REVIEW: Flora by Linda O'Byrne

Flora (Cousins of Pemberley #7) by Linda O'Byrne

Genre: Historical fiction, Regency romance

Read: 21st October 2025

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Amazon

Published: 30th September 2025

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

In 1837 it is not considered desirable for a young lady of good family to have views and opinions that are different to those of society.

When scandal surrounds Flora McGregor, Mr Darcy’s niece is sent from her home in Scotland to Pemberley in order to learn refinement and ladylike behaviour.

But insisting on speaking her mind and following her heart means that trouble follows Flora, no matter how hard this Scottish wildcat tries to avoid it - and falling in love only complicates matters!

MY THOUGHTS:

In 1837 it is not considered desirable for a young lady of good family to have views and opinions that are different to those of society...

But that has never stopped Flora McGregor, niece to Mr Darcy of Pemberley. She spends her days roaming barefoot the lochs and moors of her highland home in Scotland whilst her mother, Mr Darcy's sister Georgiana McGregor, wants to see her settled and wed before she and Flora's father Rodrie set sail to the new world in Canada. But Flora loathes the man her parents have chosen, Gordon Erskine who promises to purchase her home of Tawny Keep in exchange for her hand. But it's not her hand he's wanting as Flora well knows from the lascivious look of lust she sees burning in his eyes. He wants her and he'll stop at nothing to get her. Flora however has other ideas and spares not a thought for the man when unleashing her displeasure at a dinner he is hosting.

And so Flora finds herself packed off to Pemberley where she is to learn manners and decorum, as any young lady should. Her journey is broken at Courtney Castle in Northumberland where she gets into merry mischief with young Matilda, daughter to Sir Robert Courtney and husband to Flora's cousin Catherine. It is there she meets the acquaintance of a man she met previously at her home in Scotland on the banks of the loch and later again at the fiasco that was Gordon Erskine's humiliating dinner party. 

Daniel Kincaid is on his way home from Scotland when he comes across the redheaded wildcat berating a villager over his poor treatment of his dog, which she then implores Daniel to take charge of the animal. He is a man of means but by no means wealthy, having inherited the neighbouring estate to Courtney Castle, Brenchley. The estate had run into disrepair and he means to restore it to its former glory. His journey north had proven productive where he had acquired a healthy herd of highland sheep that he intends to farm.

Between them, the young couple are thrown together in all sorts of circumstances and each time Flora fails to curb her tongue, unleashing her every thought the moment she has them. And then immediately regretting them...mostly. 

But when beautiful Arianne Richmond returns to Courtney in need of filling her fast depleting coffers, she can't decide whom to set her cap to. Martin Courtney, brother to the earl of Courtney Castle? Or the silent and brooding but dashing Daniel Kincaid?

Flora had meant to be only stopping at Courtney for a few days but her stay has turned into weeks. Which is no small pleasure with the dashing but infuriating Daniel Kincaid always seeming to appear at every turn. But when Flora makes a shocking discovery, she is sworn to secrecy lest her reputation be in tatters. All the while, she continues to fight the growing attraction between her and Daniel. After all, falling in love will only complicate matters.

Told in the style of Jane Austen reimagined, this is the seventh in the delightfully entrancing Cousins of Pemberley series. I have devoured every one of them, my only complaint being I have to wait so long for the next one! And the next one is one worth waiting for...I have long been waiting and hoping for the youngest Darcy daughter, Bennetta, and her story to be told. We have watched her grow from a teenager to a young woman of 21 in this book, and far more mature than she has been in previous ones. I eagerly await her story...

1. Cassandra

2. Catherine

3. Miriam

4. Jane

5. Merryn

6. Beth

7. Flora

8. Bennetta

I would like to thank #LindaOByrne, #SpellboundBooks and #ZooloosBookTours for an ARC of #Flora in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Fiction has always been my go-to world, a place of entertainment, excitement and imagination - I am told that I wrote my first story when I was four about a lady who had twenty children!   Sadly it has been lost for posterity.

I have been writing all my life in the time I could spare from having a “proper job”, mostly for children under the name of Linda Blake, stories of ballet dancers, pony riding and talking animals!  Not all in the same book!

But my love of romance, a great tendency to say “What if..?” and the endearing characters of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice have now resulted in a series of books that will take the reader forward to the next generation of heroines.

I am retired, live in Kent and am a keen member of my local drama group.  Directing and acting take up a lot of my time - I have been given the onerous task of writing the Christmas pantomimes - but I still need to cope with a large garden, doing daily battle with the heron who thinks my pond is his own breakfast buffet and keeping in touch with friends and family scattered all over the world.  

Social Media links:

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

    

REVIEW: Beth by Linda O'Byrne

Beth (Cousins of Pemberley #6) by Linda O'Byrne

Genre: Historical fiction, Regency romance

Read: 5th February 2024

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 26th January 2024

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Many years have passed since the dramatic events of Pride and Prejudice. In The Cousins of Pemberley series we follow a new generation of heroines - cousins with lives as different and interesting as those enjoyed by their mothers.

Beth Bingley: twenty-one, kind and beautiful, dedicated to a life of duty until Fate decrees otherwise.

She must find a new path to follow, but first she has a sister’s reputation to protect, at the expense of her own!

Book 7 in the series coming Autumn 2024.

MY THOUGHTS:

I have loved this Cousins of Pemberley series since I first read "Miriam" and then went back to read the first two "Cassandra" and "Catherine" before venturing onto "Jane" and then "Merryn". I have eagerly awaited BETH's arrival which ended with the promise of "Flora" coming in the second half of the year.

Every journey undertaken alongside whatever cousin whose story is being told has been a pleasure to be a part of. And through it all Pemberley remains the central focus as each branch of the family always comes back to the Darcys and their Derbyshire estate. But even more invigorating, with each tale of each cousin, is the inclusion of the Darcys' youngest daughter Bennetta who is a delightful charm to behold. I love her vigor for life and while we met her when she was just 15 years old when Cassandra turned up one rainy night seeking refuge, she is now on the cusp of womanhood at 20. I've said with every review I have penned on each book how I long for Bennetta's story, so enchanting as she is.

But the story this time around is of 21 year old Beth Bingley (named Elizabeth for her Aunt Darcy), eldest daughter to Jane (nee Bennet). She has remained in the shadows as she cared for her ailing mother who never quite recovered from the birth of her youngest sister Aletha, now four. But with the untimely death of their family physician, Jane's care was thus passed over to her niece, Cassandra's husband Dr Richard Courtenay. And surprisingly she has rallied well. Seems modern medicine has triumphed where the old remedies given by the late doctor had failed.

With her mother's surprisingly remarkable return to good health Beth, who had tendered to her mother's every need, is now made redundant. When the sudden death of their grandmother, the rather silly Mrs Bennet, put paid to Beth's 21st birthday celebrations, Jane and her husband along with Elizabeth and Mr Darcy made the journey to Bath after attending the funeral in Hertfordshire. Beth, who had accompanied them stayed on at Longbourn to instill some order in the house and that of the idle servants.

Upon her return to Clifton Park, Beth was feeling rather at a loose end with no one to tend to or care for. She entertained the notion that maybe she would be required to care for her four year old sister until such time she required a governess but then her parents summoned both little Aletha and 16 year old Sophia to Bath. But not before she was given the task of breaking off an engagement Sophia had somehow managed to get herself into.

Enter the rambling old Tudor cottage Maze House, just a few miles from their estate. Beth called on the master of the house to put an end to the somewhat hasty engagement. But not before ex-naval Captain Taylor Lennox mistook her for the young Sophia and gave her a piece of his mind. Angered on behalf of her frivolous sister, Beth chose not to correct him and thus keep Sophia's reputation in tact. Needless to say, Beth had never met a more unfriendly gentleman (he was not!) in her life and decided to avoid any further contact with the horrid man.

Of course that is not how these tales go. Having put Captain Lennox firmly to the back of her mind, Beth accepted an invitation from her cousin Bennetta to stay at Pemberley until her parents' return from Bath. And there she meets a most agreeable man, Sir John Carlyle. A little older perhaps but handsome and kind and Beth, who doesn't believe in the love or romance of fairy tales, is content to settle for a marriage of friendship and tending where she is most needed. Having been at a loose end since her mother's return to good health, Beth feels the need to be needed again. And Sir John offers her that chance in the form of his own ailing mother who adores Beth from the moment she meets her.

However, when chance puts Taylor Lennox in her path once more, Beth discovers she has a choice to make. Passion or friendship? Excitement or contentment? But then Beth finds that the decision may be taken out of her hands with the return of brother and sister duo Stephen and Elinor Blaine - the pair who tried robbing Lady Merryn of her fortune. While both Sophia and Beth are charmed by the siblings, neither know of their true intentions. And it seems Elinor is to be a rival while Stephen has his eyes firmly on the young Sophia. Can Beth save her sister from another disastrous choice before it's too late? Or is Sophia wiser than her years?

A truly magnificent addition to this delightful series. I have loved each and every tale, however frusrating each woman can be at times. And I eagerly await "Flora" a cousin we have yet to meet and have not yet heard about. I'm sure Bennetta Darcy will be on hand yet again to impart her vivacious anecdotes. I can't wait to meet up with her again.

I thoroughly enjoyed BETH, as I have all the others, and yet there is so much more to this tale, I have barely touched the surface. You will have to read it for yourself. Each book can be read as a standalone but to enjoy it completely, I do recommend you start from the beginning. You won't be sorry. They are each of them addictive 5 star reads.

1. Cassandra

2. Catherine

3. Miriam

4. Jane

5. Merryn

6. Beth

7. Flora

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Fiction has always been my go-to world, a place of entertainment, excitement and imagination - I am told that I wrote my first story when I was four about a lady who had twenty children!   Sadly it has been lost for posterity.

I have been writing all my life in the time I could spare from having a “proper job”, mostly for children under the name of Linda Blake, stories of ballet dancers, pony riding and talking animals!  Not all in the same book!

But my love of romance, a great tendency to say “What if..?” and the endearing characters of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice have now resulted in a series of books that will take the reader forward to the next generation of heroines.

I am retired, live in Kent and am a keen member of my local drama group.  Directing and acting take up a lot of my time - I have been given the onerous task of writing the Christmas pantomimes - but I still need to cope with a large garden, doing daily battle with the heron who thinks my pond is his own breakfast buffet and keeping in touch with friends and family scattered all over the world.  

Social Media links:

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

    

REVIEW: The Wishing Well by Natalie Kleinman

The Wishing Well by Natalie Kleinman

Genre: Historical fiction, Regency romance

Read: 3rd August 2023

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 5th May 2023

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Is Harriet ready to face her future?

England 1818

Ever since the deaths of her fiancé and her father, Harriet Lambert has thrown herself into the management of her family’s estate to cope with her grief. Though time has eased her sorrow, she has had little opportunity to once again pursue romance.

But when she is called on to accompany her younger sister, Amabel, to London for her introduction into respectable society, Harriet finds herself caught in a flurry of social engagements. And when she meets Major Brew Ware at a soirée, the two form an immediate connection.

Having experienced tragedy at an early age, Brew understands the significance of Harriet’s loss. With their shared interests and honest approach, their friendship continues to flourish as the season wears on.

Though no man has turned her head since she lost her fiancé, Harriet is aware that her affection for Brew is growing stronger. And as she tentatively considers her future, she must now decide whether she is prepared to take another chance on love…

THE WISHING WELL is a historical romantic tale set in Regency England, with a spirited and courageous heroine at its heart.

MY THOUGHTS:

This is the third of Natalie Kleinman's regency romances I have read and once again it is a heartwarming tale that is an easy read, moving at a gentle pace. There really isn't a lot to say about the story because, while they are wholly enjoyable and a perfect way to while away a few hours, they are also predictable. But that isn't a bad thing. Sometimes you are comforted in knowing what's coming. That's the beauty of these gentle reads.

Harriet Lambert has had her season. She came out, met and became betrothed to John Downing after a short courtship in which both had fallen madly in love. Unfortunately, it was at the time of the Napoleonic War in France and no sooner had they become engaged than she had lost him on the battlefields at Waterloo. And then in the months after that lost also her beloved papa.

Now three years have since passed, the war has ended and the time has come for Harriet's younger sister Amabel (which I thought was a typo at first) to experience her first season and coming out ball. Along with their mother Louisa Lambert, the sisters make their way from their country estate in Kent to the capital where dresses are ordered, bonnets are purchased and arrangements are made for Amabel's coming out to society. 

At one of the first soirees, the sisters meet lifelong friends Major Brew Ware and Gil Carstairs, having returned from France after the former making his fortune after the war's end. It isn't long before Gil has won the heart of young Amabel and Brew finds himself a gentle companion in Harriet. Whilst Amabel and Gil are as obvious in their devotion, Brew and Harriet aren't at all sure of the other's feelings.

Added to this is Brew's family drama. He and his father have been estranged for some fifteen years and with his sister also in London to make her coming out debut, it seems he is to cross paths with his father once again. 

So while Amabel and Gil are love's young dream, neither Harriet nor Brew were seeking love. And yet they find it in each other.

A heartwarming read as regency romances always tend to be. The characters were well developed and interesting...especially the man with the vivid striped waistcoats...lol It was refreshing not to have someone plotting against anyone and aside from one bad apple that made a small appearance it was just a really satisfying read.

I must say, mail in those days (considering they had to go by horse mail coach) makes a far quicker journey than it does today going from one county to another, when I have trouble sending something two suburbs away!

I would like to thank #NatalieKleinman, #Netgalley and #SapereBooks for an ARC of #TheWishingWell in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Natalie’s passion for reading became a compulsion to write when she attended a ten-week course in creative writing some sixteen or so years ago. She takes delight in creating short stories of which more than forty have been published, but it was her lifelong love of Regency romance that led her to turn from contemporary romantic fiction to try her hand at her favourite genre. Raised on a diet of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer, she is never happier than when immersed in an age of etiquette and manners, fashion and intrigue, all combined into a romping good tale. She lives on the London/Kent border, close to the capital’s plethora of museums and galleries which she uses for research as well as pleasure. A perfect day though is when she heads out of town to enjoy lunch by a pub on the river, any river, in company with her husband and friends. 

Natalie is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association, the Society of Authors and the Society of Women Writers and Journalists.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

 

REVIEW: The Cornish Rebel by Nicola Pryce

The Cornish Rebel (The Cornish Sagas #7) by Nicola Pryce

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, Regency

Read: 28th July 2023

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Amazon

Published: 3rd August 2023

★★★ 3 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Cornwall, 1801.

In the wake of her mother's death, Pandora Woodville is desperate to escape her domineering father and finally return to Cornwall. Posing as a widow, she safely makes it across the Atlantic, bright with the dream of working at her Aunt Harriet's school for young women. But as Pandora is soon to learn, the school is facing imminent closure after a series of sinister events threatened its reputation.

Acclaimed chemist Benedict Aubyn has also recently returned to Cornwall, to take up a new role as Turnpike Trust Surveyor. Pandora's arrival has been a strange one, so she is grateful when he shows her kindness. As news of the school's ruin spreads around town, everyone seems to be after her aunt's estate. Now, Pandora and Aunt Harriet must do everything in their power to save the school, or risk losing everything.

However, Pandora has another problem. She's falling for Benedict. But can she trust him, or is he simply looking after his own interests?

MY THOUGHTS:

Can she trust the man she loves...?

The seventh book in the Cornish Saga series, THE CORNISH REBEL is the second one I have read and can be done so as a standalone. If you love Poldark, then you are bound to enjoy this series though it does differ a little it still has that same Cornish feel that Poldark fans would now be missing. Though no one can compare to Aidan Turner as the delectable Ross Poldark.

Cornwall, 1801 is also a time of change as we move into the Regency era and with comes modernisation in the form of turnpike roads and chemical discoveries. But there is still a long way to go in the more forward thinking of a hundred years plus to come and women were still very much second class citizens in what is predominantly a man's world.

This tale is set around a girls school, St Feoca for Young Ladies, and thus bringing forth a wealth of forward thinking women. Something that was almost unheard of at the time. The school is under threat of closure but through the perseverance of one woman and her niece they are determined to keep it open. Believing that education should be available to everyone, not just the rich, so too their desire to help the more poor disadvantaged girls.

But as the story progresses, will Pandora follow her heart or her head? Will she pursue her own dreams or those of others?

I didn't enjoy this one as much as the previous tale. Whether that is because it is part of a series or it just didn't grab me or the unformatted style of the book which did make it hard to follow, I'm not sure. It is still an entertaining read and the setting is atmospheric and stunning in the Cornish landscape. There is plenty of action to keep readers entertained.

I would like to thank #NicolaPryce, #Netgalley, #AtlanticBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #TheCornishRebel in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Nicola Pryce trained as a nurse at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London. She loves both literature and history, and has an Open University degree in Humanities. She's a qualified adult literacy support volunteer and lives with her husband in the Blackdown Hills in Somerset, UK. She and her husband love sailing and together they sail the south coast of Cornwall in search of adventure. If she's not writing or gardening, you'll find her scrubbing decks.

Nicola's books are set around 1793-1800 amongst the shipbuilders and merchants living on the south coast of Cornwall. With Britain at war, there is the continual threat of invasion and a constant vigil for French spies. Nicola's first novel was Pengelly's Daughter, followed by The Captain's Girl, The Cornish Dressmaker, The Cornish Lady and A Cornish Betrothal with The Cornish Captive published in January 2022.

Nicola is a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association and The Historical Writers Association.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: Catherine by Linda O'Byrne

Catherine (Cousins of Pemberley #2) by Linda O'Byrne

Genre: Historical fiction, Regency romance

Read: 18th June 2023

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 7th March 2023

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Many years have passed since the dramatic events of Pride and Prejudice.

In The Cousins of Pemberley series we follow a new generation of heroines - cousins with lives as different and interesting as those enjoyed by their mothers.

Catherine Collins, a very ordinary young woman - plain, quiet, often over-looked but possessing a reputation for having great common-sense. Or so her distant cousin Elizabeth Darcy believes and so recommends her as governess for little Matilda Courtney.

Catherine travels to Northumberland, full of good intentions to do her best and be a credit to the family.

But appearances and reputations can be deceptive - Robert and Martin Courtney will soon learn exactly what type of girl Elizabeth has sent them.

MY THOUGHTS:

I have to wonder where I was when these books came up for tour as they only came to my attention when I read "Miriam" which is book three in this delightful series. I would have loved to have toured for both "Cassandra" and this one CATHERINE but...better late than never! I do so love a Regency romance and, while these are technically in the new Victorian era, they do reflect that same easy style and temperance of a Regency read.

CATHERINE begins almost exactly where "Cassandra" left off as they are all in a cloud of wedding celebrations and its wake after the delayed nuptials of Dr Richard Courtney and Cassandra Bennet (formerly Wickham). The family travels from far and wide for the wedding with Catherine Collins arriving with her stepmother Kitty and half sister Harriet from Longbourn, the Bennet family estate passed on to Catherine's father the Reverand Collins after the death of Mr Bennet, much to Mrs Bennet's distress...though she remains in residence with her daughter Kitty and the Reverand Collins. Also arriving from the north is Richard's family from Courtney Castle - Sir Robert Courtney, the new heir to the estate since their father's passing earlier in the year, and their Aunt Honoria, their father's sister. And in a flash, the couple are married and making their home in Wyvern Lodge not far from Pemberley.

Catherine Collins is the plain unattractive daughter of Elizabeth Darcy's oldest friend, Charlotte Lucas. But after her death, her husband remarried Elizabeth's sister Kitty and produced a daughter of their own whom Catherine now finds herself in charge of. She dresses more as a governess in plain greys and browns rather than something more becoming. But since her stepmother has thrust the child in her direction at every turn, Catherine has little else to say or do in the matter. So when she is seen dancing in the gardens of Pemberley barefoot and carefree by the two remaining Courtney brothers - Sir Robert and Martin - it is easy to mistake her for a servant.

But Catherine dreams of more than just a life of servitude at her stepmother's behest, though she cares for her little sister at four she is most precocious. So when she is approached by her godmother Elizabeth Darcy with the request that she travel north as Sir Robert Courtney's guest to act as a governess to his six year old daughter Matilda who has remained mute since the sudden death of her mother a year or two before. But after a long and tiring journey from Derbyshire to Northumberland, she is shocked to recognise Sir Robert as one of the men who had seen her so carefree in the gardens of Pemberley! Just as he is as surprised to learn that the young woman he mistook for a servant girl is actually the distant cousin of the Darcys. Much to the amusement of little brother Martin, who is often at Courtney Castle when his cashflow runs low and he is in need of an injection of funds.

Upon arriving at Courtney Castle, Catherine falls into a routine with her young charge and finds that the girl is actually quite bright. The fact she has remained mute since her mother's tragic death is nothing short of a mystery since there is no medical reason for her to do so. And after spending time with Matilda she firmly believes that the little girl will find her voice once again when she chooses to.

Catherine's position as governess is only temporary until Sir Robert marries again and there seems to be an understanding that he will do so very soon to an old family friend, Miss Abigail Richmond, who can bring breeding and money to the union. And Abigail certainly expects Sir Robert to propose at any moment. But Abigail also harbours plans of her own...none of which include Matilda, Catherine or Courtney Castle.

Meanwhile, Catherine and Sir Robert have formed a strained friendship of sorts as they clash over Matilda on occasion. Catherine knows he loves his daughter but he doesn't really know her. Matilda adores her father, that much is clear. And while Catherine loves Matilda, she didn't expect to develop feelings for Sir Robert. But social differences divide them as Abigail is quick to point out. The woman is a patronising snob quick to put Catherine in her place and make disparaging remarks about her dress or appearance...or even a reference to her familiarity with hovels, since she must have come from one herself.

I grew to like Catherine who is somewhat free-spirited though duty constrains her. I did find her thoughts frustrating at times though I guess that's because as the reader we are also privy to Sir Robert's. Martin is a terrible flirt and he did inject some humour with his flirtatious innuendo, as did Honoria with her keen eye and knowledge. I was thrilled to see Bennetta make an appearance and do so hope there will be a story in which she can shine promimently. But Abigail. It goes without saying that she is the fly in the ointment. She is patronising, condescending and I just was dying to see Sir Robert put her in her place...but he was too gentlemanly to do so. 

I thoroughly enjoyed CATHERINE, as I have done with all the Cousins of Pemberley series. I have already read book 3 "Miriam" so I will be moving onto book 4 "Jane" next, followed by "Merryn". And then...I will have to await which of the cousins come next!

A delightfully fun read as with all in the Cousins of Pemberley series, CATHERINE has the easy gentle pace that I love of this type of book. A must for Austen fans and those of "Pride of Prejudice".

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Fiction has always been my go-to world, a place of entertainment, excitement and imagination - I am told that I wrote my first story when I was four about a lady who had twenty children!   Sadly it has been lost for posterity.

I have been writing all my life in the time I could spare from having a “proper job”, mostly for children under the name of Linda Blake, stories of ballet dancers, pony riding and talking animals!  Not all in the same book!

But my love of romance, a great tendency to say “What if..?” and the endearing characters of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice have now resulted in a series of books that will take the reader forward to the next generation of heroines.

I am retired, live in Kent and am a keen member of my local drama group.  Directing and acting take up a lot of my time - I have been given the onerous task of writing the Christmas pantomimes - but I still need to cope with a large garden, doing daily battle with the heron who thinks my pond is his own breakfast buffet and keeping in touch with friends and family scattered all over the world.  

Social Media links:

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

  

REVIEW: Cassandra by Linda O'Byrne

Cassandra (Cousins of Pemberley #1) by Linda O'Byrne

Genre: Historical fiction, Regency romance

Read: 17th June 2023

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 23rd December 2021

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Many years have passed since the dramatic events of Pride and Prejudice.

In The Cousins of Pemberley series we follow a new generation of heroines - cousins with lives as different and interesting as those enjoyed by their mothers.

Cassandra Wickham, daughter of a flirt and a scoundrel, an innocent abroad in a world where money can buy you anything, even a bride.

When danger threatens and the man she thought she could rely on fails her, there is only one place she can turn to

for help -

Pemberley.

Surely the Darcy's will protect her, no matter what happened in the past to divide the two families?

MY THOUGHTS:

Fans of "Pride and Prejudice" will simply delight in this expansion on the Bennet family in the form of the sisters' children, thus the cousins of Pemberley. The first of these novels to come to my attention was actually the third in this series "Miriam" which I read last year and thoroughly enjoyed that I simply HAD to get my hands on the first two. But as time went on, the fell further down my TBR list...until the tours came up for books four and five...and I knew I had to go back to the beginning before forging on with the latest two.

Cassandra Wickham is the daughter of the youngest Bennet sisters, the flighty young Lydia who had a torrid affair with a groundsman and ran off to marry him. And thus producing Cassandra. However, when Cassandra was 8 her father, a  military man, was killed in India leaving her mother in a flair of hysterics before rather hastily moving on to marry Colonel Allerton four months later.

Now, Cassandra is 18 and her mother is preparing her daughter like a lamb to the slaughter for the Regimental Ball where she hopes to find a husband for her. But Cassandra has no thoughts of marriage with any of the men on offer. Her stepfather, however, has other ideas. And whilst she is in the garden taking a breath of fresh air, she hears the Colonel offer to sell her to the highest bidder. Without a second thought, Cassandra steals herself home where she packs a bag and disappears in the night leaving a letter for her mother telling her not to worry. 

She flees to Pemberley and to the safe confines of her Aunt Elizabeth Darcy...only to find that the Darcys are away and only the youngest, fifteen year old Bennetta, is in residence. But Bennetta, bored and looking for adventure, is only to happy to take in the drenched Cassandra that the young footman mistook for a beggar. Cassandra confides in her young cousin the conversation she overheard and, fearing her stepfather will come looking for her, they hatch a plan to bide their time until Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Darcy return.

However, fate intervenes when a blizzard scuppers their carefully laid plans leaving Bennetta injured and unconscious and Cassandra delirious from fever in the house of the respected Dr Richard Courtney. As the good doctor knows that her stepfather is currently in London searching for his runaway charge, will he throw her to the wolves and inform him of her whereabouts? After all, he is unaware of the bidding war the Colonel had with one of his cronies to sell the girl off to. And when Cassandra finally awakes, she begs the doctor to refrain from telling her parents...but is she too late? And why has her Aunt and Uncle Darcy not come to rescue her? Surely they have returned by now and Bennetta has informed them of her circumstances. But maybe in that she has her answer. Maybe the Darcys want nothing to do with Lydia's runaway daughter and the mess she has surely brought to their door. Maybe she should just resign herself to her fate.

I absolutely loved this regency tale of love, lies and deception. Also the added adventure orchestrated by young Bennetta who is an absolute delight! I can't wait for her story! Please tell me there will be one, cause it will be a cracker of a read. CASSANDRA is a delightfully quick read at just 210 pages and I could have easily devoured it in one sitting (had I not needed sleep). 

The cousins of Pemberley is a brilliant and wonderful concept for a series. Linda O'Byrne has harnessed the idea and run with it with great success. She has built on the existing characters of "Pride and Prejudice" in the Bennet sisters and has thus extended beyond them to their own offspring, therefore creating a whole new generation from them. And she captured the spirit of the whole era and that of the original story.

As much as I adore Jane Austen adapted to the screen I find her books very difficult to read so I find this series, whilst being an honourary nod to Ms Austen, it is far easier to read and far less wordy than Austen's own works. Having said that, anyone who loves "Pride and Prejudice" (or Jane Austen for that matter) is bound to enjoy this series.

And on that note, I am off to dive into Book Two of the Cousins of Pemberley series - "Catherine" - daughter of William and the late Charlotte Collins, who was Elizabeth's closest friend. I fear (from what I read in this book) that I will not warm to Catherine's father.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Fiction has always been my go-to world, a place of entertainment, excitement and imagination - I am told that I wrote my first story when I was four about a lady who had twenty children!   Sadly it has been lost for posterity.

I have been writing all my life in the time I could spare from having a “proper job”, mostly for children under the name of Linda Blake, stories of ballet dancers, pony riding and talking animals!  Not all in the same book!

But my love of romance, a great tendency to say “What if..?” and the endearing characters of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice have now resulted in a series of books that will take the reader forward to the next generation of heroines.

I am retired, live in Kent and am a keen member of my local drama group.  Directing and acting take up a lot of my time - I have been given the onerous task of writing the Christmas pantomimes - but I still need to cope with a large garden, doing daily battle with the heron who thinks my pond is his own breakfast buffet and keeping in touch with friends and family scattered all over the world.  

Social Media links:

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

 

REVIEW: Never Rescue a Rogue by Virginia Heath

Never Rescue a Rogue (The Merriwell Sisters #2) by Virginia Heath

Genre: Historical fiction, Regency romance, Regency Rom-com

Read: 3rd November 2022

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 8th November 2022

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

The second book in the Merriwell Sisters series - another hilarious, sparkling historical romantic comedy from Virginia Heath, filled with whip-smart banter, swoony romance, hilarious mishaps, and twisty reveals that will make you gasp and laugh in delight.

A hilarious, sparkling historical romantic comedy, with an irresistible family at its heart, perfect for fans of Julia Quinn's Bridgerton and Martha Waters.

.....................................................

Why on earth would she want to kiss him when he vexed her so?

Diana Merriwell and Giles Sinclair only tolerate one another for the sake of their nearest and dearest. Everyone believes that they are meant to be together, but Diana and Giles know that it is animosity, not attraction, that fuels their barbed exchanges. Anyway, Diana loves her freedom too much to give it up for marriage, and Giles is happily wedded to his bachelor lifestyle.

After Giles' curmudgeonly father, the Duke of Harpenden, unexpectedly turns up his toes, it's only a matter of time before the circumstances of his only son's birth are revealed. With the threat of blackmail hanging over him, Giles must uncover the truth, or he and all those who depend on him will be ruined.

As Giles and Diana dive into his family's past, the attraction that they insisted wasn't there proves impossible to ignore. It seems that the future of the Sinclair estate isn't the only thing on the line . . .

EXCERPT:

Throughout it all, Diana remained rigid with mortification. Her entire head, and as much of her body as she could squeeze under it, were now covered by her shawl in the forlorn hope it might, miraculously, render her invisible if she wished for it hard enough.

It didn't work.

"So..." Giles nudged her with his elbow, the same second the coast was clear. "If we ignore the glaring fact that we would have been spared the abhorrent ordeal if you had listened to me in the first place, and that I told you so at least three times and was ignore, the obvious question that now begs to be asked, Diana, is - did you at least manage to hear anything useful?"

In the absence of the prayed-for thunderbolt, she whacked him over his irritating head with her reticule.

"Insufferable, incorrigible, and irritating in the extreme!"

"But right!" he said, still laughing at her. "You have to concede that."

She snarled, wanting to strangle him until his smug, amused, annoyingly handsome face turned purple but settling for another thwack with her flimsy embroidered silk reticule instead.

"Be in no doubt, Giles Sinclair, as you congratulate yourself for being right for the first time in your entire useless life, that I haven't missed you at all!"

As his hysterical laughter finally let rip, and with as much dignity as she could muster despite her face being on fire and her bodily urges all over the place, she stormed off down the lawn.

MY THOUGHTS:

Oh, what a delight NEVER RESCUE A ROGUE is! I simply HAD to include that excerpt above as it had me peeing myself laughing when read in context with what the two of them had just witnessed. Bearing in mind that women didn't know of such things until after they were married whilst men were privy to all sorts, this truly was one of the most funniest scenes in the entire book! As a rule, rom-coms are not my thing but I do love a good regency romance and with the hilarity thrown in makes for some delightful, as well as amusing, reading. I read the first in the Merriwell Sisters series "Never Fall For Your Fiancee" and was utterly delighted by the hilarity and contretemps that were highly entertaining. At that time, I didn't know it was a series but I'm so glad it is.

While the first book followed the eldest of the Merriwell sisters, Minerva, and her escapades with the equally delightful Hugh, Lord Fareham, NEVER RESCUE A ROGUE tells the tales of the next in line, Diana, and her crusading capers with the charming and terribly scandalous Giles Sinclair, the next Duke of Harpenden. 

However, Diana and Giles only tolerate each other for the sake of others, never missing a chance to snipe and spar with one another with alliteration and all types of grammatical words. Diana has sworn off ever being tied to a man, valuing her independence and freedom, whilst Giles is a scoundrel who lives to rile up his father, the Duke of Harpenden, particularly with what he affectionately calls his "Reprobates Ball" in which everyone but everyone gets entirely sloshed and lets their inhibitions go and somehow finds themselves the subject of the gossip columns in the following days.

When Diana discloses some information she thought Giles ought to know, he is beside himself with anger that his father would go to such lengths as to see him wed when he prefers his bachelor lifestyle. But when Giles storms into his sire's house the following morning, it seems his father has a further surprise for him. And who should Giles wish to confide this new-found information in as soon as it is revealed to him? None other than his sparring partner, Diana.

But it seems his father has yet another surprise in store for Giles by suddenly dying in his sleep, leaving the hapless Giles as his heir, the next Duke of Harpenden. But it seems the circumstances surrounding Giles' birth are in question and the threat of him losing everything hanging over his head, turns the once upon a time scoundrel to pull up his bootstraps and undo every arduous aspect of his father's reign of terror over the Shropshire estate and his tenants. But can he straighten the mess his father left behind before it's too late?

Confiding in Diana, the pair of them team up to dive into Giles' family's past and expose every skeleton rattling around in Harpenden Hall and beyond to uncover the truth before he and all those who depend upon him are ruined. And all the while, Diana and Giles foolishly try to deny their attraction to one another. It seems everyone else knows that they belong together...except them!

I simply adored this fun and entertaining journey into the regency era under the guise of Heath's pen. It is filled with amusing anecdotes, alliteration and barbed exchanges that would make your toes curl. But oh, what a pure delightful read it is! I loved the first one but this one had me laughing out loud at times.

I have to say, without a doubt, Dalton was my favourite character...even if he is a hapless servant, he is nobody's fool. The exchanges between him and Giles, which dripped with sarcasm, were amusing to say the least as he was the one who knew his master best, after all. Second only to those between Giles and Diana...though I have to say, I think even Dalton could come out on top on occasion. And I knew what he was up to with that Gretna Green suggestion...and no one saw it coming! Good one, Dalton! Vee is also a delight and I look forward to her being in the spotlight in the next book because she can give as good as she gets. 

You don't need to read the first book to enjoy this one but it helps. Hugh's family are still front and centre in this tale but not so much as they featured in the first book, because that was Minerva's and his story to tell. However, his mother and stepfather have "adopted" Diana and Vee so try their best to look out for the younger two Merriwell sisters.

Quite honestly, this is a genre I never thought I would venture into but Heath expertly weaves an amusing tale wrought with hilarity and a little bit of romance as well as some scintillating scandal, turning NEVER RESCUE A ROGUE into a delightfully easy and entertaining read from start to finish. And had it not been for real life getting in the way, I would have devoured it much quicker.

And absolute belter of a read. Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction, particularly the regency era.

I would like to thank #VirginiaHeath, #Netgalley, #EternalBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #NeverRescueARogue in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

When lifelong insomniac Virginia Heath was a little girl, she made up stories in her head to help pass the time while she was staring at the ceiling. She did this every night for over forty years until one day, she decided to embrace the insomnia and start writing them down. Now, to her absolute delight and utter astonishment, her slightly racy Regency Romcoms are published in many languages across the globe. Amongst them are her critically acclaimed Wild Warriners and King's Elite series for Harlequin Historical.

Unashamedly addicted to happily ever afters and terminally cheerful, Virginia cannot wait to launch NEVER FALL FOR YOUR FIANCEE, the first book in her upcoming Merriwell Sisters trilogy for St Martin's Press loose into the world.

When she isn't furiously writing romance fuelled on far too much English tea, she likes to travel to far flung places, shop for things she doesn't need and drag her long suffering husband and her devoted Labrador Trevor on long walks around her native London. 

And in case you were wondering, two Romantic Novel of the Year Award nominations and twenty-one books later, it still takes Virginia forever to fall asleep.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: Miriam by Linda O'Byrne

Miriam (Cousins of Pemberley #3) by Linda O'Byrne

Genre: Historical fiction, Regency romance

Read: 8th August 2022

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 15th August 2022

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Many years have passed since the dramatic events of Pride and Prejudice. In The Cousins of Pemberley series we follow a new generation of heroines - cousins with lives as different and interesting as those enjoyed by their mothers.

Mary Bennet - overlooked, laughed at, despised - married a missionary and vanished into a life of service out in Africa. But now Miriam, her daughter, is coming to England, disliking everything she has been told about her family.

Her aunts and cousins are expecting someone quiet, dull and bookish, just like her mother, not the quick-tempered, impulsive girl who arrives.

How can this adventurous girl with her desire for freedom possibly fit into their well ordered world? And what havoc will she cause as she tries?

Book 4: Jane, Coming Christmas 2022

MY THOUGHTS:

I am great fan of Jane Austen on the screen...not so much the books. So I wasn't quite sure what to expect from MIRIAM, the third book in the Cousins of Pemberley series. However, I was surprised...pleasantly surprised. In fact, I loved this book! And I cannot wait to read the previous two "Cassandra" (Book 1) and "Catherine" (Book 2), both of whom are mentioned in this story.

As with many a fan of period tales, I am familiar with "Pride and Prejudice" though I have never been able to get through the book, I have enjoyed the many adaptions that have been made for TV over the years. From Greer Garson to Keira Knightly. Maybe it's the passage of time and the ease with which writing is presented in a way that can be better understood today rather than Ms Austen's English of the 18th century. Whatever it is, I was easily drawn in from the very beginning and was kept there until the very last page, reading this absorbing tale within six hours and one sitting (breaking only to serve dinner).

In this tale, we meet the overlooked sister Mary Bennet who married a missionary and escaped to Africa where she gave birth to a daughter, Miriam, on the passage there. For the first eleven years of her life, Miriam has lived a carefree life amongst the natives, caring for the underdog, finding lost puppies and kittens to bring home. But then they moved to Cape Town where her father, the Reverend Malliot, buys and sets up a school to teach the underprivileged. Miriam hates Cape Town and longs for the freedom she once had.

And then, her father who was her mother's senior by some years, dies suddenly of a fever and her mother Mary must sell their possessions and pack themselves off to live out life alongside her sisters and cousins back in England. But Miriam doesn't wish to go to England. She has never been there nor met any of her aunts or cousins, whom her mother hardly spoke very kindly of anyway. But it is all arranged and Miriam boards the Sea Sprite, chaperoned by family friends Reverend Poole, his wife and their daughter Delphine, to accompany her to England.

Upon arrival, there is no one to meet her as expected and feigning otherwise to Mrs Poole, bids the odious family farewell and awaits her uncle's arrival. When he doesn't arrive, First Officer Nicholas Sullivan whom she met on the passage from Africa, attempts to find somewhere for her for the night but not before the bellowing arrival of Mrs Tremaine, sister-in-law to Miriam's aunt Jane, who sees Sullivan as a white slave trader and rescues Miriam in the nick of time. It seems, Mary's letter from Africa had been delayed and only reached them that morning so arrangements were made in haste to collect young Miriam from the waiting port.

Delivered safely to her Aunt Elizabeth Darcy of Pemberley, Miriam meets her cousins Bennetta and twins Anne and Jane. The aunts and cousins all expect a quiet, dull, younger version of her mother Mary...but they are shocked to discover she is anything but. Miriam arrives at Pemberley in a wave of excitement, with tanned skin and red hair as uncontrollable as the young lady herself, used to standing up for the underdog and herself. Life at Pemberley is going to be somewhat interesting over the coming weeks and months until Mary arrives.

After resting the afternoon Miriam strolls into the room before dinner expecting to find her Uncle Darcy and is surprised to find First Officer Nicholas Sullivan standing there! Whatever is he doing at Pemberley? After the irritation he had caused her on board the ship passage, Miriam had no desire to replay those events again. But when she is introduced to visiting artist Edmund Avery, who is painting the Darcy children's portrait, she notices a flicker of something in Sullivan's eyes; a frown; a dislike even. Whatever did he have against the man? Whatever it was, a battle was sure to ensue should either man be in Miriam's vicinity.

As for Elizabeth and Mr Darcy, they could only hope that Miriam's outspoken ideas and independence would not lead their youngest Bennetta astray as she approaches her coming of age in the next few months. But it seems Bennetta is wiser than any of them give her credit for. For she sees all and knows far more of what goes on at Pemberley and within the family than anyone else. And she soon becomes something of a confidante for Miriam, the only one of the Darcy sisters that Miriam feels a true kinship for.

But something sinister is brewing with malice afoot as Miriam could be placed in danger. Will the malevolence be uncovered before it's too late? Or will Miriam be shunned from Pemberley and her family forever?

MIRIAM is a delightful tale expanding on the "Pride and Prejudice" tale featuring the Bennet sisters and that of the romance between Elizabeth and Mr Darcy, now of whom reside at Pemberley, and whose daughters consist of Bennetta and twins Anne and Jane as well as sons Fitzwilliam and Henry. I enjoyed this tale far more than I thought I would and I could have stayed in their presence at Pemberley forever.

As soon as I closed my kindle, I wanted to step right into the previous two tales of cousins "Cassandra" and "Catherine"...such was the effect of this heartwarming tale. It really has that Austen-esque feel without the language barrier of the day. I have read other Austen-esque tales - "The Clergyman's Wife" by Molly Greeley and "Miss Austen" by Gil Hornby - and I did not enjoy those tales at all. So I was more than pleasantly surprised by how much I took to and loved this book.

MIRIAM is a quick and delightfully easy read. I devoured it in under six hours and when I finished, felt I could have happily stayed there. That is what I love about reading, the feeling of leaving old friends behind but being a series knowing that I can pick up another and reunite with them once again.

Overall, a wonderful story. A delightful tale. Thoroughly recommend to historical fiction fans of regency romance and Jane Austen.

I would like to thank #LindaOByrne, #SpellboundBooks and #ZoolooTours for an ARC of #Miriam in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Fiction has always been my go-to world, a place of entertainment, excitement and imagination - I am told that I wrote my first story when I was four about a lady who had twenty children!   Sadly it has been lost for posterity.

I have been writing all my life in the time I could spare from having a “proper job”, mostly for children under the name of Linda Blake, stories of ballet dancers, pony riding and talking animals!  Not all in the same book!

But my love of romance, a great tendency to say “What if..?” and the endearing characters of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice have now resulted in a series of books that will take the reader forward to the next generation of heroines.

I am retired, live in Kent and am a keen member of my local drama group.  Directing and acting take up a lot of my time - I have been given the onerous task of writing the Christmas pantomimes - but I still need to cope with a large garden, doing daily battle with the heron who thinks my pond is his own breakfast buffet and keeping in touch with friends and family scattered all over the world.  

Social Media links:

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads