Lady Jane's Nemesis

Rating:
Summary: Didn't like it very much...
Review: At first I thought that it would be amusing reading about two rivals after the same man. I usually like books that involve two women after the heart of one man. However, I found Jane to be a big fool! I disliked the fact that everyone tried to influence her to marry a guy who was obviously lacking in morality (having an affair with a married woman) and sense. He outright lies about his "affair" with Maud to his father and tries to tell Jane that they were just rumors when she knew otherwise. After knowing his relationship with Maud, all Roger has to do is smile and say a few nice things to get Jane to say yes to his proposal. She went on denying that she wanted to marry him after all the "rumors" about his affair. Yet, she says yes after a few minutes. Talk about being dimwitted. Oliver tries to make her out as this bluestocking and goodnatured person but I found her to be too dumb to know any better. She never gave him any challenge. All he had to do was lie some more to her to get her to believe him. I mean, it was obvious from the little "estrangement" between them after she finds out Maud is having his kid could have easily been resolved if he came into her room and lie to her about the baby. Even if he told her the truth, she would have forgiven him after a couple of minutes of ranting. I mean she gets angry and upset but that lasts as long as him coming in and saying a few words. Either this guy could charm a person into murder or the other characters were too stupid to see the truth. I disliked most of the characters in this book. They pretty much say that love isn't what you should strive for in a marriage. Come on, that's ridiculous. It's a romance novel! He should have tried to prove himself first before she gave into his proposal. I didn't understand how that Lady Horton was from the middle/working class when she obviously had some form of education. She can write and read like the upper class women are taught to do. Her cousin was a stable boy and couldn't form a correct sentence at all. The whole book didn't seem to make any sense!

Rating:
Summary: Didn't like it very much...
Review: At first I thought that it would be amusing reading about two rivals after the same man. I usually like books that involve two women after the heart of one man. However, I found Jane to be a big fool! I disliked the fact that everyone tried to influence her to marry a guy who was obviously lacking in morality (having an affair with a married woman) and sense. He outright lies about his "affair" with Maud to his father and tries to tell Jane that they were just rumors when she knew otherwise. After knowing his relationship with Maud, all Roger has to do is smile and say a few nice things to get Jane to say yes to his proposal. She went on denying that she wanted to marry him after all the "rumors" about his affair. Yet, she says yes after a few minutes. Talk about being dimwitted. Oliver tries to make her out as this bluestocking and goodnatured person but I found her to be too dumb to know any better. She never gave him any challenge. All he had to do was lie some more to her to get her to believe him. I mean, it was obvious from the little "estrangement" between them after she finds out Maud is having his kid could have easily been resolved if he came into her room and lie to her about the baby. Even if he told her the truth, she would have forgiven him after a couple of minutes of ranting. I mean she gets angry and upset but that lasts as long as him coming in and saying a few words. Either this guy could charm a person into murder or the other characters were too stupid to see the truth. I disliked most of the characters in this book. They pretty much say that love isn't what you should strive for in a marriage. Come on, that's ridiculous. It's a romance novel! He should have tried to prove himself first before she gave into his proposal. I didn't understand how that Lady Horton was from the middle/working class when she obviously had some form of education. She can write and read like the upper class women are taught to do. Her cousin was a stable boy and couldn't form a correct sentence at all. The whole book didn't seem to make any sense!

Rating:
Summary: Another disappoint from Ms Oliver
Review: Being a fan of Ms. Oliver's Regency era novels, I have looked forward to each new book, but unfortunately, her last three novels including the most current,Lady Jane's Nemesis, have fallen far short of her previous works such as The Colonel's Lady, Roses for Harriet, and Miss Drayton's Downfall. Her recent works make for pleasant albeit forgettable reading, and lack the emotional intensity and character development of her earlier novels. I suspect she is rushing her writings and thus, failing to come up to her own standards. Let us hope that this is a temporary fault of a fine writer.

Rating:
Summary: I enjoyed this book
Review: Lady Jane's Nemesis was a fun, enjoyable book to read. The plot is well-paced and has the interesting twist of the man in love with his mistress but honor bound to a marriage of convenience. Both of the lead characters were interesting and seemed true to life. The only thing which detracted from the book and why I only rated it 4 stars was the ghost on the lake. I don't care for ghost sightings in Regency Romances. Otherwise, this is a very good book. Not as good as some earlier Patricia Oliver books, but well worth the read.

Rating:
Summary: What on earth has happened to Patricia Oliver?
Review: Patricia Oliver has a reputation for writing heartwrenching Regency romances with attractive, rogueish heroes who have damaged pasts, and strong-minded, independent heroines. Her men are often rakes, and even try to carry on being rakes after meeting their destined wives - even try to be rakes *with* their destined wives - but end up making devoted husbands.

Her last three books have marked a shift away from this established and loved pattern; and, frankly, it hasn't worked. The Lady in Grey was tedious. Scandalous Secrets seemed to lack the Oliver spark. And, with Lady Jane's Nemesis, I have finally encountered an Oliver book I don't want to finish. Had it been by any other writer, I'd have junked it after the first three or four chapters; as it is, I'm persevering. I have only three chapters to go, but it's getting harder and harder to continue reading.

It's not the premise: a writer of Oliver's calibre should have been able to write an excellent novel predicated on the story of a woman betrothed from birth to a neighbour's son, secretly in love with him, but who discovers that he's having an affair with the wife of another neighbour. But instead she's produced this book.

I would have had far more respect for Jane had she stuck to her initial resolve not to marry Roger. But she agreed - well, perhaps she had little choice. But two days before the wedding she catches him in _flagrante_ again, yet marries him and goes to bed with him without any attempt to tell him that he must promise never to see her again. She had the upper hand before they were married - he needed her money.

And then when, a month or so into the marriage, she receives evidence that he's seeing his mistress again, does she tax him with it? No; she hides the letter and carries on as before. And then - this I *cannot* believe - knowing the mistress is pregnant with Roger's baby, she nurses the woman through her final illness, and allows her husband to bring his illegitimate child by another woman into her household, seemingly not caring what family, servants and neighbours think of her husband's lack of loyalty. The last straw for me was when Jane actually thinks that the world is a worse place without Maud, the mistress, and contradicts her aunt when that woman refers to Maud as a brazen hussy. Yet that was precisely how Jane thought of her a bare month earlier!

As for Roger, he is a weak, vacillating idiot who can't seem to make up his mind between Jane and Maud, and I can't see why any woman of sense would actually want to be married to him. Maybe, in the mores of the time, Jane had no choice. But as a reader, I have a choice of whether I care about him or not. As it is, I have only contempt for him.

Patricia Oliver used to be the only Regency writer whose books I would pre-order as soon as they were advertised here, before reading any reviews. That has now stopped; until I see evidence that she has returned to her previously excellent standards, as evidenced in Lord Gresham's Lady and An Unsuitable Match, I won't be buying any more of her books. I'm sorry I wasted my money on this one.

Rating:
Summary: Social commentary -- and fun too!
Review: The last Patricia Oliver book I read, "The Lady in Grey" was, frankly, boring. Actually, the last several books Ms. Oliver has written were not as interesting as her earlier books. I did not expect much from this book but I found that I enjoyed the book very much. Jane Sinclair, promised since birth to the devilish Viscount Summers, finds him in a very compromising position in the woods with a local married woman, who was his mistress. Jane, who does greatly care for the Viscount, decides she won't marry him. Viscount Summers fancies himself in love with his mistress. When his father tells him how in debt the family is, he realized he must finally marry Jane to bring in money. He also liked Jane as he grew up with her. In the end, jane does marry Roger after he promises to be faithful. I enjoyed reading how their married life prospered and also that they had a happy sexual relationship, too. Too many regencies shy away from their characters (except the men) from having a) sexual desire or b) sexual knowledge. I find that a bit perplexing, especially with 21st century readers being a bit more sophisicated. Also, Jane finds out that Roger's former mistress is carrying his child. Jane also carries Roger's child. The book could have gotten bogged down with miscommunication scenes (it does have that, but not in the extreme) and closed doors between the husband and wife. I liked this book. It was nice to read about a female heroine who was not silly and unschooled. I did find Roger a bit shallow, but not so much that it took away from the story. I would certainly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Pleasantly Surprising...
Review: The last Patricia Oliver book I read, "The Lady in Grey" was, frankly, boring. Actually, the last several books Ms. Oliver has written were not as interesting as her earlier books. I did not expect much from this book but I found that I enjoyed the book very much. Jane Sinclair, promised since birth to the devilish Viscount Summers, finds him in a very compromising position in the woods with a local married woman, who was his mistress. Jane, who does greatly care for the Viscount, decides she won't marry him. Viscount Summers fancies himself in love with his mistress. When his father tells him how in debt the family is, he realized he must finally marry Jane to bring in money. He also liked Jane as he grew up with her. In the end, jane does marry Roger after he promises to be faithful. I enjoyed reading how their married life prospered and also that they had a happy sexual relationship, too. Too many regencies shy away from their characters (except the men) from having a) sexual desire or b) sexual knowledge. I find that a bit perplexing, especially with 21st century readers being a bit more sophisicated. Also, Jane finds out that Roger's former mistress is carrying his child. Jane also carries Roger's child. The book could have gotten bogged down with miscommunication scenes (it does have that, but not in the extreme) and closed doors between the husband and wife. I liked this book. It was nice to read about a female heroine who was not silly and unschooled. I did find Roger a bit shallow, but not so much that it took away from the story. I would certainly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Social commentary -- and fun too!
Review: This is warm hearted novel about growing up and facing real problems. In the opening scene, Lady Jane discovers her long time betrothed in an intimate embrace with a married neighbor. When Lady Jane moves to end the betrothal, her father and his good friend, the father of her betrothed, try to jockey the two into a speedy marriage. Throw in a misty ghost, childhood friends ready to pass on "Mama's careful explanations about men", a voluptuous "other woman", a husband wronged, and you have a very entertaining read. Without being preachy, this Regency novel explores the real lives of women in Regency society and issues of marital infidelity, illegitimacy, honor, and commitment. The book is true to the period and the characters act within the accepted social norms. All in all a very good read and well worth the time.

Rating:
Summary: Another disappoint from Ms Oliver
Review: What can a girl do but wait when she has been betrothed from birth? Lady Jane Sinclair has been in love with her fiancé Roger Hastings, Viscount Summers, since she was a child. Then Jane catches a glimpse of Roger in a romantic idyll with their neighbor's young wife. Roger is not ready to step into the parson's mousetrap. His father's gambling debts are high, and he urges his son to honor his betrothal and wed Jane who is an heiress. Having seen what she had seen, Jane is reluctant to accept Roger. How can she trust him? She dreams of a loving marriage with a faithful husband. Patricia Oliver offers a marriage of convenience between two neighboring families, where the reluctant bride loves the reluctant hero, knowing too much about his romantic life. Lady Jane's Nemesis has a twist, the pregnant mistress. Makes for a fun read. Ms. Oliver will please your reading palette.

Rating:
Summary: Lady Jane's Nemesis
Review: What can a girl do but wait when she has been betrothed from birth? Lady Jane Sinclair has been in love with her fiancé Roger Hastings, Viscount Summers, since she was a child. Then Jane catches a glimpse of Roger in a romantic idyll with their neighbor's young wife. Roger is not ready to step into the parson's mousetrap. His father's gambling debts are high, and he urges his son to honor his betrothal and wed Jane who is an heiress. Having seen what she had seen, Jane is reluctant to accept Roger. How can she trust him? She dreams of a loving marriage with a faithful husband. Patricia Oliver offers a marriage of convenience between two neighboring families, where the reluctant bride loves the reluctant hero, knowing too much about his romantic life. Lady Jane's Nemesis has a twist, the pregnant mistress. Makes for a fun read. Ms. Oliver will please your reading palette.