The Bar Sinister [Paperback]

S. Simonson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1991

Captain Richard Falk's brusque manner nearly alienates Emily Foster on their first meeting. Only the realization that her young son needs companions convinces her to take in his two motherless children while he returns to the fight against Napoleon's armies. For the next two years, her only contact with Falk is through his letters, terse messages, but always accompanied by charming stories for the children. She slowly falls in love with the man behind the stories. When now-Major Falk returns for a brief visit before shipping out to North America, she sees nothing of the storyteller in the tired, short-spoken soldier. Concerned over the fate of his children if he should fall in battle, Falk sets up guardianships. An acquaintance, well-intentioned but misguided, mentions him to the half-sister he has not seen for twenty years. Falk is the son of the widowed Duchess of Newsham, but not of the late duke. Never having been declared illegitimate, Richard has some claim on the estate now held by his half-brother. There is ample evidence that attempts on his life have been made in the past, and now he fears for his children's safety. But he is a soldier, and Napoleon is once again loose in Europe, so all he can do is trust Emily, his friend Tom Conway, and his brother-in-law to protect the children. When Richard returns, wounded, from Waterloo, and speaks of emigrating to keep them safe, Emily knows she must speak her mind-and her heart-or lose him forever.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Simonson is one of the best of the current Regency novelists. Here her heroine, Emily, having lost both husband and baby daughter, offers to take in other children to raise with her own son, Matt. Captain Richard Falk deposits his infant son and young daughter with her before returning to fight Napoleon. Emily falls in love with his children and, during their correspondence, with him. However, Falk, illegitimate son of a duchess, is in danger from his mother's family, who see him as a threat to the dukedom. With a little help from friends, all ends well. The characters are well drawn and appealing, and if the plot seems a bit preposterous, the reader is having too much fun to worry about it.Marylaine Block, St. Ambrose Coll. Lib., Davenport, Ia.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"There is nothing ordinary about this book."--Romantic Times "...a first rate Regency novel, canny in craft and handsomely peopled with full-fledged characters"--Kirkus --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Zebra (July 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821734563
• ISBN-13: 978-0821734568
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,962,124 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars very unusual regency but well worth reading, December 2, 2004

By 

IRRS (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bar Sinister (Paperback)

The only way I can think to describe this one is "Mary Stewart writes a regency." If you're looking for a very well written regency suspense in which for the first 3/4 of the book (which covers 3 years) the h/h are together for a total of about 1 week, this is your book.

Captain Richard Falk is a widowed Army officer who places his two children in the care of Emily Foster before he rushes back to the war in the Peninsula. Emily is baffled as to why he doesn't take them to his relations until she finds out that his dead wife was Spanish and that he is a [...] with no English relations of his own.

At least this is what she believes until Richard's half sister shows up on day inquiring about her niece and nephew. Upon writing to Richard's friend and to-be guardian in case anything happens to him, she learns that Richard is the [...] son of not the Duke of Newsham, but his Duchess. And that Richard has real reason to fear that his half brother, now Duke, will take up where his father left off and try to kill not only him but also his two children. The old Duke never repudiated Richard and the Duchess has never acknowledged in public the scandal that titillated the ton, leaving Richard with the opportunity to claim a share of the rich estate.

But along with dodging the sinister plans of his half brother, Richard has to try to stay alive throughout the rest of the Peninsular Campaign, part of the War of 1812, then Waterloo. Plus he writes to his daughter and Emily's son serial accounts of Dona Inez, an incorrigible Spanish senorita and her duenna Dona Barbara, plus he writes hack novels to try to supplement his meager officer pay.

Once the very real threat to him and his children is uncovered, his sister and her husband take an active part in trying to spike the current Duke's plans and also bring Emily and Richard, whom Emily has fallen in love with over the course of their correspondence.

This is definitely not your typical regency and in fact is more like a regency historical as far as the suspense part of the plot. Richard is a man who has faced bastardy and its stigma all his life and who has learned to be wary of all but the closest friends. Emily is a very no-nonsense woman who rises to the challenge of providing a home for and coming to love and try to protect not only Richard's children but Richard as well. Lady Sarah, Richard's sister, and her husband, Sir Robert are wonderful secondary characters. The book is well written and researched and flew by as I read it. A definite B+

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!, March 6, 2010

By 

aishajc "aishajc" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bar Sinister (Kindle Edition)

THIS is a regency author. Very well written with wonderful dialogue, well-developed characters, and an original story.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a find!, June 12, 2010

By 

Susan Smith (A small rural village in the English Midlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: BAR SINISTER/THE (Paperback)

I read about this book on a website that has reviews of some of the older "trad" regencies and bought it on the strength of the comments. I was not disappointed - in fact having discovered that some of the characters in this book appear in others, I've bought up the author's backlist. It's rare to find an undiscovered trad writer for me as I read a lot of regencies and have done for over 30 years so I'm familiar with most of them. Sheila Simoson was a gratifying find and I would encourage anyone who loves the older style regency to seek her out.

This book has many things I personally like: widowed father with small children; wounded hero with a sad past; believeable child characters; nasty family; army background. And, I have to say that the hero of this one Lord Richard Ffouke, aka Richard Falk is truly memorable. A cuckoo in the nest he has endured a lot from his family and has had to make his own way in life. Widowed with two tiny children he seeks to foster them out in England whilst he returns to the Peninsular campaign. However, said nasty family is trying to kill him.

The hero is a "dime" novelist of some success with a sarcastic turn of phrase. However, he is the archetypal wounded hero who needs the love of a good woman to get him on track to future happiness. Emily Foster is just that woman. Strong minded, independent and a wise mother, she is able to stand up to his apparently crochety behaviour, eventually finding out just what this man has dealt with and continues to deal with in his life.

The author writes very well; beautiful prose with occasional antique spellings which add charm when they could easily have been mere affectations. This was a cracking story with a hero I shan't forget easily whose story was quite extraordinary - never seen a plot like this one. I recommend this highly and will have it on my personal DIK shelf because I will want to revisit Richard and Emily again.