TRIAL OF THE HEART by Julie DainesLORD EDMUND'S DILEMMA by Caroline WarfieldTHE ART OF KISSING IN THE PARK by Jaima FixsenCaroline Trenholme is not pleased with Bath, the fussy, antiquated resort of the shabby-genteel. She ought to be in London, finding a man-not here, coddling her irrational grandmother. In the park, she crosses paths (literally-this is Bath, after all) with a nameless, mannerless rogue, intent on stealing a kiss. As if his proposition weren't insult enough, even her dog seems to like the man better. It's impossible! Especially once she suspects she might like him too...
Lucy Ashcroft doesn't share her stepmother's belief that she might find a husband during her sojourn in Bath, but she does enjoy a respite from a household full of half-siblings and a younger sister preparing for her London Season, something Lucy can't even dream about. In Bath, she enjoys the company of the elderly ladies in her aunt's circle, and happy to be out from under her stepmother's watchful and speculating eye. But when Lucy meets Lord Edmund Parker, all of her expectations for a quiet, unassuming holiday suddenly change.
Marianne Wood has been summoned to Bath to testify against the man who killed her family. She dreads coming face to face with the monster of her nightmares, but finds surprising comfort under the care of a charming barrister, Harby Northam. Despite his kindly attentions, Mr. Northam is a shrewd and discerning man of law with an awful secret. Marianne is put to the test as she deals with the evil of her past and her growing affection for the mysterious Mr. Northam.
As our dear readers may or may not know, Sissy and I took ourselves off to the UK last fall. We've been wanting to go to the UK forever and all the stars aligned suddenly to make it possible, so we went! We'll write another post one of these days detailing all of our adventures, but today, we're focusing on Bath - both our trip there and these delightful novellas set in Regency-era Bath.
The first story, Trial of the Heart by Julie Daines is different than most Regency romances in that our heroine is testifying in a murder trial and almost gets killed herself. It's almost like a cozy Regency romance mystery. Is that a thing?
If it's not a thing, it should be!
Anyway, this unique premise made the story that much more interesting, don't you think, Bubby?
I totally agree. I love the fact that these stories are taking place in Bath at the same time that Jane Austen was living in Bath. Going to the Jane Austen Centre and visiting the house where she lived was one of the highlights of our Bath trip. See? We have proof we were there! (I was just behind the camera...)
We do have pictures of you, Bubby, but your pride is like unto a Regency Era grand dame when it comes to which likenesses of yourself you allow out into the public. Pish posh! Since there is no proof you actually accompanied me to Bath, I will just continue on with our next story, Lord Edmund's Dilemma by Caroline Warfield. In this tale our protagonist Lucy spends much time in the Pump Room with her aunt and her aunt's widowed friends. Some of these poor ladies, although upper class, are quite low on money, and Lucy's job is to get them extra cups of healing water without the required tickets.
We saw the Pump Room. It's a restaurant now, but still looks much like it did back in the day, as you can see in the pictures below.
We also tasted the "healing water" and it was disgusting! Anyhow, Lucy manages to meet a wonderful young man in the pump room, and their relationship may or may not endure meddling mothers, nosy old ladies, and class distinctions.
I'm not a big one for class distinctions, but I am a great meddling mother and intend to someday rock the role of bossy, nosy old lady, just like Sissy. Speaking of bossy and nosy old ladies, our last novella is The Art of Kissing in the Park by Jaima Fixsen, which introduces us to Jack and Caroline and my favorite character in the whole collection, Caroline's very naughty grandmother.
Yes, Caroline's grandmother encourages her to have a "dalliance", shall we say, with a handsome doctor (Jack), because of course she can't possibly marry below her station. Or can she?
There were so many funny moments in this story. I laughed out loud! As always, each story has our requisite happy ending. The only disappointment for me is that none of these stories mentioned my favorite part of Bath - the actual Roman Baths. I know that fashionable people actually swam about as well as drinking the water, but as the pools are lined with lead and covered in algae these days, Sissy and I did not partake. (We couldn't have even if we'd wanted to. It's no longer allowed.)
Bubby tried to become one with the Goddess Minerva and dive into the slime-covered pool, but I grabbed her back and told her I'd take her home if she didn't behave.
Not true. Except for wanting to become one with the Goddess Minerva. She's pretty!
And so were the Roman Baths. Totally amazing and fascinating. It was such fun to read this Timeless Regency Collection and relive our own splendid holiday in Bath. The stories, as usual, bring a different twist to your average Regency and are a perfect accompaniment to your afternoon tea.
Click to buy A Holiday in Bath (Timeless Regency Collection 7)
