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The deWarenne Dynasty #5
The Masquerade
On the evening of her first masquerade, shy Elizabeth Anne Fitzgerald is stunned by Tyrell de Warenne's whispered suggestion of a midnight rendezvous in the gardens. Lizzie has secretly worshiped the unattainable lord for years. When fortune takes a maddening turn, she is prevented from meeting Tyrell. But Lizzie cannot foresee that that night is only the beginning ...
Tyrell de Warenne is shocked when, two years later, Lizzie arrives on his doorstep with a child she claims is his. He remembers her well --- and knows that he could not possible be the father. What is this game she is playing ... and why? Is Elizabeth Anne Fitzgerald a woman of experience, or the gentle innocent she seems? But neither scandal, deception nor pride can thwart a love too passionate to be denied ...
Tyrell de Warenne is shocked when, two years later, Lizzie arrives on his doorstep with a child she claims is his. He remembers her well --- and knows that he could not possible be the father. What is this game she is playing ... and why? Is Elizabeth Anne Fitzgerald a woman of experience, or the gentle innocent she seems? But neither scandal, deception nor pride can thwart a love too passionate to be denied ...
554 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
About the author
Brenda Joyce
154 books1,285 followersBrenda Joyce is the bestselling author of forty-one novels and five novellas. She has won many awards, and her debut novel, Innocent Fire, won a Best Western Romance award. She has also won the highly coveted Best Historical Romance award for Splendor and Two Lifetime Achievement Awards from Romantic Times BOOKreviews. There are over 14 million copies of her novels in print and she is published in over a dozen foreign countries.
A native New Yorker, she now lives in southern Arizona with her son, dogs, and her Arabian and half-Arabian reining horses. Brenda divides her time between her twin passions—writing powerful love stories and competing with her horses at regional and national levels. For more information about Brenda and her upcoming novels, please visit her Web sites: www.brendajoyce.com, www.thedewarennedynasty.com and http://mastersoftimebooks.com.
A native New Yorker, she now lives in southern Arizona with her son, dogs, and her Arabian and half-Arabian reining horses. Brenda divides her time between her twin passions—writing powerful love stories and competing with her horses at regional and national levels. For more information about Brenda and her upcoming novels, please visit her Web sites: www.brendajoyce.com, www.thedewarennedynasty.com and http://mastersoftimebooks.com.
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October 8, 2018
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🦇 Read for the Unapologetic Romance Readers Halloween 2018 Reading Challenge for the category of: A romance with a masquerade/costume party 🦇
***WARNING: LONG RANT & SPOILERS AHEAD***
I picked up THE MASQUERADE for a category in this Halloween-themed romance challenge I'm doing. The category was for a masquerade or costume party-theme in a romance, and while combing despairingly through my Kindle, I thought the title of this book seemed promising. Luckily, it lives up to the title: the catalyst for what ultimately brings h and H together hinges on the events that happen during an All Hallows' Eve masquerade.
Elizabeth is one of the three daughters of an impoverished family of country nobility in Ireland. She has two sisters named Georgie and Anna. They are acquaintances with the de Warenne family, the local nobility, and go to their big parties twice a year. The heroine, Elizabeth, has a crush on the eldest de Warenne son, Tyrell, and has since they were both children and what she felt was major hero worship.
At a Halloween party many years later, when Elizabeth is all dressed up, she has a Princess Diaries moment when Tyrell finally sees that she's not just a chubby wallflower *eyeroll*; she is a woman of supple curves and sensual pleasures. So being the classy sort, he invites her to join him in an assignation behind a tree. Like I said, he's just bursting with class. Unfortunately, her pretty spoiled sister Anna ruins her costume and wants to swap, so Elizabeth ends up going home so Anna can stay.
Long story short: Anna sleeps with the man she KNOWS her sister has a crush on.
I know.
Her argument was that she's the one all men want and she was just so shocked that someone might not find her attractive that she threw herself at Tyrell until he decided to rub some of that - ahem - class he's just bursting with onto her.
I know.
And this being the regency period, when sexual education consisted of "save it for marriage or be ruined forever," they don't use protection and Anna gets pregnant. With Tyrell's son.
I. Freaking. Know.
When Elizabeth finds out about this she's mad for all of two seconds before deciding to go to their rich aunt's house on the pretense of forging a letter expressing a wish that they nurse her back to health. Initially the aunt is one of those curmudgeonly prickly-pear types, but she eventually warms up to the girls and is shockingly sympathetic when she finds out what's really going on. The aunt, Eleanor, is actually one of my favorite characters in this book because she had a pretty solid sense of right and wrong and didn't go about on her merry way being a trash person to whomever she pleased.
So Anna and Elizabeth stay with Eleanor until Anna gives birth and the kid is basically Tyrell's spitting image. Elizabeth, knowing that they can ~never~ be together, is so entranced by this mini-Tyrell that she snatches him from her sister like it's the last cookie in a box of Oreos instead of a baby and announces that she's going to keep him as her own. Anna reluctantly protests, but she's engaged to someone else (and, you know, just slept with her sister's man-crush for funsies), and says, "Hey, great idea! I'm off to happiness now with my rich and handsome husband with NO consequences! Ta ta!" while Elizabeth does the job of raising mini-Tyrell, AKA Ned, with the singleminded possessive obsession you expect to see in The Hand That Rocks the Cradle and not, you know, a ROMANCE.
Eventually, Elizabeth is forced to return to her family and they are SCANDALIZED that their good girl decided to become a bad girl. The truth outs and when they find out who the father is, they march Elizabeth right up to the de Warennes' doorstep and demand satisfaction. Tyrell is furious because not only was he duped out of some hot, classy lovins on Halloween, the object of said lovins decided to sleep with someone else (he thinks) and try to pass the kid off as his. So he blackmails her into being his mistress by threatening to take her child away, and Elizabeth, being psychotically obsessed with Ned and Tyrell, agrees, and tries to pretend that she's a virgin by "accidentally" spilling wine all over the bed before they have sex, because she's so ~subtle~.
It doesn't work, and Tyrell is waaaay too creepily happy about being her first. A freshly-produced heir and a virgin bed partner? That's like insecure dudebro jackpot. Also she loves being in the kitchen and making him tasty treats. BUT WAIT, it gets better. Tyrell is planning on marrying this rich heiress named Blanche, while keeping Elizabeth in his house. UNDER THE SAME ROOF AS HIS WIFE. Because he's so ~classy~. When people (rightfully) call him out about this, he says that he's doing it for his son. Because *eyeroll* that's so believable. Elizabeth, on the other hand, claims that she's not jealous but spends so much time crying and spying on Tyrell's fiance, and acting all passive-aggressive while telling everyone who will listen, "I just want him to be happy!"
Eventually she leaves him for his own good after an encounter with Blanche's father that's pretty civil, except for the fact that he burns up her love note that she leaves before going. Blah blah blah, Georgie has a romance of her own, Anna is still happy and consequence free, Blanche was traumatized as a child and incapable of laughing or crying(??) which is why she doesn't want to get married, so she graciously steps aside and Elizabeth and Tyrell end up married with FIVE kids because class. Ned isn't mentioned at all in the epilogue. I guess he only matters when he's an entre to frustrated lusts and now that the heroine has her own children to be obsessed over, he's served his purpose. Because you know, classy. Also, poor Blanche - unable to laugh or cry? I wish she had a place in that epilogue. She's the nicest OW I ever seen and they swept her out of the narrative like dirt on their way to their ~classy~ happily ever after.
This is a real saga of total trash people, and that is not a phrase I throw around lightly. To be a trash person, you have to give a serious lack of f**ks about other people. Elizabeth gave no f**ks when she stole her sister's baby (luckily her sister didn't want the baby), and she gave no f**ks about how wantonly carousing around with a married-man-to-be might affect her semi-noble family and her remaining sister's prospects. Which it did. Badly. Anna was also a trash person, for sleeping with a man she knew her sister wanted and who wanted her back, and then for dumping her own flesh and blood on her sister to go start a new family with her shiny new husband. Tyrell was a trash person for thinking with his junk and then trying to pass that behavior off as real man of the house-type gallantry, and Georgie was a trash person for enabling her sisters' bad behavior.
What really annoyed me was Elizabeth is so obsessed and stupid and selfish, and yet we're constantly told about how kind-hearted and noble and gracious she is. And I'm like, "Seriously? I must not be hearing you correctly over the sounds of the seagulls circling around all these literal trash people." Oh, she gives all her money to poor people even though her family's impoverished. Really? Where is that money coming from? She doesn't have a job. You mean she's giving her poor family's money away to people on the street while ruining her sister's prospects and fucking a practically married man? Oh wow, so noble, wow, I can only aspire to that level of magnanimity.
The beginning of this book was OKAY because I'm a sucker for family dramas and I kept reminding myself that all of the characters were teenagers and teenagers are SUPPOSED to act selfishly and make bad decisions. But years went on and the characters continued to be stupid trash people and eventually I stopped caring about any of them. I do like the concept of this series, which is about a noble family that begins in Medieval times (and is allegedly a somewhat knockoff of Christine Monson's STORMFIRE), but like the blood of this family, the fire of the plot appears to have thinned as well over the years, degrading from bona fide 80s bodice ripper to present-day trash person drama.
I'm proud of myself for finding a book that fit the masquerade theme I needed but I'm seriously questioning the serious loss of brain cells I think I experienced while wading through this dreck.
2 to 2.5 stars
March 30, 2023
This is a re-re-re-re-re-re-re-reread. Honestly, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve come back to this series, and this book in particular, over the last 15-ish years. It’s got so much of the stuff I love:
💟 Sweet naive bookworm ugly-duckling h - she’s poor and overlooked and selfless
💟 Calm, cool, collected H - he’s rich and powerful and delicious
💟 h has been in love with the H since she was a child, but assumes the H doesn’t even know her name 🥺
💟 *gasp* The H notices her out of the blue - saving her from certain death *swoon*
💟 a Misunderstanding tears them apart before they even get started 😩
💟 mistaken identity
💟 surprise secret baby 👀
💟 H assumes The Worst - making Certain Demands 🔥🔥
💟 Blackmail
💟 H finds out The Old Fashioned Way that maybe all is not as it appears
💟 our star-crossed lovers generate AAALLL the angst
💟 OW drama
💟 STEEAAM 🔥🔥🔥
💟 jealous/possessive H
💟 The best kind of HEA 💕💕💕
This book just gets me in all the feels. I love the h. I love how she is an avid reader of romance novels and is constantly imagining herself in a clench with the H. 😅 I love the H. He’s not my typical asshole. He wants to do the right thing and the h makes him completely lose all chill and act completely out of character. He’s a true hero. I love the drama and the angst. It’s fun to dive deep into all the flowery old school steam with “bosoms” and “manhood” and “loins”… somehow Ms. Joyce still manages to make it hot. 🤷🏼♀️ I love how it’s tied up in such a supremely satisfying way. She thought of everything. 💖
Bottom Line? I adore this book. It’s good every time. It gets all the stars. 🥰 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- no cheating/sharing
- OW drama - the H has an arranged fiancé - this duty causes a significant obstacle for the h and H, but it’s not really about jealousy - the H is never intimate with fiancé
- the H UNKNOWINGLY sleeps with h’s sister before he and the h have a real relationship. It’s a one-time situation and he was essentially tricked
- the h is only with the H
💟 Sweet naive bookworm ugly-duckling h - she’s poor and overlooked and selfless
💟 Calm, cool, collected H - he’s rich and powerful and delicious
💟 h has been in love with the H since she was a child, but assumes the H doesn’t even know her name 🥺
💟 *gasp* The H notices her out of the blue - saving her from certain death *swoon*
💟 a Misunderstanding tears them apart before they even get started 😩
💟 mistaken identity
💟 surprise secret baby 👀
💟 H assumes The Worst - making Certain Demands 🔥🔥
💟 Blackmail
💟 H finds out The Old Fashioned Way that maybe all is not as it appears
💟 our star-crossed lovers generate AAALLL the angst
💟 OW drama
💟 STEEAAM 🔥🔥🔥
💟 jealous/possessive H
💟 The best kind of HEA 💕💕💕
This book just gets me in all the feels. I love the h. I love how she is an avid reader of romance novels and is constantly imagining herself in a clench with the H. 😅 I love the H. He’s not my typical asshole. He wants to do the right thing and the h makes him completely lose all chill and act completely out of character. He’s a true hero. I love the drama and the angst. It’s fun to dive deep into all the flowery old school steam with “bosoms” and “manhood” and “loins”… somehow Ms. Joyce still manages to make it hot. 🤷🏼♀️ I love how it’s tied up in such a supremely satisfying way. She thought of everything. 💖
Bottom Line? I adore this book. It’s good every time. It gets all the stars. 🥰 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- no cheating/sharing
- OW drama - the H has an arranged fiancé - this duty causes a significant obstacle for the h and H, but it’s not really about jealousy - the H is never intimate with fiancé
- the H UNKNOWINGLY sleeps with h’s sister before he and the h have a real relationship. It’s a one-time situation and he was essentially tricked
- the h is only with the H
August 18, 2024
Reread: 8/15/24
3 stars! The h was too much of a doormat. I think this book is BJ least good book in the series. Still, good but not great.
Read: 2020*****************
Looks like GR lost my review.
4 stars!
One thing I remember is enjoying this book. I was shocked that the h gave up her life for her selfish sister.
3 stars! The h was too much of a doormat. I think this book is BJ least good book in the series. Still, good but not great.
Read: 2020*****************
Looks like GR lost my review.
4 stars!
One thing I remember is enjoying this book. I was shocked that the h gave up her life for her selfish sister.
March 1, 2013
There will be spoilers here I'm sure, so be warned!
I like to borrow books from the online library. A lot of times, I have been on the waiting list for so long that by the time I am able to read the book, I don't remember why I wanted to read it.
This was one of those books. A few chapters into the book, I got very very mad. Almost put the book down mad, but dangit, I had waited for a whole month to read it and read it I was.
With that said, it was okay. I mean, it was an easy read and everything fit where it was supposed to, but. . . I don't know. Something was missing. There were major issues to deal with here, yet, no one really dealt with them. Everything was kind of, "eh, okay".
The heroine has loved the hero for most of her life. Everything is finally lining up and our hero, well, he's in the mood for some romance. She is to meet him in the garden (I think). Except her sister is a spoiled bitch and has ruined her own costume. In order to save her, the heroine exchanges costumes and goes home. poor sad little thing. blah.
A short time later, we learn that the heroine's sister is now with child, but she doesn't want to name the father. Who doesn't see where this is going? I saw it from a mile away and it made me a little sick, but I'm a glutton and kept on trucking.
To make a long story short, the heroine decides to save her sister and they go away for the baby to be born. While away, it comes out that the sister is a slut and hooked up with our hero (and a few others, too). The heroine is mad for like half a second. But she is so good and understanding that she lets it go.
This is where I got mad. If my sister hooked up with the man that she knew I had been in love with all my life, I might have to introduce her to a baseball bat.
I'm just saying.
But not our heroine. Oh, no. She's everything that is good in the world. Sugar and butterflies and puppies have nothing on her.
After this point, I went to my happy place. I continued to read the words, but the had no meaning to me anymore. Everyone is so good. Everything they do is for the good of the world. Our hero would never knock up someone randomly, he's not that kind of man! Oh, no! Except he did. The heroine, she wouldn't hurt a thing. She also wouldn't take a stand for herself if her life depended on it. Everything she did was because someone told her to do it. Tell the hero about the child. Stay with me and be my mistress. Leave the hero for the good of another woman. EVERYTHING! Nothing was of her own doing besides keeping her sisters baby and that because he looked like the hero.
The hero was so conflicted and stupid that my head hurt. He came off very much like a spoiled child who was used to having his way. Everything was a contradiction. We are told one thing, and then get to watch them do another. The child is not his in his mind. The heroine is doing this to get her child a name. That bitch. But when he figures out that the heroine is a freaking virgin does he say anything? No. Not until the end of the book. And when he does realize the child is his, does he question who he was getting it on with? Nope.
And out of all this, who comes out on top? The slut sister. She gets to get married, and have a handsome new husband, and a child on the way. No questions and no consequences.
Shoot me now.
While the H & h, do get theirs ,too. It was just . . . I didn't really give a shit one way or the other.
I like to borrow books from the online library. A lot of times, I have been on the waiting list for so long that by the time I am able to read the book, I don't remember why I wanted to read it.
This was one of those books. A few chapters into the book, I got very very mad. Almost put the book down mad, but dangit, I had waited for a whole month to read it and read it I was.
With that said, it was okay. I mean, it was an easy read and everything fit where it was supposed to, but. . . I don't know. Something was missing. There were major issues to deal with here, yet, no one really dealt with them. Everything was kind of, "eh, okay".
The heroine has loved the hero for most of her life. Everything is finally lining up and our hero, well, he's in the mood for some romance. She is to meet him in the garden (I think). Except her sister is a spoiled bitch and has ruined her own costume. In order to save her, the heroine exchanges costumes and goes home. poor sad little thing. blah.
A short time later, we learn that the heroine's sister is now with child, but she doesn't want to name the father. Who doesn't see where this is going? I saw it from a mile away and it made me a little sick, but I'm a glutton and kept on trucking.
To make a long story short, the heroine decides to save her sister and they go away for the baby to be born. While away, it comes out that the sister is a slut and hooked up with our hero (and a few others, too). The heroine is mad for like half a second. But she is so good and understanding that she lets it go.
This is where I got mad. If my sister hooked up with the man that she knew I had been in love with all my life, I might have to introduce her to a baseball bat.
I'm just saying.
But not our heroine. Oh, no. She's everything that is good in the world. Sugar and butterflies and puppies have nothing on her.
After this point, I went to my happy place. I continued to read the words, but the had no meaning to me anymore. Everyone is so good. Everything they do is for the good of the world. Our hero would never knock up someone randomly, he's not that kind of man! Oh, no! Except he did. The heroine, she wouldn't hurt a thing. She also wouldn't take a stand for herself if her life depended on it. Everything she did was because someone told her to do it. Tell the hero about the child. Stay with me and be my mistress. Leave the hero for the good of another woman. EVERYTHING! Nothing was of her own doing besides keeping her sisters baby and that because he looked like the hero.
The hero was so conflicted and stupid that my head hurt. He came off very much like a spoiled child who was used to having his way. Everything was a contradiction. We are told one thing, and then get to watch them do another. The child is not his in his mind. The heroine is doing this to get her child a name. That bitch. But when he figures out that the heroine is a freaking virgin does he say anything? No. Not until the end of the book. And when he does realize the child is his, does he question who he was getting it on with? Nope.
And out of all this, who comes out on top? The slut sister. She gets to get married, and have a handsome new husband, and a child on the way. No questions and no consequences.
Shoot me now.
While the H & h, do get theirs ,too. It was just . . . I didn't really give a shit one way or the other.
October 12, 2021
I loved this book . Lot going on in this story, and it kept me reading. Lizzie an Tyrell are both likable characters.
Second read, still loved the story .
Second read, still loved the story .
June 2, 2016
Cinco estrellas, ni más ni menos!! Me ha encantado!! Es una reminiscencia a la tradicional novela romántica victoriana que últimamente, con tantos autores nuevos que proliferan gracias al libro electrónico, se ha desvirtuado un poco.
Siendo un libro romántico hasta la médula, obviamente peca de personajes cliché, en particular Elizabeth, la protagonista, dulce, buena, sacrificada… pero de verdad no molesta, por el contrario, el argumento, escenas y diálogos están tan bien construidos y son tan emotivos que es imposible no tomarle cariño y empatizar con ella en todas las situaciones que debe enfrentar, derramando uno que otro lagrimón.
Ha pasado a engrosar mi lista de esas joyitas que se encuentran casi por casualidad.
Siendo un libro romántico hasta la médula, obviamente peca de personajes cliché, en particular Elizabeth, la protagonista, dulce, buena, sacrificada… pero de verdad no molesta, por el contrario, el argumento, escenas y diálogos están tan bien construidos y son tan emotivos que es imposible no tomarle cariño y empatizar con ella en todas las situaciones que debe enfrentar, derramando uno que otro lagrimón.
Ha pasado a engrosar mi lista de esas joyitas que se encuentran casi por casualidad.
November 2, 2016
I wanted to love Tyrell's story, he seemed so sexy in The Prize and so I thought his story would be more fun but all it was was a massive disappointment. The prologue was cute and promised good things to come to chubby Lizzie and her 'prince' charming. But Joyce fails to make her seem less than beautiful, she's a voluptuous strawberry blond with two very beautiful blond sisters- difficult to picture a plain bluestocking and future spinster.
I always knew Tyrell knew exactly who she was but what had he planned to do with her in the gazebo that night of the ball if not to seduce an innocent? Then the whole fiasco with his having a son with Anna who is dismissed as nothing more than a vain and careless young woman. I hated how Tyrell blackmailed her into becoming his mistress and Lizzie become a doormat and allows herself to be used, as her father said to her in the novel before he disowns her "have you no shame???".
Sure she loves Tyrell but in following her heart she sacrificed her dignity and let herself be flaunted as a mistress to a man who's engaged to be married and has a son with your older sister. Tyrell had an itch that only Lizzie could scratch and so he continued to treat her as something to be gotten out of his system- I expected more from him since he was painted as a courageous and noble man.
It also seemed a little convenient that the jilted fiancé Lady Blanche felt nothing so of course she's not going to care that Tyrell was in love with someone else.
I always knew Tyrell knew exactly who she was but what had he planned to do with her in the gazebo that night of the ball if not to seduce an innocent? Then the whole fiasco with his having a son with Anna who is dismissed as nothing more than a vain and careless young woman. I hated how Tyrell blackmailed her into becoming his mistress and Lizzie become a doormat and allows herself to be used, as her father said to her in the novel before he disowns her "have you no shame???".
Sure she loves Tyrell but in following her heart she sacrificed her dignity and let herself be flaunted as a mistress to a man who's engaged to be married and has a son with your older sister. Tyrell had an itch that only Lizzie could scratch and so he continued to treat her as something to be gotten out of his system- I expected more from him since he was painted as a courageous and noble man.
It also seemed a little convenient that the jilted fiancé Lady Blanche felt nothing so of course she's not going to care that Tyrell was in love with someone else.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Shelved as 'avoid'
May 9, 2023self note
Plain Jane h, unrequited love/pining for H.
-h in pursuit.
- H slept with the h’s sister first and had a baby with the sis. The sisters son is the spitting image of the H, and of course doormat h was SOOOO in love with him and ends up raising him. 🫢🤮
- full spoilers here- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Plain Jane h, unrequited love/pining for H.
-h in pursuit.
- H slept with the h’s sister first and had a baby with the sis. The sisters son is the spitting image of the H, and of course doormat h was SOOOO in love with him and ends up raising him. 🫢🤮
- full spoilers here- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Shelved as 'dnf'
June 18, 2016**AMO EL NO RATING DE GOODREADS**
Lo siento.
No pude terminarlo.
En serio. No. Pude. Terminarlo.
Y me da una rabia inmensa pero es que aaaaagh...
Lizzie fue EXASPERANTE. Amo las protagonistas atípicas, gorditas, feas, demasiado altas, acomplejadas y miles de etc. (in betweens) pero siempre tienen una cosa en común. Son fuertes, aguerridas y valientes. Lizzie no es nada así, es una niña perdida en un amor de niños que idolatra a un hombre desde los 10 años. Él, a donde alcancé a leer, no me conquistó ni hizo que quisiera conocerlo. Lo siento. Así fue para mí.
Y la verdad no entiendo porque todos le ponen tan buena puntuación, pero lo mismo de siempre... Para gustos, colores.
Lo siento.
No pude terminarlo.
En serio. No. Pude. Terminarlo.
Y me da una rabia inmensa pero es que aaaaagh...
Lizzie fue EXASPERANTE. Amo las protagonistas atípicas, gorditas, feas, demasiado altas, acomplejadas y miles de etc. (in betweens) pero siempre tienen una cosa en común. Son fuertes, aguerridas y valientes. Lizzie no es nada así, es una niña perdida en un amor de niños que idolatra a un hombre desde los 10 años. Él, a donde alcancé a leer, no me conquistó ni hizo que quisiera conocerlo. Lo siento. Así fue para mí.
Y la verdad no entiendo porque todos le ponen tan buena puntuación, pero lo mismo de siempre... Para gustos, colores.
May 9, 2024
train wreck cannot look away drama complete with a narcissist evil sister. Uhh this h had a real Jayysus complex. Her saintly self sacrifice was frankly stoopid. I would have liked to see her old school spanked for all the lies she told. The H should have grown some before the last few chapters. The child made me think of chuckie the way he was talking back giving orders to dogs/women and running helter skelter down hallways at the age of 1.5.😈
February 8, 2014
I just loved, loved, loved this book! This is my first book by Brenda Joyce and it is actually a few books into The de Warenne Dynasty series, but I didn't feel like I was missing anything at all by jumping in with this book first. I have had this book, and some of the others to the series, for a few years, but I just kept grabbing the other books with the more popular covers showing couples kissing or in ball gowns, etc to read next. I regret that now, this book was so wonderfully written, very emotional, the characters were all very likeable.... which is a big one for me. The heroine in this book was so innocent and sweet, the hero was a wonderful character with tough choices to make that were real in that time period. The storyline did not remind me of any other storyline that I have read hundreds of times before, it was unique and I couldn't put the book down :)
July 21, 2011
How have I never read this author before? Thanks to my GR friends for introducing me to this one. A lovely story and even though it's not typical regency fare, it was very grounded in its time period. The emotions and actions of the characters seemed realistic and believable. Each character remained true to him/herself even though they changed and grew. Lots of lovely angst and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
May 8, 2019
Actual footage of me reading Brenda Joyce's The Masquerade from start to finish:
I was worried I was not going to enjoy this.
This was my first entry into Brenda Joyce's writing, and I was not sure where The Masquerade was taking me. Lizzie's flirtatious sister, Anna, is going to have Tyrell's baby out of wedlock? Lizzie is going to adopt the child?? Tyrell is going to make Lizzie his mistress???
But Brenda Joyce knew what she was doing and she did it really well.
Now I rue the stories that teased me and never delivered because Joyce proved you can be just as crazy-bonkers as a bodice-ripper without too much bodice ripping going on.
The Masquerade goes places. Immoral things happen and it's great.
In fact, the only annoying thing about The Masquerade was Lizzie doing her best impression of Drew Barrymore in a romantic comedy in the 1990s.
Way too awkward and corny in her first moments with Tyrell, but eventually she stands her own ground. It does get humourous when nearly all the characters remark on how plain Lizzie is (and how that proves she can't *really* be a fallen woman) throughout the novel.
I'm blown away by Joyce's decision for going through with Tyrell making Lizzie his mistress because this is the first story I've read where this deal has gone through. I've heard it offered and threatened in many stories but I've never see it happen. Spoiler Alert: family is in social ruin. Which may not be that much of a spoiler alert... Aside from this, there are two other things I absolutely love about The Masquerade:
1. Secondary female characters are not evil
The Other Woman is not a villain! It may simply be because Lady Blanche gets her own book but she, as Tyrell's fiance is not an evil schemer. In fact, she is really the reason they are able to have a happy ending. Anna, the sister that flirts with Tyrell, is also not a villain. She is impulsive, vain but that doesn't make her an evil person, and Joyce could have easily reduced Anna into a 1-dimensional character that spites Lizzie, but she doesn't. I wish there was more of Anna, that they could have had a meeting again (I do blame Tyrell a bit more for him taking the offer from Anna in a pique more than Anna, who we have established, is a bit silly).
2.Hero does not have big misunderstanding about heroine
Tyrell figures out Lizzie's pretence but does not get angry at her for not telling him the truth. Big misunderstandings are a bit of a hit or a miss and can be really up to the reader's subjective tastes. I generally dislike the use of them, as they are hard to pull off well. Big romantic misunderstandings always seem terribly contrived, even when Shakespeare does it with Desdemona's handkerchief, but Tyrell figures out the truth and deals with it. Yay!
I really, really, really liked The Masquerade and I'm not going to be cool about it. It does not play it safe, and it checks off a lot of boxes for me. Overall, it was an enjoyably torrid read.
I was worried I was not going to enjoy this.
This was my first entry into Brenda Joyce's writing, and I was not sure where The Masquerade was taking me. Lizzie's flirtatious sister, Anna, is going to have Tyrell's baby out of wedlock? Lizzie is going to adopt the child?? Tyrell is going to make Lizzie his mistress???
But Brenda Joyce knew what she was doing and she did it really well.
Now I rue the stories that teased me and never delivered because Joyce proved you can be just as crazy-bonkers as a bodice-ripper without too much bodice ripping going on.
The Masquerade goes places. Immoral things happen and it's great.
In fact, the only annoying thing about The Masquerade was Lizzie doing her best impression of Drew Barrymore in a romantic comedy in the 1990s.
Way too awkward and corny in her first moments with Tyrell, but eventually she stands her own ground. It does get humourous when nearly all the characters remark on how plain Lizzie is (and how that proves she can't *really* be a fallen woman) throughout the novel.
I'm blown away by Joyce's decision for going through with Tyrell making Lizzie his mistress because this is the first story I've read where this deal has gone through. I've heard it offered and threatened in many stories but I've never see it happen. Spoiler Alert: family is in social ruin. Which may not be that much of a spoiler alert... Aside from this, there are two other things I absolutely love about The Masquerade:
1. Secondary female characters are not evil
The Other Woman is not a villain! It may simply be because Lady Blanche gets her own book but she, as Tyrell's fiance is not an evil schemer. In fact, she is really the reason they are able to have a happy ending. Anna, the sister that flirts with Tyrell, is also not a villain. She is impulsive, vain but that doesn't make her an evil person, and Joyce could have easily reduced Anna into a 1-dimensional character that spites Lizzie, but she doesn't. I wish there was more of Anna, that they could have had a meeting again (I do blame Tyrell a bit more for him taking the offer from Anna in a pique more than Anna, who we have established, is a bit silly).
2.Hero does not have big misunderstanding about heroine
Tyrell figures out Lizzie's pretence but does not get angry at her for not telling him the truth. Big misunderstandings are a bit of a hit or a miss and can be really up to the reader's subjective tastes. I generally dislike the use of them, as they are hard to pull off well. Big romantic misunderstandings always seem terribly contrived, even when Shakespeare does it with Desdemona's handkerchief, but Tyrell figures out the truth and deals with it. Yay!
I really, really, really liked The Masquerade and I'm not going to be cool about it. It does not play it safe, and it checks off a lot of boxes for me. Overall, it was an enjoyably torrid read.
November 28, 2011
Ok, I just devoured this 500 pager in two nights! Thank you Eva for the recommendation! I loved this story and it made no difference that I hadn’t read the previous books in the series. The books are mostly spread apart in generations/centuries. Elizabeth is an amazing heroine. She is inherently good, generous, forgiving, sincere and above-all self sacrificing. Lizzie and Tyrell living on neighboring estates however Lizzie is not in the same socially elevated circles as Lizzie’s parents are not well-off and they depend on their three daughters making favorable matches. Tyrell rescues Lizzie twice from certain death and Lizzie loves him from afar until one fateful night at a masquerade ball, Ty asks Lizzie to meet him in the gardens at midnight. From here the story takes off and Lizzie’s loyalties to her family and Ty are tested. Lizzie meets betrayal with forgiveness and definitely takes the road less travelled. Lizzie allows herself to be ruined by circumstances that few people would be able to withstand with dignity and grace. Tyrell, known to be an honorable, even-tempered, and astute catch, is engaged to a woman who is on paper his perfect match but Lizzie is the woman he yearns to be with. Tyrell takes Elizabeth for his mistress but is duty-bound to marry Lady Blanche to secure his family’s holdings for generations. I cheered their successes and I cried for their heartbreaks and sacrifices. This book was a great read and I am so happy it was brought to my attention. I definitely with be reading more Brenda Joyce books!
February 18, 2016
I've read another book by Joyce and I didn't like that one either. The concept was intriguing but the author fails at her characters. They are so unlikable. The heroine is nothing, she has no opinions, no decisions and no personality. All she does is give to everyone else in the story who don't deserve it. Who is really like that? No one. The hero felt misplaced. Like he belonged in another story because he 'loved' the heroine for no reason. He claims all these things about her but how the heck would he know who she is? The concept was good but it was so redundant through the story it got annoying.
December 25, 2011
Maskeli Balo-Brenda Joyce
Sanırım yeni favori yazarımı buldum ki, Brenda Joyce ile tanıştığım için çok ama çok mutluyum..Kimi beni bu yakıştırmamı abartılı bulabilir ama sanırım yeni bir historical kraliçesi ile karşı karşıyayız..Özellikle arka arkaya Bir Avuç Aşk son olarak da Maskeli Balo'yu okuduktan sonra bu yazar için Pegasus Yayınlarının kapısını çok aşındırırım gibi gözüküyor..
Bu nasıl bir yazar ki Devlin O'Neil'den tüm benliği ile okuyucuyu nefret ettirirken Tyrell de Warren'e hayran bıraktırabiliyor okuyucuyu..O ne duygu sağanağı öyle okurken çoğu sahnesinde hem Lizzie hem de Tyrell'in duygularını birebir hissettim...Kitabı elimden bırakamadım..İlk romandan daha çok sevdim çünkü ilk romanda okurken bu birebir hissetmemden dolayı ki kitabı fırlatıp atmak gelmişti içimden..Ama burada Maskeli Balo'da her şey masal gibiydi..olağanüstü idi..Hala okumayan varsa çok şey kaçırıyor Brenda Joyce'ı
Azıcık konusuna gelince:
Her genç kızn gözünde bir kahrama hayallerinin prensi vardır günümüzde bile Elizabeth Anne Fitzgerald'ın hayallerinin prensi Tyrell de Warren idi..Tyrell onu gölden kurtardığında 10 yaşında tombul bir küçük kızdı sen prens misin? Diye de sormuştu ona üstelik..Elizabeth'in kalbi sonsuza kadar Tyrell'e mühürlendi o gün..Ne oldusa bu değişmedi..
Üç kız kardeşlerdi Lizzie içlerinde en küçükleriydi ve en duygusal olanı..Ama en güzelleri değildi..En güzelleri Anna idi ama en bencil ve en şımarık olanları en ahlaksız ve sorumsuz olanı..
Lizzie'nin katıldığı ilk Maskeli Balo'da yıllarca deliler gibi aşık olduğu Tyrell'den bulışma teklifi alması onu şaşkına çevirmişti.Ama ablası Anna üstüne içki döktüğünde eve geri gitmemek için Anna'dan kostümünü istemişti..Onun yerine geçmesini değil elbette..Anna kelimenin tam anlamı ile bunu yapmıştı..O gece Anna bir anlık zevki için yalnız kendinin değil tüm ailenin kaderini değiştirdirdiği gibi bu olaydan en az zarar da o gördü...Lizzie ise bu olay sayesinde aşağılanıp düşmüş bir kadın olacaktı ki ...Altın çamura da düşse altındır atasözünü doğrular nitelikte idi Lizzie..
Tyrell için ise olay daha değişikti..Tam tamına Ana cadde de onu araba kazasında hayatını kurtardığı andan beri aşık olduğu bu kadın maskeli balo gecesinden sonra ondan kaçmış onu görememişti ki..İki senedir arayıp duruyordu Lizzie'yi sonunda ondan kaçıp giden kadını tekrar bulmuştu...Ama bu kadın bir çocukları olduğunu iddia ediyordu..
Onu tekrar gördüğünde başka şey düşünmez oldu o çocuk onun olmasada kabul etti..Yeter ki bir daha onu kaybetmesin hep yanında olsundu..
Harika olağan üstü bir duygu sağanağı vardı romanın sonunda çok duygulandım etkilendim..Umarım yeni romanını okumak için yazarın çok fazla beklemeyiz..
Sanırım yeni favori yazarımı buldum ki, Brenda Joyce ile tanıştığım için çok ama çok mutluyum..Kimi beni bu yakıştırmamı abartılı bulabilir ama sanırım yeni bir historical kraliçesi ile karşı karşıyayız..Özellikle arka arkaya Bir Avuç Aşk son olarak da Maskeli Balo'yu okuduktan sonra bu yazar için Pegasus Yayınlarının kapısını çok aşındırırım gibi gözüküyor..
Bu nasıl bir yazar ki Devlin O'Neil'den tüm benliği ile okuyucuyu nefret ettirirken Tyrell de Warren'e hayran bıraktırabiliyor okuyucuyu..O ne duygu sağanağı öyle okurken çoğu sahnesinde hem Lizzie hem de Tyrell'in duygularını birebir hissettim...Kitabı elimden bırakamadım..İlk romandan daha çok sevdim çünkü ilk romanda okurken bu birebir hissetmemden dolayı ki kitabı fırlatıp atmak gelmişti içimden..Ama burada Maskeli Balo'da her şey masal gibiydi..olağanüstü idi..Hala okumayan varsa çok şey kaçırıyor Brenda Joyce'ı
Azıcık konusuna gelince:
Her genç kızn gözünde bir kahrama hayallerinin prensi vardır günümüzde bile Elizabeth Anne Fitzgerald'ın hayallerinin prensi Tyrell de Warren idi..Tyrell onu gölden kurtardığında 10 yaşında tombul bir küçük kızdı sen prens misin? Diye de sormuştu ona üstelik..Elizabeth'in kalbi sonsuza kadar Tyrell'e mühürlendi o gün..Ne oldusa bu değişmedi..
Üç kız kardeşlerdi Lizzie içlerinde en küçükleriydi ve en duygusal olanı..Ama en güzelleri değildi..En güzelleri Anna idi ama en bencil ve en şımarık olanları en ahlaksız ve sorumsuz olanı..
Lizzie'nin katıldığı ilk Maskeli Balo'da yıllarca deliler gibi aşık olduğu Tyrell'den bulışma teklifi alması onu şaşkına çevirmişti.Ama ablası Anna üstüne içki döktüğünde eve geri gitmemek için Anna'dan kostümünü istemişti..Onun yerine geçmesini değil elbette..Anna kelimenin tam anlamı ile bunu yapmıştı..O gece Anna bir anlık zevki için yalnız kendinin değil tüm ailenin kaderini değiştirdirdiği gibi bu olaydan en az zarar da o gördü...Lizzie ise bu olay sayesinde aşağılanıp düşmüş bir kadın olacaktı ki ...Altın çamura da düşse altındır atasözünü doğrular nitelikte idi Lizzie..
Tyrell için ise olay daha değişikti..Tam tamına Ana cadde de onu araba kazasında hayatını kurtardığı andan beri aşık olduğu bu kadın maskeli balo gecesinden sonra ondan kaçmış onu görememişti ki..İki senedir arayıp duruyordu Lizzie'yi sonunda ondan kaçıp giden kadını tekrar bulmuştu...Ama bu kadın bir çocukları olduğunu iddia ediyordu..
Onu tekrar gördüğünde başka şey düşünmez oldu o çocuk onun olmasada kabul etti..Yeter ki bir daha onu kaybetmesin hep yanında olsundu..
Harika olağan üstü bir duygu sağanağı vardı romanın sonunda çok duygulandım etkilendim..Umarım yeni romanını okumak için yazarın çok fazla beklemeyiz..
August 18, 2022
I think I read a completely different book from every one else. I could not stand the heroine's loyalty to people who did not deserve it. Her kindness somehow evolved into a naïve stupidity. I kept reading in hopes she found a backbone but sadly that never happened. I felt no real satisfaction, only annoyance at every character. I was hopeful as the premise and start were interesting but it took every once of will power to finish.
Read
October 22, 2015The three girls, Anne, Elizabeth (Lizzie), and Georgina were attending a picnic. Georgie was the youngest but outspoken and studious. Lizzie loved to read and romantic novels were her favorite. Anne was the oldest and she was the beautiful one who drew all the male attention.
All the children were playing together with the exception of ten-year-old Lizzie. She was off by herself reading. One of the boys came up to Lizzie and took her book from her. He threw the book into the lake where the de Warenne boys were swimming. Lizzie couldn't swim but she jumped into the water for the book and Tyrell dove in to rescue her. He carried her back to her parents and forced the boy to apologize for what he had done. Ty also gave the book back to Lizzie. Lizzie fell in love...
When she was sixteen, the girls and their parents were preparing to attend one of two annual events held at the de Warenne home. This was the first ball that Lizzie would be allowed to attend and it was a masquerade ball. Lizzie ran into town that morning to complete her volunteer work with the town's children and on her way home some drunk boys almost ran her over in their wagon. Lizzie tried to jump out of the way and got stuck in the mud. Tyrell once again rescued Lizzie. Lizzie went home and told her sisters what had happened. They then dressed and went to the ball.
When they arrived at the ball, Lizzie was sure that Ty recognized her in her Maid Marion costume. She was more flirtatious than normal. She felt like she was taking on the character that she was portraying. She agreed to meet Ty in the garden at midnight. in the meantime, Anne was flirting as usual and some drink got spilled on her dress. She asked Lizzie if she could exchange costumes since Lizzie wasn't having any fun anyway and probably wanted to go home. Lizzie didn't really want to but didn't want to deprive Anne of her fun so she agreed and went home. Anne acted rather strangely the next morning but things soon went back to normal in their household.
Anne had many callers after the party and one soldier was more insistent than the others and at Christmas asked Anne to marry him and she agreed. They were to be married in September of the following year. There was an older man that started calling on Georgina. Georgie didn't particularly like him but felt like he was her only chance and getting married.
Anne continued acting peculiar at times. Then in late February, Anne confessed to Lizzie that she was pregnant. She had gotten pregnant at the masquerade ball. Lizzie made arrangements to go to stay with an aunt with her sisters. Georgina refused to go so Lizzie and Anne left. Anne had her baby in mid-July and Lizzie named the baby Ned. Lizzie found out from Anne that Ty had met her in the garden as planned. He was not happy that it was Anne and tried to leave. Anne enticed him to stay and they had sex. Anne told Lizzie that he was not the first person that she had sex with. Lizzie was broken hearted. When the baby was born, Lizzie could not be convinced to follow through with their plans to adopt the baby to another family. Anne went ahead and married her soldier and Lizzie remained with her aunt and the baby.
Lizzie had left home at sixteen and she was now eighteen. Her aunt convinced Elizabeth that it was time to return home. She felt that Lizzie should explain the child as not hers and that she adopted him but Lizzie chose to tell everyone that she left home to have the child and that it was hers. The child, Ned, looked so much like Tyrell that Georgina realized immediately who the father was. Her parents asked who the father was and Lizzie told them that it didn't make any difference because he was married. Her parents were very upset and felt like her having the child would cause Georgina's recent engagement to be broken off. That didn't happen and her Aunt Eleanor soon tired of her parents attitude towards Lizzie and told them that Tyrell de Warenne was the father of the child.
Elizabeth Georgina ran into and Rory, Eleanor's nephew, and Ty in town. Ty had heard about Elizabeth being a single mother and made a proposal to her about setting her up as his mistress and Lizzie refused. The following day, Elizabeth, Ned, and Elizabeth's parents went to the de Warenne home to talk to Ty's parents. They recognized the fact that the child looked identical to what Ty looked like as a child and told them they would take Ned and raise him and their own. Elizabeth refused to be parted from Ned so they called in Ty and Ty used this event to establish Elizabeth as his mistress. This all happened the day of Tyrell's engagement party.
Ty was to become the next Count and felt that it was his duty to go through with the marriage and it was not unheard of for husbands to have mistresses. Ty was deeply taken with Elizabeth and didn't really care for the marriage but felt he couldn't let his family down. Ty and Elizabeth did have sex and she tried to cover the fact that she was a virgin but to Ty it was obvious. Ty didn't understand and knew there was more to the story and he was determined to find out.
Rory and Ty were good friends and he had seen Elizabeth when she was at her aunt's home and knew that the child was not hers. Elizabeth tried to talk him out of telling Ty and he wouldn't agree. He figured out that it was Anne who had the child and not Lizzie. Georgie told Lizzie that Rory would remain quiet for a time because he was in love with her. Lizzie refused to believe it.
Rex, Ty's brother, told Ty that all was not as it seemed with Elizabeth and he needed to let her go if he was going to go through with the wedding. Ty knew that he was right but he just couldn't seem to give Elizabeth up. He wanted her too badly. Ty's mother also became fond of Elizabeth.
Georgina went to Lizzie and told her that the date for her wedding had been set and she was terribly upset. Ty was leaving to go back to his home and Lizzie and he took Georgina with them. Notes were sent to her fiancée and her parents telling them that Georgie's engagement was off. Lizzie was set up as the mistress of his house and Ned was introduced as his son. Ty was now convinced that Ned was his son and he knew that Elizabeth was not the boy's mother. Lizzie and Georgie were amazed by the size of his home. Wicklowe, near Dublin, was like a castle to them.
Lizzie had never been happier and all seemed to be going well until her father came to visit. He was upset that Lizzie was living openly as his mistress. He told her that he was going to disown her and take Georgie back home. Georgina refuse to go home. Ty came home and noticed that the women were upset. Lizzie told him that her father and mother were being shunned by their neighbors. Ty told her that he would see to it that the situation would be taken care of. She heard from her family that her mother was now being included in society again. Then Lord Harrington, Tyrell's fiancée's father came to visit. He explained to Elizabeth that he didn't need to marry Blanche for money. He was hoping that she would fall in love when she grew up but her mother had been killed in a riot and Blanche was thrown aside and hit her head. All of her emotions seemed to leave her after that accident and he was looking for a husband who would take care of his daughter regardless of her lack of emotions. Elizabeth felt sorry and told Lord Harrington that she would leave in order to not cause interference in their marriage. Elizabeth and her sister left the next morning while Ty went into go into Dublin for work.
Elizabeth wrote a note explaining why she left and that she was leaving Ned with him. The note also told him that Anne was really Ned's mother. Lord Harrington intercepted the note she wrote and threw it into the fire. Lord Harrington also left before Ty returned home. Ty was heartbroken. He knew that he was in love with Elizabeth and already missed her terribly.
Lizzie and Georgie went back to stay with their Aunt Eleanor at her London home. About 5 months had now passed and Lizzie was still missing Tyrell. Lizzie wrote to Tyrell's mother and still received news about Ned and what he was up too. Rory came to visit a couple of days before Christmas, bringing gifts and discovered that Georgie had blossomed living in town. She was constantly going out and was more involved in the political conversations going on in London. Her and Rory began debating the cartoons that he drew for the London Times. Rory realized that he was in love with Georgina and took advantage of the fact that he was under some mistletoe and kissed her. Rory had flowers delivered to Georgie a couple of days after Christmas. The flowers were given to Lizzie and when she read the card she found out about his interest in Georgie and was happy for her. She was still missing Ty. Lizzie didn't know that Ty was also at his home in London. Rory had gone to see Ty and told him that Lizzie was in London about twenty minutes away. Rory told Ty to stay away from Lizzie and Rory took a friend to visit Lizzie. Ty decided to go see Lizzie and was very jealous even though Lizzie had told Rory's friend that she had no interest in dating anyone yet.
Lizzie found out from Rory that Ty's wedding had been postponed. He did not get married in September as had been planned. Blanche had been sick and the were to be married in May. Blanche was staying with the de Warenne family in their London home and she became uncomfortable. She still had no feelings for Ty and told the family that her father wasn't feeling well and she wanted to go home. She went home and told her father that she didn't want to marry Ty. She paid a visit to Elizabeth to meet her and told Elizabeth that she knew that she was in love with Ty and she felt that he was in love with her too. Elizabeth was very glad to hear that but knew that he was still going to be married.
Ty paid a visit to Elizabeth and invited her to see Ned. Elizabeth went to see him and tried hard to hide the fact that she still loved Ty and spent the day watching and playing with Ned. Ty went to see Blanche after Lizzie's visit and told her that he couldn't marry her. Blanche agreed to break off their engagement. Ty went to tell his father, expecting an argument. His father surprised him by supporting his decision. Elizabeth came to visit the next morning and told Ty that it was her sister who had Ned. Ty told her that he knew that Lizzie wasn't Ned's mother. He also told Elizabeth that he remembered pulling her from the lake when she was ten and he had watched her as she grew up. He had been in love with her for years and asked her to marry him.
Rory also proposed to Georgie and they agreed to be married. Ty and Elizabeth were married three weeks later at the estate in Adare. They had a daughter and she was the first of the five children they had together. Georgie and Rory were married the following summer. Ty was his best man and Lizzie was the maid of honor.
All the children were playing together with the exception of ten-year-old Lizzie. She was off by herself reading. One of the boys came up to Lizzie and took her book from her. He threw the book into the lake where the de Warenne boys were swimming. Lizzie couldn't swim but she jumped into the water for the book and Tyrell dove in to rescue her. He carried her back to her parents and forced the boy to apologize for what he had done. Ty also gave the book back to Lizzie. Lizzie fell in love...
When she was sixteen, the girls and their parents were preparing to attend one of two annual events held at the de Warenne home. This was the first ball that Lizzie would be allowed to attend and it was a masquerade ball. Lizzie ran into town that morning to complete her volunteer work with the town's children and on her way home some drunk boys almost ran her over in their wagon. Lizzie tried to jump out of the way and got stuck in the mud. Tyrell once again rescued Lizzie. Lizzie went home and told her sisters what had happened. They then dressed and went to the ball.
When they arrived at the ball, Lizzie was sure that Ty recognized her in her Maid Marion costume. She was more flirtatious than normal. She felt like she was taking on the character that she was portraying. She agreed to meet Ty in the garden at midnight. in the meantime, Anne was flirting as usual and some drink got spilled on her dress. She asked Lizzie if she could exchange costumes since Lizzie wasn't having any fun anyway and probably wanted to go home. Lizzie didn't really want to but didn't want to deprive Anne of her fun so she agreed and went home. Anne acted rather strangely the next morning but things soon went back to normal in their household.
Anne had many callers after the party and one soldier was more insistent than the others and at Christmas asked Anne to marry him and she agreed. They were to be married in September of the following year. There was an older man that started calling on Georgina. Georgie didn't particularly like him but felt like he was her only chance and getting married.
Anne continued acting peculiar at times. Then in late February, Anne confessed to Lizzie that she was pregnant. She had gotten pregnant at the masquerade ball. Lizzie made arrangements to go to stay with an aunt with her sisters. Georgina refused to go so Lizzie and Anne left. Anne had her baby in mid-July and Lizzie named the baby Ned. Lizzie found out from Anne that Ty had met her in the garden as planned. He was not happy that it was Anne and tried to leave. Anne enticed him to stay and they had sex. Anne told Lizzie that he was not the first person that she had sex with. Lizzie was broken hearted. When the baby was born, Lizzie could not be convinced to follow through with their plans to adopt the baby to another family. Anne went ahead and married her soldier and Lizzie remained with her aunt and the baby.
Lizzie had left home at sixteen and she was now eighteen. Her aunt convinced Elizabeth that it was time to return home. She felt that Lizzie should explain the child as not hers and that she adopted him but Lizzie chose to tell everyone that she left home to have the child and that it was hers. The child, Ned, looked so much like Tyrell that Georgina realized immediately who the father was. Her parents asked who the father was and Lizzie told them that it didn't make any difference because he was married. Her parents were very upset and felt like her having the child would cause Georgina's recent engagement to be broken off. That didn't happen and her Aunt Eleanor soon tired of her parents attitude towards Lizzie and told them that Tyrell de Warenne was the father of the child.
Elizabeth Georgina ran into and Rory, Eleanor's nephew, and Ty in town. Ty had heard about Elizabeth being a single mother and made a proposal to her about setting her up as his mistress and Lizzie refused. The following day, Elizabeth, Ned, and Elizabeth's parents went to the de Warenne home to talk to Ty's parents. They recognized the fact that the child looked identical to what Ty looked like as a child and told them they would take Ned and raise him and their own. Elizabeth refused to be parted from Ned so they called in Ty and Ty used this event to establish Elizabeth as his mistress. This all happened the day of Tyrell's engagement party.
Ty was to become the next Count and felt that it was his duty to go through with the marriage and it was not unheard of for husbands to have mistresses. Ty was deeply taken with Elizabeth and didn't really care for the marriage but felt he couldn't let his family down. Ty and Elizabeth did have sex and she tried to cover the fact that she was a virgin but to Ty it was obvious. Ty didn't understand and knew there was more to the story and he was determined to find out.
Rory and Ty were good friends and he had seen Elizabeth when she was at her aunt's home and knew that the child was not hers. Elizabeth tried to talk him out of telling Ty and he wouldn't agree. He figured out that it was Anne who had the child and not Lizzie. Georgie told Lizzie that Rory would remain quiet for a time because he was in love with her. Lizzie refused to believe it.
Rex, Ty's brother, told Ty that all was not as it seemed with Elizabeth and he needed to let her go if he was going to go through with the wedding. Ty knew that he was right but he just couldn't seem to give Elizabeth up. He wanted her too badly. Ty's mother also became fond of Elizabeth.
Georgina went to Lizzie and told her that the date for her wedding had been set and she was terribly upset. Ty was leaving to go back to his home and Lizzie and he took Georgina with them. Notes were sent to her fiancée and her parents telling them that Georgie's engagement was off. Lizzie was set up as the mistress of his house and Ned was introduced as his son. Ty was now convinced that Ned was his son and he knew that Elizabeth was not the boy's mother. Lizzie and Georgie were amazed by the size of his home. Wicklowe, near Dublin, was like a castle to them.
Lizzie had never been happier and all seemed to be going well until her father came to visit. He was upset that Lizzie was living openly as his mistress. He told her that he was going to disown her and take Georgie back home. Georgina refuse to go home. Ty came home and noticed that the women were upset. Lizzie told him that her father and mother were being shunned by their neighbors. Ty told her that he would see to it that the situation would be taken care of. She heard from her family that her mother was now being included in society again. Then Lord Harrington, Tyrell's fiancée's father came to visit. He explained to Elizabeth that he didn't need to marry Blanche for money. He was hoping that she would fall in love when she grew up but her mother had been killed in a riot and Blanche was thrown aside and hit her head. All of her emotions seemed to leave her after that accident and he was looking for a husband who would take care of his daughter regardless of her lack of emotions. Elizabeth felt sorry and told Lord Harrington that she would leave in order to not cause interference in their marriage. Elizabeth and her sister left the next morning while Ty went into go into Dublin for work.
Elizabeth wrote a note explaining why she left and that she was leaving Ned with him. The note also told him that Anne was really Ned's mother. Lord Harrington intercepted the note she wrote and threw it into the fire. Lord Harrington also left before Ty returned home. Ty was heartbroken. He knew that he was in love with Elizabeth and already missed her terribly.
Lizzie and Georgie went back to stay with their Aunt Eleanor at her London home. About 5 months had now passed and Lizzie was still missing Tyrell. Lizzie wrote to Tyrell's mother and still received news about Ned and what he was up too. Rory came to visit a couple of days before Christmas, bringing gifts and discovered that Georgie had blossomed living in town. She was constantly going out and was more involved in the political conversations going on in London. Her and Rory began debating the cartoons that he drew for the London Times. Rory realized that he was in love with Georgina and took advantage of the fact that he was under some mistletoe and kissed her. Rory had flowers delivered to Georgie a couple of days after Christmas. The flowers were given to Lizzie and when she read the card she found out about his interest in Georgie and was happy for her. She was still missing Ty. Lizzie didn't know that Ty was also at his home in London. Rory had gone to see Ty and told him that Lizzie was in London about twenty minutes away. Rory told Ty to stay away from Lizzie and Rory took a friend to visit Lizzie. Ty decided to go see Lizzie and was very jealous even though Lizzie had told Rory's friend that she had no interest in dating anyone yet.
Lizzie found out from Rory that Ty's wedding had been postponed. He did not get married in September as had been planned. Blanche had been sick and the were to be married in May. Blanche was staying with the de Warenne family in their London home and she became uncomfortable. She still had no feelings for Ty and told the family that her father wasn't feeling well and she wanted to go home. She went home and told her father that she didn't want to marry Ty. She paid a visit to Elizabeth to meet her and told Elizabeth that she knew that she was in love with Ty and she felt that he was in love with her too. Elizabeth was very glad to hear that but knew that he was still going to be married.
Ty paid a visit to Elizabeth and invited her to see Ned. Elizabeth went to see him and tried hard to hide the fact that she still loved Ty and spent the day watching and playing with Ned. Ty went to see Blanche after Lizzie's visit and told her that he couldn't marry her. Blanche agreed to break off their engagement. Ty went to tell his father, expecting an argument. His father surprised him by supporting his decision. Elizabeth came to visit the next morning and told Ty that it was her sister who had Ned. Ty told her that he knew that Lizzie wasn't Ned's mother. He also told Elizabeth that he remembered pulling her from the lake when she was ten and he had watched her as she grew up. He had been in love with her for years and asked her to marry him.
Rory also proposed to Georgie and they agreed to be married. Ty and Elizabeth were married three weeks later at the estate in Adare. They had a daughter and she was the first of the five children they had together. Georgie and Rory were married the following summer. Ty was his best man and Lizzie was the maid of honor.
December 23, 2021
Great reading, lovely story, so much drama... keep me hooked to the story from the beginning to the end!!
Elizabeth dreamed, quite literally and not so literally, of Tyrell since she was 10 years old, he was 18th and saved her from drowning. Since then she keeps her love for her prince through life until at 16th he saves her again... all her life she dreamed of finally being with him and a lot happens before that is possible.
Elizabeth is the first heroine, from this serie, that I really liked! She is 16th, a year less then the other 17th year old heroines*. She is kind, compassionate, she thinks and despite all the love she has for T. she can't live hurting her family and she acts according. She could be a dreaming girl because of all the books she had read but no. Brave girl!
Tyrell it's a strong and honoured man. He always knowed that he should marry for the good of his family, until he meets Elizabeth and everything changes... he tries, he really tries to live according to the expectation of his family and the obligations that he has to the Adare legacy and in the end he still managed to do that. Loved this character!
I like that the story has also another couple who finds there HEA in this story, not all couples have to have a book 😉. Maybe Blanche and Rex will have a story to, I don't know it's just a feeling I have.
The story was so engaging that I could stop reading! I had a grip in my heart through all the book, it seems I was living the all masquerade myself!!! Definitely a favorite! A book to read and reread!! And the end?!?! The revelation T. tells E. in the end, sooooooo lovely!! 😍
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*and sincerely I was a little annoyed with there roles in the books, always to emotional, always crying, always making mess because they here to emotional to think about what they were doing, I know they had only 17 but really... does the man in this family only fall for 17th years old girls who shouldn't think of marriage at that age?!?! I know... this is a actual way of thinking but surely maybe not all the man in the past married so unprepared and childish girls of 17th!
Elizabeth dreamed, quite literally and not so literally, of Tyrell since she was 10 years old, he was 18th and saved her from drowning. Since then she keeps her love for her prince through life until at 16th he saves her again... all her life she dreamed of finally being with him and a lot happens before that is possible.
Elizabeth is the first heroine, from this serie, that I really liked! She is 16th, a year less then the other 17th year old heroines*. She is kind, compassionate, she thinks and despite all the love she has for T. she can't live hurting her family and she acts according. She could be a dreaming girl because of all the books she had read but no. Brave girl!
Tyrell it's a strong and honoured man. He always knowed that he should marry for the good of his family, until he meets Elizabeth and everything changes... he tries, he really tries to live according to the expectation of his family and the obligations that he has to the Adare legacy and in the end he still managed to do that. Loved this character!
I like that the story has also another couple who finds there HEA in this story, not all couples have to have a book 😉. Maybe Blanche and Rex will have a story to, I don't know it's just a feeling I have.
The story was so engaging that I could stop reading! I had a grip in my heart through all the book, it seems I was living the all masquerade myself!!! Definitely a favorite! A book to read and reread!! And the end?!?! The revelation T. tells E. in the end, sooooooo lovely!! 😍
‐------
*and sincerely I was a little annoyed with there roles in the books, always to emotional, always crying, always making mess because they here to emotional to think about what they were doing, I know they had only 17 but really... does the man in this family only fall for 17th years old girls who shouldn't think of marriage at that age?!?! I know... this is a actual way of thinking but surely maybe not all the man in the past married so unprepared and childish girls of 17th!
December 18, 2017
Pse, por un lado Lizzie me parecio una pavisosa, tan sacrificada. Por otro la poca consistencia del protagonista masculino
March 30, 2015
Lots of my friend loved this book but usually I don't like misunderstandings that can not be solved until the end of the book. So I was postponing to read it. At last I started and finished.
First of all, writing is really good and story development and progress is good, you curiously keep reading it. But what I look for a romance book, it has lack of some of them. Most I love to read about a romance book is the tension and electric between the hero and heroine. But not with lots of lies and misunderstandings. When they're together, there were so much lies, secrets and misunderstandings that I couldn't get in the mood of love or romance because somethins are really not true there.
It was good but not what kind of a thing I like to read.
First of all, writing is really good and story development and progress is good, you curiously keep reading it. But what I look for a romance book, it has lack of some of them. Most I love to read about a romance book is the tension and electric between the hero and heroine. But not with lots of lies and misunderstandings. When they're together, there were so much lies, secrets and misunderstandings that I couldn't get in the mood of love or romance because somethins are really not true there.
It was good but not what kind of a thing I like to read.
March 9, 2010
I loved this book.
I dont want to go into the plot as there are plenty of twists and its full of sexual tension.
Its not often that you get a hero and heroine you truly like, or a story that grips you from the first few pages, but this book grabbed my attention and kept me up until the small hours of the morning to finish it.
This is my first book by BJ and not my last. I did not read any reviews or plot descriptions beforehand so maybe that enhanced my enjoyment of the book as I had no idea which way BJ was going to take the story.
I am now going to try and get the entire "DE WARRENNE" books .
I dont want to go into the plot as there are plenty of twists and its full of sexual tension.
Its not often that you get a hero and heroine you truly like, or a story that grips you from the first few pages, but this book grabbed my attention and kept me up until the small hours of the morning to finish it.
This is my first book by BJ and not my last. I did not read any reviews or plot descriptions beforehand so maybe that enhanced my enjoyment of the book as I had no idea which way BJ was going to take the story.
I am now going to try and get the entire "DE WARRENNE" books .
July 30, 2016
So badly written. I can't even comprehend how this got a 4 star rating!!!
November 5, 2016
Biraz durağanlık olsa da okunur ama tabii Virginia ve Devlin'in hikayesi kadar güzel gelmedi bana.
April 4, 2019
Me encantó , quiero destacar lo fácil que es encariñarse con cada personaje, en este caso particular con Elizabeth, se logran transmitir sus sentimientos y entender el porqué de sus acciones. Una historia muy bonita, de sacrificio y finalmente de justicia.
May 7, 2023
Es un libro corto, un poco extendido a pesar de sus pocas páginas.
La historia de Lizzy es una historia que realmente sigue ocurriendo, para mí fue leer otra versión de Candy candy esta vez con un final feliz.
Hubiera preferido que la mala del inicio realmente tuviera su merecido pero bueno eso no siempre pasa.
Se ve el amor de familia, los estandates sociales, la añoranza al amor y problemas de autoestima.
Me gustó mucho la verdad es un libro fácil de leer.
La historia de Lizzy es una historia que realmente sigue ocurriendo, para mí fue leer otra versión de Candy candy esta vez con un final feliz.
Hubiera preferido que la mala del inicio realmente tuviera su merecido pero bueno eso no siempre pasa.
Se ve el amor de familia, los estandates sociales, la añoranza al amor y problemas de autoestima.
Me gustó mucho la verdad es un libro fácil de leer.
August 31, 2011
This is the story of Tyrell de Warenne, the next Earl of Adair and Elizabeth Anne Fitzgerald (Lizzie). Lizzie has loved Tyrell since she was a child and he not only took up for her when an obnoxious boy was bullying her, but he also saved her from drowning when she tried to rescue the book she was reading, when the bully threw it in the lake. It was at this time Lizzie put Tyrell on a pedestal. He was a prince in her eyes, and she fell in love with him. Lizzie was also extremely shy and felt her older sister Anna (the wild child) was more beautiful. Anna's beauty was only skin deep, but Lizzie's beauty was from the inside out. Anna betrays her sister in a very hurtful way and brings about conflict, deep buried secrets and misunderstanding that takes the rest of the book to come to light.
Of the de-Warenne series I really began to like Tyrell the oldest de-Warrene in the first of the series The Prize. Tyrell seemed kind and he gave Devlin good advice. He seemed wise beyond his years. If only he could apply some of that wisdom to his own life. In Masquerade we see a change in Tyrell when he is conflicted between the love for a woman he can never marry and honoring the path that he has been groomed for his entire life - The Earl of Adair. The perfect bride has been picked for him, his life is in order, but his heart is hurting. He does what is unexpected for him. He becomes emotional lashing out at those he loves in anger, he compromises Lizzie in such a shameful public way even his family who love him are upset and try over and again to talk sense into him.
This was not a perfect little light romance, with everyone getting exactly what they want, but it is emotional and at times hurtful.
Of the de-Warenne series I really began to like Tyrell the oldest de-Warrene in the first of the series The Prize. Tyrell seemed kind and he gave Devlin good advice. He seemed wise beyond his years. If only he could apply some of that wisdom to his own life. In Masquerade we see a change in Tyrell when he is conflicted between the love for a woman he can never marry and honoring the path that he has been groomed for his entire life - The Earl of Adair. The perfect bride has been picked for him, his life is in order, but his heart is hurting. He does what is unexpected for him. He becomes emotional lashing out at those he loves in anger, he compromises Lizzie in such a shameful public way even his family who love him are upset and try over and again to talk sense into him.
This was not a perfect little light romance, with everyone getting exactly what they want, but it is emotional and at times hurtful.
June 11, 2019
The DeWarenne Dynasty serisinin okunma sırası:
1. Gönülçelen
2. Gülün Sözü
3. Oyun
4. Bir Avuç Aşk
5. Maskeli Balo
6. Kaçak Gelin
7. Aşka Yelken Açanlar
8. Kusursuz Gelin
9. Tehlikeli Aşk
10. İmkansız Aşk
11. Yemin
Bu seriye başlama sebebim bu kitaptı. Onu okuyabilmek için başlangıçtan itibaren bütün kitapları okudum. İyi ki okudum diyorum çünkü historical seven biri olarak Brenda Joyce gibi müthiş bir yazarı keşfettim ama bu kitap diğerlerinden bir tık öne çıktı. Sadece seride değil, türde en sevdiğim kitaplardan biri oldu. Kitaptaki iki başrolü de çok sevdim ki bu genellikle pek olmaz 😊 Yaşadıkları aşk beni çok etkiledi. Yaşadıkları sorunlar da gerçekçiydi. Romantik kitaplarda kahramanların illaki kitabın ortaların ayrılmaları, birbirlerini yanlış anlamaları ve ayrılmaları gerekiyor biliyorsunuz. Tabii sonunda da kavuşuyorlar. En azından bu kitaptaki ayrılığı okurken klişe yerine gelsin diye değil de öyle olması gerektiği için ayrıldıklarını düşündüm. Kısaca çok sahici bir aşk öyküsü okudum ben. Benden historical önerisi isteyen olursa önce bu kitabı tavsiye edeceğim.
https://suleuzundere.blogspot.com/201...
1. Gönülçelen
2. Gülün Sözü
3. Oyun
4. Bir Avuç Aşk
5. Maskeli Balo
6. Kaçak Gelin
7. Aşka Yelken Açanlar
8. Kusursuz Gelin
9. Tehlikeli Aşk
10. İmkansız Aşk
11. Yemin
Bu seriye başlama sebebim bu kitaptı. Onu okuyabilmek için başlangıçtan itibaren bütün kitapları okudum. İyi ki okudum diyorum çünkü historical seven biri olarak Brenda Joyce gibi müthiş bir yazarı keşfettim ama bu kitap diğerlerinden bir tık öne çıktı. Sadece seride değil, türde en sevdiğim kitaplardan biri oldu. Kitaptaki iki başrolü de çok sevdim ki bu genellikle pek olmaz 😊 Yaşadıkları aşk beni çok etkiledi. Yaşadıkları sorunlar da gerçekçiydi. Romantik kitaplarda kahramanların illaki kitabın ortaların ayrılmaları, birbirlerini yanlış anlamaları ve ayrılmaları gerekiyor biliyorsunuz. Tabii sonunda da kavuşuyorlar. En azından bu kitaptaki ayrılığı okurken klişe yerine gelsin diye değil de öyle olması gerektiği için ayrıldıklarını düşündüm. Kısaca çok sahici bir aşk öyküsü okudum ben. Benden historical önerisi isteyen olursa önce bu kitabı tavsiye edeceğim.
https://suleuzundere.blogspot.com/201...
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March 1, 2010Elizabeth, Lizzie, has loved Tyrell de Warrenne ever since she was a little girl and he came to her rescue. It didn't matter that her family was way below his in the Ton, she still couldn't stop her foolish heart.
When 16, Lizzie's family goes to the annual de Warrenne masquerade they have for the neighborhood and friends and she actually flirts outrageously with Tyrell. He even sets up a meeting in the gardens with her. Alas, she isn't able to join him and shortly after, she goes for an extended visit at her aunt's.
She returns with a child almost 2 years later and claims it is Tyrell's but he is darn sure that he never was with her. However, he hasn't been able to get her out of his mind and takes the opportunity to finally claim her as his mistress with his fiance in the same house! What a muddled mess she finds herself in and all because she can't seem to control herself when he comes anywhere near her. Scandal, passion, duty, honor, love, all mixed up and forming a steamy-hot fun romance.
When 16, Lizzie's family goes to the annual de Warrenne masquerade they have for the neighborhood and friends and she actually flirts outrageously with Tyrell. He even sets up a meeting in the gardens with her. Alas, she isn't able to join him and shortly after, she goes for an extended visit at her aunt's.
She returns with a child almost 2 years later and claims it is Tyrell's but he is darn sure that he never was with her. However, he hasn't been able to get her out of his mind and takes the opportunity to finally claim her as his mistress with his fiance in the same house! What a muddled mess she finds herself in and all because she can't seem to control herself when he comes anywhere near her. Scandal, passion, duty, honor, love, all mixed up and forming a steamy-hot fun romance.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 267 reviews