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The King's Doll
The Duke of Landsdale's mother's anger erupts when she is persuaded by the King of France to give asylum to his mistress, the Comtesse and her daughter, Tiri. She immediately launches a campaign to make the King's plaything and her bewitching daughter's lives miserable. But the Comtesse has other marry off her daughter to the wealthiest and most powerful bachelor in sight. When the Duke first gazes at Tiri's extraordinary beauty, he is captured. Against his mother's wishes, he has fallen in love with the enchanting woman. Tiri has also rebelled against her mother's plans and found a mouthwatering catch, but she has also fallen in love with him. Can their mutual love overcome the obstacles their mothers have placed in their paths? Or are they doomed to enter into a passionless marriage with another?
176 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 12, 1984
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About the author
Elizabeth Chater
70 books22 followersElizabeth Chater (1910-2004) was the author of more than twenty-four novels and countless short stories. She received a B.A. from the University of British Columbia and an M.A. from San Diego State University and joined the faculty of the latter in 1963 where she began a lifelong friendship with science fiction author Greg Bear. She was honored with The Distinguished Teacher award in 1969 and was awarded Outstanding Professor of the Year in 1977. After receiving her Professor Emeritus, she embarked on a new career as a novelist with Richard Curtis as her agent. In the 1950s and 60s she published short stories in Fantastic Universe Magazine and The Saint Mystery Magazine, and she won the Publisher’s Weekly short story contest in 1975. At the age of sixty-eight, she began writing in the romance genre and published twenty-two novels over an eight-year period. She also wrote under the pen names Lee Chater, Lee Chaytor, and Lisa Moore. For more information, please visit: https://elizabethchaterbooks.com.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 11, 2012
What a disappointment. Author put Regency description into her pre-French Revolution book. I could not get past the waltz in England repeatedly being part of the plot. That is all it takes to ruin a book for me. Know what you are writing about before you do.
September 5, 2022
French ladies spicing up the ton of London
August 18, 2024
In this story, the heroine's mother Dani used to be the French king's mistress and when Dani and Tiri flee France this makes their situation somewhat precarious, should Dani's past become widely known in England. Dani was offered money for the road by the king but she refused it as a matter of pride. Which may be commendable but also seems somewhat stupid as they are now penniless in England. The king asked an old crony to help them but was unaware that his friend the duke had died. The next duke is a bachelor and asks his mother to house the refugees. The mother appears a bad-tempered old miser at first but the French guests are able to loosen her up some. The relationship between the duke and Tiri is rather instaluv as they have few interactions.
Fancy people still powder their hair, Louis (XVI, we presume) is still alive, and Prinny is not yet thirty. So this is set sometime before 1792.
Fancy people still powder their hair, Louis (XVI, we presume) is still alive, and Prinny is not yet thirty. So this is set sometime before 1792.
November 29, 2021
*sigh* Lovely romance. Very Nice bedtime story.
November 20, 2015
The King's Doll by Elizabeth Chater is a "Regency" romance during the Georgian era only in that it feels like a Regency romance. It occurs well before George IV's Regency between 1811 and 1820. The King's Doll is the second book in the Elizabeth Chater Regency Romance Collection #2, which I have been enjoying immensely!
The King (George III) and Queen make appearances in this story, and this is the first time I've read a Regency where the reader is briefly in Prinny's (George IV's) head.
King Louis of France, who was king from 1774 until 1792, sends his mistress Dani de Granville to England in an effort to minimize his unpopularity, due to the political unrest of the times. Her daughter Tiri, seventeen-year-old Therese de Granville, is the King's Doll referenced in the title. King Louis was very fond of her.
Daral Lansdale, the Duke of Lansdale, is charged to sponsor Dani and Tiri in his home in a letter from King Louis. Louis's letter was meant for Daral's father, now deceased, and Daral has his mother take the French ladies in her London home for propriety's sake.
What I liked:
*I enjoyed the romance between Tiri and Daral.
*The characters were wonderful, even the Duke's annoying mother!
What I didn't like:
*As brought to my attention by another reviewer, the waltz should never have been in this story since the it wasn't introduced in England until 1813, during the Regency period. Mistakes like these don't bother me much, but I do like authors to iron out such details. I feel that I am learning when I read historical novels, and when details are wrong, I am "learning" wrong information!
*Occasional typos
I didn't find as much humor in this book as I have in the five other Chater books I've read, but there is plenty of cleverness to be enjoyed in the character of Dani. I will continue to read more Chater!
I recommend this book to fans of clean Regency romance!
The King (George III) and Queen make appearances in this story, and this is the first time I've read a Regency where the reader is briefly in Prinny's (George IV's) head.
King Louis of France, who was king from 1774 until 1792, sends his mistress Dani de Granville to England in an effort to minimize his unpopularity, due to the political unrest of the times. Her daughter Tiri, seventeen-year-old Therese de Granville, is the King's Doll referenced in the title. King Louis was very fond of her.
Daral Lansdale, the Duke of Lansdale, is charged to sponsor Dani and Tiri in his home in a letter from King Louis. Louis's letter was meant for Daral's father, now deceased, and Daral has his mother take the French ladies in her London home for propriety's sake.
What I liked:
*I enjoyed the romance between Tiri and Daral.
*The characters were wonderful, even the Duke's annoying mother!
What I didn't like:
*As brought to my attention by another reviewer, the waltz should never have been in this story since the it wasn't introduced in England until 1813, during the Regency period. Mistakes like these don't bother me much, but I do like authors to iron out such details. I feel that I am learning when I read historical novels, and when details are wrong, I am "learning" wrong information!
*Occasional typos
I didn't find as much humor in this book as I have in the five other Chater books I've read, but there is plenty of cleverness to be enjoyed in the character of Dani. I will continue to read more Chater!
I recommend this book to fans of clean Regency romance!
August 10, 2016
Fun regency (is it still a regency romance if George is actually on the throne?). Tiri's growing love for the Duke was easily seen, but the Duke's actions to keep Tiri from marrying just for convenience were incompetent (and the book here gets a little overly tedious and too contrived), but adds to the Duke's boyish charm
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****Spoiler Summary****
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King Louis's ex-mistress, Dani and her daughter, Tiri, are sent to seek asylum in England with the Duke of Landsdale. Old Duke, Louis' friend has died, new Duke grudging launches Tiri to get a suitable husband. They fight, duel wits, accidentally become engaged. Tiri worries marriage to Landsdale will make him a social outcast. Landsdale worries Tiri only wants his title, they run around cross-purposes, finally declare love for each other. Dani falls for Sir Hilary, a king's spy, who happily retires to marry Dani. Landsdale's mother awakens to whom her true friend's are, her beauty, and being a mother
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****Spoiler Summary****
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King Louis's ex-mistress, Dani and her daughter, Tiri, are sent to seek asylum in England with the Duke of Landsdale. Old Duke, Louis' friend has died, new Duke grudging launches Tiri to get a suitable husband. They fight, duel wits, accidentally become engaged. Tiri worries marriage to Landsdale will make him a social outcast. Landsdale worries Tiri only wants his title, they run around cross-purposes, finally declare love for each other. Dani falls for Sir Hilary, a king's spy, who happily retires to marry Dani. Landsdale's mother awakens to whom her true friend's are, her beauty, and being a mother
June 3, 2016
Read 9/13/12 - 2*
Read: 6/2/16 - 2* very light & 2-dimensional.
Read: 6/2/16 - 2* very light & 2-dimensional.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews