputation. There's a method to their madness and both have hearts of gold. I found Peter to be a rather boring hero. His reputation was worse than his actual exploits, at least as far as the reader is told. The reasons behind their behavior are revealed too late. The plot dragged on and on with one madcap adventure after the other. The last one seemed tacked on and out of place. I didn't like it and didn't like the way it was resolved. I don't think the author had much knowledge of the Regency era.
The romance is very Heyeresque, as in it's a meeting of the minds. There's no real passion or anything other than mutual respect and friendship. The characters take too long to talk to each other and when they do, it seems kind of forced in order to bring them closer. I kept waiting for the kiss but it didn't happen when I expected. The misunderstanding at least made sense.
This is a mediocre Regency that I wouldn't recommend to high sticklers and devoted Regency readers.
January 7, 2015
This is one of my favorite traditional Regency romances and has everything I love about the genre. The heroine may not be the most beautiful girl in the room, but has her own opinions and isn't afraid to act on her beliefs. The hero doesn't see himself as one, but learns to be a hero through her. Top that all off with a wonderful style and sense of humor and you have one great book.
October 9, 2012
I thought this was quite the charming regency. Melinda is a combination of savvy and naïve that ends up making her a very likable and endearing character. She talks a mile and minute which at times can make your head spin, which is exactly what happens when she meets Lord Carlton. She definitely takes him by surprise and shakes up his life in a fun way. Melinda is literally falling into one scrape after another. Granted, she is always doing things with the best intentions and really she has such a caring nature it is hard not to like her. I think anyone around her falls under her spell. So the story moved along at a nice pace and it was hard to put down, I just wanted to keep reading to see what would happen next.
While I did really enjoy the story and characters I felt the romance aspect was a bit disappointing, at least for me. I think I just had a hard time really getting to know Lord Carlton, he is still kind of a mystery to me. He is present for the entire book, which I liked, but since we got to hear very little from his POV that I thought Melinda kind of stole the show. You get pretty caught up in what is going on with her or what she is saying that at times he just kind of felt like any other character. Almost like a prop that was there for her to talk to, not with. I did think they had some nice moments though and I wish we could have had more from his POV and really gotten into his head and seen him fall in love with Melinda from his perspective. There was also a pretty big deal made about how plain Melinda is (while Carlton is of course the most handsome man around), but her personality is so engaging that you tend to forget. I guess, I was hoping we could see her become beautiful in his eyes, you know? In the end, I still didn’t feel like Carlton had fallen in love with Melinda, at least not in a romantic sense. I know he admired her, respected her, enjoyed her company and even cared for her. But as for romance I didn’t feel it. They seemed like great friends.
I’m totally rambling now. The point is I really liked this story. It was loads of fun and Melinda was a great character. I even liked Carlton, most of the time. If you like regencies I’d give this one a try.
Content: Clean.
While I did really enjoy the story and characters I felt the romance aspect was a bit disappointing, at least for me. I think I just had a hard time really getting to know Lord Carlton, he is still kind of a mystery to me. He is present for the entire book, which I liked, but since we got to hear very little from his POV that I thought Melinda kind of stole the show. You get pretty caught up in what is going on with her or what she is saying that at times he just kind of felt like any other character. Almost like a prop that was there for her to talk to, not with. I did think they had some nice moments though and I wish we could have had more from his POV and really gotten into his head and seen him fall in love with Melinda from his perspective. There was also a pretty big deal made about how plain Melinda is (while Carlton is of course the most handsome man around), but her personality is so engaging that you tend to forget. I guess, I was hoping we could see her become beautiful in his eyes, you know? In the end, I still didn’t feel like Carlton had fallen in love with Melinda, at least not in a romantic sense. I know he admired her, respected her, enjoyed her company and even cared for her. But as for romance I didn’t feel it. They seemed like great friends.
I’m totally rambling now. The point is I really liked this story. It was loads of fun and Melinda was a great character. I even liked Carlton, most of the time. If you like regencies I’d give this one a try.
Content: Clean.
June 1, 2023
This is a fun trad Regency romcom. The heroine is being pressured to marry by her parents, but all her offers so far have been from obnoxious fortune hunters. Meanwhile, the hero is a (mostly former) rake trying to turn his reputation around to ingratiate himself with his uncle to secure an inheritance. She proposes a fake engagement to suit both their purposes -- she'll get her parents to back off and reconsider after she eventually breaks off the betrothal, he'll get increased access to polite society through her family's connections. It's lighthearted and silly; the humor didn't always work for me but most of the time it did.
I was kind of put off by the heroine's eagerness to meet a "scoundrel" at the beginning, because I thought it would go in the "heroine can't wait to be ruined" direction. I'm so tired of historicals that use that plot because it annoys me when authors just go "oh obviously fallen women have more fun!" while ignoring all the serious socio-economic consequences. Rant aside, this book doesn't take that route, but I did wish it would have taken a bit longer for the heroine to decide that the hero was actually not a scoundrel or rake at all. Still, overall a fun read.
I was kind of put off by the heroine's eagerness to meet a "scoundrel" at the beginning, because I thought it would go in the "heroine can't wait to be ruined" direction. I'm so tired of historicals that use that plot because it annoys me when authors just go "oh obviously fallen women have more fun!" while ignoring all the serious socio-economic consequences. Rant aside, this book doesn't take that route, but I did wish it would have taken a bit longer for the heroine to decide that the hero was actually not a scoundrel or rake at all. Still, overall a fun read.
September 16, 2011
A tried and true combination: the reforming rake hero and the uncoventional heroine.
He's an infamous rake attempting to live a straight and narrow life to gain a substanial inheritence.
She's a unconventional heiress trying to avoid an unwanted husband.
Together they band together they form an adorable duo, who get into all sort of mischief and fun.
Nothing too surprising in the storyline, but it is a quick and enjoyable read that will have you smiling.
He's an infamous rake attempting to live a straight and narrow life to gain a substanial inheritence.
She's a unconventional heiress trying to avoid an unwanted husband.
Together they band together they form an adorable duo, who get into all sort of mischief and fun.
Nothing too surprising in the storyline, but it is a quick and enjoyable read that will have you smiling.
October 8, 2025
DNF at 44%. At first, the heroine’s antics were amusing—a bit of delightful chaos that promised a fun romp. But as the story went on, her “madness” turned from charming to downright irritating. She falls squarely into the TSTL (too stupid to live) category, which is one of my biggest pet peeves. So, no.
July 13, 2019
4.25 stars
December 10, 2023
Maybe deserves a better rating. But don't remember it at all. OTOH I kept it.
October 13, 2014
There are times when I need some really light reading. Books such as this fulfill that need.
This was a quick fun read. Once upon a time, I could read a Regency romance in about two hours. I'm out of shape; it took me almost twice as long as it used to. Still, it was fun. The heroine was perky. The hero was handsome. The bad guy only medium bad.
I'm keeping this book for the next time I need something quick and fun.
This was a quick fun read. Once upon a time, I could read a Regency romance in about two hours. I'm out of shape; it took me almost twice as long as it used to. Still, it was fun. The heroine was perky. The hero was handsome. The bad guy only medium bad.
I'm keeping this book for the next time I need something quick and fun.
July 23, 2011
Absolutely improbable but lots of fun!
November 26, 2022
I love it when the girl is just awesome but not gorgeous, and the handsome guy falls for her anyway :)
December 22, 2015
Pleasant and competently written. The plot and characters aren't terribly original, but this is a very decent RegRom.
August 23, 2016
It's a treat to "watch" a friendship, then love, develop through dialogue. What could have been farcical is simply sweet and true to character.
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