What do you think?
Rate this book
A Spinster's Luck
Left to make her own way in the world after the deaths of her parents ten years earlier, Celia Langston has resigned herself to a life as a spinster, until she accepts a job as a governess to the nephew of the handsome Duke of Severly, one of Regency society's most eligible bachelors and a man for whom Celia has nothing but contempt. Original.
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 3, 2002
About the author
Rhonda Woodward
8 books17 followersRhonda Woodward is the author of six Signet Regency romance novels, and is happily working on her next. Among other accolades, Rhonda’s novels have been nominated for RWA's RITA and RT Reviewer's Choice awards and won the Book Sellers’ Best Award.
You can connect with her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RhondaWoodwa...
You can connect with her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RhondaWoodwa...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 13, 2018
3.5 stars.
A tiny slice of Pride and Prejudice garnished with heaps of Cinderella !
This was a sweet, clean, and simple traditional regency romance that I enjoyed because the storytelling was good while the MC's were likable and interesting. The narrative flows well and the prose isn't overdone or forced. The atmosphere is predominantly light but there's just enough angst from the mid point to make it entertaining. It's about a 25 yr old governess heroine who'd been orphaned at the age of 16. Celia, the heroine, was lucky to be given a home and a job by her widowed neighbour Imogene. It's highly unconventional for a 16 yr old to be employed as a governess but Celia was well educated by her father, the late village vicar. At the start of the story, Celia overhears Imogene's brother Drake talking about her to his sister. The immature and scared heroine misinterprets Drake's comments and thinks that he is a mean, rude bastard who wants Imogene to kick her out into the streets:
Terror filled Celia’s heart as she suppressed an anguished gasp with a clutched hand pressed to her mouth. They were going to send her away! Where could she go? Would she end up in a workhouse? Oh, Mama, Papa, why did you leave me? Celia restrained herself from crying out in her fear and loneliness.
Rhonda Woodward. A Spinster's Luck (Kindle Locations 73-76). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
At this point in the story, the H is a young duke in his early 20's. Drake, the Duke of Severly, hadn't wanted his sister to turn the 16 yr old Celia out into the streets; he'd merely had understandable misgivings about his nephews being educated by such a young governess. However, the teen Celia blew this entire conversation out of proportion and her prejudice against Drake just escalated as the years progressed. I thinks it's fair to say that in this novel, Celia had cornered the market on both the pride and the prejudice ! The plot began in the present time, which is 10 yrs after Celia had eavesdropped on the H and his sister. Celia is content with her life as a governess and Imogene treats her as a sister but the heroine still yearns for romance, a husband and a family of her own. Her only suitor is an unattractive middle aged squire so she thinks she's destined to be a spinster forever. She's spent the last 10 yrs avoiding Drake, during his infrequent visits, at all costs, though. That's why the MC's are relative strangers to each other.
This is Celia, the heroine:
This is Drake, the H:
Drake was unaware of Celia's prejudice against him, so when he meets her again in the present time, he's befuddled by her stilted and coldly polite responses to his attempts at conversation. He's also very enchanted with her unadorned beauty:
His nephews were luckier than he had been, he thought with some chagrin. The duke’s own governess had been quite plump and would never have dreamed of skipping stones with him.
Rhonda Woodward. A Spinster's Luck (Kindle Locations 143-144). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
The H treated Celia with gentlemanly chivalry though, in spite of his raging sexual attraction to her. He knew that she was an impoverished gentlewoman who could not be his duchess but was still too respectable to be offered the post as his mistress. Celia's luck changed when an elderly eccentric spinster, Miss Edna Forbisher, died and left her a massive inheritance. That's when Imogene decided that Celia should be given a London season so that she'd be able to meet prospective husbands. Drake wasn't happy with the plan since he wanted Celia for himself but he went along with it because he didn't want to be a continual dog in the manger about the heroine.
The MC's kept each other at a polite distance but their chemistry was always discernible. That's what made this story enjoyable to me. As I've said numerous times before, a novel doesn't need to be filled with sex in order to interest me. A skilled author can portray intense chemistry between her MC's, in subtle ways, without resorting to sex. In fact, it's a lesson that some of the self published insta-love/insta-lust authors of today need to learn. I've read many of these sex filled novellas where the writing is so basic that it's obvious the MC's lack chemistry. There's too much telling and minimal showing. Tons of rampant sex scenes do not always portray true passion. And I'm not dissing the erotica; I have tons of that stuff on my bookshelves and some are rated with 4 stars ! I'm just saying that sometimes sex is used by mediocre writers to camouflage their inability to actually craft a decent, solid storyline or a sensible plot.
Moving on...
The MC's tentative relationship is derailed when the H's former mistress makes mischief. Lady Leticia Kendall was one of those skanky married women in the Ton whose husbands turned a blind eye to their penis polishing endeavours. This hagwitch grew so jealous of the attention that Drake was giving to Celia that she lied and insulted the heroine in an effort to get the H to return to her arms:
“Well …” Letty shifted on the stone bench and looked at Celia with a frown creasing her brow.
“Drake is quite concerned about your growing feelings toward him. I thought it might help if I explained our unfortunate circumstances to you. Drake does not wish you to be embarrassed. You take my meaning, I’m sure.”
Rhonda Woodward. A Spinster's Luck (Kindle Locations 2332-2334). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Lady K had been mad that the H had lost interest in her after Celia had come to London and she wasn't going to give him upso easily. But the heroine was very classy and since the H had not openly declared his intentions to her, she responded to the hagwitch in a politely firm manner:
Gathering the shreds of her torn feelings as best she could, Celia took a deep breath. “I have no desire to be privy to such intimacies, Lady Kendall. I bid you good day.”
Rhonda Woodward. A Spinster's Luck (Kindle Locations 2347-2348). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
At first I was a little peeved that Celia didn't tell her off or insult her but then I realized that in this specific situation the heroine had done the right thing. After all, sometimes it's better to take the dignified high road when dealing with crazy, classless and neurotic bitches:
The malicious OW didn't let things go at that though; she soon discovered the heroine's big secret: the fact that Celia had been employed as a mere governess before becoming an heiress. Lady K used this information to make Celia a laughingstock within the Ton. Unfortunately for Lady K, this scheme backfired bigtime because the H got so angry with her that he insulted her, gave her the cut direct in the middle of Almacks and told her that he'd had enough of her in his life ! But the damage had been done to Celia's poor heart and the heroine was so fed up of the hypocrisy, fakery and pretentious attitude among the glitterati in the Ton that she decided to just pack her trunks and head back to the country !
Drake chased after her, as expected, grovelled, declared his love and proposed to her. There were lots of other entertaining stuff in this story, including:
1. Celia's numerous suitors and the silly things a couple of them to get her attention.
2. Imogene's second chance love affair with the dashing army captain.
3. Celia's magnificent transformation from simple country governess to the Ton's newest diamond of the first water.
4. The charming friendship between Celia and the miserly, eccentric, funny spinster Edna Forbisher.
The best part of the epilogue occurred when the hagwitch OW Lady Kendall got her final comeuppance. She'd already gotten her first and second comeuppance from Drake, but this time it was the heroine who delivered the final blow ! Lady K and her cuckolded husband had been invited to a grand ball at the MC's country estate, Severly Park. Lady K was her usual bitchy self when she saw how much Drake adored Celia. This time, however, the heroine was already married to the H and was well in her rights to tell the bitch off:
Raising one eyebrow, Celia strove to make her expression as indifferent as possible. “If you continue to make yourself tiresome Lady Kendall, this may be the last time you enjoy yourself at Severly Park,” Celia said coolly.
Rhonda Woodward. A Spinster's Luck (Kindle Locations 3064-3066). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
The scene that ensued made me LOL because while I'm an advocate for taking the dignified high road, there are always those few instances when the following advice must be heeded when dealing with assholes:
Safety: Clean romance with no sex. No cheating, in my opinion.
A tiny slice of Pride and Prejudice garnished with heaps of Cinderella !
This was a sweet, clean, and simple traditional regency romance that I enjoyed because the storytelling was good while the MC's were likable and interesting. The narrative flows well and the prose isn't overdone or forced. The atmosphere is predominantly light but there's just enough angst from the mid point to make it entertaining. It's about a 25 yr old governess heroine who'd been orphaned at the age of 16. Celia, the heroine, was lucky to be given a home and a job by her widowed neighbour Imogene. It's highly unconventional for a 16 yr old to be employed as a governess but Celia was well educated by her father, the late village vicar. At the start of the story, Celia overhears Imogene's brother Drake talking about her to his sister. The immature and scared heroine misinterprets Drake's comments and thinks that he is a mean, rude bastard who wants Imogene to kick her out into the streets:
Terror filled Celia’s heart as she suppressed an anguished gasp with a clutched hand pressed to her mouth. They were going to send her away! Where could she go? Would she end up in a workhouse? Oh, Mama, Papa, why did you leave me? Celia restrained herself from crying out in her fear and loneliness.
Rhonda Woodward. A Spinster's Luck (Kindle Locations 73-76). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
At this point in the story, the H is a young duke in his early 20's. Drake, the Duke of Severly, hadn't wanted his sister to turn the 16 yr old Celia out into the streets; he'd merely had understandable misgivings about his nephews being educated by such a young governess. However, the teen Celia blew this entire conversation out of proportion and her prejudice against Drake just escalated as the years progressed. I thinks it's fair to say that in this novel, Celia had cornered the market on both the pride and the prejudice ! The plot began in the present time, which is 10 yrs after Celia had eavesdropped on the H and his sister. Celia is content with her life as a governess and Imogene treats her as a sister but the heroine still yearns for romance, a husband and a family of her own. Her only suitor is an unattractive middle aged squire so she thinks she's destined to be a spinster forever. She's spent the last 10 yrs avoiding Drake, during his infrequent visits, at all costs, though. That's why the MC's are relative strangers to each other.
This is Celia, the heroine:
This is Drake, the H:
Drake was unaware of Celia's prejudice against him, so when he meets her again in the present time, he's befuddled by her stilted and coldly polite responses to his attempts at conversation. He's also very enchanted with her unadorned beauty:
His nephews were luckier than he had been, he thought with some chagrin. The duke’s own governess had been quite plump and would never have dreamed of skipping stones with him.
Rhonda Woodward. A Spinster's Luck (Kindle Locations 143-144). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
The H treated Celia with gentlemanly chivalry though, in spite of his raging sexual attraction to her. He knew that she was an impoverished gentlewoman who could not be his duchess but was still too respectable to be offered the post as his mistress. Celia's luck changed when an elderly eccentric spinster, Miss Edna Forbisher, died and left her a massive inheritance. That's when Imogene decided that Celia should be given a London season so that she'd be able to meet prospective husbands. Drake wasn't happy with the plan since he wanted Celia for himself but he went along with it because he didn't want to be a continual dog in the manger about the heroine.
The MC's kept each other at a polite distance but their chemistry was always discernible. That's what made this story enjoyable to me. As I've said numerous times before, a novel doesn't need to be filled with sex in order to interest me. A skilled author can portray intense chemistry between her MC's, in subtle ways, without resorting to sex. In fact, it's a lesson that some of the self published insta-love/insta-lust authors of today need to learn. I've read many of these sex filled novellas where the writing is so basic that it's obvious the MC's lack chemistry. There's too much telling and minimal showing. Tons of rampant sex scenes do not always portray true passion. And I'm not dissing the erotica; I have tons of that stuff on my bookshelves and some are rated with 4 stars ! I'm just saying that sometimes sex is used by mediocre writers to camouflage their inability to actually craft a decent, solid storyline or a sensible plot.
Moving on...
The MC's tentative relationship is derailed when the H's former mistress makes mischief. Lady Leticia Kendall was one of those skanky married women in the Ton whose husbands turned a blind eye to their penis polishing endeavours. This hagwitch grew so jealous of the attention that Drake was giving to Celia that she lied and insulted the heroine in an effort to get the H to return to her arms:
“Well …” Letty shifted on the stone bench and looked at Celia with a frown creasing her brow.
“Drake is quite concerned about your growing feelings toward him. I thought it might help if I explained our unfortunate circumstances to you. Drake does not wish you to be embarrassed. You take my meaning, I’m sure.”
Rhonda Woodward. A Spinster's Luck (Kindle Locations 2332-2334). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Lady K had been mad that the H had lost interest in her after Celia had come to London and she wasn't going to give him upso easily. But the heroine was very classy and since the H had not openly declared his intentions to her, she responded to the hagwitch in a politely firm manner:
Gathering the shreds of her torn feelings as best she could, Celia took a deep breath. “I have no desire to be privy to such intimacies, Lady Kendall. I bid you good day.”
Rhonda Woodward. A Spinster's Luck (Kindle Locations 2347-2348). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
At first I was a little peeved that Celia didn't tell her off or insult her but then I realized that in this specific situation the heroine had done the right thing. After all, sometimes it's better to take the dignified high road when dealing with crazy, classless and neurotic bitches:
The malicious OW didn't let things go at that though; she soon discovered the heroine's big secret: the fact that Celia had been employed as a mere governess before becoming an heiress. Lady K used this information to make Celia a laughingstock within the Ton. Unfortunately for Lady K, this scheme backfired bigtime because the H got so angry with her that he insulted her, gave her the cut direct in the middle of Almacks and told her that he'd had enough of her in his life ! But the damage had been done to Celia's poor heart and the heroine was so fed up of the hypocrisy, fakery and pretentious attitude among the glitterati in the Ton that she decided to just pack her trunks and head back to the country !
Drake chased after her, as expected, grovelled, declared his love and proposed to her. There were lots of other entertaining stuff in this story, including:
1. Celia's numerous suitors and the silly things a couple of them to get her attention.
2. Imogene's second chance love affair with the dashing army captain.
3. Celia's magnificent transformation from simple country governess to the Ton's newest diamond of the first water.
4. The charming friendship between Celia and the miserly, eccentric, funny spinster Edna Forbisher.
The best part of the epilogue occurred when the hagwitch OW Lady Kendall got her final comeuppance. She'd already gotten her first and second comeuppance from Drake, but this time it was the heroine who delivered the final blow ! Lady K and her cuckolded husband had been invited to a grand ball at the MC's country estate, Severly Park. Lady K was her usual bitchy self when she saw how much Drake adored Celia. This time, however, the heroine was already married to the H and was well in her rights to tell the bitch off:
Raising one eyebrow, Celia strove to make her expression as indifferent as possible. “If you continue to make yourself tiresome Lady Kendall, this may be the last time you enjoy yourself at Severly Park,” Celia said coolly.
Rhonda Woodward. A Spinster's Luck (Kindle Locations 3064-3066). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
The scene that ensued made me LOL because while I'm an advocate for taking the dignified high road, there are always those few instances when the following advice must be heeded when dealing with assholes:
Safety: Clean romance with no sex. No cheating, in my opinion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
December 18, 2018Cute.
May 17, 2012
I really enjoyed this one. There were of course a few things I would have liked left out or tweaked, but overall I thought the story was rather enjoyable. Celia was a likable heroine; she almost has a Cinderella story going for her. Left a poor orphan at the age of sixteen, she became the governess for a local family. Over the years Celia becomes rather close with her employer. While she likes her employer (I’m spacing on her name), she does not like her brother. Since her ten years working with the family she has been successful at avoiding him, until recently. Their paths start to cross and she soon sees a different side of him. Drake is likable enough. I actually liked him a lot more the first half of the book, the second half his girlfriend (that just sounds better than “mistress” to me) is introduced. While it bothered me that he had a girlfriend, what made it worse was the fact that she was already married. That put a damper on things for me. I would have liked if he owned up to things a little better, he got off the hook a little easily for my taste. While I didn’t like the storyline, his mistress definitely added some tension to the story.
Overall, it was a fun read. I liked the characters and Celia’s story.
Content: Clean romance.
Overall, it was a fun read. I liked the characters and Celia’s story.
Content: Clean romance.
July 19, 2019
What a delightful book. I truly enjoyed this one, mainly for the heroine. She is totally classy. Cool, calm and collected. Elegant and intelligent she takes London by storm.
It starts cute. The heroine is a 16year old orphan the daughter of the local vicar. So she gets taken in by the local lady of the manor a widowed duchess to be a governess for her sons. She overhears a conversation w the duchess and her brother, also a duke where he expresses his misgivings about such a young girl taking care of his nephews. The heroine takes this the wrong way and ever since has harbored an antipathy towards the duke (H).
It’s been 10 years, where she has always managed to avoid the duke when he visits his sister. However, this time the duke arrives unannounced and sees her playing with his nephews. He finally realizes how attractive the heroine is. I found it cute to see him try to talk to her or spend time with her, despite her efforts to avoid him. He also realizes that his sister and the heroine have more of a friend relationship than as a paid companion, now that the boys are older.
So he invites his sister to a season in London after a hiatus of 15years and he manipulates it so the heroine can come as well. It’s wonderful to see how the heroine shines because of her composure and dignity. She becomes the bell of the ball.
Some spoilers : her circumstances get aided by the help of an unexpected inheritance. However, the duke was attracted to her long before her make over.
A jealous other woman tries to spoil it for her and almost succeeds but the Hero saves the day and they get their happy ever after.
It starts cute. The heroine is a 16year old orphan the daughter of the local vicar. So she gets taken in by the local lady of the manor a widowed duchess to be a governess for her sons. She overhears a conversation w the duchess and her brother, also a duke where he expresses his misgivings about such a young girl taking care of his nephews. The heroine takes this the wrong way and ever since has harbored an antipathy towards the duke (H).
It’s been 10 years, where she has always managed to avoid the duke when he visits his sister. However, this time the duke arrives unannounced and sees her playing with his nephews. He finally realizes how attractive the heroine is. I found it cute to see him try to talk to her or spend time with her, despite her efforts to avoid him. He also realizes that his sister and the heroine have more of a friend relationship than as a paid companion, now that the boys are older.
So he invites his sister to a season in London after a hiatus of 15years and he manipulates it so the heroine can come as well. It’s wonderful to see how the heroine shines because of her composure and dignity. She becomes the bell of the ball.
Some spoilers : her circumstances get aided by the help of an unexpected inheritance. However, the duke was attracted to her long before her make over.
A jealous other woman tries to spoil it for her and almost succeeds but the Hero saves the day and they get their happy ever after.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2024
I'm really early on in the book and find the MFC boring. She is afraid of the Duke (MMC) for no reason. She is governess to the Dukes nephews. She avoids him at all cost and has never even spoken to him. So I find this just too stupid to read. I might give it a little more time, but I already dislike the MFC.
December 12, 2017
3 1/2 stars
September 3, 2018
Sweetly charming.
Little violence, no sex, mild language.
Little violence, no sex, mild language.
June 3, 2023
Though nothing great or standout about the story or the characters,still it was a pleasant read.
February 24, 2026
Low angst cozy read for slow days
April 1, 2010
Celia Langston has had a run of bad luck. After her parents died she was left an orphan and had to turn to a job in the working class, as a governess to two small boys, to make her way in the world. She is resigned to remaining single and un-marriageable all the days of her life. After a run in with the Duke of Severly at a young age she finds him cold and heartless as he looks to have her new position taken away from her, so it’s no surprise that she is set against him from the start when he turns up again years later.
The Duke of Severly shows up in the neighborhood just in time to meet his sister's governess before her turn of fortune. Her plain dresses and spinster caps don't fool him and he soon finds himself showing a bit more attention to her than is appropriate only to be continually met with a cold shoulder. Then her luck changes and she goes from being his sister's spinster governess to being something much more. And now, she needs his help.
The plot was interesting through and through and I liked the intrigue of the ton and the feeling of impending scandal as the duke turned the ex-governess into the Season's latest and greatest Beauty. The whole thing was very Cinderella-esque and endearing for it.
I did find a lot of the reasons for the misunderstandings to be a bit fanficy, and the main character overly dramatic and emotional at times. The writing seemed to use the same cant phrases over and over again as if the author didn't know any other ways to say things during the regency, and that got old after a while. And, some of the more passionate scenes were a bit overdone and I thought some of their thoughts and words were a bit too racy for the regency period.
After reading so much tastefully done romance with actual tension between the characters to read this one with what seemed like forced tension at times and that were so crudely written at others was just a huge let down and I didn't end up enjoying the book as much as I felt like I might of if it had been written a different way. So I had to give this book a low two stars.
The Duke of Severly shows up in the neighborhood just in time to meet his sister's governess before her turn of fortune. Her plain dresses and spinster caps don't fool him and he soon finds himself showing a bit more attention to her than is appropriate only to be continually met with a cold shoulder. Then her luck changes and she goes from being his sister's spinster governess to being something much more. And now, she needs his help.
The plot was interesting through and through and I liked the intrigue of the ton and the feeling of impending scandal as the duke turned the ex-governess into the Season's latest and greatest Beauty. The whole thing was very Cinderella-esque and endearing for it.
I did find a lot of the reasons for the misunderstandings to be a bit fanficy, and the main character overly dramatic and emotional at times. The writing seemed to use the same cant phrases over and over again as if the author didn't know any other ways to say things during the regency, and that got old after a while. And, some of the more passionate scenes were a bit overdone and I thought some of their thoughts and words were a bit too racy for the regency period.
After reading so much tastefully done romance with actual tension between the characters to read this one with what seemed like forced tension at times and that were so crudely written at others was just a huge let down and I didn't end up enjoying the book as much as I felt like I might of if it had been written a different way. So I had to give this book a low two stars.
February 8, 2014
Orphaned at the age of sixteen, Celia went to live with the young widowed Duchess of Harbrooke in the role of companion and governess to the Duchess's two young boys. Despite protests from the Duchess's brother, the Duke of Severly, Celia proves to be an excellent governess and a true friend for Imogene. The Duke spies Celia playing with his nephews one day and instantly struck by her beauty. He makes every effort to be kind to her, despite Celia's apprehension. Celia's life takes an unexpected turn when the Duchess's old beau returns and encourages her to go to London for the Season. When an old friend dies, Celia's life changes again and she gets swept away in the current of the haut ton. The Duke enjoys Celia's transformation from caterpillar to butterfly, yet believes he has no intentions of getting married any time soon. Someone from the Duke's past tries to prevent Celia from getting close to Severly and Celia must decide whether she will spend her life in spinsterhood and loneliness or swallow her pride and surrender to love. This is not the best book in the series. It's a little slow in the beginning and I just didn't feel anything for the main characters. The plot development is a little weak because the basis for the antagonism between Celia and Severly is quite pointless after the first few chapters. I enjoyed Imo and her romance much more and would have preferred her to be the main character. I also really liked the Duke of Westlake but found Severly and Celia boring. This is a sweet Regency and if you liked the others by this author, then you will like this one. Moonlight and Mischief remains my personal favorite of Woodward's novels.
January 6, 2009
Sweet traditional Regency romance. The author suffers from first-time writing jitters--use of way too many adjectives and an inability to distinguish between showing and telling--but they can be forgiven in light of the well-paced plot and strong characters.
May 2, 2013
I'm glad I only paid fifty cents for this book. It wasn't very good. The plot was predictable and slow. I forced myself to finish it.
October 10, 2018
It was an okay little Regency.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews