Customer Reviews

A Scandalous Journey (Signet Regency Romance)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Beth Castleton was an American who moved to London where her only living relatives resided. She met George Winterbrook, Earl of Weymouth, at a house party during one of her first Society parties. She was humiliated when he, a stranger, gave her a direct cut! She would have been happy to never set eyes on him again. Fate had different ideas.

Lady Arabella Smalley kidnapped George, his four year old niece, Isabelle, and the child's "governess". Her plan was to use Isabella as blackmail and force the earl into marrying her. However, Lady Arabella did not know that Beth was NOT the governess. Nor did she expect Beth and George to escape, taking along a couple of her unhappy servants! She chased the group all the way back to London. Now "Society" had to be dealt with.

***** Lady Arabella Smalley is the type of villainess that readers LOVE to hate! I am amazed that this is actually a debut novel! It is very well written and the characters are perfectly developed!

Author Susannah Carleton is one to keep your eye on! If her next release is as grand as this one, she will be on her way to fame. I expect to be hearing this author's name on the lips of many fans in the near future. Highly recommended reading here! *****

Scotland and London - 1813

George Winterbrook, Earl of Weymouth is in a quandary. Bound and blindfolded, the earl suspects the noises and smells in the background are not attributed to a normal house party. When the blindfold is removed, his suspicions prove correct. A true thorn in the side of society, Lady Arabella Smalley has kidnapped George so she can marry him - by whatever means necessary. George is her intended ticket back into society. Using the earl's summarily and similarly kidnapped niece and her governess as blackmail, Arabella very nearly gets her way. She doesn't count on the earl and the "governess" concocting an escape plan.

Beth Castleton is not having a good day. Actually, it hasn't been a very good week, although she has only just found out she's been unconcious for the past five days. An orphaned American, Beth has moved to London to be with her only surviving relatives. She never imagined she would be the victim of mistaken identity thrown into the company of a man who recently gave her the cut direct. When the earl explains about the kidnappings and begs her to take his niece to safety, how can the proper, practical and compassionate Beth refuse?

What follows is a brave escape by George, Beth, George's niece Isabella, and two servants more than ready to leave the employ of the ... Lady Arabella and her cohorts. Confusion, mayhem and a gunshot wound to Beth's shoulder all preceed a mad, scandalous journey to London with Lady Arabella nipping at their heels.

Ms. Carleton creates a delightful cast of characters in this dramatic and sometimes humorous traditional Regency tale. George is presented as an honorable, romantic hero, very protective of his loved ones, including Beth. Beth can't help but start feeling tender toward the earl, but is still confused by his impolite reaction to first meeting her. Secondary characters, especially that of the Scottish maid, Moira, who defects from Lady Arabella, are just as endearing as the main characters. George's friend Elston begs for his own story to be told. Ms. Carleton guarantees his tale will be forthcoming in February, titled THE MARRIAGE CAMPAIGN.

Don't miss this exciting and tender debut by the talented, skillful Susannah Carleton!

When the Earl of Weymouth finds himself kidnapped, he is rescued by an unlikely hero...Beth Castleton. In Beth he finds a woman to admire, a friend, a woman whose reputation might be ruined because she saved him. He does the only honorable thing open to him...he offers to marry her. And is promptly refused.

Beth Castleton won't settle for less than love, and won't allow Weymouth to settle either. But when gossip of their adventure reaches the ears of the ton, she's left with two options, accept his offer, or leave London. Because she loves him she does the only thing she can...she leaves.

A regency with a wonderful twist, Susannah Carleton's debut novel is simply wonderful!

A Scandalous Journey by Susannah Carleton (Signet, September, 2002) combines a story of intrigue with a comedy of manners in a charming blend. Miss Beth Castleton, an American, is accidentally drawn into the abduction of a child, the niece of the Earl of Weymouth. She and the earl must work together to return the child to her father, overcome numerous complications, and somehow pass off the weeks of their journey from Scotland to London without bringing society's censure upon themselves.

Ms. Carleton manages both the intricate details of the journey and the delightful evolution of romance between Beth and the earl. Other than the despicable villainess, Lady Arabella, all of the characters are delightful. The London social scene comes alive through Ms. Carleton's pen, and the romance grows convincingly from cooperation through attraction through denial to fulfillment. I recommend the book highly and look forward to many more from Ms. Carleton in the future.

Victoria Hinshaw

This book had an excellent plot- not what I was expecting from a traditional regency. It was innovative and still had the requisite "guy gets the girl" ending. The only letdown was that the ending was rather rushed and it felt like a lot of action was shoved into the last two chapters that could have easily filled a few more. This book would have made an excellent novel without being rushed, and more detail could have been added after the wedding. Is the rumor true about a maximum page length for regencies?

I can't agree with the other reviewers about this book. While the set-up is good, the author has a terrible habit of repeating herself: something happens, then one person tells a second what happened, then the second person repeats it to a third, then the first tells it again to a fourth....and so on throughout the book. Once the reader knows what Arabella did there is no reason to repeat the exact details over and over and over.
I had a big problem with the plot, too. It is beyond any kind of credulity that a woman in Regency England would think of doing what Arabella did. It's not just a matter of criminality but a total dissociation from the norms of the day. Why would the daughter of the aristocracy believe that she could get away with this plot? And if she is supposed to be crazy, why isn't that made more clear?
One more plot problem: Why does she use a location in Weymouth's family? That was never clear or believable.
The inconsistency of titles is also rather annoying; the author needs to check the period's use of names and titles.
All in all, disappointing and tediously long.

George Winterbrook, Lord Weymouth, wakes up to find himself in an unfamiliar place with his hands and feet bound. He doesn't know where he is or how he came to be there. He soon learns that he has been abducted by his friend's former wife, who wishes to coerce Weymouth into marrying her. George refuses to marry without love, but Lady Arabella is persistent and threatens George's young niece Isabelle if he doesn't comply. Beth Castleton also awakens in an unfamiliar location with a throbbing headache. Her maid, though kind, does not know how Beth came to be in Scotland nor for what purpose. Beth is led to the book room where she will be able to speak with her hostess and get some answers. There George encounters Beth reciting square roots to calm her nerves. He hopes she will help rescue him, but doubts she will because she was rather frosty towards him when last they met at his cousin's house party. Beth agrees to help rescue young Isabelle and if possible, George too. Plans go awry and the journey back to London is difficult and dangerous but George is determined to protect both his niece and the intrepid young lady who did not hesitate to help him. Once safely back in London, Beth dreads the coming Season. She feels like a curiosity because she is American and doesn't fit in because she prefers mathematics to gossip. Weymouth introduces Beth to his family and friends to help calm her nerves. The one thing that can mar Beth's happiness, is the knowledge that she traveled unescorted with Weymouth. Though she enjoys his company, Beth refuses to force George to marry her unless he loves her. They may not have a choice if Lady Arabella has her way.

This is a rather unusual story. There is no exposition, the hero and heroine have already been introduced, and the plot picks up right away. Yet, I still felt the story was rather slow and I didn't really care what happened once the scandalous journey was over. The hero is a paragon. He's the exact opposite of a rake. He's a little too good to be true. I really liked Beth for being an intelligent and intrepid heroine but a little too prone to turn into a watering pot for lame reasons. If you're looking for something different and don't like rakish heroes, then try this one. It seems to be part of a series but background information is revealed throughout the story so those who have not read the previous books (like me) can enjoy this as a stand alone.

As has been said, this is a good story that is different from other regency novels. It took awhile for me to get into it, but when the story got moving a bit it was very enjoyable. I look forward to reading more from this author.