Jack of Hearts

Rating:
Summary: An interesting exploration of some overlooked Regency themes
Review: Although not as brilliant as Red Red Rose, nonetheless, Jack of Hearts merits 5 stars for me. Other reviewers seemed not to like it because of the fact that the themes this book explores are somewhat superficially divergent. Rather, I think, the themes run parallel and the author explores some interesting ideas and some not often used historical events.

This is the story of a younger son, Jack Belden, first met in Red Red Rose who, like many younger sons in those days had a choice of church or army and he found purpose and meaning in his life by choosing the army. Rather than a front line officer, he became, because of his Spanish heritage, a fighter behind the lines with the Spanish guerrilleros - unusual for a fictional regency hero. After the end of the war, Jack is at loose ends, and has recently inherited a title and a load of debts and responsibilities. He has always found it easy to charm women although there is nothing malicious in how he does it.

Anne Heriot is the daughter of a deceased mill owner, fabulously rich but commonsensical and down to earth. To fulfill her father's most passionate wishes, she seeks to buy a title for herself. Nothing unusual here - it happened frequently and still does in the British aristocracy! As she evaluates her options, she learns much about herself and grows into a likeable and loveable woman.

However, neither Jack nor Anne are what they seem. He is, in fact, quite a romantic and she, for all her apparent strength and common sense is painfully in need of love and reassurance.

The great merit in Marjorie Farrell's writing is that she allows us to get inside her characters' heads and, most especially, she is excellent at portraying her male characters realistically and believably. Her stories move at a somewhat stately pace but you realise, as you go along, that this allows her to develop the plot, the characters and their relationships in such a way that they are wholly credible and we feel we know them intimately.

Her characters, as always, are adults dealing with adult issues. Here we have the issue of the Combination Acts and the Luddites used to show the characters developing embryonic social consciences - hats off for this - it was well done.

It was good to see Val Aston, his wife and his father again. We see that they have become a happy family group and that they are able to offer Jack and Anne love and support in a wholly believable and realistic way.

I do admire this author. This was not a regency romp; it was not intended to be. Rather, I thought it was a serious novel dealing, again, with grown up issues by adult, well rounded and sympathetic characters. Well recommended!

Rating:
Summary: An interesting exploration of some overlooked Regency themes
Review: Although not as brilliant as Red Red Rose, nonetheless, Jack of Hearts merits 5 stars for me. Other reviewers seemed not to like it because of the fact that the themes this book explores are somewhat superficially divergent. Rather, I think, the themes run parallel and the author explores some interesting ideas and some not often used historical events.

This is the story of a younger son, Jack Belden, first met in Red Red Rose who, like many younger sons in those days had a choice of church or army and he found purpose and meaning in his life by choosing the army. Rather than a front line officer, he became, because of his Spanish heritage, a fighter behind the lines with the Spanish guerrilleros - unusual for a fictional regency hero. After the end of the war, Jack is at loose ends, and has recently inherited a title and a load of debts and responsibilities. He has always found it easy to charm women although there is nothing malicious in how he does it.

Anne Heriot is the daughter of a deceased mill owner, fabulously rich but commonsensical and down to earth. To fulfill her father's most passionate wishes, she seeks to buy a title for herself. Nothing unusual here - it happened frequently and still does in the British aristocracy! As she evaluates her options, she learns much about herself and grows into a likeable and loveable woman.

However, neither Jack nor Anne are what they seem. He is, in fact, quite a romantic and she, for all her apparent strength and common sense is painfully in need of love and reassurance.

The great merit in Marjorie Farrell's writing is that she allows us to get inside her characters' heads and, most especially, she is excellent at portraying her male characters realistically and believably. Her stories move at a somewhat stately pace but you realise, as you go along, that this allows her to develop the plot, the characters and their relationships in such a way that they are wholly credible and we feel we know them intimately.

Her characters, as always, are adults dealing with adult issues. Here we have the issue of the Combination Acts and the Luddites used to show the characters developing embryonic social consciences - hats off for this - it was well done.

It was good to see Val Aston, his wife and his father again. We see that they have become a happy family group and that they are able to offer Jack and Anne love and support in a wholly believable and realistic way.

I do admire this author. This was not a regency romp; it was not intended to be. Rather, I thought it was a serious novel dealing, again, with grown up issues by adult, well rounded and sympathetic characters. Well recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Jack of Hearts
Review: I really enjoyed this book. Ann Heriot already has a fortune and now the only thing she needs is a title. She decides to go to london and get the social standing she wants. Unfortunately, Jake Belden is not what she wants. He does have title but he also has a rakish reputation. Majorie Farrell has done an excellenct job in creating great characters and a great story.

Rating:
Summary: About 200 pages too long
Review: The blurb on the back cover sounded promising: a woman choosing a husband, and having to "settle" for her last choice, the "Jack of Hearts." If this were the entire plot of the book, it would be good, an amusing regency romp. But this book can't quite decide what it wants to be: Anne's quest for a husband, or a mystery about troubles at her mill, or the romance of Sarah and the head groom. Too much jumping around among plotlines, too many different points of view, characters whose behavior is erratic and inconsistent. The two main plots (husband-hunting and mill trouble) don't mesh well together; I get the feeling two separate and unrelated manuscripts got thrown together into the same book. The paragraph inside the back cover of the paperback says that Ms. Farrell wrote Regency romances before "turning her hand to historical fiction." It seems obvious that she is used to writing the shorter regency genre, as this book seems to amble along haphazardly. The bottom line is: more pages don't necessarily equal a better book.

Rating:
Summary: About 200 pages too long
Review: The blurb on the back cover sounded promising: a woman choosing a husband, and having to "settle" for her last choice, the "Jack of Hearts." If this were the entire plot of the book, it would be good, an amusing regency romp. But this book can't quite decide what it wants to be: Anne's quest for a husband, or a mystery about troubles at her mill, or the romance of Sarah and the head groom. Too much jumping around among plotlines, too many different points of view, characters whose behavior is erratic and inconsistent. The two main plots (husband-hunting and mill trouble) don't mesh well together; I get the feeling two separate and unrelated manuscripts got thrown together into the same book. The paragraph inside the back cover of the paperback says that Ms. Farrell wrote Regency romances before "turning her hand to historical fiction." It seems obvious that she is used to writing the shorter regency genre, as this book seems to amble along haphazardly. The bottom line is: more pages don't necessarily equal a better book.

Rating:
Summary: Easy Reading
Review: This book is sort of a sequal to "Red Red Rose", the story of Val and Elspeth. I enjoyed this book more than "Red Red Rose". Jack is a dandy of a man and Annie is a very practical lass from Yorkshire who thinks Jack is too much of a rake to marry. The fact that Annie keeps calling and thinking of Jack as a rake, when he clearly is not, was annoying. Jack was not a rake, just very charming, and Annie's attitute towards his charm was silly. I also wish the book had let us know if Val and Elspeth's baby was indeed a boy to be named after Charlie. Again, the book was easy reading, not great, but enjoyable.

Rating:
Summary: Easy Reading
Review: This book is sort of a sequal to "Red Red Rose", the story of Val and Elspeth. I enjoyed this book more than "Red Red Rose". Jack is a dandy of a man and Annie is a very practical lass from Yorkshire who thinks Jack is too much of a rake to marry. The fact that Annie keeps calling and thinking of Jack as a rake, when he clearly is not, was annoying. Jack was not a rake, just very charming, and Annie's attitute towards his charm was silly. I also wish the book had let us know if Val and Elspeth's baby was indeed a boy to be named after Charlie. Again, the book was easy reading, not great, but enjoyable.

Rating:
Summary: Easy Reading
Review: This book is sort of a sequal to "Red Red Rose", the story of Val and Elspeth. I enjoyed this book more than "Red Red Rose". Jack is a dandy of a man and Annie is a very practical lass from Yorkshire who thinks Jack is too much of a rake to marry. The fact that Annie keeps calling and thinking of Jack as a rake, when he clearly is not, was annoying. Jack was not a rake, just very charming, and Annie's attitute towards his charm was silly. I also wish the book had let us know if Val and Elspeth's baby was indeed a boy to be named after Charlie. Again, the book was easy reading, not great, but enjoyable.