5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
'hero' made me feel bilious, October 2, 2002
This review is from: The Blanchland Secret (Mass Market Paperback)
For me, "The Blanchland Secret" proved to be a rather frustrating read. On the one hand, the plot was a truly nifty one -- the hunt for a missing young girl who was last seen walking up the avenue to Blanchland, an estate that has a very notorious reputation -- and I even liked quite a few of the characters in the novel, most esp Miss Sarah Sheridan, the heroine of this romance novel. But the 'hero' of the novel was, unfortunately, a real piece of work -- I don't think I've ever ground my teeth so much while reading one book!
Because Sarah's family lost all their money, and because her elder brother is dead, Miss Sarah Sheridan is now a poor relation. Fortunately for her, however, she has been taken in by her richer and slightly older cousin, Lady Amelia Fenton. And both ladies now live in Bath, leading comfortable and somewhat quiet lives. All this changes when two things almost simultaneously occur. The first is that Sarah receives a posthumous letter from her dead brother, asking her to help his illegitimate daughter if she should ever need it. And it would seem that the young lady (Miss Olivia Meredith) concerned definitely needs help. (Though we're not told why she needs help at this point.) And in spite of the fact that Sarah will have to return to Blanchland, once her home and which has (unfortunately) just recently gained a very scandalous reputation for debauchery, Sarah is determined to do whatever possible to help this niece she never knew she had, despite the public censure she's bound to receive for going to Blanchland.
In the meantime Sarah has also become reacquainted with an old neighbour, her godfather's son Viscount Renshaw. And while Renshaw has a reputation of being a hardened flirt, Sarah cannot help the attraction she feels for him. But when Renshaw discovers that she means to go to Blanchland, he immediately jumps to the conclusion that she's a lady with some extremely light morals and treats her accordingly. Heartbroken and angry, Sarah decides to put the painful episode behind her and concentrate on helping Olivia. What she didn't expect was for a remorseful Renshaw to pursue her and force her to accept his help. And while Sarah is willing to accept Renshaw's help, she cannot help but sense that she shouldn't trust him completely. Why is Renshaw looking for Olivia, and what are his intention towards her niece? These are the questions that haunt Sarah even as she realises, to her dismay, that she has fallen in love with Renshaw...
As I've already stated, the story is a rather interesting one; and Nicola Cornick does a really good job of 'fleshing' out both the primary characters (like Sarah) and secondary characters (like Lady Amelia and Sir Ralph Covell, Sarah's notorious cousin). There were even a few humourous incidents that are bound to elicit a chuckle or two. So, all in all, I should have loved this book. Alas, the 'hero' gave me a headache. He spent a great deal of time berating Sarah for not being open and honest with him, and yet he keeps from her the real reason why he's searching for Olivia. Obviously no one ever talked to him about double standards! Another thing that irritated was Renshaw's treatment of Sarah. After the entirely painful incident in which he insults her and then has to ask for her forgiveness, he beings to act as if nothing terrible ever occurred, and reverts to teasing her and flirting with her, and forcibly kissing her every now and then. Very little remorse from this gentleman, and obviously the thought that he should try to earn her esteem and trust (after having bungled things so very badly) never occurs to him! Renshaw is the kind of single-minded, imperious, autocratic lord that one just wishes would fall into a deep hole somewhere. Though I'll admit that by making Renshaw so very high-handed, the authour was able to depict with great skill the confusion that Sarah feels over being so very attracted to a man she does no fully trust. And that aspect of the novel made "The Blanchland Secret" a very compelling read indeed.
I had very mixed feeling about this book. I liked many aspects of it, but the 'hero' was so flawed that I just couldn't enter into the 'thank-goodness-they-worked-everything-out' feeling. On the whole: a good story even if the romance left something to be desired.
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1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Traditional Regency set in the country, May 13, 2002
Secrets, misunderstandings, some early examples of drug use, wicked villains, all in all enjoyable.
From the back cover....
When Miss Sarah Sheridan receives a mysterious letter, her staid life as her cousin's companion in Bath is quite overset. The only way she can solve the mystery is by returning to Blanchland, once her home and now belonging to Sir Ralph Covell, a byword for depravity! Her disquiet is compounded by an unexpected meeting with Guy, Viscount Renshaw, who at first gains quite the wrong impression of Sarah! Her reputation will be ruined if she goes, and Guy
determines he must help her...
A Regency delight!
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