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scoutmomskf's review against another edition
5.0
Terrific conclusion to the series. The book opens as Aurelia discovers the existence of two half-sisters and an unexpected inheritance. The news of the inheritance comes as a great relief as Aurelia contemplates selling herself to keep body and soul together. As she has no affairs to get in order, she intends to go directly to London and begin to fulfill the requirements of the will: spend the Season in London, marry by the end of the Season, and stay away from the new Lord Tregowan.
The latter proves to be the most difficult. She first encountered Max at the lawyer's office the day she learned of her inheritance - and that Max had been disinherited. We see Max's bewilderment and bitterness as he'd counted on those funds to help his estate. Though Aurelia knows who he is, Max has no idea that the woman he nearly knocked over was one of those at the root of his problems. Complicating matters, they shared the same mail-coach on the way to London, giving Aurelia the chance to get to know him a little bit. Shared food and a little conversation, and it's easy to see that a connection formed between them.
I liked both Aurelia and Max. Aurelia had a difficult childhood, her mother having been married off to the first man who would take her after she became pregnant by her employer. Her "father" was a wastrel who ran through the money he was paid and took out his resentment on Aurelia and her mother. It's no surprise that she has a poor opinion of "gentlemen" and vows never to marry one. Early on, it is evident that Aurelia is forthright, feisty, and practical. Having been barely scraping by for so long, she is determined to do nothing to put her inheritance at risk. I enjoyed her arrival in London and watching her settle into her new life. There are some amusing instances as she and her chaperone, Mrs. Butterby, butt heads over what is deemed suitable. I liked seeing Aurelia stand up for the things that are important to her. During this time, she has a few more encounters with Max, even after she confesses to the prohibition that keeps them apart. As an heiress, Aurelia draws a great deal of attention from the eligible men, but she is unimpressed by any of them. Most of them live down to her expectations. Unfortunately, the only one who appeals she can't have.
Max is a terrific man. He is intelligent, handsome, and honorable. He is also caught in a difficult situation. Because his father was an inveterate gambler, Max was stuck with a crumbling estate and nothing to support it with. Lady Tregowan had promised that he would inherit when she passed, so he took out a loan on those expectations, attempting to repair his home and bring the mine that supports it back into production. Losing the inheritance was a bitter blow, especially as his mother and sister are due to arrive any time. He has no choice but to make a practical marriage, which goes against everything he wants and believes in. I had to laugh at Max's conversations with his friend Simon (who needs his own story!) as Simon does everything he can to help Max find the right dowry to marry.
I ached for Max and Aurelia, whose feelings for each other continued to grow despite their best efforts to ignore them. The sparks between them grow stronger, too, and harder to resist. Max is a little more honest about his feelings and willing to consider giving up the quest for a rich wife to have the woman he wants. But Aurelia fears going back to the days of uncertainty and hunger and remembers the resentment that the lack of funds created in her stepfather. It takes a great deal of soul-searching and advice from a surprising source before Aurelia makes a final decision.
The epilogue was terrific, and I loved seeing all three couples together. It also brought the threads of all three books together to form the final picture of how everything worked out. While I wasn't surprised by what happened, I loved seeing how it was done.
One of the things I thoroughly enjoyed about this series was how the stories took place simultaneously. Many events were the same but told from the perspective of that book's heroine and through that heroine's own experiences.
The latter proves to be the most difficult. She first encountered Max at the lawyer's office the day she learned of her inheritance - and that Max had been disinherited. We see Max's bewilderment and bitterness as he'd counted on those funds to help his estate. Though Aurelia knows who he is, Max has no idea that the woman he nearly knocked over was one of those at the root of his problems. Complicating matters, they shared the same mail-coach on the way to London, giving Aurelia the chance to get to know him a little bit. Shared food and a little conversation, and it's easy to see that a connection formed between them.
I liked both Aurelia and Max. Aurelia had a difficult childhood, her mother having been married off to the first man who would take her after she became pregnant by her employer. Her "father" was a wastrel who ran through the money he was paid and took out his resentment on Aurelia and her mother. It's no surprise that she has a poor opinion of "gentlemen" and vows never to marry one. Early on, it is evident that Aurelia is forthright, feisty, and practical. Having been barely scraping by for so long, she is determined to do nothing to put her inheritance at risk. I enjoyed her arrival in London and watching her settle into her new life. There are some amusing instances as she and her chaperone, Mrs. Butterby, butt heads over what is deemed suitable. I liked seeing Aurelia stand up for the things that are important to her. During this time, she has a few more encounters with Max, even after she confesses to the prohibition that keeps them apart. As an heiress, Aurelia draws a great deal of attention from the eligible men, but she is unimpressed by any of them. Most of them live down to her expectations. Unfortunately, the only one who appeals she can't have.
Max is a terrific man. He is intelligent, handsome, and honorable. He is also caught in a difficult situation. Because his father was an inveterate gambler, Max was stuck with a crumbling estate and nothing to support it with. Lady Tregowan had promised that he would inherit when she passed, so he took out a loan on those expectations, attempting to repair his home and bring the mine that supports it back into production. Losing the inheritance was a bitter blow, especially as his mother and sister are due to arrive any time. He has no choice but to make a practical marriage, which goes against everything he wants and believes in. I had to laugh at Max's conversations with his friend Simon (who needs his own story!) as Simon does everything he can to help Max find the right dowry to marry.
I ached for Max and Aurelia, whose feelings for each other continued to grow despite their best efforts to ignore them. The sparks between them grow stronger, too, and harder to resist. Max is a little more honest about his feelings and willing to consider giving up the quest for a rich wife to have the woman he wants. But Aurelia fears going back to the days of uncertainty and hunger and remembers the resentment that the lack of funds created in her stepfather. It takes a great deal of soul-searching and advice from a surprising source before Aurelia makes a final decision.
The epilogue was terrific, and I loved seeing all three couples together. It also brought the threads of all three books together to form the final picture of how everything worked out. While I wasn't surprised by what happened, I loved seeing how it was done.
One of the things I thoroughly enjoyed about this series was how the stories took place simultaneously. Many events were the same but told from the perspective of that book's heroine and through that heroine's own experiences.
katybooklover's review against another edition
4.0
La vita di Miss Aurelia Croome cambia all’improvviso quando scopre di avere due sorelle e di essere diventata un’ereditiera. Ora, non dovrà più patire la fame o essere vittima delle circostanze. Tuttavia, per ereditare quello che le spetta, deve sposarsi entro un anno. Ma il mondo in cui ora vive, fatto di balli, feste e mezze verità, non è così bello come immaginava. Inoltre, deve anche difendere il proprio patrimonio dai cacciatori di dote.
Lord Maximilian Tregowan è il solo uomo che ha catturato la sua attenzione e l’unico che non potrebbe mai avere. Max si trova in serie difficoltà economiche e la sua unica possibilità è quella di contrarre un matrimonio vantaggioso. Quando conosce Aurelia tra loro scatta subito qualcosa, ma lei è la sola donna che non potrà mai sposare. Saranno disposti a sacrificare i loro sogni in nome del sentimento che li unisce?
I due protagonisti mi sono piaciuti molto, quando ho letto il primo libro e ho conosciuto Aurelia ero un pochino restia nei suoi confronti, perché viene subito dipinta come una donna decisa con pochi peli sulla lingua e che non vede per niente di buon occhio chi appartiene all’aristocrazia. Pensavo, quindi, che sarebbe stata troppo intransigente, oppure sfacciata. Mi sono dovuta ricredere e sono molto contenta di averlo fatto. Aurelia Croome è sì una donna decisa, cauta, intelligente e molto diretta. Tuttavia, non è affatto intransigente o troppo giudicante, la definirei piuttosto diffidente ma senza essere troppo esagerata. Inoltre, la sua storia la porta a evolvere tantissimo e sono felice del percorso che l’autrice le ha fatto intraprendere. È molto legata alle sue sorellastre anche se le ha conosciute da poco, del resto ha avuto un’infanzia difficile e sapere di non essere più sola e di non doversi più preoccupare per il futuro è per lei fonte di grande conforto.
Lord Maximilian Tregowan non è il classico aristocratico che ti aspetti, anche lui ha alle spalle un passato difficile e anche se si trova in ristrettezze economiche e con non pochi problemi si comporta da perfetto galantuomo. Il suo personaggio mi è piaciuto molto, ha un carattere focoso e passionale, ma è un uomo molto buono e, soprattutto, giusto.
La loro storia d’amore procede per gradi, senza affrettare troppo le tappe e senza lasciare troppo il lettore sulle spine. Ho apprezzato molto il fatto che, a un certo punto, entrambi prendono reale coscienza del sentimento che li unisce. Come avrete potuto intuire avranno non pochi ostacoli da superare e dovranno contare sulla forza del loro amore.
La trama procede in modo lineare ma accattivate. Ho apprezzato tantissimo vedere anche le altre due coppie, Dolph e Leah e Jack e Beatrice. Ho avuto modo di curiosare nelle loro vite dopo sposate e mi ha fatto davvero piacere.
L’epilogo, poi, è davvero bello. Mi ha regalato tantissime emozioni e dover dire loro “addio” non è stato semplice perché questa serie è davvero molto carina e godibile.
Lord Maximilian Tregowan è il solo uomo che ha catturato la sua attenzione e l’unico che non potrebbe mai avere. Max si trova in serie difficoltà economiche e la sua unica possibilità è quella di contrarre un matrimonio vantaggioso. Quando conosce Aurelia tra loro scatta subito qualcosa, ma lei è la sola donna che non potrà mai sposare. Saranno disposti a sacrificare i loro sogni in nome del sentimento che li unisce?
I due protagonisti mi sono piaciuti molto, quando ho letto il primo libro e ho conosciuto Aurelia ero un pochino restia nei suoi confronti, perché viene subito dipinta come una donna decisa con pochi peli sulla lingua e che non vede per niente di buon occhio chi appartiene all’aristocrazia. Pensavo, quindi, che sarebbe stata troppo intransigente, oppure sfacciata. Mi sono dovuta ricredere e sono molto contenta di averlo fatto. Aurelia Croome è sì una donna decisa, cauta, intelligente e molto diretta. Tuttavia, non è affatto intransigente o troppo giudicante, la definirei piuttosto diffidente ma senza essere troppo esagerata. Inoltre, la sua storia la porta a evolvere tantissimo e sono felice del percorso che l’autrice le ha fatto intraprendere. È molto legata alle sue sorellastre anche se le ha conosciute da poco, del resto ha avuto un’infanzia difficile e sapere di non essere più sola e di non doversi più preoccupare per il futuro è per lei fonte di grande conforto.
Lord Maximilian Tregowan non è il classico aristocratico che ti aspetti, anche lui ha alle spalle un passato difficile e anche se si trova in ristrettezze economiche e con non pochi problemi si comporta da perfetto galantuomo. Il suo personaggio mi è piaciuto molto, ha un carattere focoso e passionale, ma è un uomo molto buono e, soprattutto, giusto.
La loro storia d’amore procede per gradi, senza affrettare troppo le tappe e senza lasciare troppo il lettore sulle spine. Ho apprezzato molto il fatto che, a un certo punto, entrambi prendono reale coscienza del sentimento che li unisce. Come avrete potuto intuire avranno non pochi ostacoli da superare e dovranno contare sulla forza del loro amore.
La trama procede in modo lineare ma accattivate. Ho apprezzato tantissimo vedere anche le altre due coppie, Dolph e Leah e Jack e Beatrice. Ho avuto modo di curiosare nelle loro vite dopo sposate e mi ha fatto davvero piacere.
L’epilogo, poi, è davvero bello. Mi ha regalato tantissime emozioni e dover dire loro “addio” non è stato semplice perché questa serie è davvero molto carina e godibile.
emmalb1984's review
5.0
Janice Preston’s ‘Lady Tregowan’s Will’ series ends with the story of Aurelia Croome, who finds herself removed from her life of poverty through the inheritance, but stumbles into potential trouble when she meets, and begins to fall for Max Penrose, the current Lord Tregowan, otherwise known as the one man the sisters are forbidden to marry in order to claim their share of the will.
One of the interesting concepts of this story is that, although it is book three in the series, Aurelia is actually the first of the sisters to arrive in London, and, having read the first two books (although the story works perfectly well as a stand-alone), it is nice to see what Aurelia was doing before the others arrived and to get to know her character independently of the other members of the family.
Aurelia’s journey to London with Max is both a good plot device for the characters to form a connection and an entertaining opening section to the story as Aurelia is in full knowledge of who Max is in relation to the will, whilst Max is blissfully ignorant as to where is travelling companion is going. As the two begin to bond, the reader becomes almost immediately invested in the pair and you quickly start wondering how the caveats of the inheritance could be circumvented in the pursuit of a happy ending, and it is thanks to Janice Preston’s excellent writing and plot-pacing that, whilst we are aware of the implications of Aurelia falling for Max, we still look forward to them overcoming the obstacles and finding a way to make things work.
A strength of Janice Preston’s writing over this series has been to see some of the scenes from the other books played out from Aurelia’s point of view in this book, and it is good to see Leah and Dolph’s marriage and Beatrice and Jack’s romance emerging through different eyes and both events then force Aurelia to consider what she wants from life. Given her brush with destitution prior to finding out about the will, it is understandable that she is wary of giving up her new found comfort for a future with Max, but the author provides her characters with plenty of food for thought throughout, and, whilst a happy ending seems somewhat improbable at times, it is heartwarming to watch the growth of both Max and Aurelia as the story develops.
One of the things I loved most about this story was it’s message that sometimes love does conquer all, and as we head towards the conclusion there is still doubt as to whether Aurelia can find her happy ever after with Max, but the wonderfully romantic scenes between them as the pair fight their feelings give hope and leave you smiling as Aurelia starts to realise that being happy is her goal, and, having found her sisters and seeing them happy, she realises that giving up Max is not going to make her happy in the end.
As always, there are some entertaining secondary characters who add so much to the story including the delightful Mrs. Butterby (the unsung hero of all three books), Mr and Mrs Austerly, and the scene stealing Simon Effingham who really needs his own book at some point. The characters we have met in the previous books all add to the plot, and along with Max and Aurelia create a memorable London Season.
A fitting conclusion to a wonderful series, ‘The Penniless Debutante’ is another delightful book from Janice Preston filled with romance, humour, emotional moments and memorable characters who capture your heart, and which compels you to keep reading to the very end.
One of the interesting concepts of this story is that, although it is book three in the series, Aurelia is actually the first of the sisters to arrive in London, and, having read the first two books (although the story works perfectly well as a stand-alone), it is nice to see what Aurelia was doing before the others arrived and to get to know her character independently of the other members of the family.
Aurelia’s journey to London with Max is both a good plot device for the characters to form a connection and an entertaining opening section to the story as Aurelia is in full knowledge of who Max is in relation to the will, whilst Max is blissfully ignorant as to where is travelling companion is going. As the two begin to bond, the reader becomes almost immediately invested in the pair and you quickly start wondering how the caveats of the inheritance could be circumvented in the pursuit of a happy ending, and it is thanks to Janice Preston’s excellent writing and plot-pacing that, whilst we are aware of the implications of Aurelia falling for Max, we still look forward to them overcoming the obstacles and finding a way to make things work.
A strength of Janice Preston’s writing over this series has been to see some of the scenes from the other books played out from Aurelia’s point of view in this book, and it is good to see Leah and Dolph’s marriage and Beatrice and Jack’s romance emerging through different eyes and both events then force Aurelia to consider what she wants from life. Given her brush with destitution prior to finding out about the will, it is understandable that she is wary of giving up her new found comfort for a future with Max, but the author provides her characters with plenty of food for thought throughout, and, whilst a happy ending seems somewhat improbable at times, it is heartwarming to watch the growth of both Max and Aurelia as the story develops.
One of the things I loved most about this story was it’s message that sometimes love does conquer all, and as we head towards the conclusion there is still doubt as to whether Aurelia can find her happy ever after with Max, but the wonderfully romantic scenes between them as the pair fight their feelings give hope and leave you smiling as Aurelia starts to realise that being happy is her goal, and, having found her sisters and seeing them happy, she realises that giving up Max is not going to make her happy in the end.
As always, there are some entertaining secondary characters who add so much to the story including the delightful Mrs. Butterby (the unsung hero of all three books), Mr and Mrs Austerly, and the scene stealing Simon Effingham who really needs his own book at some point. The characters we have met in the previous books all add to the plot, and along with Max and Aurelia create a memorable London Season.
A fitting conclusion to a wonderful series, ‘The Penniless Debutante’ is another delightful book from Janice Preston filled with romance, humour, emotional moments and memorable characters who capture your heart, and which compels you to keep reading to the very end.
robinwalter's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
A satisfactory end to the trilogy, 2 out of 3 ain't bad.