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The Practical Heart
"...considerably more wit and pizazz than the legendary Georgette [Heyer] herself.” —Kirkus Reviews Miss Gillian Spencer is faced with an impossible challenge—to rescue the Viscount Sherbourne's standing. To do so, she’ll have to find wealthy husbands for his two charming and beautiful daughters. Without a farthing at the Viscount's command and his London house in ruins, Miss Spencer’s matchmaking work is certainly cut out for her. At the advanced age of twenty-seven, Gillian had dismissed the possibility of marriage for herself, of course—but who can predict where her talent for romantic intrigue on others’ behalf might lead her?
Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
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About the author
Fiona Hill
33 books24 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
This name is a pseudonym for Ellen Pall (also known as Ellen Jane Pall).
She chose Fiona Hill when she wrote Regency romance novels. She has since published mysteries and literary novels under her own name.
This name is a pseudonym for Ellen Pall (also known as Ellen Jane Pall).
She chose Fiona Hill when she wrote Regency romance novels. She has since published mysteries and literary novels under her own name.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 3, 2018
This is silly and downright zany, with an outrageous cast of characters. There's a bankrupt viscount who needs to marry off his two daughters to wealthy men to save himself from debtors' prison. The heroine, Gillian Spencer, is hired at the beginning of the story to help get his daughters introduced to society and married off ASAP.
This is quite the task for Gillian, especially when considering that the viscount has about 400 pounds to his name, lives on credit and owes an incredible amount of money to a Mr. Clouse, a vulgarly rich man who keeps threatening that payday is at hand.
The viscount has a charming, funny nephew who, attracted to Gillian, does his part to help the viscount's ruse of being a solvent member of the peerage. It's a difficult task, especially when at social gatherings in the viscount's home guests have to be kept from wandering away from the drawing room, since the rest of the rooms of the house are appallingly uninhabitable.
The two daughters are charming and beautiful but, of course, flawed like everyone else in the story. One is a bit opportunistic and the other sweetly dense. They'll be introduced to appropriate love interests, although the course of true love will not run smoothly and will require a lot of manipulations on the part of Gillian and the viscount's nephew.
To add to the fun, Mr. Clouse has an unmarried, rather unappealing daughter. The viscount is advised to play suitor to the daughter with the hopes of postponing the day of reckoning with Mr. Clouse. The viscount needs time to get those daughters married off, especially since the daughters and suitors are not behaving quite according to plan.
The cast of characters is amazing fun, the ingenious plans of Gillian to fool everyone are very amusing, and the romance of Gillian and the viscount's nephew is just about perfect.
You have to read this slowly, no skipping or skimming. It's very funny but only if you savor the writing. It's an old school Regency written in 1975 and has a bit of a Barbara Metzger feel to it.
This is quite the task for Gillian, especially when considering that the viscount has about 400 pounds to his name, lives on credit and owes an incredible amount of money to a Mr. Clouse, a vulgarly rich man who keeps threatening that payday is at hand.
The viscount has a charming, funny nephew who, attracted to Gillian, does his part to help the viscount's ruse of being a solvent member of the peerage. It's a difficult task, especially when at social gatherings in the viscount's home guests have to be kept from wandering away from the drawing room, since the rest of the rooms of the house are appallingly uninhabitable.
The two daughters are charming and beautiful but, of course, flawed like everyone else in the story. One is a bit opportunistic and the other sweetly dense. They'll be introduced to appropriate love interests, although the course of true love will not run smoothly and will require a lot of manipulations on the part of Gillian and the viscount's nephew.
To add to the fun, Mr. Clouse has an unmarried, rather unappealing daughter. The viscount is advised to play suitor to the daughter with the hopes of postponing the day of reckoning with Mr. Clouse. The viscount needs time to get those daughters married off, especially since the daughters and suitors are not behaving quite according to plan.
The cast of characters is amazing fun, the ingenious plans of Gillian to fool everyone are very amusing, and the romance of Gillian and the viscount's nephew is just about perfect.
You have to read this slowly, no skipping or skimming. It's very funny but only if you savor the writing. It's an old school Regency written in 1975 and has a bit of a Barbara Metzger feel to it.
January 25, 2023
DNF… honestly too boring for my taste
June 18, 2022
*3.8*
This was so short and cute and sweet and fun. Nothing earth -shattering, but I was highly entertained.
I was confused at the "tension" between Miles and Gillian, searching in the book where it was though the narrator is telling me over and over again that it's there, but nonetheless it was adorable.
This was so short and cute and sweet and fun. Nothing earth -shattering, but I was highly entertained.
I was confused at the "tension" between Miles and Gillian, searching in the book where it was though the narrator is telling me over and over again that it's there, but nonetheless it was adorable.
May 22, 2024
As a lover of Georgette Heyer’s Regency romances, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Whilst the story does not quite reach the heights of that consummate author, the characters and storyline are very reminiscent of her work. But it just lacks that light, adept touch that Georgette Heyer would have brought to it if she had been the author. The Viscount in particular was somewhat overdrawn- I found him irritatingly melodramatic. Perhaps this is an early foray into Regency romance for Fiona Hill and her other books will demonstrate growth and improvement as she becomes more experienced? Even if this is not the case, I feel her books will be well worth reading and I look forward to reading more by her.
January 4, 2016
Like "Sweet's Folly," this novel has an interesting premise with disappointing follow-through. A practical young gentlewoman, down on her luck, takes a position in the house of an extravagant, impoverished Viscount and his two marriageable daughters. The daughters are to marry for money and raise the fortunes of their father.
It was hard for me to accept the heroine's lack of scruples with respect to mercenary marriages (note that Elizabeth Bennett held out for love and scorned those who didn't), but I was interested in seeing how she would turn things around.
Sadly, she didn't need to do much. Love and money came to all -- very fast. The problems sort of worked themselves out. Unlike real life. Or, at least, mine.
It was hard for me to accept the heroine's lack of scruples with respect to mercenary marriages (note that Elizabeth Bennett held out for love and scorned those who didn't), but I was interested in seeing how she would turn things around.
Sadly, she didn't need to do much. Love and money came to all -- very fast. The problems sort of worked themselves out. Unlike real life. Or, at least, mine.
December 9, 2016
While the cast of characters were highly amusing and entertaining, the romance needed work. We get nothing beyond witty banter back and forth a developing a slight feeling of disappointment when the other person isn't around to show a connection between the main characters. They needed a lot more meaningful interaction or we needed to read a lot more thoughts that they had about each other to make it even a bit realistic. Would recommend as an easy funny read!
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REREAD REVIEW
I liked it a lot better the second time! I liked their relationship and how the other characters interacted with both of them.
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REREAD REVIEW
I liked it a lot better the second time! I liked their relationship and how the other characters interacted with both of them.
December 15, 2024
Me encantó este librito. Una comedia de enredos muy inteligente y bien construida, muy divertida también. Personajes con personalidades marcadas y distintas, que llegamos a conocer a través de la acción de la novela, no con eternos monólogos interiores explicando sus sentimientos. Heyer pero sin clasismo. Regencia como ya no se escribe. Perfecto para un buen rato.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews