The Scandalous Widow (Signet Regency Romance)

Rating:
Summary: A quiet, thoughtful Regency
Review: I found this a well-written traditional Regency successfully giving us that elusive "Regency voice" we like. It is set in Bath but the social scene in Bath and London remain on the periphery of the story. At the same time, the author gives us commentary on the times; the sharpness of gossip and the desire to attain the respect of the top arbiters of society no matter what.

Richardson's heroines are often (usually?) independent women who think for themselves. Lady Catherine Granville is no exception, but she finds her independent venture into educating young ladies opens her to criticism from her late husband's family that she finds increasingly difficult to bear.

Our hero is Lucian, recently inheriting the title Marquess of Charlmont. When he meets Catherine they realise they knew each other well ten years before, during her first Season. In fact, they had been attracted to each other at that time before circumstances separated them. Catherine was left thinking he had deserted her and was naturally ill-disposed towards him when they met again.

He admires Catherine's independent attitude and wants to help her. In order to win her respect he knows he must allow her spirit and intelligence to flourish; but he makes some snap judgements that tend to reinforce her feelings about men pre-judging women's abilities to manage. The story unfolds as the two learn to appreciate each other's qualities again, and to understand the events that caused their separation. The romance is subtle and sensuous.

Catherine and Lucian are fresh characters for a Regency. Neither of them wants their lives to be dictated by the strict rules of society. Lucian was ashamed of his behaviour ten years earlier, and had feared her reactions, which is why he hadn't made any attempt to find her again. Ironic, when he normally took little notice of society's opinion.
I recommend this author's works to anyone seeking a good Regency a little out of the common way.

Rating:
Summary: Fair Read
Review: This is a mildly diverting book, and the characters are interesting enough. But the some of the plot contrivances -- especially the hero's actions when he was younger, when he left the country for two years without a word to the woman he'd fallen in love with -- simply don't ring true, and these detract from the rest of the book. That said, the characters are diverting, if unexpected by Regency standards.