A Debt to Delia [Paperback]

Barbara Metzger (Author)

Book Description

Series: Signet Regency Romance | Publication Date: May 7, 2002

Major Tyverne has offered to marry lovely Delia Croft. But she can't help wondering if duty-not desire-rules his heart.

"One of the genre's wittiest pens." (Romantic Times)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A doyen of humorous, Regency-era romance writing, Metzger pens in the witty tradition of historical romance authors Marion Devon and Marion Chesney. Deeper and darker than her previous books (The Painted Lady; Primrose Path), this is an unforgettable tale of young lives sadly lost and great debts honorably repaid. When George Croft dies saving the life of Maj. Tyverne St. Ives, Ty vows to repay the deed by making George's shunned, stalwart sister, Delia, an honest woman before she gives birth to an out-of-wedlock child. The gruff, handsome soldier is not a lady's man, however, and his talk of honor and duty fails to impress Dilly, who demands nothing less than a marriage built on love. Various eccentric Croft and St. Ives kin such as Dilly's puffed-up guardian, Ty's brash younger brother and their heavy-handed father drift in and out of the narrative, further complicating his efforts to woo Dilly. Metzger's gift for recreating the flavor and ambiance of the period shines here, and the antics of her dirty-dish villains, near-villains and starry-eyed lovers are certain to entertain. Add to the mix Metzger's trademark animals -here a murderous circus horse aptly dubbed Diablo and a feisty pup named Angelina and the resulting story is Regency romance at its finest and funniest.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Signet (May 7, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451205863
• ISBN-13: 978-0451205865
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #952,529 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellently entertaining comedy of errors, May 27, 2002

By 

dizzheart "dizzheart" (Los Angeles CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: A Debt to Delia (Paperback)

I can't agree with the reviewer who called this book "boring" -- she must have read a different novel! I thought it was great fun; there is a wonderful contrast between the lighthearted aspects and the serious undertones in the protagonists' situations. I liked both hero and heroine very much. I liked Ty, so determined to do the right and honorable thing but completely clueless as to what it might be. I liked Delia, equally determined in her own way to sort things out without having to sacrifice her own life to a marriage with some yucky guy, or to someone she thinks doesn't love her. Some of the comic moments (Ty's proposal, for instance) had me chuckling out loud. Of all Ms Metzger's books, my favorites are still MISS LOCKHARTE'S LETTERS and A LOYAL COMPANION, but this is right up there close behind.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing Achievement, February 19, 2003

By 

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

This review is from: A Debt to Delia (Paperback)

One of my favourite Regency authors, Barbara Metzger has given us in A Debt to Delia a novel which is a real triumph. Truly bittersweet, this is a story of farce, fear, love, hope and redemption. Metzger has a gift for comedy which is second to none amongst the genre but what other author could write of a young girl dying of grief and a pregnancy gone horribly wrong, a successful (for the times) ceasarian birth, parents who learn from grevious error, a girl rescued from prostitution, death on the battlefield, ardent honour and bravery and still, despite all of this, make it a comedy?

At times whilst reading this book I hoped no one was looking over my shoulder because I was almost embarrassed to be so amused despite the utter tragedy that forms the framework for the plot ot this book. In one day there is a marriage, a death and a baptism yet through the tragedy, people are falling in love, planning for the future and reacting with real, human emotions. I still cannot figure out how the author managed it.

The H/H are both lovely: he is an over-sized macho military major with a soft heart and divine sense of honour. She is a feisty yet loyally loving girl with maturity beyond those she must look after, all of whom are older but not wiser. And, as always with Metzger's work, there is the usual cast of strange and wierd villains, wonderfully quirky servants, relatives from hell, babies, children and animals that form part of the fabric of the story.

Loved it. Absolutely loved it and recommend it most highly. If you want something different, something poignant yet funny peopled with endearing characters and nasty villains, then do read this. You won't be disappointed!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Read!, August 24, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: A Debt to Delia (Paperback)

This is the first of Barbara Metzger's books I've read but it won't be the last. Major Lord Tyverne is not the typical romance hero. He's a little brusque and stiff but he is certainly honorable. And it is his honor that persuades him to seek out Delia to offer marriage. Unfortunately, there are some misunderstandings and confusion. But, he does do the most honorable thing (you'll have to read it for yourself) and I cried. As the story progresses and more characters invade Delia's life I laughed. Ty and Delia are truly likeable and their growing attraction and affection is a treat to watch. This book is hard to put down. It is a keeper!