A Regency Scandalby Alice Chetwynd

A re release of a previously published book

An original styled historical romance unlike the modern ones. It follows two generations of Earls and how the sins of the father impact on the son.

Well written very much in the style Georgette Heyer. Although I found this a slightly slow it was an enjoyable well written read. At the moment the jury still out regarding the style I prefer most. 3.5/5

It is rare to find a Regency romance that leaves one truly guessing the outcome of the story. This is one such book. The plot follows the lives of two generations of characters as the consequences of the actions of the father, an earl, are visited upon his son, a viscount. When the son seeks to unravel a mystery surrounding his father’s secret marriage and birth of another possible heir, a scandal erupts. Who is the true heir, and will love conquer the deception, lies and malicious gossip? Find out in this cleverly-told tale of Regency England.

This Regency romance follows the lives and intertwined fates of two families, the Shaldons. and the Lydneys with the scandals of their fathers casting shadows on the next generation.
While it is a light but entertaining read with some suspense it is also largely predictable.

I'm a fan of this type of historical romance, more slow paced than the modern ones and a lot of world building.
I liked it and appreciated the vivid historical background, the fleshed out characters and the plot.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Viscount Shaldon has had a disturbing childhood. His father has never actually shown any affection always associating his son with his mild mannered mother. Now the Duke wants or rather insists that his son marries Cynthia Lynley, an attractive girl who is their neighbour whose lands run alongside their own.

Shaldon is not very keen on marriage but Cynthia is very beautiful and he feels that the match will not be that bad. Intrigue sets in very quickly however when an innocent girl gets unwittingly drawn into a scandalous past and when an employee of one of Shaldon's friends feels that he is put upon, and ignored and decides to take matters into his own hands.

Past scandals buried for years are now being uncovered and the Viscount faces disinheritance and being ostracized from the aristocracy for the fault of his father. Uncovering the mystery, and to set things right is not easy because there is viciousness and jealousy behind the actions of a few.

A Regency romance but with lots of other stuff coming in to make the story quite an intriguing one.

Pretty much every Alice Chetwynd Ley book I get to read is a treat -- she has the ability to create a wonderfully rich Regency setting while also telling a compelling story. A Regency Scandal was no exception. The stories of young people -- best of friends -- but turned strangers as adults were so compelling. I loved Helen's straightforward manner and her loyalty; and while she never wavered in her love, she was not someone who was a rug to be walked upon by the man she adored. Ley has the ability, as did Georgette Heyer, to write fascinating characters at a number of levels. The feckless Neville who hated confrontation; his son, Viscount Shaldon, and the vivacious Cynthia Lydney who was a red herring in terms of the story description. The preview setting up the main story was quite detailed, but really helped us understand the characters and their motivations. This was a deeply moving story, true to the times and another winner from Ley. (I received a review copy from NetGalley. Opinions mine).

This is a re-release of a book originally published in 1979, It's difficult to review, because whether you like it or not depends on taste. It's well written and the story is interesting. It's a long book full of lush descriptions and detailed world-building.

I prefer faster-paced stories, and would enjoy the book more if the word count were cut by about 50%. I think there was a lost opportunity to update this book for modern tastes in a world of cable TV, Netflix, and the internet. Yet I understand how the words of a classic novel might be considered sacrosanct. If you like slower-paced Regency romance and family sagas, this book might be for you.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received.

The 5th Earl of Alvington was used to keeping his son Neville under his thumb and arranged an advantageous marriage for him. But Neville fell in love with a most unsuitable girl and ended up marrying her secretly. Before things reached the point where he had no choice but to admit what he had done, she died in childbirth, leaving a sickly son who was not expected to live. When the girl's mother realised that he wasn't willing to acknowledge the child, she whisked him away and was heard from no more. Conveniently, Neville was then free to obey his father's orders and marry the girl he'd chosen. A loveless marriage resulted in one son, Anthony, and his wife died several years later. Now, Anthony is grown up and Neville, now the 6th Earl, expects him to obey in regard to marriage as he himself had done (eventually...) When Anthony threatens to defy him, events are set in train that may bring the whole scandalous tale to light. Can Anthony weather the storm and find the happiness in marriage that his father (and grandfather) never did?

This is definitely not your typical 'modern' romance, but feels a much older style - which I really enjoyed once I got into that mindset. About the first quarter of the book is setting the scene with Neville and his secret and public marriages, before the main characters were even born, and there are (depending on what you count) three or four main 'couples' in the second generation part of the story. Honestly, though it's definitely not Dickens, that's what came to mind when I thought about the style - quite a collection of intertwined 'stories' with a bunch of main characters and few minor characters, rather than two main characters and a group of supporting characters, with a single storyline. For me, that was a good thing once I got over my mild confusion (I tend to automatically expect the typical 'two main characters' setup, but this just didn't quite fit), but others might not feel the same. The language use was very refreshing - so many books nowadays seem to misuse (or overuse) words all the time, but I don't think I noticed a single 'jarring' word in that way - though I could have done without the occasional blasphemy and similar. Also, there was some behaviour I would have preferred to miss, but nothing explicit, so I'd still call it generally clean. All in all, not your typical romance, but I would happily recommend it, particularly to those who enjoy older books.

Note that I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and this is my considered opinion of the book.

This is a terribly engaging family saga, reissued posthumously by the authors children. The original scandal occurs during the parents’ time as young people (part 1), but the bulk of the novel takes place as their off-spring navigate the London season. I appreciated the two parts of the book; usually the past action is only referenced but having read it made part 2 all the more interesting.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.