Lady Arden's Redemption

Richmond #1

by Marjorie Farrell

Beautiful, high-born Lady Arden has a wickedly barbed tongue that keeps most lords away from her available hand. But Captain Gareth Richmond dodges her verbal bullets and is able to touch what no other man could--her heart. Original Regency Romance.

Genres: Historical Romance

224 pages, Paperback

First published March 3, 1992

Reviews

[Kolombina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well-written book with interesting characters, and I would give it higher rating if not being so faithful to the Taming of the Shrew spirit. I've always hated how Petruccio used all his advantage against Kate - he had all the triumphs, and she had none, and her submission in the end never felt romantic to me... It just drove home the point of woman's complete dependence on her husband and his (potentional) goodwill in the merry old times and as such never sat well with me, leaving bitter aftertaste.

And here? Don't even get me started about our famous captain Richmond! He forces Arden into marriage, together with her father. He lies to her about his position in the society. Ok, let's say I can get it when I try, which I still do at this point, expecting some proper wooing to be done on Yorkshire Dales. Trouble is, there never is any :D He's cold, aloof, without any regards to her feelings, giving absolutely no quarter in fear his so-called love will be seen and mocked, and though Arden acts in similar way, it's understandable in her case given her characterisation and background. He, on the other side, is supposed to be the "normal" one, warm, socially aware, realizing and respecting other people's foibles and fears... But in fact I find him as bad as her, and I absolutely don't see where her love for him comes from - maybe from desperation when she faces her bleak future of joyless marriage to this man?

Still, I like Arden and I like the writing... I could still feel good about this book, where the ending different. If he comes for her instead the other way round... If he at least welcomed her with any joy, gave any signs he missed her! But no, not our Mr. Inscrutable:( It's her doing all the work, baring her feelings to him without any encouragement till the literally last page, and I feel so very sorry for the girl, stuck for life with this idiot..

HEA? I really don't think so.

[LemontreeLime · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked how this one played out. Arden is a very difficult kind of character to portray sympathetically, but I thought Farrell got it right. I liked her in spite of her worst behaviors, in other words, and I hoped for her sake that she would learn how to play well with others eventually.

[Mary23nm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this read. I liked the slow development of love on her part but didn't like that both Arden and Gareth acted like idiots sometimes. It could have been five stars, but for the fact their realization of love happened on the last page and no epilogue!

[HistoricalHussy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very little going on in the romance department.

[Susannah Carleton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A marriage of convenience story with an unusual twist and interesting characters.

[Linda Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant Trad Regency retelling of "Taming of the Shrew."