
A Countess Below Stairs
- Eva Ibbotson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I have heard a lot about Eva Ibbotson’s books for children, but I haven’t read them yet. In my current regency binge phase, I came across this and based on the recommendations, it seemed to be a good one. However, it left me very disappointed.
The plot is entirely predictable at every stage. The main character (the countess of the title) is a Mary Sue (a new phrase I have learnt!) type, annoyingly perfect. Anna and Muriel are both completely one-dimensional - Anna is kind to and loved by everyone, whereas Muriel is despotic and cruel to one an all, and this includes not just the adults, but a kid and a dog. For each and every person, their respective behaviors are constantly set in contrast, and I don’t think a reader needs so many reminders to understand how evil a person Muriel is. The hero, Rupert, doesn't have much to do in the book, except play a martyr to his commitment. He is willing to sacrifice everyone's life because, you know, he gave his word to Muriel. However, he also gave a promise to little Ollie, which he can't be bothered to keep - utterly despicable character, who has to be rescued by others by devious means.
It seems to include nearly all of the tropes of the genre, including the heroine being high nobility and a misunderstanding separating the lead pair. It is also too verbose, and I skipped pages of examples or illustration to make the same point.

Lord Sidley's Last Season
- Sherry Lynn Ferguson
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
I chanced upon this book, while trying to find clean regency romance with humor, besides Heyer. It certainly fulfilled my expectations, and perhaps more.
I loved that the heroine is not just an independent, sensible girl, but also a talented artist. She does aspire for love and family, but her art is a passion which she does not want to give up. This is a kind of aspiration I haven't come across in my limited view of regency era heroines. The hero is titled, wealthy and handsome (as in all the stories in this genre!), but also considerate, and he respects the lady's talent enough to promote it whether or not he is able to win her.
The witty exchanges between the couple is usually amusing, but their conversation is engaging otherwise also. However, I don't care for fall-in-love-at-first-glance, which is the case in most of such stories. Also, the resolution of conflicts was a little too tidy, even though that is what I expected in case of the heroine. Overall, an entertaining, breezy read.

Miss Treadwell's Talent
- Barbara Metzger
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
For most of the book, there is a flow of witty and sarcastic exchange of dialogues between the lead pair, which is what I was looking for. I enjoyed the banter, and thought it was going on well, until the end, where it became full of fantastic coincidences, supernatural intervention, and inexplicable tidy closures.
I would have preferred to see a greater role of Maylene's well-advertised talents in solving the mysteries than the supernatural guidance from the seances held by her mother. We hear a lot about her abilities, but see little in actual action, and even less done without the hero's assistance. I could not warm up to the hero - Hyatt keeps insulting Maylene throughout. He may be excused for his cynism, but not for failing to apologizing to her even when his presumptions are proven false.
In order to provide a cut-and-dried solution for the heroine's happily-ever-after, one innocent girl is deplorably forced to marry her lecherous cousin, Lady Crowley marries Shimpson for no reason we could see, and Lady Tremont is paired off with the duke unnecessarily (not to say weird!).
A highly unsatisfactory conclusion, for which i subtracted a point from the rating.

A Loyal Companion
- Barbara Metzger
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
This is a simple romance, though with over-the-top action, and sometimes language, for a regency. In most regency novels of my experience, duchesses don't spout curses, and evil lords fall just short of kidnapping a high-born girl (commoners are fair game for them, with no-one raising an eyebrow).
The plot is typical - a headstrong but kind and thoughtful girl falls instantly in love with a wronged but charismatic hero (not to say titled and rich); and an impoverished nobleman (who is not really noble in his actions) wants to marry the girl for her money to pay his debts. The heroine is just too sweet and perfect, and manages to solve all of the hero's problems. And he, in turn, turns a knight in shining armor or rather a major in dress uniform, and rescues her from the nefarious villain.
What raises it above the par is the dog, who is the narrator of the book. Each chapter starts with his voice, sometimes philosophical thoughts but often sarcastic observations of the human society. What would have been a run-of-the-mill sugary romance otherwise, is lifted to a quirky adventure by this loyal companion.