A Lady of Talent (Signet Regency Romance) [Paperback]

Evelyn Richardson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Signet Regency Romance | Publication Date: February 1, 2005

Sebastian, Earl of Charrington, is betrothed to a suitable match, but dreams of a beauty in a painting. When he commissions the artist to paint his bride-to-be, he discovers that the work was a self-portait, and that the woman of his dreams is very real indeed.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Sebastian, Earl of Charrington, is in love--with a woman in a painting. Unable to identify the woman portrayed, or to find a flesh-and-blood woman with the same sense of spirit and wit, Sebastian has finally settled on marrying beautiful Barbara Wyatt, the daughter of a man Sebastian considers a valued friend and mentor. To celebrate their upcoming nuptials, Sebastian arranges to have Barbara's portrait painted by a talented new artist, C. A. Manners. Upon arriving at the artist's studio with his fiancee, Sebastian, much to his surprise, discovers that not only is C. A. Manners not a man but that Cecilia Manners is the woman in his beloved painting. Richardson's elegant prose is lightly leavened with warm wit, and her delightful tale of two people who have dedicated their lives to work, only to discover what they have been missing when it comes to romance, is simply irresistible. John Charles
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Signet (February 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451210093
• ISBN-13: 978-0451210098
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,392,760 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Lady Of Talent, February 1, 2005

By 

AK "Bro" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Lady of Talent (Signet Regency Romance) (Paperback)

That Sebastian loves a portrait with greater passion than he does his fiance' does not bode well for their marriage. When he meets the artist who painted it and finds that the well loved picture is a self portrait, his life becomes complicated. The woman who owns that face is far more suited to him, but obligations demand that he marry the shallow young woman who does not love him anymore than he does her, unless another way can be found.

*** More than one great novel or movie begins on the premise of falling in love with a portrait. Combining this with an almost Shakespearean in complexity shuffle of romance makes for a very workable novel that has the potential to cross genres in acquiring fans. ***

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good news, bad news, February 4, 2005

By 

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

This review is from: A Lady of Talent (Signet Regency Romance) (Paperback)

Sebastian, Earl of Chattington, is entranced. The bad news? The lady in question is not his fiance. The good news? The lady in question is just a woman in a painting. The lady in the portrait is a vision of loveliness, and has been his muse. Whether she exists in real life or not, he knows he will never meet her. He decides to commision the painter of the mystery portrait, in hopes that he will catch the essence of his fiance.

The painter, however, is actually a "she." And it was actually a self-portrait. Which means, of course, he is about to meet the woman of his dreams--in the flesh!

The painter is Cecilia Manners, and painting is her passion. Intelligent and thoughtful, Cecilia has no idea that Sebastian is in possession of her self-portrait. And she takes Sebastian's fiance in immediate dislike. Will mutual attraction lead Cecilia and Sebastian to one another?

The good news? "A Lady of Talent" has an interesting storyline, and Evelyn Richardson seems to know the period better than most writers. The bad news? "A Lady of Talent" is very slowly-paced, takes much concentration, and the dialogue is a bit stilted. When the characters talk to each other, especially when they're talking about themselves, it hardly seems natural. It almost sounds like they're giving a speech. My criticism has nothing to do with the period. I've read countless Regencies that don't sound as stiff as this.

All in all, I'd give it 2 1/2 stars. If you can handle the grueling pace, the story is somewhat enjoyable.

2.0 out of 5 stars Lackluster and Predictable Regency Romance, April 7, 2010

By 

AUPoohBear "aupoohbear" (New England, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Lady of Talent (Signet Regency Romance) (Paperback)

Years ago Sebastian, Earl of Charrington purchased a painting of a young woman in a print shop and the young woman in the painting quickly became his confidant and true companion and has in fact ruined any other woman for him. He's spent most of his adult years in business, working to regain the fortune his father lost. Now he is affianced to his mentor's only daughter, the beautiful Miss Barbara Wyatt. Barbara and Sebastian could not be more different: Barbara enjoys flirting and parties and longs to be part of the ton while Sebastian is more interested in intellectual pursuits. He feels that in a marriage of convenience, it doesn't matter much if the partners are not soul mates. As a betrothal gift, Sebastian hires a painter, C.A. Manners, whose paintings he admired at the Royal Academy, to paint Barbara. He is shocked to discover that C.A. Manners is a Miss Cecilia Manners and the woman in his painting! Cecilia loves painting more than anything and works hard at painting portraits to support her brother's expensive habits and to reclaim some of the cachet they lost when their father gambled away everything. Cecilia and Sebastian quickly become friends and confidants, discovering the passion and love that they've never known. However, Sebastian is engaged to Barbara and Cecilia is too proud and independent to rely on a man's help to solve her problems which of course creates more problems!

This is not the best of Richardson's novels. Sebastian comes across as creepy and kind of stalkerish. The young woman in the painting was only 12 at the time she painted herself and Sebastian fell in love with her picture! He didn't even try hard to find out who she was or whether she was really his ideal companion and when he did find her, he kept intruding on her privacy and trying to help her when they barely knew each other. They confide in each other too quickly and the solution is so painfully obvious that I didn't even really care about how it came about. Like all of Richardson's heroines, I admired Cecilia though she was more weepy and less independent than some of the others. Unlike most of Richardson's novels, this one doesn't get too bogged down in historical details which is a plus. Unless you feel compelled to read all her books, skip this one.