Review - The Regency by Cynthia Harrod -Eagles

I have come into the series in the middle (sort of!) but I think a stand alone book was also interesting. I like the period and the descriptiveness of not just the period, but also of the way of life is very interesting for those of you who like historical fiction.

Fanny - autocratic, difficult from the day she was born is coming of age. She is the heiress to the Morland wealth but is also eyeing the wealth of her grandfather's mills , upto now supposed to be bequeathed to a distant cousin. Fanny upsets everyone in the way of her goals, whether it is her wealth, her position and love for her father, her father's second wife whom she is jealous of and even poorer/less prettier cousins who live around her. She must be the cynosure, the number one in everything. Very early on in the book you realize this one is a brat who is not going to come to a good end!

Add to that the Morland history - James with his colorful past and his delightful present, Edward and Mathilde, illegitimate children, the madness of trying to get all your daughters married as quickly as possible, the securing of fortunes and titles all go to make this a delightful book.

This story is set in the Napoleonic era and it has its ups and downs while Boney loses one and wins another. The wars of Napoleon never seem to end and this is a backdrop of the story. But, it is basically a family saga and this is what adds to the interest - a story of relationships and building up of a great family and how life goes on.

I have found quite a few of the books of the series and hope that the rest are as delightful as this one was.