Scan barcode
wealhtheow's review against another edition
3.0
A charming Regency romance. Miss Amaryllis Hartwell was a beautiful society maiden with many admirers and a besotted fiance. But after her father eloped to America, leaving her destitute, she chose to open a girls' finishing school rather than marry her fiance or move in with relatives. Six years later, the school is doing very well and Miss Hartwell has almost put from her mind the dizzy society she left. But when first one handsome Regency buck, then another, leaves their wards under her care, she is reminded of her past.
The hard work of running a school and the friendships therein take up most of the book. Amaryllis is a well-rounded character, but so are her Bible-quoting former governess, her fashionable aunt, and the young girls in their charge. Although the book is titled "a romance of Regency England," the love interests are merely the frame for the characters' growth. I was quite impressed with this book; I actually enjoyed it more than several of the lesser Heyer novels. There is a hint of sexuality that is missing from Heyer, and Dunn avoids overusing Regency slang.
The hard work of running a school and the friendships therein take up most of the book. Amaryllis is a well-rounded character, but so are her Bible-quoting former governess, her fashionable aunt, and the young girls in their charge. Although the book is titled "a romance of Regency England," the love interests are merely the frame for the characters' growth. I was quite impressed with this book; I actually enjoyed it more than several of the lesser Heyer novels. There is a hint of sexuality that is missing from Heyer, and Dunn avoids overusing Regency slang.
More...