Proud Mary: A Georgian Historical Romance: 4 (Roxton Family Saga)

The heroine , Lady Mary when first encountered in Noble Satyr - seemed to me , a malleable person with no sense of her opinion.But wham, this book comes along and floors me !!!I fell in love with Christopher - brooding, honorable and dutiful.This book is flawless in its delivery in terms of a widow's expectation especially a noblewoman's .The delightful roxton family continues to enthrall us through this sojourn as wellA 4.8/5 for me -Romance Level : highSteamy content: mild

L'intrigue s' essouffle à mon avis, le couple au centre de cette histoire n'est pas attachant comme les précédents, je me suis ennuyée, l'auteur semblant manquer d'inspiration cette fois.

When Mary was mentioned in the previous book she was proud and unpleasant, so I wasn't sure how Lucinda Brant would manage to make her likeable enough to change this impression. She does it of course, as she always does, by making the character a real person with a past life and perfectly believable reasons for being the way they are. It's one of the things I enjoy so much about this author's writing - these people are real, they talk, think and act in ways that allow a reader to really connect with them. The other thing I enjoy enormously is the detail in the descriptions of clothes, houses, food, lifestyle- all against a meticulously accurate historical background. All this makes the heart of a history pedant happy! I very much enjoyed the description of the water wheel that powered the cloth mill. But the main reason I recommend this book is that it's a cracking good read, I enjoyed the story of how Mary's life changes as she and Christopher finally grow closer. I was rather amused at just how much "encouragement" Christopher needed (and not from Mary!), but seen in the context of his upbringing and hers and the social mores of the period his hesitation is perhaps not surprising.This book can be read as a stand-alone, but I recommend reading the whole series in order for maximum enjoyment - starting with Noble Satyr. You won't regret it!

I recently read a review of a Lucinda Brant novel which said that reading her books is like eating chocolates...you just can't stop at one. That's it in a nutshell for me because I love every book she has ever written and wait with eager anticipation for a new addition to her list, in this case PROUD MARY, book five in her acclaimed and addictive Roxton Family Saga.Ms. Brant's holistic approach is quite unique. Her books are wonderfully romantic but her stories are also very family orientated, a style which really appeals to me, and which I feel reflects life. Once that first flush of all-consuming, instalust/romantic love has waned then there must be something solid to build a life and family upon, and I like how she reflects that in this series. I'm also a sucker for a good epilogue and, with such a long, continuing saga, we have been privy to an epic one! With the Roxton family, Lucinda Brant has created a wonderfully complex Georgian aristocratic family whose story develops over a period of more than thirty years. The love and support they feel for each other is evident in every book throughout the series. Her remarkable talent for creating living, breathing people, who we remember vividly and with great affection, is where I feel Ms. Brant excels over so many others writing in this genre. I can think of only one other favourite author who has achieved this in an ongoing saga, with characters I adore and remember vividly.Each book could be read and enjoyed individually but, quite honestly, I wouldn't recommend it. This series is such a feast and so much of the pleasure of reading it comes from following her fascinating characters - experiencing their mistakes, loves, their growing families and their progress and maturing in later life. I also admire her skill in making her readers feel as though we are all members of the intriguing and loveable Roxton family.In Proud Mary, it is the turn of the utterly gorgeous, Squire Christopher Bryce and Lady Mary Cavendish to find love and happiness within the Roxton clan. Having originally met eight years earlier, it was love-at-first-sight for Christopher but an over-bearing, unloving mother who had denigrated and bullied her all her life, a father who deserted her and marriage to the odious, sycophantic and obsequious, Sir Gerald Cavendish, have left Mary with a sad case of lack-of-self-esteem. It's therefore difficult for her to believe that a man such as Christopher could find her attractive. Although secretly very attracted to him - who wouldn't be? - she would never have considered showing it. So, the two have just worshipped each other from afar for eight years, even after Mary is widowed. The three components for love and a life together - the right person, the right place, the right time -were not initially aligned, but with the sudden appearance of a mysterious 'ghost' comes the catalyst for that alignment and the flame of Christopher's and Mary's secret love is finally ignited and is all the better for the waiting.Ms. Brant is known for her subtlety in her 'bedroom scenes' but, in Proud Mary, she allows us a little more than a glimpse of the beautifully sensual connection between two people who deserve to find love. However, the course of true love seems unlikely to run smoothly because, although Christopher is a wealthy and innovative businessman and the much-respected local Squire, albeit with a few shocking secrets yet to be revealed, he is also Mary's social inferior, as she is the daughter of an earl and the cousin of a duke. In addition, under Sir Gerald’s will, Christopher has been appointed to the lowly position of steward of the estate and lands held in trust for Sir Gerald's underage heir, Jack Cavendish. He spends a couple of days per fortnight at the estate, which has been almost bankrupted by Sir Gerald's excesses. Mary and her ten-year-old daughter, Teddy (Theodora) live on the estate under strict economies as Christopher works to increase and repair its fortunes. For spiteful reasons, Sir Gerald has also stipulated that Teddy becomes his steward’s ward, in effect denying Lady Mary any real control over her daughter, and he has also decreed that Teddy may not visit her Roxton relatives. This, however, has made little difference in Teddy's world as she adores her 'Uncle Bryce' and likes to be nowhere better than in her corner of the Cotswolds and preferably with him.Enter Antonia, arriving like a whirlwind as usual and making her presence known. She is the common thread that runs throughout the Roxton series and I just adore her character. In the first book of the series, Noble Satyr, Antonia is an intelligent but precocious seventeen-year-old, setting her cap at the dissolute Duke of Roxton, twenty years her senior, and her success in that quest is apparent in the ensuing books in the series. Over a period of thirty years, she has loved, lost, suffered and loved again and is still an incredibly beautiful, vivacious, fifty-year-old who is beloved by all and who loves fiercely in return. At some point in the series, pretty much every family member has sought her wise council and, as she puts her mind to resolving Mary and Christopher's conundrum, we see her in all her splendid glory.I do marvel at Ms. Brant's clever and devious mind, because an apparently throwaway remark made a few books earlier in the series will suddenly take on great significance. I've had more than one light bulb moment when a character I vaguely remember suddenly becomes important. Christopher's Aunt Kate is one such character and, if I hadn't read the previous books, her significance would have been lost to me. I have wondered on more than one occasion how the author keeps everything straight in her mind - the intricate plotting and the intertwining lives of her characters. I think this is one reason why re-reading (or re-listening with the talented Alex Wyndham) her books is even more enjoyable because there is always something I've missed. Her books are great 'keepers' and much loved additions to my book shelves.I must mention darling little Teddy, Lady Mary’s daughter, one of the stars of Proud Mary. She is such a beautifully developed and compelling little character who steals the show on more than one occasion. She has been encouraged by her mother and her beloved 'Uncle Bryce' to be a free spirit. She is never happier than when climbing trees or roaming the glorious Cotswolds hills and dales with Christopher's dog, and Ms. Brant's earlier career as a teacher in a girls’ school is very apparent in the intuitive way she brings Teddy's character to life. There are some amusing moments when, in the way of a child who has heard or seen something they aren't meant to, she unwittingly drops her guilelessly stored 'bomb' into a conversation with adults, causing havoc and often throwing those around her into uproar or helpless laughter while naively tucking into her dinner, completely unaware of the impact her innocent comments have made.Lucinda Brant's research is phenomenal, with nothing left to guess work, even down to the Blue Coat school Christopher attended as a boy which is only briefly mentioned but which Ms. Brant has researched extensively. And I must admit to becoming more than a little excited about Mr. Smeaton's water wheel, the name rang a bell with me immediately; this is the same Smeaton of lighthouse fame. I've actually climbed to the top of his lighthouse on Plymouth Hoe in Devonshire. I live in the Cotswolds where this story is set and now look at it with new eyes after reading Proud Mary. Perhaps I previously took it all for granted, but I can certainly confirm that Ms. Brant has perfectly captured the beauty and essence of this gorgeous area of the British Isles. As always, the sumptuous fashions and furnishings of the Georgian period are described in exquisite detail, bringing the opulence of this captivating period in British history to sparkling life. Ms. Brant's Pinterest Boards contain all her research and they are works of art in themselves.MY VERDICT: I shall be very sad when Lucinda Brant brings this series to a close and I know that time is looming. But I reassure myself with the fact that it's all on my kindle, book shelves and audio library to reach for whenever I need a-love-and-fuzzy-feeling fix! I am so looking forward to SATYR’S SON which is a very apt title to bring this superb series full circle.

First, a disclosure: I'm a Brant fan and was offered the opportunity to read Proud Mary in advance of its public release. So I received a free copy. However, as I had already pre-ordered it, and I wanted to post a very positive review, I went ahead and paid for the extra copy.There are already plenty of reviews posted on Amazon which provide detailed info regarding the characters and plot of Proud Mary, including one by Lady Wesley, which is so comprehensive it would be an ideal reference for readers (like me) whose memories need jogging when it comes to recognising characters from earlier titles in the Roxton series. Instead of duplicating them, I will just add a few reasons about why this latest Brant title totally captivated me.I consider Brant to be amongst the top five HR authors currently being published. She does exemplary research and has the knack of creating a life (and setting) for her characters which rings true.This is well demonstrated in Proud Mary, where the countryside, in particular, breathes magic for Christopher, Mary and her daughter, Teddy - and then entranced me, as well, to the point where I decided I'd like to be there, wandering through the Cotswolds Vale.Brant also infuses her main characters with a great energy and credibility and, in the case of Proud Mary, genuine warmth. Nothing better exemplifies this than the scene where the reader meets Teddy for the first time. This happens just after we have first met the glorious Christopher (the previously mundane "Squire" now recast as the Adonis on horseback, with wondrous thighs in leather pants "painted on" and a legion of local girls and women swooning after him) and "proud" Mary (who is still somewhat of an enigma, although we know she is considered a "pretty" version only of the Autumn Duchess, Antonia).Teddy bursts into the room, dressed in an eccentric way (by her loving mother) and immediately unifies the h and H (who have been arguing) because they both adore her.Mary has leapt on to a chair, because she is terrified by Christopher's dog, which has bounded in with Teddy, bird in mouth. Christopher immediately moves to protect and reassure Mary, even though the dog is harmless. Teddy hugs and praises the dog but apologises to her mother - and, importantly, in no way patronises her for her irrational fear.Teddy then capitulates to her mother's demand to change for dinner - to wear clothes she hates, solely because Christopher (aka her beloved Uncle Bryce) is joining them.Teddy is a great character. She is being encouraged (separately) by Mary and Uncle Bryce to be happy and brave and yet to understand that the outside world will demand conformity of her.Mary's strictures and hugs, plus Uncle Bruce's winks (and warm, loving household) are giving Teddy the inner strength to manoeuvre that minefield and this is immediately obvious.Just that one factor of Proud Mary gives readers a sign for the rest of the story. These people all love one another. And they deserve a HEA together as a triumvirate. The way that happens, right through to the final scene in the treehouse, is, for me, one of the most powerful threads in the story.Of course, there is also the passionate love affair between Christopher and Mary that excludes Teddy. It is just as powerful. It's romantic. It's full of angst. It requires Christopher to open up, to take chances, to overcome the anger (and, yes, "pride") of his past, as well as the prejudices that have restrained him. It requires Mary to open up, to overcome her "pride", to take on her mother, to see herself as someone who matters, as someone a man can lust after and love - and to realise that being with a good lover can be a revelation.Proud Mary isn't just about Christopher, Mary and Teddy. Or just about their respective birth mothers. It's also about Christopher's adoptive parents (and the choices he makes when he discovers he is adopted).Proud Mary is also about the Roxton family. As a fan of the family, I welcomed the glimpses of them, Antonia in particular. I also loved to see the young Duke in a new light. At first villified by Christopher, he is made more human and kind and giving, when seen with his children and with Teddy. He has been in my bad books since Autumn Duchess and I'm glad that Brant has now given him a male friend in Christopher, as well as providing him with the chance to be more understanding and warm.Sometimes a long series can become a bore. Not so in this case. Proud Mary proves that the Roxton series is, in no way, a weakening prospect. Instead, it keeps on offering great new stories, with no dimunition in standards. Another five star title. Roll on the next one.

I liked the way the book was narrated, easy to listen to.