Barbara Hazard (1931–2019)

Ha they get MARRIED at Christmas (it's not a spoiler, this IS a romance) so counts as holidays.

If I had to guess Barbara Hazard was one of my top 5 favorite Regency authors in my teens. Her books were almost always auto-buys for me and indeed I bought this one new from Borders when it came out in 2001.

I mainly remember enjoying this because it was very different from the other Regencies at the time. It was told in first person, had a bit of a gothic mystery attached to it and while the romance was good it didn't seem the main focus.

In a lot of ways it reminded me of Northanger Abbey actually.

On re-read I still believe all of that...though find the heroine as clueless as a doorknob in many of the scenes. Indeed late in the book when she claims not to be blind to her brother's flaws despite loving him I rolled my eyes so hard I thought the one had popped out.

The back cover lies, she's not as practical as she seems - just next to her reprobate brother she's a bloody Saint.

That all being said, and even knowing some of the twists, I still enjoyed this and liked that the hero comes to his realization quickly and the works to secure her hand by dealing with her problems.… (més)

In THE DREADFUL DUKE we were introduced to the Duke of Severn and his rambunctious offspring, Amelia and Anne, who were in sore need of civilizing after years of running amok. THE TURNABOUT TWINS moves the story forward five years, and the twins have turned 18 and made their bows to society. They are still close as peas in a pod, still practically similar in almost every way; but that, unfortunately, leads to some jealousies and heartbreak.

For me, this was like returning to a family I hadn’t seen in a while. I’ve followed the Duke of Severn through two previous titles (from his ill-managed courtship in the first book, to his eventual wooing of his current wife Juliet in the second book) and was excited to read about his daughters’ love stories run amok, as well.

Amelia and Anne, despite being ‘tamed’, certainly haven’t lost any of their sparkle or vivacity—the two have grown into well-sought-after beauties. I admit that the triangle formed between Amelia, Anne, and Mr. James Galt was a little bit tiring—especially when it became clear that Mr. Galt preferred Amelia over Anne, but I was very happy to see that it didn’t lead to Amelia and Anne resorting to nasty tricks to secure Mr. Galt’s affections. It hurt her, greatly, but Anne wanted her sister’s happiness above her own and so she stepped aside, however reluctantly.

Her own romance was of a more solid understanding that grew over time. The only part I find difficult to negotiate was her abrupt turnabout from ‘loving James forever and ever’ to being head-over-heels for her love interest. It happened within twenty pages—her realization of the fact, I mean, not the romance itself—but since Anne was of a more mercurial temperament than Amelia, it made sense.

And for anyone wondering, the ‘proud name of Severn’ is very much remarked upon again. The Duke just can’t seem to help himself!… (més)

THE CLOISONNÉ LOCKET, by Barbara Hazard, has all the makings of a particularly fun gothic romance. A beautiful young girl, innocent to the ways of the world; a cynical jaded Duke attracted to her; a certifiably insane, reclusive relative and a revenge plot decades in the making. This is in fact categorized under the heading of 'Regency Romance', but the atmosphere is very foreboding.

Poor Rosemary Barton can't help how she looks—an exotic beauty she inherited from her Italian mother, she had spent the last eight years of her life with her father's sister, Mary Fleming, and her family. A more unremarkable family you shall be hard to meet. With her older cousin about to be set out into society, Aunt Mary turns a jealous eye towards her niece and sends her packing to her reclusive cousin Emily in London. A worse mistake she could never have made.

Hazard does a very good job of setting up the eeriness of Rosemary's new surroundings with Emily. Cantankerous old servants, dingy living conditions and Emily contemptuously telling her that she never wants to know she is even in the same house, all serve to make the reader understand Rosemary's dismay. Her one ray of light at first is her Aunt Mary's childhood friend, the dashing Lady Agatha, wife of a diplomat. She takes Rosemary under her wing and offers her the life all girls her age dream of.

If only I could be as happy with the Duke! From his very first meeting with Rosemary he is antagonistic, ungentlemanly, and outright accusatory of her actions. Further meetings yield scathing glares, disdainful sneers and more mocking words. He is convinced, merely because of how she looks and his own inflated ego, that she is chasing after him. That everything she says, or does, is merely meant to entrap him. It's obvious he is attracted to her, but until the last quarter of the book you'd never guess he was in love with her.

The other cast of characters—from his flighty card-happy mother, his younger crippled sister, prudish wannabe fiancée and Emily's own sleazy nephew—all serve their purposes well. I will say out of them all, his mother gave me the most surprise later in the book.

I do have a few minor problems with the book, such as what would happen exactly when Rosemary told her aunt of Emily's insanity. It's brought up by a few characters that Mary wanted Rosemary gone and never to return, but she did have affection for the girl and no matter what would happen to her daughter's romantic prospects, I wouldn't think she'd have deliberately sent her there if the full extent of Emily's 'eccentricities' had been known. There is also the matter that I would think that Emily's actions at the end of the book would have brought the police into it, at least mentioned if nothing else.

All in all this is an enjoyable read with enough gothic flair to make reading this a cut above the normal Regency romance.… (més)