Lord Rivington's Lady by Eileen Jackson

Read For:
Reading My Shelves Project
1000 Regency Challenge
ROR Spring 11
Forgotten Treasures Challenge (1976)
Buck Stops Here Challenge ($1 through online seller)

Synopsis:
LORD ALEXANDER RIVINGTON WAS THE MOST HATEFUL MAN GEORGINA HAD EVER KNOWN 

Lord Rivington began by virtually assaulting Georgina at their first chance meeting. Then this incredibly wealthy and handsome aristocrat publicly mocked Georgina's views on the rights of women while the cream of Regency society looked on. From there he went on to physically thrash Georgina's beloved brother, financially ensnare Georgina's family, not bother to deny his shameful relationship to a servant girl - and arrogantly demand Georgina in marriage.

Georgina had every reason to detest this thoroughly impossible and egotistical male. She vowed that nothing in the world would make her join the list of victims of his charms. Indeed, Lord Rivington was due for a richly earned comeuppance - and Georgina for a most unexpected awakening...


My Review:


Lord Rivington's Lady was a very good "Old School" Regency that have quite a Pride and Prejudice vibe to it. Georgina was overall a good heroine, an outspoken Lady of Quality though living in Poverty after her father squandered the family fortune gambling. I do wish she would have come to her senses about Alexander, the hero, earlier in the story, as it would have been a five star book then. Lord Rivington is very much a "Mr Darcy"-a hero that hides his emotion, as lessons learned from his abusive past.


 Overall, a fast, fun Regency read. 4 stars.

Winter Blossom by Cynthia Sinclair

Winter Blossom

Cynthia Sinclair

1983, 310 pages

Tapestry Romance #27

Synopsis:
NO MAN WOULD OWN HER. 

Suzanna Rutledge's mother had been a Japanese companion to her father, a British trader. Cloistered for years, Suzanna barely knew him until James Rutledge summoned her to be a translator for his English partner.

Suzanna was ordered to cater to Lord Alex's every whim. But she had desires of her own and her heart would be given only to the man who would win it.


My Review:
Old School Bodice Ripper set in Japan, probably the 17th century era.


 The heroine, Zanna, is a bi-racial child, her father a British merchant and her mother was his Japanese "companion", or concubine.  The hero is another British Lord and Merchant who is sent to Japan to check on the London trading company that's being run by Rutledge, Zanna's father. 


Pretty good Historical from the "Tapestry" line of romances of the 80's. Lot's of high drama, conniving, swindling, fighting and of course, bodice ripping ;) Interesting change of scene from the usual Historical Romance normally set in England. The author seemed to have researched feudal Japan quite a bit. It was enjoyable and I'll read more from this author. 4 stars.

The Oak Staircase by Mary Lee

The Oak Stair case: Or The Stories Of Lord And Lady Desmond
Mary Lee
copyright 1872, 287 pages




Note: This is a FREE public domain book-you can download and read it yourself HERE.


My Review:
I downloaded this book simply because I liked the cover and with "Lord and Lady" in the title, I figured it was historical in nature.


The Oak Staircase was a harrowing and well written Young Adult Historical Fiction loosely based on a true event.  The "Maids Of  Taunton" and the  'Bloody Assizes' following the Monmouth Rebellion in 1685.


This was an exciting and unknown historical period for me, and one that so fascinated me from the story that I researched it after finishing the book. You can learn more about this period HERE and HERE. 


The period was one of the bloodiest in England and while the book does not go into the gorier details, the writer was talented enough that you will feel the terror these poor young girls must have felt during this time. 


The story is told in the vein of a almost bedtime story. It starts with two young descendants of Lord and Lady Desmond-who walk by their portraits on the Oak Staircase at the family estate many times, but know nothing about them. Their Uncle Algernon -who is writing a historical work, tells them of Lord and Lady Desmond's story, as though they had "come" to Algernon after death to share it with them. The story is told from the perspective of when Lord/Lady Desmond were children of 10 and 14, as this is when they were married (an event that happened sometimes to make an advantageous marriage amongst two noble families).


From Frances and Algernon's (Lord Desmond was also named Algernon) marriage, to Frances being sent to the boarding school which is to change her life forever, to Algernon's stint as one of the Queen's Page Boy attendants, The Oak Staircase was a fascinating, compelling read.


Don't let the fact that it's classified as Young Adult stop you from reading this. I didn't even realize it was young adult until after I finished it, and in no way hinders the stories believability or dealing with the dire aspects of the storyline. I'd recommend this to anyone, especially fans of Historical Fiction.


5 stars.

The Apple Tree Girl by George Weston

The Apple Tree Girl By George Weston

1918, 157 pages

Read For:
Public Domain Challenge
Reading My Shelf Challenge
Forgotten Treasures Challenge
Buck Stops Here Challenge

This is a FREE Public Domain book. You can download it here:


My Review:
Very sweet story of a "Plain Jane" girl who, after being orphaned in her teens, starts a series of adventures. She is tormented by her cousin, who is very pretty on the outside, but a horror inside. The cousin constantly drills into Charlotte that she is worthless because she is homely. Charlotte, who is very smart and self sufficient, sets out to prove her wrong. A wonderfully charming story from the Edwardian era.

2011 Forgotten Treasures Challenge REVIEWS

For Bloggers: Please post the link to your review through Mr Linky below.

Fon Non-Bloggers:  Please post your review or comments on the book read in the comments below.

Thanks for Participating!

2011 Forgotten Treasures Challenge

January 1, 2011-December 31, 2011

This challenge, for me, ties in with my other two challenges- Public Domain Challenge and The Buck Stops Here Challenge. Whether it's a free public Domain book, or perhaps a fun and funky looking old 70's Gothic I picked up for a quarter at the Goodwill-I have a deep respect for older books.


The stories are great, and it's interesting to research a older book or author after you find and read a "forgotten treasure". That 50's author you have never heard of might just have been the Grisham or King of their time, and deserve to be read again in modern day.  Whether it's a hundred year old classic or a 40 year old novel-older books are well worth reading.

The goal of this challenge is to read and review (or just share a few thoughts on the book) books that are 25 years old or older.  Please join me for this challenge. Let's discover some buried book treasures together.


The Rules:


Open to all-bloggers and non bloggers alike.


Open to all books-bought, loaned or ones you already own. The only rule is on AGE. The books printing date must be at least 25 years old- 1986 or older please. 


Level one- read 3 books 25+ years old or older


Level two-read 7 books  25+ years old or older


Bonus* Level three-read 25 books  25+ years old or older


(all those who complete Level three will receive a nifty "Vintage Book Fan" award to post on their blog)


Post Reviews here.

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