Lady Jane's Nemesis

by Patricia Oliver

Book Overview

Roger Hastings's long-awaited proposal to Lady Jane Sinclair comes at a price: the devious plans of his mistress to destroy their love.... Oliver is the winner of the Romantic Times Career Achievement... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451200691
• ISBN13: 9780451200693
• Release Date: July 2000
• Publisher: Signet Book
• Length: 231 Pages
• Weight: 2.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Social commentary -- and fun too!

This is warm hearted novel about growing up and facing real problems. In the opening scene, Lady Jane discovers her long time betrothed in an intimate embrace with a married neighbor. When Lady Jane moves to end the betrothal, her father and his good friend, the father of her betrothed, try to jockey the two into a speedy marriage. Throw in a misty ghost, childhood friends ready to pass on "Mama's careful explanations about men", a voluptuous "other woman", a husband wronged, and you have a very entertaining read. Without being preachy, this Regency novel explores the real lives of women in Regency society and issues of marital infidelity, illegitimacy, honor, and commitment. The book is true to the period and the characters act within the accepted social norms. All in all a very good read and well worth the time.

I enjoyed this book

Lady Jane's Nemesis was a fun, enjoyable book to read. The plot is well-paced and has the interesting twist of the man in love with his mistress but honor bound to a marriage of convenience. Both of the lead characters were interesting and seemed true to life. The only thing which detracted from the book and why I only rated it 4 stars was the ghost on the lake. I don't care for ghost sightings in Regency Romances. Otherwise, this is a very good book. Not as good as some earlier Patricia Oliver books, but well worth the read.

Pleasantly Surprising...

The last Patricia Oliver book I read, "The Lady in Grey" was, frankly, boring. Actually, the last several books Ms. Oliver has written were not as interesting as her earlier books. I did not expect much from this book but I found that I enjoyed the book very much. Jane Sinclair, promised since birth to the devilish Viscount Summers, finds him in a very compromising position in the woods with a local married woman, who was his mistress. Jane, who does greatly care for the Viscount, decides she won't marry him. Viscount Summers fancies himself in love with his mistress. When his father tells him how in debt the family is, he realized he must finally marry Jane to bring in money. He also liked Jane as he grew up with her. In the end, jane does marry Roger after he promises to be faithful. I enjoyed reading how their married life prospered and also that they had a happy sexual relationship, too. Too many regencies shy away from their characters (except the men) from having a) sexual desire or b) sexual knowledge. I find that a bit perplexing, especially with 21st century readers being a bit more sophisicated. Also, Jane finds out that Roger's former mistress is carrying his child. Jane also carries Roger's child. The book could have gotten bogged down with miscommunication scenes (it does have that, but not in the extreme) and closed doors between the husband and wife. I liked this book. It was nice to read about a female heroine who was not silly and unschooled. I did find Roger a bit shallow, but not so much that it took away from the story. I would certainly recommend this book.

Lady Jane's Nemesis

What can a girl do but wait when she has been betrothed from birth? Lady Jane Sinclair has been in love with her fiancé Roger Hastings, Viscount Summers, since she was a child. Then Jane catches a glimpse of Roger in a romantic idyll with their neighbor's young wife. Roger is not ready to step into the parson's mousetrap. His father's gambling debts are high, and he urges his son to honor his betrothal and wed Jane who is an heiress. Having seen what she had seen, Jane is reluctant to accept Roger. How can she trust him? She dreams of a loving marriage with a faithful husband. Patricia Oliver offers a marriage of convenience between two neighboring families, where the reluctant bride loves the reluctant hero, knowing too much about his romantic life. Lady Jane's Nemesis has a twist, the pregnant mistress. Makes for a fun read. Ms. Oliver will please your reading palette.