Miss Milton Speaks Her Mind (Signet Regency Romance)

Rating:
Summary: This is a great read and most enjoyable.
Review: I truly enjoyed this book, as I have all of Carla Kelly's books. She is the author who first introduced me to the genre, and I've been hooked ever since. I loved the hero and heroine in this book! The approach she takes to her characters is unique, in my opinion. Ms. Kelly showed great sensitivity in dealing with the heroine's depression, and I like the fact that she didn't take shortcuts with the healing process. I especially enjoyed the complexity of the plot lines and characterizations. I am alredy looking forward to the next one she writes! I have found that I would always like to meet her characters.

Rating:
Summary: Wish the romance had been more convincing
Review: Jane Milton has been taking care of her young cousin Andrew Stover almost since he was born. The death of Andrew's mother, followed a few years later by that of his father Blair (Jane's cousin, for whom, we understand in the beginning of the book, she had developed feelings), put our heroine in charge of the boy. Jane is the only person at Stover Hall to care for Andrew and refuse to question his parentage, unlike the rest of the family.

The atmosphere of Stover Hall is rather heavy, between Lady Carruthers, who makes Jane's life a living hell and scolds her and Andrew every chance she gets, and the old Lord Denby, who has lost the will to live since his son Blair's post-war agony.

Carla Kelly is still one of the best to make the reader feel the same melancholy as her characters. It's perfectly clear from the beginning of the book that Jane's mind is haunted by the death of her cousin, and that she keeps dark secrets buried deep in her soul, even though horrifying nightmares accompany her every night.

But she finds a friend in her neighbour, Scipio Africanus Butterworth, who convinces her to spend Christmas with him and his family, far from Stover Hall and its gloomy feel. And for a few weeks, she puts the depressing atmosphere of home behind her to enjoy the happiness of a real family. This part of the book is the most interesting one, because it sets Jane in surroundings where she can befriend with Mr Butterworth and start to trust him with her deepest secrets. The scene in the church on Christmas night is particularly poignant, and definitely worth reading the book.

Unfortunately, after reading Mrs Drew Plays Her Hand and Reforming Lord Ragsdale, I put Carla Kelly's work very high, which might explain why I can't bring myself to give more than three stars to this book.

While I could believe that Mr Butterworth and Miss Milton had become friends who could comfort each other, I couldn't entirely buy any deeper feelings between them. They cared for each other, that much was obvious, but I'm not entirely sure that there was more than friendship between them, despite what Carla Kelly wants to achieve. Certainly there was no passion, and the outcome seemed too abrupt for me. I was disappointed not to get a conversation meaningful enough to convince me of their deep feelings for each other. Something was missing, and so the book left me thinking that it lacked the spark that characterised the two other Carla Kelly's that I've read.

On the nitpicking side, I also agree with bookjunkiereviews that the continual reference to Mr Butterworth as 'the mill owner' becomes annoying after a while; it jarred me out of the book more than once. It's harder to see him as a complete friend to Jane when she keeps referring to him as what he is and not who he is. I would have been more comfortable with a repetition on 'Mr Butterworth', which was indeed the way she thought about him.

The other downside is that Mr Butterworth's own secret seemed rather predictable to me, and the avalanche of revelations at the end of the book lessened the impact of each of them. I expected more from this story, and so I was a bit disappointed in the outcome. There was a sense of missed opportunities about it, particularly after the Christmas part.

To me, there was a discrepancy between what Carla Kelly seemed to want to achieve, and the way I received it as a reader. I got the feeling that the relationship was constantly on the verge of turning to passion, but I never saw it take the necessary step. In my opinion, it is not romance that links the main characters, but a deep friendship and maybe gentle love. It would have worked wonderfully if it were what the author set out to do, but it's not the impression I got, and so the end appeared out of line with the rest.

Rating:
Summary: Miss Milton is another look at Regency England
Review: Miss Milton Speaks Her Mind is certainly a more serious book, but then, I've never been inclined to write Regency fluff. Life in England during the Regency of George IV was difficult, and there was a war on for much of the period. A number of my books have focused on the Napoleonic Wars, because it's a favorite subject of mine. Lately, however, I've been looking at the Industrial Revolution. I alluded to it in "The Lady's Companion," and added more with this book. The mill owners in my story were well-educated men of business, not oafs, and they started something, for good or ill, that affects us even now. As for Scipio Africancus' name, it seemed just right for the son of someone with pretensions. Those of you who know your Roman history will enjoy the name (pronounced sipio).

Rating:
Summary: Heartwrenching, tearjerking romance!
Review: This book is a classic example of why I love Carla Kelly's work so much. With a very small number of exceptions, her books are touching, heartfelt romances which have me hooked from start to finish.

Although her books are set in the Regency period, don't look for balls and fancy dresses and simpering debutantes from Kelly. She writes about real people, and usually those whose lives have been touched by hardship in some way. In this book, Jane Milton is the archetypal poor relation, taken in by her relatives many years ago and whose only joy is in taking care of her nephew, the Marquess's heir and the son of the man we suspect that Jane may have loved. However, there is stigma attached to the boy, since he may not actually be his father's son.

Jane has a friend: Scipio, a mill-owner who owns the land bordering her grandfather's home. Because he's in trade, he's not acceptable; yet he's the only person who understands Jane's situation, and who is kind to Andrew. He offers to tutor Andrew when bullying at school makes the boy miserable, and this leads to a deepening of friendship between Jane and Scipio.

But Jane has some dark, painful secrets, which keep her awake at night. Scipio also seems to have a secret buried in his past, and although the two become closer over time, the weight of their respective shameful secrets seems to keep them apart...

This book made me cry in several places, notably Christmas Eve in the church, and the part about Jane's mother's headstone; those sections were so poignant, and so powerfully written, that I'd defy anyone to read them with a dry eye. They're typical of Kelly's skill.

There are also some lovely characters in the book: Kelly's wonderful at creating secondary characters. There's Andrew, for a start; then the butler - who, if it hadn't been for Scipio, I'd have been yelling at Jane to elope with! And there's Scipio's sister and brother-in-law; all very well drawn and sympathetic.

I agree with the reader from Bethesda that there were some sloppy editing errors and also an obvious error in relation to English inheritance law. That's a shame, and the latter point also somewhat spoils Kelly's outcome. Nevertheless, the power of the book itself, the way it's written, and the way in which I felt drawn in to the lives of Jane and Scipio and their families, meant that the errors didn't jolt me out of the story in the way a lesser writer's work might have done.

Thoroughly recommended, if you can get your hands on a copy!

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating story with some minor problems...
Review: This book was supposed to be Carla Kelly's last Regency (for all kinds of reasons) but fortunately, she has changed her mind. This book - and a short story "The Three Kings" - remind me why I appreciate her work, although I admit to having read little of her backlist as yet.

Carla Kelly specializes in unusual stories, with the settings well-researched. This book is certainly unusual, in that the heroine is a poor relation who is taken for granted by her rich relations but the hero is not a young aristocrat but rather a mill-owner (i.e. an early industrialist). We also read a lot about the heroine's state of mind which others call a depression (and I have to agree).

What I admire about this book is plenty. First, the unusual choice of hero - a commoner and a middle-class person who is well over the typical age, being about 45. (The heroine is about 30). Second, the elements of mystery about both the heroine and hero's backgrounds, although the heroine's background is mostly revealed midway through the book. Carla Kelly keeps dropping these tantalizing hints that we follow eagerly. First we learn that Jane has been called home to help with the new baby Andrew, leaving us with the impression that this is the first time that she has seen her rich relations. We learn the truth, that she has been at Denby for about 20 years, but has been far from appreciated by her relations. We also learn about several terrible tragedies in her past. Through these flashbacks (as recalled by the heroine, and in conversation with the hero and with a rather unusual butler), we begin to understand why the heroine Jane can describe herself as someone who keeps secrets. There is certainly at least one potentially explosive family secret, namely the paternity of the young heir Andrew who has to be one of the most likeable children I have seen in any Regency romance. But, as we learn, there is yet another secret lurking in the wings...

The descriptions of the marvellous winter holiday that Jane (our heroine) and her charge Andrew enjoy with the hero and his family are alone worth reading this novel for. Where else but in a Carla Kelly would you find a house guest who takes over the planning of a magnificent dinner and gets introduced to two luminaries of the age? And young Andrew's preoccupation with the mills and the machinery is just so realistic... as is his delight in finding a friend of his age.

Some caveats. First, as one other reader has pointed out, the hero is referred to constantly as "the mill-owner". This does get irritating, unless we are meant to understand that this is the way that Jane thinks of him. Secondly, we get relatively little about the hero's own background, beginning with the reason for his rather startling name Scipio (the name of a famous Roman commander). It is appropriate given his interest in Latin and Roman civilization, but there is no hint of why his parents (his father being a pig-farmer in Yorkshire at some point) would come up with this somewhat unusual name either among the peasantry or among the mill-owning class of new industrialists they later join. There is also absolutely no reference to what Scipio was doing for the first 30 years of his life, other than spending time at school (the first 18 years). Does Carla Kelly hint at a misspent youth? I have no idea.

Thirdly, there are some editing errors. For example, the villain of the piece - Lady Carruthers, a relative of the heroine Jane - is at least once referred to as Lady Denby. There has been no Lady Denby.

Somewhat more seriously, Carla Kelly obviously has not researched peerage and inheritance laws as carefully as she has researched the new Utilitarian and Utopian philosophies. It is theoretically possible (but very unlikely) that a marquess's heir would be his sister's son, unless the title was created for that marquess with such a stipulation. Therefore, Cecil Carruthers may be able to inherit the estate but not the title. This point is never made clear. Secondly, for English and British titles, a marquess is a marquess (only Scottish marquesses are "marquises").

As for inheritance of titles, an illegitimate son of a peer cannot inherit, even if acknowledged by his father. A new creation of title would have to be made for the son (as done for the son of Lord Egremont in the mid-19th century). Finally, a child born to married parents is assumed to be the son of his mother's husband in this period (and even today). If the son is not biologically that of his father, he is still usually legitimate. This was especially true in the Regency period. If Andrew were not the biological son of his mother's husband, only the next heirs or the House of Lords itself could challenge his succession. And except in very rare cases (as when a peer's wife ran off with her lover, and had children who were acknowledged by this lover), such efforts were usually quite unsuccessful. Thus, even if Andrew was not his legal father's son, he was both legitimate (by birth) and entitled to succeed with virtually no qualms. These kinds of errors cast a small shadow on an otherwise brilliant story, and I mention them only because they are crucial to the secondary plot (that of Jane and her family) and somewhat important to the main story (the developing relationship between Jane and Scipio).

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating story with some minor problems...
Review: This book was supposed to be Carla Kelly's last Regency (for all kinds of reasons) but fortunately, she has changed her mind. This book - and a short story "The Three Kings" - remind me why I appreciate her work, although I admit to having read little of her backlist as yet.

Carla Kelly specializes in unusual stories, with the settings well-researched. This book is certainly unusual, in that the heroine is a poor relation who is taken for granted by her rich relations but the hero is not a young aristocrat but rather a mill-owner (i.e. an early industrialist). We also read a lot about the heroine's state of mind which others call a depression (and I have to agree).

What I admire about this book is plenty. First, the unusual choice of hero - a commoner and a middle-class person who is well over the typical age, being about 45. (The heroine is about 30). Second, the elements of mystery about both the heroine and hero's backgrounds, although the heroine's background is mostly revealed midway through the book. Carla Kelly keeps dropping these tantalizing hints that we follow eagerly. First we learn that Jane has been called home to help with the new baby Andrew, leaving us with the impression that this is the first time that she has seen her rich relations. We learn the truth, that she has been at Denby for about 20 years, but has been far from appreciated by her relations. We also learn about several terrible tragedies in her past. Through these flashbacks (as recalled by the heroine, and in conversation with the hero and with a rather unusual butler), we begin to understand why the heroine Jane can describe herself as someone who keeps secrets. There is certainly at least one potentially explosive family secret, namely the paternity of the young heir Andrew who has to be one of the most likeable children I have seen in any Regency romance. But, as we learn, there is yet another secret lurking in the wings...

The descriptions of the marvellous winter holiday that Jane (our heroine) and her charge Andrew enjoy with the hero and his family are alone worth reading this novel for. Where else but in a Carla Kelly would you find a house guest who takes over the planning of a magnificent dinner and gets introduced to two luminaries of the age? And young Andrew's preoccupation with the mills and the machinery is just so realistic... as is his delight in finding a friend of his age.

Some caveats. First, as one other reader has pointed out, the hero is referred to constantly as "the mill-owner". This does get irritating, unless we are meant to understand that this is the way that Jane thinks of him. Secondly, we get relatively little about the hero's own background, beginning with the reason for his rather startling name Scipio (the name of a famous Roman commander). It is appropriate given his interest in Latin and Roman civilization, but there is no hint of why his parents (his father being a pig-farmer in Yorkshire at some point) would come up with this somewhat unusual name either among the peasantry or among the mill-owning class of new industrialists they later join. There is also absolutely no reference to what Scipio was doing for the first 30 years of his life, other than spending time at school (the first 18 years). Does Carla Kelly hint at a misspent youth? I have no idea.

Thirdly, there are some editing errors. For example, the villain of the piece - Lady Carruthers, a relative of the heroine Jane - is at least once referred to as Lady Denby. There has been no Lady Denby.

Somewhat more seriously, Carla Kelly obviously has not researched peerage and inheritance laws as carefully as she has researched the new Utilitarian and Utopian philosophies. It is theoretically possible (but very unlikely) that a marquess's heir would be his sister's son, unless the title was created for that marquess with such a stipulation. Therefore, Cecil Carruthers may be able to inherit the estate but not the title. This point is never made clear. Secondly, for English and British titles, a marquess is a marquess (only Scottish marquesses are "marquises").

As for inheritance of titles, an illegitimate son of a peer cannot inherit, even if acknowledged by his father. A new creation of title would have to be made for the son (as done for the son of Lord Egremont in the mid-19th century). Finally, a child born to married parents is assumed to be the son of his mother's husband in this period (and even today). If the son is not biologically that of his father, he is still usually legitimate. This was especially true in the Regency period. If Andrew were not the biological son of his mother's husband, only the next heirs or the House of Lords itself could challenge his succession. And except in very rare cases (as when a peer's wife ran off with her lover, and had children who were acknowledged by this lover), such efforts were usually quite unsuccessful. Thus, even if Andrew was not his legal father's son, he was both legitimate (by birth) and entitled to succeed with virtually no qualms. These kinds of errors cast a small shadow on an otherwise brilliant story, and I mention them only because they are crucial to the secondary plot (that of Jane and her family) and somewhat important to the main story (the developing relationship between Jane and Scipio).

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating story with some minor problems...
Review: This book was supposed to be Carla Kelly's last Regency (for all kinds of reasons) but fortunately, she has changed her mind. This book - and a short story "The Three Kings" - remind me why I appreciate her work, although I admit to having read little of her backlist as yet.

Carla Kelly specializes in unusual stories, with the settings well-researched. This book is certainly unusual, in that the heroine is a poor relation who is taken for granted by her rich relations but the hero is not a young aristocrat but rather a mill-owner (i.e. an early industrialist). We also read a lot about the heroine's state of mind which others call a depression (and I have to agree).

What I admire about this book is plenty. First, the unusual choice of hero - a commoner and a middle-class person who is well over the typical age, being about 45. (The heroine is about 30). Second, the elements of mystery about both the heroine and hero's backgrounds, although the heroine's background is mostly revealed midway through the book. Carla Kelly keeps dropping these tantalizing hints that we follow eagerly. First we learn that Jane has been called home to help with the new baby Andrew, leaving us with the impression that this is the first time that she has seen her rich relations. We learn the truth, that she has been at Denby for about 20 years, but has been far from appreciated by her relations. We also learn about several terrible tragedies in her past. Through these flashbacks (as recalled by the heroine, and in conversation with the hero and with a rather unusual butler), we begin to understand why the heroine Jane can describe herself as someone who keeps secrets. There is certainly at least one potentially explosive family secret, namely the paternity of the young heir Andrew who has to be one of the most likeable children I have seen in any Regency romance. But, as we learn, there is yet another secret lurking in the wings...

The descriptions of the marvellous winter holiday that Jane (our heroine) and her charge Andrew enjoy with the hero and his family are alone worth reading this novel for. Where else but in a Carla Kelly would you find a house guest who takes over the planning of a magnificent dinner and gets introduced to two luminaries of the age? And young Andrew's preoccupation with the mills and the machinery is just so realistic... as is his delight in finding a friend of his age.

Some caveats. First, as one other reader has pointed out, the hero is referred to constantly as "the mill-owner". This does get irritating, unless we are meant to understand that this is the way that Jane thinks of him. Secondly, we get relatively little about the hero's own background, beginning with the reason for his rather startling name Scipio (the name of a famous Roman commander). It is appropriate given his interest in Latin and Roman civilization, but there is no hint of why his parents (his father being a pig-farmer in Yorkshire at some point) would come up with this somewhat unusual name either among the peasantry or among the mill-owning class of new industrialists they later join. There is also absolutely no reference to what Scipio was doing for the first 30 years of his life, other than spending time at school (the first 18 years). Does Carla Kelly hint at a misspent youth? I have no idea.

Thirdly, there are some editing errors. For example, the villain of the piece - Lady Carruthers, a relative of the heroine Jane - is at least once referred to as Lady Denby. There has been no Lady Denby.

Somewhat more seriously, Carla Kelly obviously has not researched peerage and inheritance laws as carefully as she has researched the new Utilitarian and Utopian philosophies. It is theoretically possible (but very unlikely) that a marquess's heir would be his sister's son, unless the title was created for that marquess with such a stipulation. Therefore, Cecil Carruthers may be able to inherit the estate but not the title. This point is never made clear. Secondly, for English and British titles, a marquess is a marquess (only Scottish marquesses are "marquises").

As for inheritance of titles, an illegitimate son of a peer cannot inherit, even if acknowledged by his father. A new creation of title would have to be made for the son (as done for the son of Lord Egremont in the mid-19th century). Finally, a child born to married parents is assumed to be the son of his mother's husband in this period (and even today). If the son is not biologically that of his father, he is still usually legitimate. This was especially true in the Regency period. If Andrew were not the biological son of his mother's husband, only the next heirs or the House of Lords itself could challenge his succession. And except in very rare cases (as when a peer's wife ran off with her lover, and had children who were acknowledged by this lover), such efforts were usually quite unsuccessful. Thus, even if Andrew was not his legal father's son, he was both legitimate (by birth) and entitled to succeed with virtually no qualms. These kinds of errors cast a small shadow on an otherwise brilliant story, and I mention them only because they are crucial to the secondary plot (that of Jane and her family) and somewhat important to the main story (the developing relationship between Jane and Scipio).

Rating:
Summary: A lovely, sad yet uplifting story
Review: This is an incredibly complex story dealing with a number of issues not usually found in Regency romances. This is definitely not a "fluff" Regency and not something to read if you're looking to perk up your day.

It is, however, a wonderful story of two very unique individuals who finally discover each other after years of being friends and sharing in the growth of a little boy. The hero is very different from your typical "macho yet tender" guy. He's a mill owner who is of the "common touch" yet is far more progressive and compassionate than those who are considered "better than" he is. He is also a bit older than the heroine and has a somewhat shady past as is discovered in the book. The heroine is an on the shelf spinster who is dependent on the goodwill of her rather shabby relatives. These relatives take shameless advantage of her good nature and leave her in some rather dire straights that lead to the crux of the heroine's crisis. Dealing with this crisis is one of the cornerstones of the plot in this book.

I highly recommend this if you like something a bit more on the serious side and that is complex and deep.

Rating:
Summary: The mill owner has a name - use it.
Review: This was the first Carla Kelly I read and it was almost my last, which would have been a great pity as almost every other book of hers I have read gets 5 stars. Why 3 for this one? If the hero was referred to as "the mill owner" once or twice that would have been OK, but almost constantly? I wanted to scream. He has a name! use it! It got to be so distracting I almost didn't finish the book and that would have been a pity as the characters are terrific and the plot much better than average.

If you reacted the way I did about this book, don't be put off (as I almost was) - try to find other books by Carla Kelly and ENJOY! I highly recommend them.