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Summary: Could she really love a country vicar after life in London?
Review: Lady Sophia Rowley is back from her home in London for the funeral of her third elderly husband. Hers was a marriage of convenience and arrangements. It was agreed that if she gave her husband his much wanted heirs she would be set up with nothing to worry about in London. With the unexpected death of Rowley, Sophia has returned from her frivolous existence among the Ton to resume her position of mother to her 2 sons. It is at the reading of the will when she learns that her husband has named the local vicar, Charles Heywood, guardian of the boys. And it is during his first visit when Sophia learns that Charles is NOT the usual dull, pios, and elderly gentleman- but handsome, young, and very caring man who serves as vicar. He is unlike any other man she has met- someone that is not after her sexually but seems to enjoy her as a person, for who she really is. It is from this visit that instead of the wicked and scandalous woman he has heard gossip about, Charles sees for himself Sophia's beauty, intelligence, and sincere feelings for her children. Charles finds himself falling in love with Sophia at first sight. But how would she be interested in someone with as dull a life and as little to offer as Charles has compared to what she is use to. The story is a sweet one but it was dull in parts and didn't keep my attention. I found myself thumbing through pages. It wasn't a keeper for me. I recommend you read it for yourself.
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Summary: Great fun!
Review: Lady Sophia Rowley is not your typical Regency herione; she is older, widowed, and hardly virginal. She returns to the country after her husband's death to see to his estate and her step-sons. Against all her expectations, the country is not dull and boring. Her first encounters with the local parson are hardly promising, but he finds her fascinating. It is also time for her to get to know her step-sons, and provide them with the happy family life she did not have. A good introduction to the Regency period for those who don't normally read Regency romances... unlike some of the genre, this is hardly insipid, but rather a lively romp. I look forward to seeing more heriones along the lines of Lady Sophia Rowley.
Rating:
Summary: Great fun!
Review: Lady Sophia Rowley is not your typical Regency herione; she is older, widowed, and hardly virginal. She returns to the country after her husband's death to see to his estate and her step-sons. Against all her expectations, the country is not dull and boring. Her first encounters with the local parson are hardly promising, but he finds her fascinating. It is also time for her to get to know her step-sons, and provide them with the happy family life she did not have. A good introduction to the Regency period for those who don't normally read Regency romances... unlike some of the genre, this is hardly insipid, but rather a lively romp. I look forward to seeing more heriones along the lines of Lady Sophia Rowley.
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Summary: a fantastic read
Review: Lady Sophia Rowley, Sir Isaac Reblow's jaded and sophisticated mistress from "The Reluctant Guardian" is the heroine in this tale of redemption and love, "Seducing Mr. Heywood." Though you might be forgiven in thinking that this romance novel about a young woman who has been more sinned against than sinning, and who finds her way back from the brink of self destruction, should actually have been entitled "The Reforming of Lady Sophia." Thrice married, and now thrice widowed Lady Sophia Rowley has returned to Rowley Hall, in a high temper. Her ex-lover, Sir Isaac Reblow, whom she had hoped to marry upon her aged husband's death has married another, and she (Lady Sophia) is now the laughingstock of London. Unable to face the gossipmongers there, Lady Sophia has returned to Yorkshire for the duration of her period of mourning, but she is not happy at all. She finds the country side boring, her neighbours boorish, and she is not looking forward to reacquainting herself with the two young sons, John and William, she abandoned in favour of a good time in London. Furthermore, she has to contend with the village vicar, Mr. Charles Heywood, whom her husband had named as guardian of John and William. No, all in all Lady Sophia is not in a good humour at all. And when she finally meets Heywood, she finds to her surprise that he is rather young and extremely good looking. Feeling rather bored, Lady Sophia sets out to seduce him into having a discreet affair with her. But to her surprise, anger and mortification, she finds that while Heywood is very susceptible to her charms, he refuses to fall in with her desires. And yet, something about the morally upright and deeply smitten young man (as well as the easy affection and acceptance of both her sons) inspires in Lady Sophia the wish to change from being the hard and brittle London socialite into something else -- to become the young lady she should have been before her father had started selling her off in marriage to rich dissolute older men. But can the once notorious Lady Sophia, whose affairs were a byword of polite Society, change? And then Lady Sophia's despicable father, the Earl of Dunhaven, arrives at Rowley Hall, with a plan to marry her off to his latest protege. Will the earl succeed in his evil plan? And will the introduction of a gentleman from Lady Sophia's milieu spell the end of all of Heywood's hopes where the lady is concerned? The plot is a rather sophisticated one in the sense that it deals with a heroine who has led a far from exemplary life. Rich, beautiful and somewhat rakish, Lady Sophia had (hitherto her husband's death) led a rather jaded and carefree existence -- having affairs with whomsoever she pleased, going from one social gathering to another with little thought of her ailing husband or the sons she left behind. The death of her almost too-saintly-for-words husband, her reconciliation with her sons, and her friendship with Charles Heywood, allows for Lady Sophia to see that there is another path open to her -- one would allows her to some self-respect and feelings of self-worth, as well as the promise of a deep and abiding love. However, as with all good stories, the path to redemption is not so easy. Lady Sophia has to contend with her uncertain temper, her father's evil machinations and the fact that her relationship with Heywood may actually harm his reputation and prospects. This plot is not a very original one, and is one that has been used over and over again. What I liked most about it was that it was the heroine who was a bit of a rake, and the hero who stuck to his guns about propriety. Far too often, in plots such as this one, the hero would have given in to the heroine's lures before the denouncement is reached and everything ends as it should. For the hero to remain firm and strong no matter the temptations Lady Sophia threw at him, was a refreshing change. And one that I welcomed. The novel unfolded smoothly, if a bit slowly. But this allowed for the change in Lady Sophia's character to be believable and credible. As I noted before there is really nothing terribly new or different about this particular story. The difference lies in the manner in which Jo Manning tells her tale, and the clever way in which she manages to make one care about the characters and the manner in which the novel developed. A very engaging and elegant read.
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Summary: Skillfully written; I couldn't put it down
Review: Lady Sophia Rowley, so wonderfully wicked in Ms. Mannings previous book, The Reluctant Guardian, is a more complex character than we imagined. When she sets out to seduce the local vicar in this novel, she is as surprised as he is by the results. Ms. Manning's characters are all very human. The worst criminals still have some goodness within, and the very good vicar is not without sin. An entertaining and engaging novel.
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Summary: A delightful read
Review: Seducing Mr. Heywood is a HOOT -- a story best summed up as a cleverly written "original." I didn't expect to be so taken in by such an uncoventional plot, but once I picked up this book, I couldn't put it down. In fact, since first reading SMH, I've had to pick it up two more times just to "revisit" these characters. I would HIGHLY recommend this book!
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Summary: Intriguing premise falls flat
Review: The synopsis for this book caught my eye - that along with some of the stellar reviews. The beginning promises an intriguing twist on the usual regency novel. Unfortunately, I found the writing style to be somewhat stilted. While I understand that this is fiction - many of the situations just did not ring true for me. And the villain just seemed unnecessary and and too over-the-top. Somehow, I think the story would have worked better with out this part of the plot. Also, some of the tie-ups in plot between the heroine and her sons felt too pat and hard to imagine. I would not recommend paying the cover price of this in hardcover. The author seems to need to hone her writing skills a bit more. I look forward to some of her more seasoned works in the future.
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Summary: Not Your Average Regency
Review: What a pleasure to read a Regency romance in which the heroine is not a blushing innocent, but a bold, assertive, seductress. This kind of female character is usually secondary, and often a villainess. In SEDUCING MR. HEYWOOD, our heroine follows the path most romance writers reserved for male leads, setting her own rules, determining what she wants, and going after it. In another twist, it is the male object of her affections who is is sweet and diffident, but not a wimp, and it is his love that transforms our heroine. You're read it a hundred times with the roles reversed, but rarely this way. Here is an author who knows the Regency period in exhaustive detail, and who has used it as a setting for a highly original and entertaining story.
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