A Virtuous Lady [Paperback]

Elizabeth Thornton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1988

Briony Langland had no use for the superficial games of the ton. She did, however, have choice words for London's most notorious rake when she caught him dallying with his Diamond of the moment in her uncle's library. She never thought that her bold set-down would only inspire his lordship to employ his considerable charms to awaken her own deepest passions. Now, even as Briony steadfastly resists, she can't deny her attraction to this devilish gentleman, and she begins to wonder if perhaps she could reform him. Hugh Montgomery, Marques of Ravensworth, has never met a woman he couldn't seduce...and, just as easily forget. But Briony, so self possessed, so scrupulous, so determined to thwart him at every turn, has awakened something deep inside his cold, self-serving heart - a desire to experience love. However, his generous offer of carte blanche is exactly the wrong way to approach the lady. His lordship has a few lessons to learn in the art of sweet persuasion...and Briony may be just the woman to teach him.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Zebra (March 1, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821723146
• ISBN-13: 978-0821723142
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,616,163 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars What? Why? Where? Huh?????, April 9, 2004

By 

Ali O (Columbia, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Virtuous Lady (Zebra Historical Romance) (Paperback)

In this book, Briony Langland (a newly-orphaned semi-quaker from America) meets Hugh Montgomery, the Marquess of Ravensworth (a seeming rake and heir to a dukedom who is full of his own worth). She seems to be law-abiding and honest to a fault and, although Briony informs Ravensworth that she is his nemesis, a quarter-way into the book you find that she is much less of a prim & proper goody-two-shoes and he is much less of a conscienceless rake than they had first believed themselves to be, and soon they find themselves married (despite the fact that the original proposal had been carte blanche - "a marriage in all but name") and, although it seems to be neither a forced-marriage, nor an arranged marriage, nor a love-match, they do not know or trust each other at all. Until, suddenly, they do at the end.

Although I do not write a great many reviews, I do read a large number of romance novels: so far this year, I have read at least 100. As a reader, I tend to expect the book to make sense. I expect to understand through the characters' previous actions and thoughts and words that I have read to help me make sense of why they might do or say something. I should be able to expect a certain kind or reaction from the main characters. And yet, this book left me entirely puzzled. I kept getting blindsided by the characters changes/growth rather than seeing it unfold in their thought-processes and actions. When Ravensworth tells her he loves her, I wonder where it came from and whether it had been difficult to say and when he discovered he did love her. When she starts acting wild, I wonder how she changed overnight (just as I wonder how her cousin miraculously transformed). In the end, it seems less like the characters came to an understanding and more that the author simply got tired or writing or hit her page limit and so decided that, after 200+ pages they must understand each other by now. I'm also left to wonder why nothing happened after it was mentioned that she might not have as much money as she had been led to believe and why Briony never met the Duke (her new father-in-law).

Honestly, I wanted to smack the characters for being so tight-lipped and refusing to tell me, the reader, anything. I also kept having the urge to look back and see if I was actually only reading every third paragraph. This book left a lot to be desired which is sad because, honestly, I don't demand a lot from my romance novels. I just want to get away for a few hours and enjoy... unfortunately, it seemed nearly impossible to get to know the characters enough to really immerse myself into the story.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This can't be a NEW book?, April 16, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: A Virtuous Lady (Zebra Historical Romance) (Paperback)

I looked at the copyright page more than once! I couldn't believe this book was written in 2004. So muddled, so confused and so uninteresting. Hard to believe that Elizabeth Thornton, one of my favorite authors, actually put her name on it after writing much steamier, involved, intricate books. What happened here? Actually, I didn't much care.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Can I give this a Zero?, September 22, 2004

By 

book fanatic (Schenectady, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Virtuous Lady (Paperback)

I agree with all the other reviewers. What a snore. Even worse, the characters are inconsistent and annoying. Why a sensible young woman, would do such a turn-about and begin acting flighty makes no sense. Or why a wealthy lord, resistant to marriage, changes his mind when discovering his "prey" has money of her own and he is considered to be an honorable man? Scenarios where Briony could get in trouble just for being frank would have been much more believable and interesting. I'm only half way through this book and I looked up the reviews hoping someone would say it got better. Looks like I will be disappointed. Elizabeth Thornton is so much better than this. I, too, checked the copyright date. My PB copyright is 2004, but it's first printing was in 1988. I have to say, she's come a long way since then. I'm just glad this wasn't the first of her books I read or I would have never picked up another one!