A Singular Lady (Signet Regency Romance) [Paperback]

Megan Frampton (Author)

Book Description

Series: Signet Regency Romance | Publication Date: October 4, 2005

Recently impoverished orphan Titania Stanhope must marry money if she plans to survive. The Earl of Oakley has money, but, in an attempt to keep gold-digging girls at bay, keeps it a secret. Then he meets Titania, whose sharp wit and keen mind are rivaled only by her lovely face.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

For Love Or Money

During the Season, debutantes rush to London to find a man who'll fill their hearts with love--or their bankbooks with money. The Honorable Titania Stanhope is of the latter category. She simply has no choice--for her father has bequeathed his entire fortune to his mistress. Armed with velvet, dancing slippers, and a firm resolve, Titania heads to do battle in the ballroom in order to vanquish--and marry--a gentleman who can afford to keep her family from ruin.

Edwin Worthington, Earl of Oakley, wants nothing to do with money-grubbing young ladies. He wears scuffed boots and old jackets, allowing Society to regard him as the penniless black sheep of a wealthy family. But in reality he has a fortune--and no plan to marry--until he meets Titania, a woman whose sharp wit and keen mind are rivaled only by her lovely face. Can Edwin let go of his pride in order to follow his heart?

About the Author

Megan Frampton's love affair with books began when her gormless parents (not an ounce of gorm between them. And let's not even mention feck) moved her to a remote town in New Hampshire where there was only one television station.

And then the TV broke.

She devoured every book of fiction in her well-read parents' library, finding special joy in Barbara Cartland, Georgette Heyer, C.S. Lewis, Anya Seton and the fairy tales collected and translated by Andrew Lang.

Megan majored in English literature at Barnard College She worked in the music industry for 15 years, editing and writing music reviews for a music industry trade magazine. Eventually, she became the Editor-in-Chief and went on to develop music industry conference programs.

Megan married one of her former interns and lives in Brooklyn, NY, with him and her son. Now that she stays at home, Megan has returned to reading – and writing – the fiction that was her first love.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Signet (October 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451216830
• ISBN-13: 978-0451216830
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,966,668 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A pleasant read with some flaws, February 3, 2006

By 

Ulrike Horstmann (Aschaffenburg, Germany) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Singular Lady (Signet Regency Romance) (Paperback)

Even before I started reading „A Singular Lady" I was inclined to be charmed because I had read in the blurb that the hero was called Edwin - such a delightfully down-to-earth name and such a change from all the Justins and Alexanders. My delight turned to dismay, however, when I discovered in the course of the first two chapters that the heroine was in the worst Barbara Cartland tradition: the "I must carry the whole financial burden of my brother's impoverished estate on my shoulders and not breathe a syllable to him about it because he must be kept safe from the knowledge" sort. Gah! I kept on reading, anyway, and found the rest of the novel a mixture between good and not quite so good points. On the plus side, the author has a dry sense of humour that shows to greatest advantage in the interior monologues. In fact, I would love to read a book by her that was just straightforward funny and lacked the melodrama of this one. The author loves to use long and rare words, however, and sometimes these tended to overwhelm the otherwise pleasant style.

Besides hero and heroine (if you ignore her stubborn desire for self-sacrifice), many of the characters are engaging: the younger brother, the dandified ex-soldier, the chaperone who has a romance on the side. Most unfortunately, Megan Frampton did not give these secondary characters enough space to develop in the narrative, because she chose of overcrowd the novel with too many plot-twists, especially in the last few chapters. In fact she introduced new, surprising twists with almost every page by then, so that neither the reader nor the protagonists have the space to react emotionally to each new turn, and a disappointingly high number of threads are left loose. This is a real shame, because there potential here, and a less convoluted ending would have been much more satisfying.

A word on titles and forms of address, even if this means to be nit-picking: If Edwin Worthington, Earl of Oakley, is son and heir to the Marquess of Taunton (p. 32), he is addressed as Lord Oakley and his father as Lord Taunton. When Megan Frampton calls both gentlemen Lord Worthington, sometimes on the same page, it is unnessecarily confusing and shows sloppy research.

All in all, the book is a pleasant read with some flaws which shows definite promise, and it will be interesting to see how the author develops in a (hopefully soon to be written) second novel.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fresh, fun voice, October 22, 2005

By 

Myretta Robens (Boston) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Singular Lady (Signet Regency Romance) (Paperback)

Megan Frampton's debut book is smart and fun. The story of an impoverished blue stocking and a faux-impoverished earl is told with wit and charm. The heroine's anonymous newspaper column, "Reports from the Battlefront," about her search for a husband, begins each chapter, and provides a hint of our heroine's wry humor.

A Singular Lady is not perfect, but it is well worth picking up. Ms. Frampton is an original. Her unique voice and intelligent writing make her someone to look for in the future.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Warming and Exciting!, November 2, 2006

By 

Ann V. - See all my reviews

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

I was all prepared to write a long review of this book, but I can't. Let's just say I finished the book the day after getting it and wished that I had spaced it out longer to savor it. Even though I just read it, I plan to read it again this weekend. I simply can't wait any longer to reread it.

There are some faults. There are certain characters I wish I could know more about such as Claire, but you'll definitely come to know the heroine, Titania, very well. As a reader, it is so easy to fall in love with the hero, Edwin. He knows exactly what he wants, and he pursues it. I don't even view any of his actions negatively. He pursued Titania because he knew she wanted him too. It's true Edwin's behavior is a little less formal and predictable than the Lords of his time period, but he did just arrive back to England from America which probably accounts for some of the difference. That and the writing style isn't as formal as some of the Christmas Regency short stories I've read.

I highly recommend this light and easy read (even though it was emotionally engaging for me-I was sad when it was over!). After reading A Singular Lady you just might be willing to go back to the 1800s and give up electricity and all your modern-day amenities because you will be yearning for a Season of your own.