After his father's death, Captain Jeremy Verney has returned from the wars to find his family is disarray. To begin with the family finances leave a lot to be desired, and it looks as if the only way out may be if the eldest Verney sister, Georgianna agrees to marry a rich gentleman. Except that Geogianna, who happens to be a bit of a bluestocking has no intention of marrying for money. A serious, compassionate and intelligent young woman, Georgianna longs to do something worthwhile with her life. And when her mother begins to nag at her to be more receptive to the attentions of the Season's latest eligible, Anthony Maitland, Viscount Ivers, Georgianna decides to flee home in order to strike out on her own in spite of the fact that she is rather attracted to Viscount Ivers. Not only does she not tell anyone she is leaving but she also already has a job as teacher of poor children waiting for her.
Horrified that her daughter ran away from home to unknown parts, her mother sends Jeremy to look for her but with no success. What he does find is a young pickpocket, Peggy Birkin, who needs to be rescued from her domineering brother and who happens to bear an uncanny resemblance to Georgianna. So he takes her home in hopes that his mother will find an honest position for her. And that's when Lady Verney comes up with an audacious PLAN to save the family from scandal until Georgianna comes to her senses and returns home. But what the good lady never considered was how her PLAN would affect and impact her family, and change things forever...
Put the fact that Lady Verney's grand plan is a rather daft one, at the back of your mind, and just allow yourself to enjoy this really well written and highly polished romance novel. Elizabeth Mansfield does an excellent job of centering the book on two very different yet wholly engaging heroines: Georgianna and Peggy, the pick-pocket, charting the highs and the lows of their new situations brilliantly, especially their different romances. An entertaining and captivating story, peopled with a cast of strong and well drawn characters, this charming and absorbing tale was a treat to read from beginning to end. So, if you're looking for something that's not fluffy and that's an affecting and charming tale, you can't go very wrong with "A Grand Deception."
Horrified that her daughter ran away from home to unknown parts, her mother sends Jeremy to look for her but with no success. What he does find is a young pickpocket, Peggy Birkin, who needs to be rescued from her domineering brother and who happens to bear an uncanny resemblance to Georgianna. So he takes her home in hopes that his mother will find an honest position for her. And that's when Lady Verney comes up with an audacious PLAN to save the family from scandal until Georgianna comes to her senses and returns home. But what the good lady never considered was how her PLAN would affect and impact her family, and change things forever...
Put the fact that Lady Verney's grand plan is a rather daft one, at the back of your mind, and just allow yourself to enjoy this really well written and highly polished romance novel. Elizabeth Mansfield does an excellent job of centering the book on two very different yet wholly engaging heroines: Georgianna and Peggy, the pick-pocket, charting the highs and the lows of their new situations brilliantly, especially their different romances. An entertaining and captivating story, peopled with a cast of strong and well drawn characters, this charming and absorbing tale was a treat to read from beginning to end. So, if you're looking for something that's not fluffy and that's an affecting and charming tale, you can't go very wrong with "A Grand Deception."
