Publisher’s Overview:
Will a damaged reputation and desire for society’s approval thwart the legacy of grace?
Tainted by scandal and forced to leave London for the quieter Brighton countryside, the Honorable Miss Clara DeLancey is a shadow of her former society self. She’s lost the man she loved to another and, in a culture that has no patience for self-pity, is struggling with depression. A chance encounter brings her a healing friendship with the sisters of an injured naval captain. But Clara’s society mama is appalled at the new company she’s keeping.
Captain Benjamin Kemsley is not looking for a wife. But his gallant spirit won’t let him ignore the penniless viscount’s daughter–not when she so obviously needs assistance to keep moving forward from day to day. Can he protect his heart and still keep her safe?
When they’re pushed into the highest echelons of society at the Prince Regent’s Brighton Pavilion, this mismatched couple must decide if family honor is more important than their hopes. Can they right the wrongs of the past and find future happiness together–without finances, family support, or royal favor?
First Thoughts:
Since I’ve read and appreciated the first two books in this series, I’m hoping to be similarly satisfied with Miss DeLancey’s story.
My Take:
What is it with Regency society mamas who want their daughters to marry for titles and security? Is it out of a genuine concern for their daughter’s wellbeing? Is it because their mothers had them marry for the same reasons? Even though the DeLancey fortunes have sunk Frederica, Viscountess Winpoole, still has high hopes for her daughter. Whoever marries Clara must have equal rank of Viscount Winpoole or higher. A mere baron or anyone untitled simply will not do. Her actions have embarrassed Clara, who’s now the talk of the ton, and the poor girl is ready to end it all. Except… someone stops her.
The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey (a play on Clara’s courtesy title) starts and ends in dramatic fashion. Clara is at her lowest until she meets both a savior and her Savior. But church is a place where you go to be seen; doing benevolent works in a poor part of town is no task for a lady. Clara still has a couple of connections, however, and she uses them to introduce the youngest Kemsley sister to society. It’s a move that will bring her back in contact with her former romantic interest and his new wife, a woman who shows extraordinary grace to Clara and therefore helps in her healing.
This was an enjoyable novel of brave military men, pompous members of society, and scoundrels who are anything but the Han Solo sort of scoundrel we love. Tense times lead to more than one encounter with evil, resulting in no way out for the doers of evil. Clara rises from despair to happiness, and her story shows that we are never really alone. He is with us, even if we don’t know it. Kemsley’s fortunes change in a somewhat predictable way, perhaps necessary for the narrative’s requisite happy ending.
I do suggest reading the previous two books in the series. While this book brings the trilogy, A Legacy of Grace, to a close it does appear that they form part of a larger series called Regency Brides. The next trilogy in the series, A Promise of Hope, looks like it’ll be published early next year with the first principal female being someone familiar to Carolyn Miller’s readers.
Thank you to Kregel for my complimentary copy of The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey, which I received in exchange for my honest review.
Have you read The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey? Do you plan to read it? Let me know your thoughts.
Excerpt
Publisher: Kregel Publications
Publication Date: 24 October 2017
Page Count: 296
Read more on: Kregel’s Website Carolyn Miller’s Website Brighton Pavilion
Purchase on: Amazon Barnes & Noble Books-a-million Christianbook.com