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Intermezzo
SHE WAS ALONE
She had only her music, talent, and ambition to become a great concert pianist. A woman of gentle birth, Adela now lives as a companion and piano instructor in the household of her cousin, Lord Waterston. A cold, powerful patron of the arts, lie can either launch or destroy Adela's career. For he had touched her heart and it would take but a moment to light a passion she never knew existed.
She had only her music, talent, and ambition to become a great concert pianist. A woman of gentle birth, Adela now lives as a companion and piano instructor in the household of her cousin, Lord Waterston. A cold, powerful patron of the arts, lie can either launch or destroy Adela's career. For he had touched her heart and it would take but a moment to light a passion she never knew existed.
- GenresHistorical Romance
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 12, 1981
6 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 15, 2023
Adela is the daughter of a wastrel who now, at the age of 26, lives alone teaching piano in order to survive. A family member hears of her plight and decides to help Adela by finding her employment teaching the niece of Lord Waterston. Adela and Waterston are both prideful individuals with deep rooted issues, and they clash at every turn. The story is how they both come to influence each other to change, but the whole thing is much more complex than that.
I have to start by saying that the book was amazingly well-written and with much more depth than most Regency out there (although I did find historical issues including their living situation and the fact that Adela wants to be a professional musician). The characters are fully developed and the relationships grow in a believable way. The author shows us how the protagonists grow to love one another without resorting to the idealistic love we so often read about. They both have their demons to conquer, and it takes time for them to be comfortable with each other. The reason why this is not a five star for me is that, even though I appreciate the realism, I simply couldn't warm up to the male protagonist and thought that the heroine deserved a better man.
Yes, he does grow throughout the book, but I never felt that he became a good person. He's a product of his time and class and so, even though he's able to open his heart again after being neglected by his parents, he was still arrogant and had a bit of a mean streak underneath the surface. He was not abusive by any means, but it always seemed that it was more due to noblesse oblige towards his dependents and not wanting to stoop too low in regards to his equals, rather than any sense of right and wrong. I found the way that he carelessly discarded both his mistress and his fiancée indicative of the kind of person he is. He might not have loved either of them, but they obviously meant something to him at some point, and he had been happy with the arrangement he had made with them. I know as readers we're supposed to be happy that he ended the relationships because of the heroine, but it can be done in a more compassionate way.
The heroine on the other hand was damaged but lovely. I always respect a female who takes action and does what she needs to do to survive rather than waiting on someone to rescue her or plotting to marry a rich man. The author did a great job in contrasting how both protagonists dealt with the neglect from their parent(s). They both shut themselves off but Adela, perhaps due to her financial situation, maintained a level of compassion towards others - she just didn't treat herself with the same respect - while Waterston became void of genuine feelings towards others. Of course, Adela had the advantage of actually having loved and been loved by her mother and brother.
I highly recommend the book and look forward to reading the author's other two books, but this is definitely not the type of story for a light read to forget one's problems. It does not contain sex or violence but, as mentioned, it's much deeper than your typical Regency. On another note, I find that the authors who wrote these more intellectual Regency romances usually didn't release as many books, and I wonder if it's because most readers of Regency want a simple story with a typical happy ending (which we all need on occasion).
I have to start by saying that the book was amazingly well-written and with much more depth than most Regency out there (although I did find historical issues including their living situation and the fact that Adela wants to be a professional musician). The characters are fully developed and the relationships grow in a believable way. The author shows us how the protagonists grow to love one another without resorting to the idealistic love we so often read about. They both have their demons to conquer, and it takes time for them to be comfortable with each other. The reason why this is not a five star for me is that, even though I appreciate the realism, I simply couldn't warm up to the male protagonist and thought that the heroine deserved a better man.
Yes, he does grow throughout the book, but I never felt that he became a good person. He's a product of his time and class and so, even though he's able to open his heart again after being neglected by his parents, he was still arrogant and had a bit of a mean streak underneath the surface. He was not abusive by any means, but it always seemed that it was more due to noblesse oblige towards his dependents and not wanting to stoop too low in regards to his equals, rather than any sense of right and wrong. I found the way that he carelessly discarded both his mistress and his fiancée indicative of the kind of person he is. He might not have loved either of them, but they obviously meant something to him at some point, and he had been happy with the arrangement he had made with them. I know as readers we're supposed to be happy that he ended the relationships because of the heroine, but it can be done in a more compassionate way.
The heroine on the other hand was damaged but lovely. I always respect a female who takes action and does what she needs to do to survive rather than waiting on someone to rescue her or plotting to marry a rich man. The author did a great job in contrasting how both protagonists dealt with the neglect from their parent(s). They both shut themselves off but Adela, perhaps due to her financial situation, maintained a level of compassion towards others - she just didn't treat herself with the same respect - while Waterston became void of genuine feelings towards others. Of course, Adela had the advantage of actually having loved and been loved by her mother and brother.
I highly recommend the book and look forward to reading the author's other two books, but this is definitely not the type of story for a light read to forget one's problems. It does not contain sex or violence but, as mentioned, it's much deeper than your typical Regency. On another note, I find that the authors who wrote these more intellectual Regency romances usually didn't release as many books, and I wonder if it's because most readers of Regency want a simple story with a typical happy ending (which we all need on occasion).
June 13, 2023
10/10 Wow! This author writes brilliantly. I'm surprised she is not famous. The way she writes is sparkling and dimensional with outstanding use of metaphors. The characters are superbly drawn, especially the heroine. Her long-lasting grief has a profound impact on her and she escapes from the tragedies of life to the piano. Cox's portrayal of her is deeply moving. Her slow emergence from the barriers she has erected around her is excellently done. All her reactions and thought processes are logical.
As a romance, this is a slow burn- my favourite! The hero starts off as a shallow man addicted to pleasure with a deep admiration for physical beauty. Yet we have a plain heroine. The hero is engaged and has a mistress with both these women being beautiful. So him falling for the heroine is basically cheating. This is NOT my preferred setup but Cox gets away with it because there is no emotional attachment between the engaged parties and because the hero grows. The HEA is convincing and beautiful. There is a lovely OM who, as the hero himself admits, is more worthy of the heroine. I don't like stories where there is a nice OM who is in love with the heroine but the brilliance of the overall story compensates.
This book is not squeaky clean because of references to mistresses, though no details are given. It's similar to Heyer's "Convenient Marriage" in that regard. Otherwise, the rest is clean with only a couple of kisses.
As a romance, this is a slow burn- my favourite! The hero starts off as a shallow man addicted to pleasure with a deep admiration for physical beauty. Yet we have a plain heroine. The hero is engaged and has a mistress with both these women being beautiful. So him falling for the heroine is basically cheating. This is NOT my preferred setup but Cox gets away with it because there is no emotional attachment between the engaged parties and because the hero grows. The HEA is convincing and beautiful. There is a lovely OM who, as the hero himself admits, is more worthy of the heroine. I don't like stories where there is a nice OM who is in love with the heroine but the brilliance of the overall story compensates.
This book is not squeaky clean because of references to mistresses, though no details are given. It's similar to Heyer's "Convenient Marriage" in that regard. Otherwise, the rest is clean with only a couple of kisses.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews