Castaway Hearts (Signet Regency Romance) [Paperback]

Nancy Butler (Author)

Book Description

Series: Signet Regency Romance | Publication Date: March 2, 2004

A new Super Regency. When Miss Lydia Peartree's afternoon cruise turns into a disaster at sea, she has only the scruffy captain to count on. But when he turns out to be a disguised-and handsome-spy, a smitten Lydia wonders if she made too fast a judgment...

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

When Lydia Peartree embarks on an afternoon sail from Exeter Harbor with Captain Matthew Frobisher and his unlikely crew of schoolboys, she has no inkling of the excitement, danger, and passion she will encounter. A freak storm blows them off course and across the Channel, and a broken foremast dictates their landing at an abandoned village in Brittany, where they are attacked by a group of brigands. After they're captured, the gang's leader recognizes Matthew as a former spy named Nightshade, "the ubiquitous English weed with a deadly effect," and sells the information to his vengeful nemesis, the all-powerful Comte de Chabrier. Butler's charmingly fast-paced Regency combines espionage, betrayal, theatrics, gypsy fortune-tellers, and more as she recounts Matthew's thrilling race to Paris to rescue the woman he loves and the boy for whom he is responsible from the clutches of the evil Comte. Her realistic portrayal of the time period just after Bonaparte's exile to Elba and the ravages of war add depth to the story. Lynne Welch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Signet (March 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451211812
• ISBN-13: 978-0451211811
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #175,602 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:

5.0 out of 5 stars a lasting romance, March 16, 2004

By 

"wallawalla2002" (Walla Walla, Washington United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Castaway Hearts (Signet Regency Romance) (Paperback)

I've never been disappointed by a Nancy Butler book. And "Castaway Hearts" is no exception.
I appreciate the fact that she rarely follows the typical regency formula. Her characters have such depth and this is a touching and beautiful story. The hero, Matthew, is not the usual gentleman. He's human, with faults and fears. Lydia is not the usual 18 year old debutante, but a woman with courage who's determined to follow her heart.
The two find in each other something deeper and more precious than either thought possible. And they refuse to let anything, including a horrid villian, keep them apart.
We also get to revisit Arkady Pelletier and Gilbert Marriott from "Lord Monteith's Gift". Perhaps Ms. Butler will give them stories of their own some day.
Thank you Nancy Butler! This book is a keeper!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Be warned: this is NOT a Regency, March 8, 2004

By 

E. Kay "eclectic6" (Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Castaway Hearts (Signet Regency Romance) (Paperback)

When a friend arranges for her to set sail from the coast of Devon, Lydia Peartree is expecting a one-day joyride. She is also expecting something different in the captain, who she accidently mistakes for a scarred old seaman.

But Captain Matthew Frobisher is much, much more than she expected. She becomes intrigued by Matthew's pirate-like appearance and adventurous spirit. And it's a big surprise to learn he's a schoolmaster... he's training young men to become spies!

Lydia, the daughter of a Russian princess, is also something of a surprise to Matthew. She is much more willful than he ever expected. Together (with the young spies-in-training), they embark on a venture beyond their wildest dreams.

I was really looking forward to this book, because Nancy Butler is one of my favorite Regency writers. ...And I stress the word REGENCY. There is a big difference between a "mainstream historical romance" and a "regency romance." I have read many books from both genres, and I've come to appreciate the charm and sweetness of a Regency more than I enjoy the escapades and (for lack of a better word) smut of a Historical. Despite the time period similarity, this book, "Castaway Hearts" is definitely more like a mainstream historical romance. I've read a few Signet "Super" Regencies, and the "Super" usually refers to the extra 80-or-so pages. That is not the case with this book.

There is also a pointed difference between these characters and the typical charming, society-minded Regency characters. Matthew Frobisher is an often-overbearing Alpha male who intrigues Lydia with his brusque attitude. Lydia is a former darling of society who COMPLETELY shirks proprieties. These two fall in love very quickly, and their romance heats up very fast. In terms of romance, it left something to be desired.

I suppose it all amounts to preference. I prefer Regencies. This book did not transport me to the Regency world, nor was it enfused with the depth and insight I've come to expect from Nancy Butler. If I judge it against the mainstream historicals I've read, this book gets 3 1/2 stars. There were enough fights and rescues to satisfy any adventure fan. ...Personally, the thing I liked about this book the most were the young spies-in-training. One, in particular, stole my heart. If Gilbert Marriot isn't the star of his own story, I will be distraught.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nancy Butler does it again!, March 24, 2004

By 

Martha Janet Close (Fairfax, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Castaway Hearts (Signet Regency Romance) (Paperback)

Lydia Peartree, daughter of a princess, is a composed, capable young woman and used to a comfortable life. Twenty-seven years old and having never fallen in love, she decided to marry her good friend, Donald. Her betrothed had the misfortune to catch measles when she came to visit his family. So a good friend arranges a day trip on Captain Frobisher's sleek black ship, while she kicks her heels waiting for her fiancé to get well. The chance for a nice afternoon on the river beckons her and the trip changes her life!

Although she sails her little boat on the lake back home, it cannot compare with the sea. She is thrilled by the fury of the sea when a squall blows up, sending the Captain, Lydia, and a crew of adolescent boys to the coast of France. The Captain and Lydia find a connection neither was looking for. The story takes a dangerous turn when some of the travelers are recognized even in the tiny coastal French town.

This wonderful Regency romance, set far from London and its drawing rooms, includes spies, power hungry villains and the shifting political atmosphere in France near the end of the Bonapartist rule. Nancy Butler has included a peek into the irresistible passion and developing intimacy between two adults who feared they would never find love.