After launching this lovely new feature of mine during [Autumn, 2018] it is a pleasure of joy to continue to bring #SaturdaysAreBookish as a compliment focus of my Twitter chat @SatBookChat. If you see the chat icon at the top of my blog (header bar) you can click over to visit with us. The complimentary showcases on my blog will reflect the diversity of stories, authors and publishers I would be featuring on the chat itself. As at the root and heart of the chat are the stories I am reading which compliment the conversations.
#SaturdaysAreBookish throughout [2019] will be featuring the Romance & Women’s Fiction authors I am discovering to read across genre and point of interest. Every Saturday will feature a different author who writes either Romance or Women’s Fiction – the stories I am reading might simply inspire the topics in the forthcoming chats or they might be directly connected to the current guest author.
I am excited about where new guests and new stories will lay down the foundation of inspiring the topics, the conversations and the bookish recommendations towards promoting Romance & Women’s Fiction. Here’s a lovely New Year full of new authors and their stories to celebrate!
From my shelf: I’ve been wanting to read “Waltzing with the Earl” ever since I first read “The Captain’s Disgraced Lady” in January, 2018 – one year to the day, I am revealling my thoughts about this first novel in the series. I was finally able to bring home a copy of this novel – sadly, not a Mills & Boon edition, though I had tried to gather one, but the Harlequin Historical version. The key difference is the type of binding and print quality between the two novels; as the Harlequin version seems to be more mass market than the Mills & Boon.
I knew as soon as I purchased this novel I would want to talk about reading it – therefore, it is for my own edification and in the interest of sharing my readerly life that I am composing my review on behalf of this novel. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein as I was not obligated to post a review as this was a self-purchase. The author did allow me to use the Press Materials attached to this novel as I interviewed her ahead of this review being shared and will be hosting her during my chat @SatBookChat.
Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!
I am kicking off the New Year with a story I’ve longed to read ever since I first discovered the sequel “The Captain’s Disgraced Lady” – January, 2018! This dashingly romantic Regency has kept my curiosity for a twelvemonth – wherein I am ever so thankful Ms Tinley had contacted me about the third novel’s release “The Makings of a Lady” whilst giving me the chance to interview her before the close of 2018!
Whilst I am showcasing my readerly thoughts on behalf of this novel, I am also eagerly looking forward to speaking with her during #SatBookChat – not just about this trilogy and the third installment but also, her upcoming new series! Finding out she’s keeping herself tucked into the Regency was a delight to my ears – she truly has a knack for the setting, the language and the flair of joyfulness you’re expecting out of a Regency Romance! She also has these lovely layers she knits into the background – keeps the drama cunningly intriguing and gives you a well-rounded lovely read!
Be sure to enjoy my thoughts on behalf of “Waltzing with the Earl” before @SatBookChat begins – therefore, you’ll know a bit about this author & why her stories are giving me wicked good hours of enjoyment to discover! In case this is your first time finding Ms Tinley’s reviews on my blog, let me recapture the joy of when I read “The Captain’s Disgraced Lady” for you:
Harry and Juliana were constantly being placed in each others’ path – from the ball to the estate Charlotte and Adam oversaw for the family. In each instance, you saw how hard they fought to be civil with each other but there was something else, too. For as much pride as he exhumed publicly, he was not as confidence in private settings. Juliana on the other hand held a high prejudice against those of her peerage who wanted something of her she was not willing to give herself – in this, portions of the story brokered the reasons why I love Pride and Prejudice as much as I do. They were each others’ worst enemy and best match overall – they fuelled each others’ passion but they had no idea what to do with the attraction they felt either. It was almost as if they each had tabled the hope for true romance and love to touch their lives and now found it was at their feet; how to tackle that reality was unknown to each of them in turn!
And, this was only the beginning of how Ms Tinley layered her story as she would continue to knit out their back-stories – of finding out what truly made each of them hide portions of themselves from each other. Each step along the way, Harry, Juliana and Juliana’s mother were not just humbled by the raw emotions they had to greet as hidden truths surfaced but they had to decide if they would allow themselves to be emotionally vulnerable to each other if they were to be honest with each other in their relationships and connections. It is one thing to be self-assured about one’s own approach to living but when certain secrets seek to destroy the fragility of how you connect to others, it becomes a make or break choice against your own heart and the time you have to make amends with those you love.
What was most compelling to me is how everything knits together in the end – how Harry’s guilty conscience stemmed back to war as explored through his PTSD and the nightmares therein which exposed a truth he was trying to suppress; how Juliana’s own origin of birth and the emotional collapse of her mother were interlinked in ways none of us could have suspected whilst through everything interconnecting to these story-lines remained an interior glimpse of how one family linked to Chadcombe found inner strength, common bonds and an integrity of family fortitude to stand against society and supposition to live true to their accounts come what may. It’s the kind of family you can rally behind because they don’t allow others to dictate their path nor do they allow society the edge they feel they can assert on others through rumours and innuendo. This cleverly crafted Historical Romance is full of the depth and beauty of the romantic sagas I love to become immersed inside – where each installment draws you closer to the heart of the family and the dramatic way in which their lives are set behind history.
-quoted from my review of The Captain’s Disgraced Lady
Waltzing with the Earl
by Catherine Tinley
Source: Purchased | Personal Library
A wallflower's time to shine…
The Earl of Shalford needs to marry into money to save his estate. Wealthy and beautiful Henrietta Buxted should be the perfect candidate. So why does his eye keep wandering to her quiet cousin, Charlotte Wyncroft?
Charlotte watches Henrietta's games of courtship with wry amusement. That is, until a stolen dance reveals a hidden side to the earl. Penniless Charlotte knows she's far from a suitable match, yet, in Adam's arms, she can dream of the happily-ever-after she's always wanted!
Places to find the book:
ISBN: 978-0373369492
Also by this author: The Captain's Disgraced Lady, Interview (Catherine Tinley) about the Chadcombe Marriage Trilogy
Also in this series: The Captain's Disgraced Lady
Published by Harlequin Books, Harlequin Historical
on 21st February, 2017
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 288
Published By: Mills & Boon (@MillsandBoon)
an imprint of HarperCollins UK + Harlequin Enterprises Ltd.
Chadcombe Marriage series:
Waltzing with the Earl | Book One
The Captain’s Disgraced Lady | Book Two | (see also Review)
The Makings of a Lady | Book Three
Formats Available: Mills & Boon Historical paperback, Harlequin Historical paperback and Ebook
Converse via: #HistRom or #MillsAndBoon #HarlequinHistorical and #Regency
About Catherine Tinley
Catherine Tinley writes witty, heartwarming Regency love stories. She has loved reading and writing since childhood, and has a particular fondness for love, romance, and happy endings. After a career encompassing speech and language therapy, NHS management, maternity campaigning and being President of a charity, she now works for Sure Start. She lives in Ireland with her husband, children, and dog.
my review of waltzing with the earl:
We begin with a tale of two brothers: Adam and Harry; the latter, making ill attempts at soothing the ills of his brother’s mind, whose found himself disinterested in the trivialities of the hour. You could feel for both of them, truly, as one wants to lighten the spirits of the other whereas Adam simply wants to avoid the general public. They both have their reasons but what was interesting is what Harry whispered to himself as Adam took his leave of the boisterous affair.
I truly was charmed by the humbled felicity of Charlotte; she is truly a dear of dears, caught in the excitement of travelling into a new city (for her, London) whilst having her trusted maid-in-hand Miss Priddy along with her for the ride. How she had to arrive at her Cousins estate with the prim and blunted accusations tossed in her ears about how she appeared and what they ought to do about her now that they were saddled with her – felt as Charlotte said uncouth and unnecessary. Charlotte was the kind of gal who grew well under her father’s guidance of keeping her closer to him than their home country of England. She had the chance to see a bit of the world during the years where her peers were being groomed for marriage and their coming out showcases. If you were to ask me, Charlotte had the advantage over them – they were simply unaware of the gifts her father had given her by keeping her with him.
A part of me smiled – as this first meeting between Charlotte and her cousins felt reminiscent of Ever After where a set of step-sisters met the daughter of their mother’s new husband. There would be other moments where I would think fondly about the film and how it cross-compared to Waltzing with the Earl.
Sadly, not much has changed from the Regency to modern eras – where girls’ who are self-driven to gaining knowledge and are voracious readers, are still meeting with the prejudices against their aptitudes. One one think we could have evolved a bit since then but even now, there are those who wished girls’ were not as educated as men. A sad memo on humanity if you were to ask me.
The one advantage Charlotte has is her worldliness – she has experienced far more outside the norm of her cousins and in effect, that has given her a world-view that is different from their confined sphere of observation allowed them by their controlling mother! It is their mother who is keeping their wings clipped to such an extent as to leave them unawares of the world outside their circles. Charlotte, in deference to them, has a wider view and a better understanding of where society and the world stand; giving her a bit of an edge when it comes to relatability.
One of my favourite ways of having a character gain the upper hand on another is when they are given an advantage they hadn’t seen coming! In this story, Charlotte has the chance to talk to the Fanton brothers outside the purview of her cousins! They had made the choice to go into towne for shopping whilst she took her morning ride. Thus, allowing her to see the brothers without the pretense of a proper visit and had the enjoyable feast of talking with them without interference by a chaperone! This gave her an inside advantage in a way – she had the chance to see them when they were more comfortable and relaxed; relating to them as she naturally would, as they younger brother Harry is in the military. Whereas with the Earl, the elder brother? You gathered a sense that he was far more guarded than his brother, choosing to observe people at great lengths and never truly trusting his impressions about them.
Oy, oy, Henrietta and Charlotte’s Aunt are must infuriating! They have these presumptions about what they feel is right and proper; how they wish others to act in their absence and of course, when it comes to Charlotte, they’d prefer she was kept locked indoors (though they had yet to declare this) and away from any suitor who might come along! I was not a whit surprised they took such an adverse reaction to Charlotte’s outing with the Fanton brothers; they were simply showing their truer natures more than they realised!
There is quite somberness to Charlotte – she endeavours herself not to let things affect her, but right when she feel’s she’s immune to the cattiness of her cousins, she feels the effects of their efforts to cut her to the quick. The worst culprit of course is Henrietta – emboldened by her overbearing mother, she chooses to keep Charlotte at the point of self-doubt, for her own confidence is faltering since Charlotte came to stay with them. This proves the point well – for all their efforts to raise daughters who could boldly go out to find the men they should marry, Charlotte’s Aunt and Uncle have not raised the children they felt they had! In deference to them, Charlotte has the embetterment of her father’s influence – of giving her more experiences than her cousins and of keeping her primed to be ready for life irregardless of which circumstances would come along. To that end, Charlotte was both wiser and better prepared for the life her cousins were seeking in her absence.
Ah, the the truth of the pudding spilt out. Tinley had us a wait quite a bit to get into the heart and mind of Adam – the Earl, for he is not someone to be trifled with nor one who is easy to understand. He’s the proud sort of son who feels it is his duty and obligation to restore the estate from whence it was left – even if that is an impossible dream, he wills it to himself to remain steadfast and true on course. It was his dear Aunt Sophia who pulls out the truth from his guarded heart and in so doing, allows us the grace finally understanding what is undermining everyone’s attempts of getting to know him on a personal level. He isn’t as arrogant as he first appears but playing the role of martyr isn’t quite suited to him either!
Charlotte’s Aunt is a meddling goat of a woman! She likes to get her head into things she should defer to others – nothing is more exasperating than a calculating mothering hen! And, yet, it suits her – it is almost like she feels it is her rightly duty and there would be nothing to sway her off her course! Counter to the dramas unfolding by her misguiding reach, we get to peer into the Earl’s life a bit more – from the one in charge of his private affairs at Chadcombe – here, we find Miss Langley (the Earl’s Great-Aunt) fit to be tied by his requests and the fact, his wishes continue to change with the settling winds! He apparently is uninformed about how such things are organised as he truly gave her not enough time for preparation!
On the other end of it, I loved his Aunt Sophia! Just to see someone get under the skin of Charlotte’s Aunt was well played! It is good to keep these kinds of women on their toes – of giving them reasons to doubt if their advances are playing off or if they are not yet doing something to keep themselves in good favour! I knew Aunt Sophia wouldn’t be charmed by the Aunt – she is too independently minded (same as Charlotte) and I had a sneaking feeling if she had her way of influence, Charlotte would not need to be in wont of anything!
I was truly captured by how we had the pleasure of being at Chadcombe estate for a good portion of the story – it was here where everyone was revealling themselves. Even Henrietta couldn’t help but position herself in ways I am sure she would have felt would have cut short her chances at a marriage proposal; but then again, there is something to be said for everyone having a match they simply haven’t yet met. It was Faith who truly bloomed – this young girl who had been whisked behind her elder sister was starting to find her way in the world. It was under Charlotte’s guidance you truly saw how Faith could step outside her sister and mother’s stern gazes as she decided which kind of lady she wanted to present to society.
One of the most gutting scenes of all involves Charlotte’s father – I daresay, I haven’t oft read a most distressing and depressing scene as this one – the anguish of that moment, has staid with me. Tinley impressed me with how she carried us into the scene with such an emotional connection to him and didn’t let us forget who he was or what he was fighting for as he charged bravely into the good fight. I was a mix of emotions myself by the end – a part of me sullen and distraught, due to the horror of that fight and the other part of me felt like his champion in spirit. Even in the war dramas I’ve read, it is rare to come across such a well-timed and emotional sequence such as this one which not only befit the era and the setting but it was such a plausible reality of unnecessary violence. I just couldn’t accept this was happening in the way in which it were, wells, happening?
By the time we swung back into the main thread of narrative – of Henrietta, Faith and their dear cousin Charlotte’s love lives – there were many more right and left turns to be had! So much so, I was happily lost inside the tangents Tinley was taking us through! Charlotte suffered the most, which did surprise and shock me, until of course I remembered: Cinderella! Faith for her bit finally found her namesake and Henrietta, I think for the first time was lost in dramas of her sister and cousin; finally finding herself not the lead of her own story!
My emotions were running rather high – there is so much to unearth – even the Earl, (Adam) has his own secrets he’s keeping and his own motivations for the actions he is taking. This whole story is a gathering of young swans who are not yet ready to fly into their rightful place amongst the eligible bachelors. A true coming-of-age tale where we get to champion Faith and Charlotte, as each of them in turn starts to feel stronger in their growing self-confidence whilst we try to bite our own tongues on the coquettish dalliance of Henrietta and another young lady who have bought into the superficiality of the ton. Even the actions of Charlotte’s Aunt will leave you numb after awhile, but in the end, it is the way of Tinley’s wise pen that truly leaves you musefully happy for taking this journey!
on the historical styling of catherine tinley:
Tinley gives us a warm entrance into Charlotte’s life – you can relate to Charlotte rather immediately, not just because of her station and circumstances, but because of how she was crafted. She has a fiercely independent mind, a cunning gift for riding and she has an innocence about her as well – she’s not jaded but she’s well informed. Charlotte is the kind of girl you wished you had the chance to meet yourself – her travels have left her with a firm mind about the world but in a way that is approachable and respected. Not that many in her peerage would agree but the enlightened few would.
We get to tuck behind the characters’ as they seek out their matches – as each of the girls’ in this novel are turnt out and are debutantes seeking to find the one beau who will change their lives. The background setting of the story, of course, is a rotation of scenes – from estates to balls to lively parties and in the quieter downturn of the hours where Charlotte and her cousins are simply by themselves. My least favourites, of course, are Henrietta and her mother – they could not be more self-conceited if they tried and they think only of themselves. In many ways, her mother (Charlotte’s Aunt) did remind me of the quintessential ‘mother of all mothers’ as seen as the regular etched out Mrs Bennett (of Pride and Prejudice) but for me she felt more akin to Angelica Houston in Ever After; conniving, unyielding and without remorse for her actions.
From her interview, I knew she had labelled Waltzing with the Earl a kind of Cinderella story – as I read the story for the first time, I admired her choices in how she told her variant of the fairy tale. You can definitely gather the regular players round a circle and see who is whom – yet, even in that knowing, with the advantages of seeing Ever After (another re-telling of Cinderella) – Tinley has brought everything back to life in the Regency dearly well! It doesn’t even spoilt the story – these are characters who have their own minds and hearts set out for what they feel is their predestined futures – Henrietta is all but condemning herself to a life of smelling salts, laudanum and therapy invention with her weak nerves and high anxieties; Faith is a sweetheart but learning how to use her voice and to stand by her convictions is her worst vice; the Earl, himself (Adam) has a stark refusal of listening to his heart and is only daring to think with his mind and then there is Charlotte, whose betwixt and between two separate worlds (the one of her origins and the one of her growing years). Observing how Tinley wrote out their lives is one smart exchange of dialogue after another – a story you dearly enjoy reading and of a legacy of Chadcombe you are just beginning to unearth!
I honestly can say, I can’t wait to begin reading the third installment: The Makings of a Lady – wherein I get to happily see what becomes of Olivia (the Earl’s sister).
Reading this novel counted for a few of my New Year Reading Challenges & Focuses:
This review is cross-posted to LibraryThing.
{SOURCES: Book covers for “Waltzing with the Earl”, “The Captain’s Disgraced Lady” and “The Makings of a Lady” as well as the author biography and photo for Catherine Tinley were provided by and are used with permission of the author Catherine Tinley. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets were embedded due to codes provided by Twitter. Beat the Backlist banner provided by novelknight.com and is being used with permission. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: Saturdays are Bookish banner, 2019 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge banner and the Comment Box Banner.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2019.
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#JorieReads | #Regency #HistRom@CatherineTinley gives us a warm entrance into Charlotte's life – you can relate to Charlotte rather immediately, not just because of her station and circumstances, but because of how she was crafted #BeatTheBackList??https://t.co/jgyQ5rGjCu
— Jorie, the Joyful Tweeter ?? (@joriestory) January 5, 2019
.@SatBookChat starts in 30 mins! Be sure to follow #SatBookChat wherein I shall be discussing #amwriting #HistRom set in the #Regency feat. @CatherineTinley! Be sure to visit my #bookreview https://t.co/kuhzE7XzqN ahead of time! #MillsAndBoon #booklove
— Jorie, the Joyful Tweeter ?? (@joriestory) January 5, 2019
.@joriestory | #MillsAndBoon girls who loves their #HistoricalRomance stories such as the Chadcombe Marriages series by #CatherineTinley, you might want to head over to @SatBookChat's feeds via #SatBookChat @ 11a NYC | 4p UK *today!* – she's our guest author! #writingcommunity ?
— #SatBookChat (@SatBookChat) January 5, 2019
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
Wow this is a very detailed review!! I’m not much into these Mills and Boons type although once I read a book about an Earl or something and I was kinda hooked. I bet you have a gorgeous collection of these books. Historical romances can be quite romantic and dramatic I think.
I once read a book called Seven Secrets of Seduction which was more erotica though, but historical. But I really enjoyed it.
Anyway happy reading and reviewing for 2019!
x
Hallo, Hallo Ms Mistry,
Actually, Ms Tinley’s novels were the *first!* Mills & Boon novels I started reading – I would love to collect more authors who are publishing these kinds of Historical Romances but for now, I have Tinley’s novels. I meant to respond closer to the time you’ve left this comment, however, most of this year was wrecked by either personal adversities and/or my migraines; the latter of which gave me 8x this year (5x of which were in May!). I only recently have felt chatty again to where I can start to re-engage with my readers and visitors.
I *do!* have a lot of lovely Historical Romance novels in my personal library, they just don’t happen to be Mills & Boon. (smiles) It is a part of Romance I love to read and I gravitate towards certain eras of interest – the Regency & the Victorian eras were long-loved by my younger and adult self whilst the Edwardian era has smitten me as a book blogger. They are – truly, romantic and dramatic, there is a lot happening (usually) in a #HistRom, but its the cultural back-window into the past I also appreciate viewing. I watch historical romances as much as I read them, too. I’m currently streaming “Little Men” via Hallmark Movies Now which is one of the apps avail via Roku? It was a wonderful adaptation of the novel I’ve not yet had the pleasure of reading – however, I like where they took the series, as these kind of adaptations have their own ‘lifeblood’ so to speak. I mention it now because it is like a slow burning Historical Romance hidden behind the general plot arc of the March sisters, now married or widowed and finding Jo running a school in Concord.
Hmm… when it comes to Erotica, you won’t find me reading it. I sometimes call out Contemporary Romance authors for leaning us closer to that genre of interest than keeping us rooted in Contemporary Rom because the two are distinctively different yet a lot of times these days their trying to bridge them together which I don’t enjoy at all.
Thank you for your visit and despite the long winding road the past six months felt like – Summer is renewing my spirits and I look forward to what I’ll be sharing with my readers throughout the next coming months. I’ll be focusing on INSPY novelists in July, Austen in August and plenty of Historical reads betwixt and between! I hope your blogging life has gone equally well and I look forward to visiting with you, too.