| Title | : | Her Fateful Debut (Three Gentlemen of London, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Format Type | : | Kindle , Hardcover , Paperback , Audiobook & More |
| Number of Pages | : | - |
Beautiful Miss Penelope Swinton wants to live out her life as a spinster in her beloved Northamptonshire, but with an ailing father and an entailed estate, she must come to London and enter the Marriage Mart. And if she must marry, she is determined to marry for love.
In a brief respite from the social whirl of the season, she retreats from the restrictions of the ton to sketch in the park and stumbles over a French spy. When Penelope finds her life in danger, Viscount Beau Wellingham steps up to protect her; however, he has secrets of his own. Wellingham leads a clandestine life as an agent for the Foreign Office trapping spies. In defending her life, he unwittingly puts her reputation at risk.
In order to save Penelope from society's scorn, Beau presses for a betrothal. Though she resists, he insists. Soon Beau is unable to deny the attraction he feels towards her. Before he can act on his feelings, danger rises again. This time, his life is on the line.
With a desperate spy closing in, Penelope must choose the safety of what she has always known or a chance for love. But will she be too late?
Her Fateful Debut (Three Gentlemen of London, #1) Reviews
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I picked this light Regency romance up as a Kindle freebie (it's now back to $2.99). A country girl with Connections, Penelope Swinton, comes to London for the Season. She has a nice young rector at home who wants to marry her, but she's hoping for something more, like, say, a love match. She gets more excitement than she bargained for: While she's out drawing pictures in a London park early one morning, she makes the mistake of sketching three men ... and one of those men does not want his likeness taken. He rips up the drawings and hares off, but it's clear he's still going to be a danger to Penelope.
Enter Viscount Beau Wellingham, who does some undercover work for the government and is willing to protect Penelope from the dastardly guy. Things get dangerous, fast, and then Society begins to take an interest, causing trouble for both our main characters. And soon enough, Penelope has a choice to make about what she wants from life ... and both choices seem to have their drawbacks and advantages.
G.G. Vandagriff writes sweet and clean Regency romances, and this one is par for the course. Some of her books deal with serious personal problems, and this one does have a subplot of dealing with a loved one's serious illness , and there's the dangerous spies subplot (which mostly felt like a plot device), but otherwise this book focuses on relationship drama.
I thought the book glossed over some events that would have benefited from more detail, but it was a pleasant if not particularly memorable read. Recommended for those readers who like the clean, light historic romance genre. -
At 20% in, I realized I was only continuing reading to catalogue the book's sins and decided it was an unhealthy preoccupation and stopped. I was going to give a detailed list here, in fact, but I have to ask to what purpose? And since I have no good answer to that, I'll just stick with this: this book's audience is an uncritical one that will accept a romantic story on its most surface level, trusting in the author's earnest presentation.
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Well that was just adorable.
[SPOILER WARNING - the plot is not complex, but review possibly a bit spoiler-ish]
If like me you require the occasional, "Despite his reputation as an incurable rake, handsome Duke falls madly in love with spunky, unconventional heroine" kind of book, you could do much worse than
Her Fateful Debut. I enjoyed it very much even though it commits sin of being the first in a trilogy - but since this book stands on its own, not unpardonable.
The hero and heroine in this case are country girl Penelope Swinton, and dashing Londoner Viscount Beau Wellingham. Their first meeting is interesting and unique, involving British government agents and a French spy. I didn't pay too much attention to that part because honestly I just want to read about the gowns and stately homes and dancing and whatnot.
Through a complicated, spy-related series of events there is an attack on Penny's life during which she proves herself NOT to be one of those ninnies who cowers and screams while Beau does the hard work of saving her. No, she participates in taking down the villain. Loved it! Somehow this misadventure is seen as a compromising situation which, as we readers of this kind of thing have come to expect, results in their forced engagement to 'save Penelope's reputation.'
AS Penny and Beau progress with their wedding plans, there are charming scenes of them getting to know and like each other better. There are no ridiculous misunderstandings to tear them apart; and thankfully no laughable, overwrought sex scenes. The supporting characters are likeable and fun. And there is a nod to Jane Austen, as this is set at the time of the Napoleonic Wars when Jane was writing, and one of the characters is a competing authoress. All good stuff. I read this in one day, which is unusual for me, so I assume it was really short but it's hard to tell with Kindle books. -
(3.5 Stars) A lot of Regency romances follow a certain formula and this one is no exception. I love it when authors add a little extra zing to their stories to make them more original than that said formula. This one did have a spy element, but other than that, it fits right in with the genre. I wanted just a little more to make it stand apart.
Penelope (aka Penny or Pen) is a young lady who is just coming out into society. She finds herself in a compromising situation that demands a betrothal. Beau is a dandy...or is he? I enjoyed the contrasting extremes of Penelope and Beau. There are elements of peril and chemistry, which are subtle at times, but I wanted a little more of an emotional connection with these characters. I felt they lacked some depth and it was harder to connect with them on that level. The plot flows in a gentle and natural way, which makes it an enjoyable story.
This is a great read for those who love this genre and enjoy and clean tale. It doesn't take long to read and is a great break from reality.
Content: brief reference to affair; mild romance; mild violence (not detailed). Clean!
*I received a copy in exchange for an honest review* -
Pleasant story about a young gentlewoman, Miss Penelope Swinton, whose recent arrival in London to make her society debut is marred by her unfortunate observation of a meeting among spies, one of whom is determined to kill her for fear that she will expose him. Beau Saunders, the Duke of Wellington, is an agent of the Crown. He saves her and kills her assailant, but this unfortunately occurs at a ball and speculation runs rampant that this was a love triangle. Beau and Penelope agree to marry to save her reputation.
Interesting characters. Beau dresses like a dandy intentionally so that others will tend to underestimate him and be more unguarded around him. Pen is a country girl, less demure and bolder than the usual debutante, and a much better card player.
She had come to stay with her aunt in order to enjoy a London season, but her time in the city is cut short when her father becomes gravely ill. Returning home brings back her childhood friend, Tom Chillingsworth, who wants to marry her. This offers her the choice to continue living in her home area and be with a man who wishes to marry her rather than one who feels obligated to do so.
Meanwhile, Beau is trying to track down a spy out to murder him for having killed Pen's attacker. He's also finding himself in love with his fiance but recognizes that staying in her familiar surroundings might make Pen happier if she's truly in love with Tom.
This is very well written, as this author's works generally are. Despite all the life-and-death and cloak-and-dagger stuff, the tone is remarkably light. It's a cute Recency romance. -
*FULL REVIEW*
review to come... I think I have 3 maybe 4 to do. Life is going to calm down soon so don't be surprised when I have multiple reviews popping up on my feed. ;-D
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This was a fun, witty jaunt into the Regency era. I really enjoyed all the characters and the storyline. Penelope has come to London to finally have her debut for the season. She is a country girl and not used to the rigors and expectations of society. So of course she is awake long before anyone else and enjoying her time in the park, sketching. Unfortunately she sketches someone who should not be sketched and finds herself embroiled in the middle of matters of the Foreign Office, and spies. Fortunately for her, one of the men she sketches happens to be a good spy and knows he must protect her after the whole encounter. Ok I might have given away a little bit but it's all within the first few pages of the book so I don't feel too spoilerish doing that.
All of this leads to Penelope discovering information that is best kept secret but for her safety she must understand the urgency for the secrecy. After consulting with her Aunt and Beau(yes he's the good spy and quite the dandy if Penelope has anything to say in the matter), it is decided that she will stay in London but Beau will be there at all social events to watch over her and not smother her chances at a good match. Here's another unfortunately...scandal does arise in regards to the other spy and leaves Penelope at the mercy of Beau. Will he help save her reputation or shall she leave London all together and not care one wit what society thinks about her.
Soon Penelope finds herself engaged to a man she has known for less than 24 hours and completely upended due to society. I really liked Penelope's character. She was sweet and innocent. She refused to lie or be deceitful in anyway. Which unfortunately(again), causes her to put Beau and herself in harms way yet again.
Scandal is surrounding her but won't touch her if she makes the right choices. But sometimes those choices go against everything that she has been taught. Should she cry off the engagement and pray that that keeps Beau safe? Should she retire to the country and marry her best friend Tom? Could she be happy with Tom now that she's met Beau? Does Beau want to be encumbered by Penelope?
There are several twists that keep the reader on edge(or better yet, turning the pages quickly) to discover what will happen. It was a well written book and storyline. I gobbled it up pretty fast and have to say I really enjoyed it lots. I actually wanted more to the storyline and was not ready when it did end. I have read several other books by this author, some her suspense and some her regency books(not all are marked and rated her on goodreads-more pre-GR books that someday I'll get to) and have enjoyed them all. I'm really hoping this will be a series and we might see more of the characters from this book.
Content wise, there was talk about an affair/mistress but nothing graphic. Overall a great clean read that I'd recommend to any Regency fan, especially witty Regency fans!
I received a copy from ebooks in exchange for my honest review.
Happy Reading!!! -
A Cute Recency Romance
I really enjoyed this book! The author wrote a recency romance but then added a little action/suspense, which is one of my favorite combinations. There is a lot to like about our two main characters, and while they are complete strangers that have been thrown together, theirs was a sweet romance. -
Her Fateful Debut was a fun, clean romance. I received a free e-Arc from Ebooks For Review in exchange for an honest review. Although I have been reading romances for a couple of years now, I am much newer to the historical romance sub-genre. I do enjoy books in locations outside of the U.S., especially if they give me a good sense of being there. I can honestly say that although I enjoy reading about this era in British history, I most certainly wouldn't want to live there. The entire concept of a woman not inheriting from her own father because she is a woman is completely horrible. I have no clue when this atrocious rule stopped, but, I do know that there are still some people out there that leave things only to the first-born son. I wonder how that works when the first-born son is an idiot who wastes and gambles things away.
Her Fateful Debut introduces Penelope who apparently is a great beauty, an excellent artist, a bit of a tom-boy, smart and someone who speaks her mind. She has been sent to London to stay with her aunt who is introducing her to society so that she can find a husband. It seems to be going extremely well until she happens upon Deveraux, a French spy, at a park where she is sketching what she sees in the park and that someone does not want to be drawn. He is in the middle of doing something extremely dangerous and he has no problems taking his anger out on a woman. Penelope's life is in danger and Viscount Beau Wellingham is present in the park and witnesses the French man's verbal abuse of Penelope. He is so concerned for her safety that he thinks he needs to keep an eye on her to ensure that Devereaux does not attack Penelope again. He is right to be concerned because at Penelope's very first ball she is attacked and Beau comes to her aid. What follows is the story of a gentleman of the ton is supposed to do when caught alone with an unmarried woman, he protects her honor by becoming engaged to Penelope. A sweet romance develops between Beau and Penelope, but, it is not an easy trip down the aisle. There is more intrigue, and even the dreaded love triangle in Regency times. Although that is not my "trope" this one was not too painful. I would imagine this would occur quite a bit in Regency times when a woman is put on the market for all eligible bachelors to come 'acallin and she has several viable suitors. In Penelope's case she has to choose between a childhood friend and this exciting man. It is a fun read that I enjoyed very much. Review can also be seen at LadyTechie's Book Musings
http://LadyTechiesBookMusings.blogspo.... -
I really liked this one. A delightful Regency romance with a thread of danger to keep things exciting and some swoon worthy kisses! :) You'll definitely want to read this one for yourself!
Miss Penelope Swinton may be a little naive when it comes to the ton, but she is also smart, a quick learner, and a delight to be around. When circumstances force her into the path of Viscount Beau Wellingham, he soon finds himself falling under her spell. But will those same circumstances and a death cause Miss Penelope to consider letting society think what it may and run back to the country or will she determine to stick to the course of a possibly loveless marriage?
I liked both Beau and Penelope's characters. In contrast to his dandified appearance, Beau is a smart, kind, and honorable man. Once he realizes that by saving Penelope's life in the way that it happened meant he has compromised her reputation, he immediately proposes marriage to save her. I liked the way he treats her and how quickly he realizes that she is worth pursuing. The only thing I didn't like about this story was the way Beau takes care of the dangerous men he's pursuing. I was a little startled by the way he takes care of them with little recourse for other options. Not wanting to give anything away, I'll leave it for you to see what I mean when you read it for yourself.
*Thanks to Min Reads and Reviews and the author for a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are my own.* -
Romance, Clean, mild Christian elements
This has to be my favorite of all of GGV's novels that I have read so far. The characters seemed more real, more human, more genuine. Some of them just haven't 'fit' for me personally as a reader. This was definitely an interesting 'fall' with some side moments and characters that made the novel a fit for me. I would have given it 5 stars except the ending seemed to fall apart detail wise for me (seemed a bit rushed or lacking details?). It wasn't as lush or full as the first 90% of the novel. That being said, it really was a lovely read. The moments that the h and H experience together made for a lovely read, and very compelling. The suspense with Beau's job with as a spy, made for a bit of suspense that livened up the action. Pen was a great female character. She had spunk, bravado, a big heart, and definitely wasn't a wallflower or simpering miss. Her finding her 'self', finding and knowing her heart, made for a captivating read.
I received a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review. -
This was a fun and lighthearted Regency book. It didn't have any surprises in it, and it's a quick read.
Penelope has gone to London to have a Season and sees a meeting between spies in the park. This endangers her, and Beau steps in to help. They are forced into an engagement, but soon find themselves falling in love.
The excerpt to this book says there is a "dash of suspense," and I would say that is very accurate. There really is no suspense and I wasn't worried for a moment that things would't turn out as I wanted.
As for content, there is mention a few times of Beau's love affair with a young widow and there is one use of the d-word. Overall, I would still classify this book as clean (even though I don't like the mistress innuendo).
I was given this book in exchange for an honest review. -
I had a harder time with this book than I expected. At first, I didn't feel the tension that was supposed to be there. I didn't feel threatened or alarmed for Penelope. All the words indicated it but the emotion wasn't there. Then, the method the author said was used to snap someone's neck was incorrect. I happen to train in that particular method of martial arts and we are definitely not taught how to break necks (even at the higher belts). With those two things happening fairly early in the book, I had a hard time getting through the rest of the book. The characters seemed easy enough to enjoy but it wasn't enough to for me to get over my initial reaction to the book. That being said, not every book is for everyone so someone else may absolutely love this book.
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A sweet regency romance. It is lyrically written with little of the usual flashy and steamy additives that so many are relying on for interest these days. This story is more the old-fashioned, smooth rolling, proper tale. For those used to more excitement, it might seem somewhat slow. But, those who love the beauty of the written word for the enjoyment, itself, it is a delightfully nice choice.
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Romantic, clean, well-written, fleshed-out characters. Very much enjoyed it :)
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The suspense in this book gets started from the very first page! That made the story way more fun than it otherwise would have been.
I liked Penelope (Penny or Pen, as she's sometimes called in the book) she's really young and really naive, because she's never been to London before. It's her first season and sometimes she makes little mistakes because she isn't quite sure what's expected of her. That makes her all the more lovable in my eyes though. I liked her pluck when she was talking to the French spy at the beginning. He is aghast that she's drawn a likeness of him, grabs her sketches and rips all of them up. She tells him in no uncertain terms that that's not how you act, even though he is a bit crazy and in her face about drawing them.
That's when Beau steps in. He knows the spy and knows that no good can come from his fixation on Penny. Thus he offers himself as a personal guard to keep her safe during the events she'll be attending. And it's a good thing too, because at her very first ball, a servant approaches and tells her that her chaperone is awaiting her. Luckily Beau sees this as the trickery it is and is planning for the spy to attack. But...in his job protecting her, Beau unwittingly sets off a fire storm of public opinion against Penny. Knowing he must protect her still, he offers to marry her.
One of my favorite parts of this story is that, though they both care for each other at least a little bit, neither of them knows that the other does care for them. That makes their forced marriage prospects a little harder, and causes their wedding plans to be in jeopardy.
This is a cute, clean, regency romance. I liked the plot. I liked the characters. It's worth the time to read if you want a little escape from the world!
I was sent an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. -
Vandagriff has done it again. I always think that she can't possibly write another book as appealing as the one I just read, but she always manages to pull it off. I found Her Fateful Debut to be as compelling as all Vandagriff's other works that I have read. Beau and Penelope are both sympathetic and interesting characters. Beau, an experienced Londoner and employee of the Foreign Office, inadvertently meets Miss Penelope in a park early in the morning when the double agent he is working with attacks Penelope's sketchbook with a vengeance. This leads Beau into shadowing Penelope to protect her and then to a forced betrothal. But Penelope has her own mind and several interesting twists get in the way of Penelope and Beau really getting to know each other. But this is at its heart a romance and it was enjoyable to see Beau and Penelope's growing feelings for each other, despite their differences and the dangers involved. A great Regency romance for those like me who just can't get enough.
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Penelope Swinton is in London for less than 24 hours before she is embroiled in both scandal and danger - all from being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Beau, also known as Viscount Wellingham, is determined to protect her life and her reputation - even though he has just met her!
I loved Penelope - she was a fun, spirited heroine who didn't always take the easy way. Tom, the vicar's son back in her country home of Northampton, has always planned to marry her and offers her a nice quiet, country life. On the other hand, marrying Beau will put her in the middle of London society which she has discovered may not be a great fit for her. Luckily, she has her Aunt Clarice and her cousin Elise (from
The Duke's Undoing) to guide her and help her navigate London society.
Content: Clean
Source: Review Copy (opinion is 100% my own) -
"Her Fateful Debut" by G.G. Vandagriff is a captivating Regency-era romance that effortlessly transports readers to the vibrant streets of London. The narrative beautifully intertwines the complexities of societal expectations with heartfelt emotions, centered around a compelling heroine's entrance into high society. Vandagriff's meticulous attention to historical detail enriches the story, immersing readers in the lavish balls and intricate courtships of the era. The dynamic interplay between characters is both poignant and engaging, ensuring that the novel resonates on multiple levels. As the first installment in the "Three Gentlemen of London" series, it sets a promising tone, promising more delightful escapades and heartfelt moments to come.
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This is my favorite of all ten of my Regency romances. I am sure that if I'd had the chance, I would have fallen in love with Beau Wellingham--dresses like a dandy (as camouflage), is very athletic, knows Jujutsu, loves roses, is tender when the situation calls for it. And he knows how to kiss!
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Choices
It is interesting that she has so many choices and that love was not originally her motivation with her final choice... Or was it? Cryptic enough? Well I wouldn't want to ruin the fun for anyone! -
Cute, clean, fluffy regency romance. Not a bad read for a free kindle book.
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I feel like the author missed this one. The premise of this book is silly to be honest, the heroine, the unbelievably beautiful blonde and violet-eyed Penelope sketches three gentlemen in the park. Lo and behold one of these men, a French spy is so incensed by her sketching his likeness he tries to attack her. Fortunately, his handler, and our future romantic hero is there to intervene in his lavender coated masculine glory. The heroine, who until that point has proven to be about as smart as a door handle is naturally unimpressed.
Just wait, there is more! Our hero despite the heroine's insistence decided to become her bodyguard to protect her from the deranged French spy and subsequently kills him - he was a Frenchman, so our patriotic characters just don't care. The hero's association with spy work is openly known and all other friends of the hero and heroine freely pitch in with ideas. This is all freely interspersed with colloquialisms one sees on Monthy Python, so much so, that I wanted to shout out to the hero, "Tallyho old chap!" Naturally, this leads to the hero having to propose to our heroine where they supposed to discover their mutual love and attraction throughout the course of the book. Add to that another French spy, because a regency romance has to have a dastardly antagonist and you begin to sympathize with the first villain.
In short, this contrived, boring piece of writing utilizing lots of modern Americanisms is not worth a reader's time. The author tries for authenticity by using common color names of those times, such as jonquil and robin egg blue. Did her editor not mention that the latter color name was only use in the latter half of the century? I'm no stickler for absolute historical accuracy in a romance book, especially for something so minor, but this just shows that the author was just looking to cash in on the Regency romance genre without really understanding it. -
I would give the book a 3.7. The book needs closer editing, not so much for typos, although there are a few, but for consistency.
I enjoyed the characters in this tale immensely.
I also enjoyed the author's vocabulary choices, such as "shibboleths, blue devils, perspicacious, ennui, etc."
However, there were some historical issues that bothered me. For example, people did not place news of an engagement in the newspapers (a wedding, perhaps, but not an engagement.); "honeymoon" was not a phrase associated with the Regency period; "dance cards" were more of a Victorian custom, rather than a Regency one; wearing a veil at the wedding appeared to modern, for most women still wore bonnets for the wedding.
I could not understand why they spent three days in the carriage to get from London to Northampton. It is about 75 miles. Are they only traveling three hours per day. A coach and well-sprung horses could go 7-10 miles per hour. That should have only been 10 hours at the most.
Part of Penelope's letter is in Italics and part of it is not.
The author changes Tom's name from "Collingsworth" in the beginning of the book to "Chillingsworth" in the Epilogue. Also, Mr. Chase's name becomes Mr. Evans at the end of the book. Rosamund's name changes from Cuthbert in Chapter 3 to Calthrop in Chapter 7.
"One another" indicates 3 or more; therefore, the phrases "always touching one another," "merely fond of one another," "looked at one another," "devoted to one another," "about one another," "different from one another," etc., are incorrect. The proper use is "each other," which means 2. -
So, this book was short, sweet and cute. It was a perfect distraction for my long flight after working 16 hours on vacation and got me just in the mood to see my sweetie at the gate! The book chronicles a rather rushed romance between a notorious rake of society and a young ingénue that had potential in society but scandal forced her marriage. I know, it sounds predictable, but the little added plot points of their relationship blooming and the pitfalls of their brief engagement were a small change up. I was rather surprised to see that the scorned lover of the rake was not involved in the plot, but it would have made it that much more predictable.
Like I said, a nice cute read to get you into a sappy place with little or no frills that force commitment. -
2.5 Stars. DNR
I received this book as a freebie several years ago. I Didn’t hate the story but I didn’t like it either.
Penelope lives in the country but comes to London to you find a husband. Beau is a rogue and a dandy or at least he likes people to think this. Beau works for the foreign office. It’s never really explained what exactly he does but it has something to do with spies.
The story revolves around the fact that Penelope and Beau are forced to marry. There is no mystery and very little action. Because the couple are still getting to know each other the romance goes back-and-forth between liking each other and not liking each other but ends on a good note. -
I thought this books was good. It has a good, believable story line. Heroine, gets caught up in a spy plot, needs to be rescued by hero. Instead compromises her reputation and has to offer marriage. I was a little perturbed by the girl. She is young and naive and not sure about what she wants. She made so many dumb decisions. The guy, older and wiser, but also makes mistakes about their relationship. Both went into the relationship for different reasons but they finally stopped denying they at least liked each other and learned that they loved each other. It took almost to the end of the book for that to happen. I enjoyed it anyway.
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Not my kind of story. I picked this up because I needed something light and sweet to read during a heavy work week. I got light, but am leaving unsatisfied...
A light read on the side with a fast pace, a wishy-washy heroine, and a "perfect" hero. My main problem with this book is that Penelope's best feature seems to be that she is a beauty and then a few times throws in she is an "Original" and not like the rest of female ton society without any examples of this to contrast with this declaration. I expect to have to hang up some of my feminist beliefs when reading the romance genre, but there are limits to what I'll tolerate. If someone only has their physical beauty to recommend them, it gets old fast.
