A Woman's Estate [Mass Market Paperback]

Roberta Gellis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1984

Fifth in the Heiress series. Abigail Lydden, widow of Francis, Lord Lydden, left America for England in the middle of the war of 1812 because her husband's father had died and her son was now heir to an earldom. Sir Arthur St. Eyre was also taken by surprise by Lord Lydden's death, finding himself executor of the earl's estate. Sir Arthur and Lady Lydden are thrown together and find it an attractive association, which becomes more and more intense when Victor's and Abigail's lives are threatened. But those threats are not the only problems. Sir Arthur is a Member of Parliament and eager for a British victory in America. Although British by birth, Abigail's sympathies are mainly with "poor little America", as a victim of Britain's armed power. The heat of contention only adds to the heat of attraction, but can Sir Arthur allow Abigail the independence she needs-and can he forgive her when he discovers she has committed treason? Accusation and enlightenment explode family ties, leaving Arthur and Abigail to reorder their lives. . . if they can. Publisher's Note: This book was originally published elsewhere in 1984.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Dell (November 1, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 044019749X
• ISBN-13: 978-0440197492
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,099,841 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Roberta Gellis has a varied educational background--a master's degree in biochemistry and another in medieval literature--and working history--10 years as a research chemist, many years as a free-lance editor of scientific manuscripts, and more than 40 years as a writer. She is married--to the same man for over 60 years (no mean feat in these days) and lives in Lafayette, Indiana, with her husband Charles and a lively Scottish terrier called Zoe. She has one child, Mark, who teaches Rhetoric (a fancy name for expository writing) at Kettering University in Michigan. Mark is married to Sandra and they have a lovely daughter, Elizabeth.

Gellis has been a successful writer of historical fiction, publishing over 25 meticulously researched historical novels since 1964. The best known of these are The Roselynde Chronicles (ROSELYNDE, ALINOR, JOANNA, GILLIANE, RHIANNON, and SYBELLE). The series has been reprinted many times since its first appearance in 1979, most recently in 2006. Gellis has also been the recipient of many awards, including the Silver and Gold Medal Porgy for historical novels from West Coast Review of Books, the Golden Certificate and Golden Pen from Affaire de Coeur, The Romantic Times Award for Best Novel in the Medieval Period (more than once) and Lifetime Achievement Award for Historical Fantasy, as well as Romance Writers of America's Lifetime Acheivement Award.

More recently Gellis has ventured into other genres, starting with mythological fantasy (DAZZLING BRIGHTNESS, SHIMMERING SPLENDOR, ENCHANTED FIRE, BULL GOD, and THRICE BOUND). Most recently she has written historical fantasy, with a series of book coauthored by Mercedes Lackey set in Elizabethan times (THIS SCEPTER'D ISLE, ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT, BY SLANDEROUS TONGUES, and AND LESS THAN KIND). Before that she was writing historical mysteries, a four-book series set in London and Oxford in 1139 (A MORTAL BANE, A PERSONAL DEVIL, BONE OF CONTENTION and CHAINS OF FOLLY) and one set in the Italian Renaissance in Ferrara (LUCREZIA BORGIA and the MOTHER OF POISONS).

Since Gellis is one of the early addicts to electronic readers---she purchased a RocketeBook way back in 1999---it is no surprise that she was eager to get her own out of print historical romances into electronic format. Cerridwen Press (http://www.cerridwenpress.com) has published the Heiress Series (THE ENGLISH HEIRESS, THE CORNISH HEIRESS, THE KENT HEIRESS, FORTUNE'S BRIDE, and A WOMAN'S ESTATE) as well as the Royal Dynasty Series (don't ask me about that, there isn't a royal or a dynasty in any of the four books---it was a notion of a long-ago agent) SIREN SONG, WINTER SONG, FIRE SONG, and A SILVER MIRROR. Cerridwen offers a variety of formats, one of which can be read by the Kindle and for those too firmly addicted to paper, the books are also available in a very nice Trade edition (but those are rather expensive).

I'm sorry I don't have any amusing anecdotes to relate, as recommended by the Profile, but a writer's life is really very quiet. Sometimes my neighbors ask my husband what has happened to me because they haven't seen me in such a long time. Depending on his humor of the moment, sometimes Charles tells them that I can't come outside because he keeps me chained to my computer---but that isn't true. He lets me get up once in a while.

Roberta Gellis

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Once bitten, twice shy..., May 25, 2008

By 

Zou Zou (cape cod,ma) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: A Woman's Estate (Mass Market Paperback)

An interesting novel, deeper than the usual Regency courtship romance.
The Heroine, American Bookseller, Abigail Lydden is the widow of the charming, reckless Englishman, Lord Francis Lydden.
Abigail had followed her heart when she married profligate Francis. Fortunately, he died before running through all of their assets. Now her son, Victor, is the heir to Rutupiae Hall. They sail from New York to England to accept Victor's inheritance.
Abigail discovers that Francis had a stepfamily and two cousins that he had never mentioned. The unhappy stepfamily is established at Rutupiae Hall. They are not pleased to meet the new Lord Lydden. One of the cousins, Whig politician Sir Arthur, is a co-executor of the Lydden Estate and must approve any estate expenditures. Abigail must navigate these new aristocratic waters and has decided not to mention her status or income as a Bookseller in New York.
There are numerous plot threads. A mystery: murderous attempts on young Victor's life. A romance: appealing Sir Arthur and cautious, self-protective Abigail. An Intrigue: Sir Arthur's efforts on behalf of England in negotiating a Peace Treaty at Ghent. An Injustice: English Property and Marriage Laws and Abigail's insistance on her personal and financial independence.
All of these threads are woven into a fast moving, informative and emotionally involving romance.
Recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Description is all Wrong but Book Is Great, December 2, 2009

By 

Sires "I enjoy mysteries, historical and proc... (Chesapeake, OH, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Woman's Estate (Heiress, Book Five) (Kindle Edition)

The description says something about a werewolf and a bracelet. This is not the story that Roberta Gellis tells in A Woman's Estate.

This book is part of a series of historical novels set by Ms Gellis during the Regency era.

I personally think that she is incapable of writing a bad book. Meticulous historical research, emphasis on interesting characters and a good plot keep the story clipping right along.

Even if you are looking for a werewolf book, you might want to at least try a sample.

3.0 out of 5 stars Stale by book five, January 30, 2012

By 

Victoria Dartmouth - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Woman's Estate (Heiress, Book Five) (Kindle Edition)

First of all, I love books. I have only not finished one book because it was so horrible.

This was almost the second. I liked the first four, and although they weren't my favorite, I still enjoyed them. She should have stopped with the fourth. This one seemed so out of sorts with the other four that had to do with war and subterfuge; this one was mostly about petty family. Not only that, but it dragged on and on. I do like how she had so much research and clear history in her books. However, it often got in the way of her plot and actually make me quite bored. I had to read three other books in the middle of this one because I was so bored. I put so much time in the other four and even in this one, that I had to finish it.

Unless you couldn't put the other four down, don't bother with this title. I got to the point where I couldn't stand that the two characters who were in "love" couldn't even keep lines of communication open. This is a common thread in all of her novels, and after a while it gets old. I know she is trying to add to the plot, but it just makes the "love" they share seem cheap.

I gave this book 3 stars only because it is well written and factual. If it weren't for that, it would get a one.