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4.0 out of 5 stars
Compilation volume of the first two novels in the Lester trilogy,
By Marshall Lord (Whitehaven, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Season for Marriage (Paperback)
At the outset of her writing career, Stephanie Laurens wrote a trilogy of regency romance novels about three Lester siblings, Lenore, Jack, and Harry.
The three books have been published individually as The Reasons for Marriage (Lenore), A Lady of Expectations (Jack), and An Unwilling Conquest (Harry). The whole trilogy has also been published in one volume as Rogues' Reform: The Reasons for Marriage, a Lady of Expectations, an Unwilling Conquest. For some reason Mills & Boon have also brought out this book which contains just the first two novels in the trilogy. There is a fourth book in the sequence, "A Comfortable Wife" featuring Lord Ruthven, a friend of the Lesters and a minor character in their trilogy, runs into a young lady who is trying to convince him that she would make him a comfortable wife, thinking that's what he's looking for. Fortunately for them both, he doesn't want anything of the kind. These books were written well before the Cynster, Bastion Club, and Black Cobra books. One consequence of this is that the Lester novels are much closer in form to the traditional regency romance story and do not have as much in the way of detailed description of lovemaking between the hero and heroine as most of Stephanie Lauren's more recent books. Nor had Miss Laurens yet developed the plot which she has re-used with minor variations in 80% of her recent books. The standard Laurens plot goes as follows: Noble rake meets intelligent spinster or widow in her late twenties, decides immediately that she is the woman he wants to marry, and that the best way to persuade her is to seduce her and thoroughly ravish her every twenty pages for the rest of the book. Unfortunately, because he doesn't have the sense to say certain important words, and she is only prepared to marry for love, she refuses to marry him until the villain tries to murder one of both of them and in the process of frustrating the villain both discover and reveal their true feelings. Neither of the novels which make up this volume conform to that stereotype, although both of them contain strong hints from which you can see how Miss Laurens developed it. The first book, "The reasons for marriage" begins with the Duke of Eversleigh contemplating the fact that his brother's death means that he will have to marry to secure the future of the Dukedom. Having seduced a great many other men's wives, he is determined to find a woman who will be faithful to him, and absolutely does not want to marry some hen-witted teenage deb. Having decided that he wants to marry an intelligent lady of the ton with impeccable morals, experience of running a household, and whose company he has not already decided he cannot stand, he has very few candidates to choose from. In fact there appears to be only one candidate who fits the bill: Lady Lenore Lester, who is a virtual recluse who keeps house for her father and brothers. Lenore Lester has long abandoned any thought of marriage and become adept at avoiding the attentions, not always honorable, of her brothers' and father's guests at Lester Hall. It comes as rather a shock when no less a personage than a duke sees through her deliberately frumpish appearance and begins courting her. But are his reasons for marriage the ones she would share? The second novel, "A Lady of Expectations" tells the story of Lenore's oldest brother Jack, who like the Duke of Eversleigh and a great many Stephanie Laurens heroes in subsequent books, needs to marry to secure an heir. The ton thinks that the Lester family are still in straightened financial circumstances: Jack is deliberately keeping quiet the fact that there has been a turnaround in their fortunes because he does not want to be besieged by debutantes and their matchmaking mothers. It had not occurred to him that the woman he wants might have unselfish reasons for refusing to marry him if she too believes him to be in straightened circumstances ... The reasons given for the turnround in the Lester fortunes in both books are rather anachronistic: it is based on the success of an investment in shipping. In fact ton, as high society was named, looked down on those whose income came from "trade" e.g. anything other than owning land. A noble family like the Lesters would generally be ashamed to own wealth which came from shipping. Having said that, it is true that when even the most haughty families were desperately short of cash they were known to bend those scruples. Overall this is a reasonably entertaining pair of novels. But other things being equal, you would probably do better to get "Rogues Reform" which has the full trilogy, and if you enjoy them, follow up with "A comfortable wife". Incidentally there is a fourth Lester sibling, Gerald the youngest brother. To the best of my knowledge there isn't a book about him yet, but I wouldn't bet against one appearing at some stage - probably linked in with the Cynsters!
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