The picture of innocence, Miss Mabel Anderson, and the sister of a cleric. But many people in her port town of Salford lived in poverty, their only chance at making a decent living being the smuggling trade. Mab inadvertently found herself the leader of this group, but a government agent, Sir Stamford Wicklow, was come to town specifically to discover the leader’s identity—and imprison the villain.
Smart heroines
The Seventh Suitor by Laura Matthews
No balls and routs here, instead the book focuses around country pastimes such as farming, riding and visiting the local ‘big’ town, Bristol.
From the book blurb:
As a prank, five young men, encouraged by her brother, proposed to Kate Montgomery. No harm done, except that it reminded some in the country neighborhood that Kate had also refused the suit of the Earl of Winterton’s brother–but then surprisingly accepted a legacy from him when he died in the Peninsula.
Escapade by Joan Smith
One of my all-time favourite Joan Smith books.
From the book blurb:
Ella Fairmont, as the anonymous Miss Prattle, has taken the Duke of Clare to task regularly in her gossip column. The duke, unsuspecting, includes Ella and her aunt in his week-long country houseparty. He has also included the blue-blooded Lady Honor, the strikingly beautiful Miss Sheridan, and the multi-talented Miss Prentiss. How could one “ordinary” young lady with a sharp tongue compete with three sterling debutantes?
The Accidental Marriage by Sally James
The blurb: Penniless Julia Marsh and Sir Carey Fitzhugh met in Vienna, at the Congress, where Julia was governess to her sister’s children. When they met again, Julia was stranded without money or luggage, and had taken a job in a Bavarian inn. Sir Carey had been jilted, and needed a wife in order to […]
Miss Gabriel’s Gambit by Rita Boucher
What’s it all about? From the blurb: Beautiful Sylvia Gabriel has more cause than most to despise the Game of Kings. Chess has been the ruination of her life—ending her engagement, filching her fortune and reducing her to poor relation. But when she finds herself falling in love with chessmaster David Rutherford, the new Lord […]