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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A regency romance for grown ups,
By tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Compromising Situation (Zebra Regency Romance) (Paperback)
I rather liked this book. It reminded me alot of the kinds of plots and characters that novelists like Jane Austen and Maria Edgeworth made famous. Maeve Midden is hired by Lord Rothe to be a governess to his hoydenish sixteen year old niece, Clarissa. Maeve accepts the position with many reservations: Lord Rothe is too high-handed and seems to have a special talent for setting Clarissa's back up; Clarissa's mother seems to have lost all interest in life with the recent death of her husband, Lord Rothe's brother; and Clarissa is absolutely against the idea of having a governess at her 'advanced' age. However Maeve senses a kind of vulnerability beneath both Lord Rothe's and Clarissa's outward facade, and so Maeve strives to bring uncle and niece closer together and to try and make them understand each other a little better. What Maeve does not bargain for is that she and her employer would be attracted to each other, or that the unexpected kindness and sensitivity that Lord Rothe displays towards her would crack the hard shell Maeve had been careful to cultivate around her heart. Both Maeve and Rothe have secret sorrows and disappointments in their pasts that have coloured their lives. Perhaps it is this that draws them to each other. But can anything good come from it? Afterall lords do not marry governesses, especially ones with tainted histories. This is truly a tale for adults. Shannon Donnelly has created a truly honourable and adult hero in Lord Rothe. In spite of his growing attraction for Maeve, not once does he press his attentions on her. Rothe treats her with honour and respect. There seems to be a kind of revolution going on in the romance world, and I for one am all for it! Finally more and more novelists are actually writing about the nice guys!! Spolit rakes are a fun read for a while but every now and then it's nice to read of men who are actually nice and who are not secondary characters and who do end up with the heroine instead of playing second fiddle to the rake! The ending is a bit rushed, and I think that it might have been a stronger novel if Shannon Donnelly had not introduced the villian at all instead of having him come in for the last three chapters, but that it just my own bias. A satisfying novel. I will definitely keep an eye out for the next novel that Shannon Donnelly writes.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Remarkable Debut!,
By kellytwo "kellytwo" (cleveland hts, ohio) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Compromising Situation (Zebra Regency Romance) (Paperback)
A Compromising Situation is, indeed, a remarkable debut book. Mark my words, however, you'll be hearing a lot about Shannon Donnelly during the next years; she is an author to be reckoned with, believe me! The depth of the characterization in this book is extraordinary. A sentence, sometimes merely one word, conveys more here than entire pages have in other books. Another plus (at least to this reviewer) is the ages of those characters: Maeve Midden is eight-and-twenty, rather old for a heroine, while the hero, Colonel Andrew Derhurst, now Lord Rothe, is ten years her senior. One of the problems with the primogeniture system is, if something happens to the primo, the secondary is seldom sufficiently experienced, much less trained to step up and into primo's empty boots. Such is the case with the Colonel, a second son who was sent off to the military at the age of eighteen, courtesy of his father who obligingly purchased his colors for him. The fact that perhaps the lad might not have wanted colors had no influence on the father; the older son would be the next Lord Rothe, and there was an end to it. When that older son dies, the by-then Colonel is sent home to take over the estates and the title--plus the widow and teen-aged daughter of his brother. They seem like empty-headed flibber-tee-gibbets to the battled-hardened Andrew, who has no patience with them, nor the drawing room skills needed to build a relationship with the only family he now has left to him. Maeve, on the other hand, was born a gentlewoman, but left motherless at the age of four. Hard-headed and stubborn, she willingly cooperated in her own ruination at the hands of an experienced rake. When her father disowned her, she turned to the only person who had ever been kind to her--her teacher, Miss Midden. Soon, however, Maeve is out on her own again, and becomes a governess. Thus, these two lost souls are brought together in a highly believable manner, and in spite of themselves, are drawn one to the other. Of course, the teen-aged Clarissa protests the title of governess assigned to Maeve, who suggests instead that of companion. And it is thus that this relationship is forged. Clarissa is a rare handful, indeed, and unknowingly brings the two older persons together, in a startling twist to the 'unsuitable elopement' gambit. This is an outstanding traditional Regency romance; you'll find something marvelous on every page. I just wish the author had chosen a better surname for Maeve to assume. But if that's the only gripe I can find in this most satisfying book--well, then, the author must indeed know best. I'm eagerly awaiting the next book from the very talented Ms. Donnelly, and I'll bet you'll feel the same way, too.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Praise for a well written book.,
By J. Lesley "(Judy)" (Midsouth, United States) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: A Compromising Situation (Zebra Regency Romance) (Paperback)
This book fooled me for a while. I have read so many Regency novels that I thought I knew what to expect. The governess, Miss Maeve Midden, would be caught in a compromising situation (hence the title) with her employer, Captain Andrew Derhurst - lately having become Lord Rothe - and the two would have to marry. Naturally they would already love each other, probably just not realizing it quite yet. Well, stop that little idea right now. That is not what happens in this book at all. And for that I am quite thankful. This book takes off in a slightly different direction and does it very well because of the splendid writing talents of Shannon Donnelly.
Lord Rothe's neice, Clarissa, was sixteen years old and had definite ideas about whether or not she needed a governess. Miss Maeve Midden has been sent by an employment agency to take over the job of governess to multiple children in a large family. Somewhere along the way an error occurred and Miss Midden finds herself in the unpleasant situation of having to tell her prospective employer that she cannot accept the position. She wants, above all else, to find a family which will need her for many, many years and which will keep her away from London. What we are left to find out is, why? I enjoyed this book very much. Andrew had immersed himself in his military career to the point of excluding any softer, more gentle feelings. He never expected, nor wanted, to take over the title. Ms Donnelly painted him with a wonderful understanding of his past and present while allowing us the opportunity to wish for his future. She drew the character of Maeve with such compassion and sensitivity that I never once felt the need to say (silently): Why doesn't she just tell him? This book is not THE BIG MISUNDERSTANDING. It is a complete cast of characters behaving in a very human manner. They make mistakes, they misunderstand, they get to know each other, they learn to like each other, and then they begin to care about each other. It does not just concentrate on the relationship between the hero and heroine. That type of book is ultimately shallow and boring. No, all of these characters are important and have a large part to play in the book. Recommended. Very old fashioned in its makeup, even though it was written in 2000. The only kisses are engaged in right at the end of the book. If you want a higher level of intimacy, you will not like this book. If you enjoy reading a well written story, told in a very believable manner, you will want to keep this one for your collection. I will hang on to this one, probably read it again, and look for others written by this author.
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