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Royal Regard (The Sailing Home Series Book 1) by [Mariana Gabrielle]

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Mariana Gabrielle

Royal Regard (The Sailing Home Series Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Mariana Gabrielle (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

24 ratings

Book 1 of 3: The Sailing Home Series

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When Bella Holsworthy returns to England after fifteen years roaming the globe with her husband, an elderly diplomat, she quickly finds herself in a place more perilous than any in her travels—the Court of King George IV. As the newly elevated Earl and Countess settle into an unfamiliar life in London, this shy, not-so-young lady faces wicked agendas, society's censure, and the realities of a woman soon to be alone in England.

Unaccustomed to the ways of the beau monde, she is disarmed and deceived by a dissolute duke and a noble French émigré with a silver tongue. Hindered by the meddling of her dying husband, not to mention the King himself, Bella must decide whether to choose one of her fascinating new suitors or the quiet country life she has searched the world to find.

Print length

318 pages
Language

English
Publication date

November 28, 2014
File size

1559 KB
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Editorial Reviews

From the Author

The Sailing Home Series

The Regency romances of Bella Smithson and her family. All books stand alone, but the suggested reading order is:

Royal Regard (full-length novel)
'Tis Her Season (prequel novella, in the Bluestocking Belles' Mistletoe, Marriage, and Mayhem box set)
Shipmate (prequel novella, available)
A Rose Renamed (prequel novella, coming Spring 2016)

--This text refers to the paperback edition.

About the Author

Mariana Gabrielle is a professional writer, editor, and designer living in Denver, Colorado. As well as Regency romance, under the name Mari Christie, she also writes mainstream historical fiction and poetry. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

ASIN : B00OM3VLCC
Publisher : Whaley Digital Press (November 28, 2014)
Publication date : November 28, 2014
Language : English
File size : 1559 KB
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Not Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 318 pages
Lending : Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #1,354,594 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #15,962 in Regency Historical Romance
- #22,075 in Regency Romances

Customer Reviews:
24 ratings

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4 star		28%
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Judge Tabor

A Dark Duke A Good Duke and an Unreasonable Woman

Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2015

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I think I might have goofed by reading the prequel Shipmate: A Royal Regard Prequel Novella (The Sailing Home Series Book 3) before reading this book. I had a rather different opinion of Myron's and Bella's relationship when I completed the prequel only to have most of my beliefs turn upside down once I got into this full book of their lives after 15 years of marriage. They’re now in London with Myron old, old, old, struggling with health issues, including gout.

At first it appears that Myron is still strong in heart and mind – if not strong in body and that he is the capable husband who will be able to watch over and protect Bella from the shark infested waters aka fortune hunters that begin circling once it is assumed he has only a short time to live. It appears there are two sharks who are persistent to say the least. I’ll refer to them as the dark duke and the good duke, although neither have pure motives.

The dark duke is Adolphe Fouret, the Duc de Malbourne, come to England after the Revolution killed off family and stole the family’s wealth. The good duke is Nick, Duke of Wellbridge, . Both dukes are practiced seducers, but whereas Malbourne wants Bella only for her wealth, Nick wants Bella only for his bed. He has a reputation as a seducer of other men's wives and Bella is next on his list.

Okay, I had some issues with the storyline and I can't or won't go into all of them in detail because it would wind up being a short novella so I think I'll do something I rarely do and that's list them. Please note, there be SPOILERS AHEAD!

1. Was Bella attractive or UGLY? Nick, who was a practiced seducer and obviously could have had most any woman, married or not wanted Bella more than he had ever wanted another woman – this was before he fell head over heels in love with her. She was commonly described as being ugly by most of the people in the book. Humdinger...

2. After reading the prequel, I found it very difficult to believe that Bella, who may not have loved Myron in a passionate way, but did live with him for 15 years and was pregnant with his children six times – having miscarried all six babes – indicating an active sexual relationship, would actively carry on flirtations with both Malbourne and Nick while Myron remained out of Society due to his health and work.

3. This same Bella had traveled the seas and into foreign countries for 15 years – with Myron – while both acted as ambassadors on behalf of Prinny, now the King of England. During that time, she was considered a favorite of foreign Kings and an active participant in Myron's business with these persons wherever they traveled. Even Prinny often valued her opinions above that of Myron's. During those 15 years she traveled on a vessel full of uncouth sailors. Yet, she is put forth to the reader as a type of "close to a virgin" innocent as a babe as she relates to the dukes. This woman who could and did use foul language, could dish it out right and left, knew how to protect herself with a knife, had traveled on land and sea for years, had miscarried six babies, rode astride like a man – basically lived in a man’s world for 15 years. Oh, and lest I forget grew up under the heavy hand of her wastrel father and two brothers. Yes, John wasn’t as bad as her father and Jeremy, but he did very little to protect her. Point being, she was not a naïve 12 year old girl, but as soon as she gets around the dukes, we are expected to believe she’s an innocent? Give me a break, please!

4. The real life Bella would never in a thousand years been taken in by the dark duke. Honestly, I was so frustrated with her dalliance with the jerk, when he kidnaps her, I’m thinking – “At long last, she will learn what he is.”

5. She was in love with Nick but she treated him like the crud beneath her feet except when she was trying to get him to finish the job he began in his study while her husband lay dying. This part I didn’t like. Then when Nick goes to her rescue and sits by her bedside while she recuperates, the first thing she does when she comes back to consciousness is reject him. Great time to begin acting like a wife who loved her first husband.

6. Last, because I can’t go on forever. What in the hey with John, her dud of a brother coming on the scene at the 11th hour and acting like the big almighty soldier there to protect his baby sister?!*!! Somebody help me out here please. I could not believe the rest of the story.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Nicely written but overly long and drawn out.

Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2015

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There's a lot to admire in this Regency. The writing is good. the plot idea is good, the characters are interesting, the dialogue is sharp, the Regency period is well researched. And I really enjoyed this for at least the first 50%, although the heroine did tend to have her moments of overreaction that annoyed.

It's 1820. The heroine Bella Holsworthy and her husband, wealthy middle-class businessman/world traveler Myron, who is perhaps twice her age, are back home in England after spending 15 years abroad exploring, doing business and making money for the Crown. There is talk that Myron, a favorite of Prinny, now King George IV, will be made an earl and promoted to the peerage.

A problem is that Myron is old and in very precarious health. He worries about what will happen to his 30-something wife Bella. She needs to be thinking about remarriage after his death and he wants to manage all this beforehand. There are men already hovering around Bella, who will be a very rich widow. Two of them are dukes and both are handsome, worldly, suave, debonair womanizers in their forties. Bella, rather shy in her interactions with men, finds herself interested in and attracted to both.

One duke is a French emigre and the other is British. Both seem to be quite serious about Bella, but is it serious as in having her as mistress or as wife? And if as wife is it for her money or for herself? And that is basically all there is to this story, so it seems reasonable to expect it to be of a reasonable length for a Regency.

Unfortunately, such is not the case. This book drags out the plot to the point where I became quite impatient with it all and with the erratic behavior in particular of the heroine and the inability of the lovers (Which duke, you say? I'm not saying but the better man will be quite obvious as the story progresses.) to speak rationally and not at cross purposes. This needed some editing to get rid of repetitive actions and some of the most annoying reactions of the protagonists. Too bad because this is well written and has good dialogue. There is, however, just so much misunderstanding and repetition of thought and action that I can take, even if it's all nicely packaged.

I'm not giving up on this author. I see from her author's page that there is a series in the works. I'll give at least the first one a try, whenever it comes out.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Linda Ulleseit

Captivating

Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2020

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The writing in this Regency novel is very well done. The setting and time period are well researched and described. The characters of Myron, the dukes, and Bella leap off the page into your heart almost immediately. I enjoyed the story very much. Having said that, I did wonder why Bella, who is described as ugly, has miscarried six times, and lived 'rough' for fifteen years, is so much the blushing virgin with the dukes. That didn't ring true. Overall, though, the story was captivating.

Helpful

Loves to Read

An Exceptional Read that will have you begging for more!

Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2015

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Today's book hangover is compliments of Mariana Gabrielle's exceptional writing in Royal Regard. I laughed. I cried. I gasped. I cheered. A full range of emotions kept me up most of the night only to continue on in the morning until I finished this marvelous book that had me wanting more. Ms. Gabrielle's attention to detail was incredible. Her dialogue captivating. Almost immediately, this reader fell in love her with her hero but then, what woman doesn't just love those handsome rogues and rakes? Her characters came right off the page and into my imagination! Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of this stunning Regency era novel. You won't be disappointed and if you're like me, you'll be looking forward to her next release!

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Kindle Customer

Worth the effort

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 5, 2017

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I found it difficult to get into this book, and nearly gave up a couple of times. It was difficult at first to tell who was the hero, and who the villain. Luckily I did persist. The hero started his journey to maturity, and the heroine showed she had a temper to match his. The external conflict was resolved fairly early, the internal though was not so easy, and its resolution was in doubt till the end. Every time I thought they would reach a compromise at last, they ended up shouting at each other again. I'm glad though I did persist.

Marcus Case

A Terrific Introduction to Regency Romance!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 7, 2015

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What a terrific introduction to Regency Romance! Packed with atmospheric description and impressive characterisation, and sizzling with occasional breathtaking intimacy, 'Royal Regard' is a wonderful read.
The plot intrigues from the off, twisting and turning its way through a substantial narrative to a fascinating and satisfying climax. Above all else, the dialogue deserves the greatest acclaim and Gabrielle offers a masterclass in this respect. I'm a UK reader and found all the characters and their perspectives utterly authentic as they drew me closer and closer to every single scene.
The book has been produced to the highest of standards and Gabrielle's editorial expertise is evident throughout. It deserves more than one encounter and I have no doubt it would entertain every time. Having read it on kindle, I have now bought the paperback edition for my library. For anyone (like me) new to the genre, there could not be a better starting point. Highly recommended.

Susan Johnson

Five Stars

Reviewed in Australia on April 9, 2016

Verified Purchase

The writing is superb and transports you straight to time and place.

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