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Edith Layton (1938–2009)

Författare till Regency Christmas Wishes [2003]

73+ verk 3,608 medlemmar 76 recensioner 9 favoritmärkta

Om författaren

Edith Layton received a degree in creative writing and theater from Hunter College. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked for various media including a radio station and a major motion picture company. She wrote over 30 novels during her lifetime including Alas, My Love and Bride visa mer Enchanted. She received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Romantic Times. She died from ovarian cancer on June 2, 2009. (Bowker Author Biography) visa färre
Foto taget av: photo credit: Lisa Whiteman; from author's website

Serier

Verk av Edith Layton

Regency Christmas Wishes [2003] (2003) 151 exemplar
To Wed a Stranger (2003) 122 exemplar
The Duke's Wager (1983) 90 exemplar
The Return of the Earl (2004) 88 exemplar
The Choice (1999) 87 exemplar
To Tempt a Bride (2003) 87 exemplar
A Regency Valentine II (5-in-1) (1992) — Bidragsgivare — 83 exemplar
His Dark and Dangerous Ways (2008) 79 exemplar
The Chance (2000) 76 exemplar
For the Love of a Pirate (2006) 76 exemplar
A Bride for His Convenience (2008) 76 exemplar
The Conquest (2001) 74 exemplar
How to Seduce a Bride (2006) 73 exemplar
The Devil's Bargain (2002) 72 exemplar
Captured Hearts (5-in-1) (1995) — Bidragsgivare — 72 exemplar
Alas, My Love (2005) 71 exemplar
The Cad (1998) 71 exemplar
Bride Enchanted (2007) 68 exemplar
Gypsy Lover (2005) 67 exemplar
Regency Christmas Magic (2004) (2004) — Bidragsgivare — 62 exemplar
False Angel (1985) 60 exemplar
Wedding Belles (Anthology 5-in-1) (2004) — Bidragsgivare — 57 exemplar
A Victorian Christmas (Anthology 5-in-1) (1992) — Bidragsgivare — 56 exemplar
Lord of Dishonor (1984) 51 exemplar
The Abandoned Bride (1985) 49 exemplar
The Challenge (2000) 46 exemplar
A Wedding Bouquet (5-in-1) (1996) — Bidragsgivare — 46 exemplar
The Disdainful Marquis (1983) 46 exemplar
Lady of Spirit (1986) 43 exemplar
To Love a Wicked Lord (2009) 40 exemplar
The Mysterious Heir (1983) 39 exemplar
Red Jack's Daughter (1984) 38 exemplar
The Fire-Flower (1989) 35 exemplar
Love in Disguise (1987) 35 exemplar
The Crimson Crown (1990) 34 exemplar
The Game of Love (Signet) (1988) 33 exemplar
Surrender to Love (1989) 32 exemplar
Indian Maiden (1986) 31 exemplar
The Wedding (1995) 29 exemplar
Bound by Love (1996) 26 exemplar
A Love for all Seasons (1992) 20 exemplar
A True Lady (1995) 18 exemplar
The Gilded Cage (1991) 16 exemplar
The Silvery Moon (1992) 9 exemplar
The Bird of Paradise (1992) 3 exemplar
Frost Fair (2018) 2 exemplar
Peaches and the Queen (2015) 2 exemplar
Something Blue (1996) 2 exemplar
The Rake's Christmas (1995) 2 exemplar
The Two Dancing Daughters (2004) 1 exemplar
Best Wishes (2003) 1 exemplar
The Last Gift (1999) 1 exemplar
Mylady Weihnachtsband 2003 (2003) 1 exemplar

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I really do love these Signet two-fers, so much cheaper then tracking down the editions and paying through the nose presumably.

Of the two novels presented here I enjoyed The Disdainful Marquis much moreso then The Abandoned Bride. The two have a tenuous connection in the form of a minor character called the 'Vicar'. An older fellow who spent his youth in wild abandonment of pleasure he is content now to sit back and manipulate others to amuse himself. In Marquis he watches Catherine's plight with an amused eye--offering the protection she wishes only because he finds it diverting to have the prettiest most sought after young woman on his arm. In Bride he offers his knowledge--that is gossip of extraordinary proportions--to many of the characters, though he seems to have tempered his selfish need to be entertained.

Marquis is a fun romp through impossible situations. Catherine finds herself in the position of acting a prim companion when her employer would prefer if she was a (discreet) lightskirt. It takes her a little while to understand this--she is as naive as a kitten, but she tries her best to soldier through. She even gains almost champions in the Duchess' other companions--both lightskirts in truth. I admit it was funny to read the Duchess' thoughts on the matter and then read Catherine's--its simply amazing how even the most innocent comment can have such deep double meanings!

Bride...I enjoyed much less. I think I would have been fine with the story if not for the one action of Nicholas' that set my teeth on edge. Actually I lie. While both stories were based upon characters assuming the absolute worst of both heroines, Marquis has the redeeming feature of at least one character understanding the heroine's plight and attempting to make it better. Bride had no such character. Worse no matter what the 'hero' thought he immediately backpedaled and angrily decided she was a lying, conniving harpy! His only basis for this was the written words from his absent nephew--no actual hard evidence. I also thought it awful of Robin to ruin Julia in such a way for his own selfish reasons. His excuse that he figured because she was a country bumpkin it wouldn't matter a wit to anyone was lame and arrogant. I can at least say that I admired Julia for NOT forgiving him even after hearing his reasons.
… (mer)
 
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lexilewords | 3 andra recensioner | Dec 28, 2023 |
For many years, Edith Layton was a staple of my romance reading habits. I read all of her Signet traditional Regencies and almost all of her short stories for Signet's anthologies. When she began publishing books with Avon, THE DEVIL'S BARGAIN was one of the first 'historical' novels I read. Her heroines are feisty, her heroes are dashing and just shy of being truly wicked, and her plots were entertaining. TO LOVE A WICKED LORD is sadly her last novel written before her passing.
 
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lexilewords | 3 andra recensioner | Dec 28, 2023 |
What I like about the Layton books I've read so far is that the MC's have all been genuinely nice people. They are occasionally misguided, but they all seem to be trying to do the right thing. I know there are a couple of redemption stories later in the series, but it's so great to read about nice people being nice to each other and being good friends. Sometimes I get a little tired of revenge plots, or evil machinations or whatever. It's restful to read books like this.
 
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wonderlande | 1 annan recension | Jan 1, 2023 |
The December 2022 #TBRChallenge is "Festive." I chose a collection of traditional Regency Christmas stories by quite well-known authors. The collection started out beautifully, sagged in the middle, and by the end, unfortunately didn't quite make it back to the high bar the first couple of stories set.

"The Lucky Coin" by Barbara Metzger (63 pages) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Sir Adam Standish, an impoverished baronet from Suffolk, is taking the long mail coach ride into London to plead for an extension on his mortgage, which is his pessimistic about receiving. A wizened old man on the coach quite literally gives him a penny for his thoughts - or, at the very least, a coin, which is unusual enough that Adam decides to sell it after his banker turns down his application. While in the rare coin shop, he meets the most beautiful woman he's ever laid his eyes on - and she happens to have a cachet of the same type of unusual coins! Adam's luck changes for the better at every turn after meeting the beautiful Jenna, and it seems to all be down to that chance meeting with the old man on the coach. This story has a lovely, light, fairy-tale quality to it that makes all of the coincidences and reversal of fortune inside a week seem plausible. I quite adored Adam and Jenna, and thought them a good match in the end. Whimsical!

"Following Yonder Star" by Emma Jensen (74 pages) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Alice Ashe is serving as her younger sister's companion during said sister's final days of confinement with her pregnancy. Clarissa (the sister) is utterly self-absorbed; her husband died at Waterloo and she wants a girl child so that she can leave the Irish pigeonhole that is her late husband's estate and remake her life in London. A boy child - an heir - would tie her to the estate for the rest of her life, and she wants anything but that. The dead earl's brother, Sir Gareth, returns for the birth of his niece/nephew. He's hoping for a boy child, or else he's the heir to the estate that he never wanted. He's always been a world traveler, so the idea of being tied to one place in the wild Irish countryside is very much not appealing to him. Alice and Gareth were childhood sweethearts and shared a kiss before Gareth ran off to join the Navy and begin his world travels, so there is some old tension between them. An old Traveler woman advises both Alice and Gareth (at different times) to think hard about their choices in life, and this story culminates in a beautiful, emotional reunion scene between the two, enveloped in Christmas magic and Irish traditions. There is some delightful comic relief in the form of Alice and Clarissa's elderly father, who tries to wander off at every chance to "duel" with his old foe Mr. O'Neill.

At this point, I thought maybe there would be a continuing motif of wizened old strangers giving the MCs a hint at how to resolve their difficulties, and I was really looking forward to it, because one of the hardest things about short stories/novellas is buying that so much happens in such a short period of time. Basically having a fairy godmother/godfather waving a magic wand? That works for me, LOL. Unfortunately, that was not the case with the other 3 stories in this collection.

"The Merry Magpie" by Sandra Heath (61 pages) - ⭐⭐⭐
Sir Charles Neville's infidelity are revealed to his wife, Juliet, via her aunt's one-eyed magpie, Jack, in a horribly embarrassing, public scene one Christmas Eve. Juliet banishes Charles from their home, and he stays away for 6 years, eating his heart out. He knew it was a mistake to cheat on his wife, but basically he married young and thought that ~all~ men took mistresses as a matter of course, and who was he not to sow some wild oats? He realizes his mistake immediately, and wants nothing more than to beg his wife's forgiveness. He returns to the aunt's house to inquire as to where his wife might be, and runs into the infamously bad-mouthed Jack again. The magpie, being attracted to shiny things, steals the wedding band that Charles keeps on a ribbon around his neck and hides it, causing much dismay among the group. Juliet's aunt plays a bit of matchmaker, sending Charles to the island retreat where Juliet is staying, unbeknownst to either of them. The two confront each other and the bird, and eventually settle their differences. I thought this story was a bit unbalanced, and for being the titular character, Jack the magpie actually plays a very small role here.

"Best Wishes" by Edith Layton (55 pages) - ⭐⭐ 1/2
A newly married couple - Jonathan, Viscount Rexford and Pamela Arthur, the daughter of a country squire - are arguing about where they will spend their first Christmas together as a married couple. Jonathan has promised their presence at the Fanshawes' without his wife's consent, and she is very angry. Turns out Mrs. Fanshawe is a former mistress of Jonathan's, which YIKES ON BIKES, I get what Pamela doesn't want to go there. She'd rather spend the holiday with her enormous family in the country. Jonathan is very typically cool and icy Society, estranged from his family, and wants to give his wife the leg up she didn't have before she married him. They eventually compromise and decide to spend half the holiday with the Fanshawes (the Society invitation) and half the holiday with Pamela's family. Well, they end up leaving the Fanshawes early after Pamela is pawed by Mr. Fanshawe during a "scavenger hunt." Jonathan apologizes profusely and they go to the Arthurs in the country. Pamela is so thrilled to be back among her many brothers and sisters and memories that she doesn't realize just how much of an outcast Jonathan (and her brother in law) are among her family, and she gets angry with him for not yakking a mile a minute with all of them. One one think that the point of this story would be that both learn that they are their own family unit now and need to create their own Christmas traditions, but no. In the end, Jonathan is basically absorbed into his wife's family traditions. I didn't really like Pamela - I found her to be very immature - so this wasn't an ending I particularly enjoyed.

"Let Nothing You Dismay" by Carla Kelly (77 pages) - ⭐⭐⭐
Lord Trevor Chase is a barrister at Lincoln's Inn, considered rather hopeless because he advocates for the street children and rarely wins his cases. He is also known to be suicidal around the holidays, so everyone is rather relieved when he's called to his family home in York because of a family emergency. His brother and sister-in-law, the Marquess and Marchioness of Falstoke, are with their eldest daughter's family, as her children are suffering with measles, so Lord Trevor is basically keeping an eye on the remaining, single children: Lady Janet (18), Lady Lucinda (12), and young David (7). Lady Lucinda is returning home from the Select Academy in Bath, accompanied by a teacher, Cecelia Ambrose. Miss Ambrose's plan is basically to deliver Lady Lucy, have a word with her mother about Lucy and Janet's strained relationship, and return to Bath. Unfortunately, when they arrive and realize Lucy's parents aren't there, Cecelia's plans change. She's actually familiar with Lord Trevor's work in the court system and admires him for it, and is willing to stay on and assist when she realizes that he's rather helpless with his own nieces and nephews. A midnight fire at the manor house forces the group to retreat to the dower house on the properly, and basically they are able to repair their various relationships, etc in the cozy comfort of the smaller building. Janet is getting married in the spring and has basically lost herself in the first blush of love, not realizing how she's alienating her siblings. Her pride is taken down a few notches by both Trevor and Cecelia. David is an adorable little boy who basically hero worships his uncle, and Lucy is a spunky tween caught in a tough part of life. Trevor and Cecelia consider themselves black sheep (Trevor, for pursuing a career when he's the second son and then brother to a marquess; Cecelia, because she's an adopted half-English, half-Egyptian who faces lots of racial hatred in lilly white England) and that they have much in common, and eventually fall in love during their forced proximity.

Generally I love Carla Kelly's stories, but this one was kinda "meh" for me because there's quite a bit of proselytizing (like that's the cure of suicidal holiday thoughts, yick) and there's some additional, weird details that could've been cut with no loss of value (like apparently Trevor lied about the extent of the damage to the manor house to purposely keep everyone in the cramped dower house for....Reasons). In the end, this was a disappointing story for me, and never really brought the end of the collection back to the high standards of the first couple of stories.
… (mer)
 
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eurohackie | 3 andra recensioner | Dec 22, 2022 |

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Associerade författare

Barbara Metzger Contributor
Carla Kelly Contributor
Sandra Heath Contributor
Patricia Rice Contributor
Allison Lane Contributor
Mary Balogh Contributor
Mary Jo Putney Contributor
Amanda McCabe Contributor
Anne Barbour Contributor
Melinda McRae Contributor
Gayle Buck Contributor
Carol Proctor Contributor
Diane Farr Contributor
Joan Wolf Contributor
Lynn Kerstan Contributor

Statistik

Verk
73
Även av
4
Medlemmar
3,608
Popularitet
#7,016
Betyg
½ 3.5
Recensioner
76
ISBN
140
Språk
2
Favoritmärkt
9

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