Lord St. Claire's Angel (Zebra Regency Romance) [Paperback]

Donna Simpson (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Zebra (December 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821764497
• ISBN-13: 978-0821764497
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #577,425 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

When I was a kid, I thought you had to be someone extraordinary to become an author. I always loved to read and write, but was too unsure of myself to believe that I could ever become a published author. I've been fortunate enough in my life to have someone stand by me and repeatedly tell me I can do it. My advice to anyone who wants to write is, find someone who believes in you and cling to them! It's not an easy road, but it's worth it.

I read mysteries - Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, among other authors - and then discovered, quite by accident, Regency romances. I suppose it's no surprise that when I decided to try writing seriously, I wrote a Regency. Absentee Heart, my first attempt, was published by Rubenesque Romances in 1997, but is still available online from Blackfriars Publications.

My first *big* break was with Zebra Books, for their Regency line. Lord St. Claire's Angel, my first with Zebra, is still a favorite among many reviewers. I wrote over twenty Regency romance novels and anthology contributions for them, and adored every moment of it.

But I wanted more' I wanted to write longer and more in-depth stories. I wanted to explore a darker side to life, and go beyond the shores and time of Regency England. I love mystery, and feel that every good story is truly a mystery in a sense; even if there is no murder involved in a romance novel (though there actually *may be* in my newest books - wink wink!!) there is mystery in love.

How are the hero and heroine going to get together? Will they know immediately that they belong together, or will they have to suffer and find each other through turmoil? What will happen to keep them apart, and can they defeat every obstacle to come together finally?

I have been fortunate enough recently to move on to write paranormal (werewolf) historical romance for Berkley Books and am loving every second of it. Set in the Lower Saxony region of Germany in 1795, the 'Awaiting' books are a fabulous and thrilling departure for me. The spookiness of a gothic castle in Germany, lies and deception, twisted family secrets and the dark world of weird occurrences makes for a rich and colorful tapestry when woven with human foibles and thrilling, erotic love and lust!

Romantic Times said about my first paranormal with Berkley, Awaiting the Moon, that: 'By mixing a classic gothic with paranormal overtones Simpson has a winner. This impossible-to-put-down romance belongs alongside Victoria Holt, Phyllis Whitney and Daphne du Maurier. Here is a pure classic plotline with just the right touch of the ominous, the perfect amount of suspense and plenty of sexual tension to keep you reading late into the night and finish satiated.'

About the second they said: 'Simpson continues the Wolfram saga as a young woman becomes entwined in dark secrets while threads of werewolves myth, greed, passion, lies and deceptions swirl around pulling you into a tightly crafted paranormal romance with gothic overtones. Victoria Holt would be proud.'

I was thrilled! What an honour to be compared to those writers. As I suppose you can tell, dear reader, I'm enjoying the ride so far... long may it last!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars delightfully different, January 19, 2001

By 

BARBARA A. GREEN "book boobie" (BROOKLYN, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lord St. Claire's Angel (Zebra Regency Romance) (Paperback)

This is a really great different novel. The heroine, Celestine is not beautiful, rich or especially charming. Forced to be a governess by lack of funds and too much pride to become dependent on her aunt, she works at a job which brings her into contact with children-something she fears she will never know personally otherwise. Believing herself new but qualified for her job, she overhears her employers saying that her prime asset for the job was that she was plain and of no possible interest to the soon to visit Lord St. Claire-a handsome rake with lots of charm but little of any other qualities. As expected, the charming Lord St. Claire sees the plain jane governess and immediately understands that his sister in law is putting him in his place(away from any Christmas dalliances) and he is burned. With teaching Elizabeth(sis-in-law) a lesson, he decides to woo the little governess anyway. Is this an improbable story as another reviewer said- most likely yes, but it is a pleasure to read a story where the heroine is not a diamond of the first water and all grace personified but still able to gain a man's admiration and love. Sort of like love in real life-where not all couples match in looks or money and still marry and do well together. Besides, how many regency romance even come close to reality. Is the reader aware that either evening assemblies and dinners were held in near virtual darkness or thousands of candles applied to get some light. Bathing was not a regular occurence even for those well to do and without fans in summer -it does not take much imagination to visualize the state of clothes after a day in them. We read,most of us anyway, to escape today and return to what we want to see as a colorful, more frivolous era-it wasn't by any means and yet, how many of the books we are reading would still be read-if those facts were illuminated for us. Read this book with your eyes and your heart-it is a lovely romance. Want reality-read Les Miserables

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very readable governess-aristocrat romance, October 23, 2002

By 

bookjunkiereviews (India) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lord St. Claire's Angel (Zebra Regency Romance) (Paperback)

This first book by Donna Simpson, an up-and-coming Canadian author with Zebra, is probably her best work to date although BELLE OF THE BALL (her fifth book, I believe) comes close. Both feature unusual heroines and somewhat atypical plots.

This book features Celestine Simons, a governess with arthritis (since she had rheumatic fever as a child) who has been hired by Lord and Lady St Claire (actually the Marquess and Marchioness of Ladymead) precisely because she is plain, arthritic and otherwise unlikely to attract attention. The Marchioness has been plagued by her brother-in-law Lord Justin St Claire (the Lord St Claire of the title), who has fallen into the habit of flirting with the pretty governesses of her two daughters. This, the Marchioness (Lady Elizabeth St Claire or Lady St Claire in the book) does not like, both from the point of view of what is considered proper and also from the point of preserving class differences.

To spite his sister-in-law, Lord Justin St Claire decides to flirt with Miss Simons. She will not respond to him, even though she is attracted by him. Then, he hears her sing in the village choir, and the two experience a rare moment of epiphany in the journey back to the house. Nevertheless, although our hero's feelings have changed about Miss Simons, his casual attitude towards flirtation and governesses have not changed (or he has not realized it). Celestine's well-married aunt Lady Sedgely (Lady Emily Delafont or Lady Delafont in the book) arrives and this precipitates a number of changes.

I liked many many things about this book, even though it was far too short to flesh out all the characters. We had the high-minded Marquess, in love with his extremely snobbish wife (whose behavior and attitudes were normal for her era and station). We had the vicar's calculating attitudes. We have the charming but imperfect (in many ways) children of the Marquess and Marchioness. We have Lady Sedgley/Delafont, whose own history is explored in Simpson's second book (LADY DELAFONT'S DILEMMA). We are also introduced to Lady Grishelda May von Hoffen (heroine of Simpson's third book LADY MAY'S FOLLY).

Since I am a lover of good secondary characterization, this book was a delight in many ways. For example, I kept worrying about the mildly retarded younger daughter after I finished the book - and someday I would like to read a book about these two sisters. Not all the secondary characters were well-rounded of course, but that is more a problem associated with the book length and its necessary constraints.

I did have one major problem with this book - the titles issue. Simpson's first book showed off her strengths (great writing ability, marvellous primary and secondary characterization, an ability to write with emotion and yet restraint about sensitive issues), and they also showed her weakness for her early books - her lack of understanding of British titles and how they work. [In fairness to the author, she has corrected her mistakes in subsequent books]. The problem with this book is that there are two Lord St Claires - the Marquess and his brother (the hero) - in this book, which leads to a misunderstanding at one point. This was a slight flaw in an otherwise nearly-perfect book, because it was completely unbelievable that the housemaids would be calling both the Marquess and his brother by the same title.
I should also add that the British did not recognize foreign titles, and Lady May von Hoffen would not be a real "Lady". At best, she might be called Countess or Baroness socially but legally she would be a mere Miss in the UK.

I have tried not to write too many spoilers, but Celestine's arthritis and her love for her pupils - the two daughters of the Marquess and Marchioness - form the cornerstone of this story. You might disagree with Celestine's actions which jeopardize her health, but they are understandable given the kind of person she was. I hope that in later books, I come across this couple again and find out how they are doing and how well "Lady Elizabeth" is reconciled to their marriage. I would also like to hear more about Celestine's background and that of her aunt.

Recommended, despite a minor flaw.
Grade = 4.4 (A-)
Breakdown = romance element graded at 4.8 (A+; 25%), writing at 4.7 (A; 25%), characterization (of protagonists and secondary characters) at 4.5 (A-; 25%), plot development at 4.2 (B+; 25%). Average = 4.6. Deduction of 0.2 for title confusion which affects the plot.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good new author with excellent characters., December 22, 1999

By 

Patricia Walker (Lisbon, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lord St. Claire's Angel (Zebra Regency Romance) (Paperback)

I am VERY pleased to have happened on this book by a new Regency author. The plot is a bit predictable with the "poor governess/rich nobleman" theme but don't let that put you off. This book is full of interesting people you identify with or want to get to know better.

All the characters have exceptional depth for books in this genre, and I especially enjoyed the secondary ones: the details given about the heroine's aunt Emily make you long for the author to give her a book of her own. Even the antagonists in this book have lots of interesting personality traits. No one dimensional characters here!

My only complaint - and it is not unique to this author - is that she needs a crash course (or a better editor) in English titles. It was especially irritating to me that even the title of the book is wrong. Her hero is NOT Lord St. Claire, as the younger brother of a Marquess, he is Lord Justin.