A Bachelor Establishment

Overall the writing was excellent, the attention to details well done, and the dialog amusing. There were just a few obvious errors of either auto-correct or conversion to kindle nature. Timelines didn’t quite match up but I hand waved that since gossip presented events and we all know how reliable that is. The omniscient narrator was delightful; secondary characters were fun, and the thirdary [is that a word?] were caricatures we know and love. It was a bit predictable but I don’t mind that when it is done well. The prodigal and the managing widow woven with a bit of mystery kept me engaged. Antagonism between hero and heroine wasn’t overdone, fence mending and apologies were handled with humor, and the romance was believable in historical context, if a bit hurried for my taste. I laughed out loud frequently. Sniggered into my lace hanky more than once, and spewed my tea twice. Put aside the beverages as you read this one.

By the fifty percent mark, we have assembled before us a houseful of people, a mystery to solve, romance blooming, adequate chaperons, and domestic strife … that’s pretty efficient if you ask me. The next chapter is a heart examining dialog between Ryde and Elinor. They do not sink in to the weepies or spend every second with daggers drawn at each other’s throat. Harsh words are exchanged, hard truths are confronted, and really, nothing is resolved except they have opened up to each other and sifted through a bit of the past. Neither feels much better but there is shift in their perception of each other that you can feel. I liked this snappy transition for Ryde and Elinor. I didn’t quite agree with Elinor that Ryde wasn’t a lout better able to handle his liquor and creditors than her dead husband, but I was willing to concede to the possibility he might not be, in time.

Elinor eluded me for much of the story. We were told a great deal about her past, shown how she tangibly functioned, but how she felt, what it took to get herself out of bed every morning was as much a mystery as what happened between George and Ryde’s father That Night. I comprehended her diligence and limited expectations of life. It made perfect sense, her dealing with a man that on first meeting threatened to beat her if she was his. More than once she irritated Ryde so he would flee. It was a risk, but she never did so without a means of escape or protection nearby. Discovering he actually enjoyed being challenged – and what else was his sojourn in exile but one challenge after another – she also discovered it was stimulating to be the challenger. It made me smile, these subtle glimpses of their future.

The tender scene near the jetty was absolutely perfect, imho, just the right amount of grief and commiserating humor. Ryde’s startling realization was second to his concern for Elinor and for that, I began to appreciate him. He’d never reform, but as I suspected, she didn’t really want him to.

It is a frantic race to the end, breathless and riotous with great sorrow and great fun. Tragedy, comedy, a bit of pathos, and yes, happily ever afters everywhere. No epilogue, thank you Ms. Barclay! Not tied up with ribbons and bows and detailed report of The Future; the reader is left with a lovely sigh and respect for the imagination. I hope she writes more of these historical romances.

Read an expanded – definitely spoilery – review of this and other books at pagetraveler dot blogspot dot com

Imagine Georgette Heyer, Agatha Christie and Loretta Chase getting together for tea–or something stronger. Just for fun, they compose a story while they chat. Heyer creates the characters and basic plot. Christie, of course, writes the mystery and its solution and applies red herrings. And Chase’s contributions include the sexual encounter, dialogue and acerbic wit. That’s what this book seemed like to me.

The H and h have had lives filled with disappointment. The H responded by rejecting convention and duty. Instead, he travels the world, seeking pleasure and feeling sorry for himself (sometimes annoyingly often). The h responded by devoting herself to duty and responsibility while finding any small ways to enjoy herself allowed for a mere female.

Add a mystery about what happened That Night, when the h’s family became supremely dysfunctional and the H’s father died. Then show an unfolding romance building between two wary people, add at least 14 interesting secondary characters and the result is a lovely read.

The book does not have the length or depth or polish of the works of Heyer, Christie or Chase, but in my imagination they aren’t aiming for their best. They are getting a bit punchy (there must be something stronger than tea involved), laughing, choking on scone crumbs and enjoying writing the story–and you should enjoy reading it.

A Bachelor Establishment is in the mould of an early Barbara Metzger (or Joan Smith) with a marked focus on the witty repartee between the h, Mrs Bascombe and the H, Lord Ryde (or Elinor and John as they eventually become). It’s a more modern take on early Metzger and Smith, with one passionate sex/love scene, but the “feel” is similar.
A murder/mystery tale is also provided, which provided the opportunity for Mrs Bascombe to reside under Lord Ryde’s roof. She is shot, early on, and forced to recuperate in his somewhat seedy ancestral home, rather than her more comfortable residence. This not only allows for them to fall in love, but also for Barclay to deliver more clever word-play.
The shooting also creates the opportunity for the author to create an amusing scene as two carriages filled with the creature comforts and female servants descend on Lord Ryde’s “bachelor establishment”.
A Bachelor’s Establishment isn’t the greatest love story I’ve ever read, but it’s well written and it’s entertaining. The dialogue is often clever, and even funny. I enjoyed the image of the H’s post-climax tears – clever, as it’s usually the h. I laughed at the trio of ladies attacking the burglars.
The last few pages of this tale are particularly amusing. John’s proposal and Elinor’s responses are designed to tickle the ribs – and they do.
I’m sufficiently impressed by A Bachelor’s Establishment go looking for other HRs written by this author – if they exist.
Four stars.

Oh, poor old Isabella ‘Bitchface’ Barclay, how she suffers from comparison. Parts are recognisably lovely, like ‘tossing the bonnet’ and the precedence question between butlers, but….. The characters are….ok to good…, the plotting is….ok to not so good but…… I know I’m a bit of a nitpicker but the poor woman NEEDS a proof reader. I’m used (with teeth clenched) to strange missing letters in Kindle books where the spellcheck has said the text is fine. But is Mrs Bascombe’s pal called Miss Fairburn, or Miss Fairchild, or does she have two pals? Argh! And, the one that really did my head in, ‘next morning, two days later’. HOW is this possible? A coma? Can she time travel too? Am I just too daft to understand what is meant by this? Argh again! And it started off so well, with everyone trying so hard to maintain the ridiculous proprieties of the time. If you read this book, read it BEFORE Ms Barclay’s alter ego Jodi Taylor’s books, so you can see how the lovely bits join up to be whole books where you care about all the characters and every moment of the action.

A wonderful and relaxing book. As other reviewers have said, there are similarities to Georgette Heyer. The main strength of the book for me is in the banter and wonderful characters. Yes, its somewhat anachronistic and there are many proof reading errors, but I find I dont care, as reading it makes me feel happy. I should mention that Ive tried reading a few other modern regency romances and found them quite unbearable due to anachronisms – this book can get away with it because of its charm. I re-read it when Im feeling ill or run down and it cheers me up.

I love all of Jodi Taylors books and know Im in a minority as the St Marys series is not my favourite. Jodi is incredibly prolific (which Im very grateful for) and Im hoping one day shell write another book as Isabella Barclay.

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