JMM: Oh, it drives me INSANE when heroines (in historicals) are castigated for being cautious about marriage. They’re always surrounded by Happily Married Former Heroines who chastise them – “If you LOVED him, you wouldn’t hesitate!”
Puh-leeze! It’s easy to SAY that – but how many people today would actually put their ENTIRE life under the control of another? Getting married (in the past) meant putting your money, your property, your body, and your children in the hands of your husband – he could do anything short of killing you (and sometimes he could get away with that) with no penalty.
So, tell me the titles of the “Lady Anne” books!

Exactly, JMM! Anne almost married badly, too, but her fiance fortunately died. ( LOL) She now knows that if she had married her first fiance, she would have been desperately unhappy, so she is ultra-careful, now. After all, she’s handing her whole life over to a man; since she is independently wealthy, and has an easy-going father who lets her do what she wants and never pressures her to marry, she has little motive to tie herself to a man.

Except that the Marquess of Darkefell, her suitor, is compelling, good-looking and makes her heart go pittapat!

Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark was released in April to good reviews and ‘disappointing’ sales. LOL.

I loved that ending! So often the heroine (and more and more often, the hero nowadays) ends up giving up their life to live their SO’s.

One of my closest friends moved from across the world to be with her boyfriend. He has lived here all his life and has many friends. They did accept her gladly but my friend never felt like they were her friends. She learned enough German to get by but was unable to reach a higher level. so that pushed her more into isolation. Did it kill her relationship? No. but it puts a serious strain on it – so much so that they have now decided to move to a completely new environement together, where they are both strangers. The situation has put a lot of pressure on my friend, who is lucky to have a partner who acknowledges her problems and who is trying to make things easier.

In a believalbe romance, I expect this kind of effort from the other partner, too. I find it very romantic in fact. It turns a sacrifice in a gift – a gift that is acknowledged and appreciated.

Puh-leeze! It’s easy to SAY that – but how many people today would actually put their ENTIRE life under the control of another? Getting married (in the past) meant putting your money, your property, your body, and your children in the hands of your husband – he could do anything short of killing you (and sometimes he could get away with that) with no penalty.

So, tell me the titles of the “Lady Anne” books!

Oh, and what happened in Like No Other Lover? Was it yet another Unrealistic Last Minute Change Of Heart by the Father in law?

Lynn Spencer: @JMM – I totally agree with you about Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane!One of the reasons I love this romance so much is because the author does not rush things.The story ARC stretches across several books, and we get to see the characters establish an equal footing.

Ah, Lynn, I wish romance readers felt the same way. My Lady Anne series is having a rough go of it, unfortunately, and the primary reason seems not to be my writing, which has gotten good reviews, or the characters, which people love, but the fact that the first book of three doesn’t have an HEA. I wanted to create a realistic relationship, and since I had created a woman who was strong, independent and had come to terms with the fact that women of her time were not rewarded for being that way, she had decided she might never marry. To marry would mean putting herself wholly in her husband’s control, and she was uncomfortable with that thought. Once I created her, there was no going back. I couldn’t make her just fall into Darkefell’s arms because it was the end of the book.

It wouldn’t have been a realistic HEA. He has to convince her that his intentions are to honour that side of her, which he loves, and she has to learn to trust him.

I don’t know if it was the marketing, or what, but I fear too many reviews stressed the lack of an HEA in Book 1 without informing readers that there are two more books to come!

Most authors would have had a romantic ending, where Harriet falls into his arms. Not Sayers. She had them talk to one another. She had Harriet recover from her trauma and build up her strength. She had her THINK about what marriage to Peter would be like – a rich, titled man who is thought of as a dabbler. She had them work out what marriage would mean to Harriet.

As for “Giving all for love” – sounds noble. Doesn’t usally work out that way. If a person changes his/her life because there’s something missing in it and the change brings more than it costs; more power to them.

If a person changes his/her entire life and GIVES UP everything for another – that’s going to lead to resentment at some point.

That’s said to be Heyer’s favourite book: easy to understand why! It wasn’t until I grew up a bit that I realized that Kitten was a bit selfish herself. Not a complaint — it’s just a younger reader thinks, imo, that it’s all Sherry’s fault and that’s not really the case.

So I liked that it wasn’t a fade to happy black. Particularly in Friday’s Child but also the Beverley book, there’s a ton of work after they say “I do”. And I totally believe in their HEAs — luckily for Beverley readers, Lucien and Beth show up in many subsequent Rogue books.