Showing posts with label Travelling Matchmaker Series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travelling Matchmaker Series. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 13, 2023

Yvonne Goes to York by Marion Chesney

The last book in this series isn't as crazy as some of the other books but it does finally wrap up the overarching love story of the former housekeeper, Miss Hannah Pym and Sir George. We also get to see what happened to Hannah's former employer who ran off with a footman. 
True to form for these stories, Hannah is boarding a stagecoach. This time, she is heading to York. Also on the coach are a lovely young Frenchwoman (Yvonne), a nobleman who says he is doing it because he is out of funds (the Marquis of Ware), and a Frenchman who is after Yvonne in order to get to her father.
A satisfying end to the series and Sir George not only finds out that Hannah has been telling the truth about her adventures, he gets to join in.

Three stars
This book came out in 1992
Borrowed as audiobook from Libby
Opinions are my own

Sunday, December 3, 2023

Deborah Goes to Dover by Marion Chesney

Miss Pym was somewhat disappointed by love in the last book. But she is going to continue her travels. And this particular trip is going to lead her to a fight. One that her footman, Benjamin, is taking part in. But it is this fight that introduces her to Lady Deborah Western. Deborah has grown up with her twin brother and she is more comfortable in pants than in a dress. But her time acting as a man may be coming to an end as she is now nineteen and other people, including their neighbor the Earl of Ashton, are starting to take notice of her as a woman. 
An old enemy pops up in this book but is summarily taken care of. 
An okay addition to the series but I (and I think Chesney) are ready for that last book in the series.

Three stars
This book came out September 1, 1992
Borrowed as audiobook from Libby
Opinions are my own

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Penelope Goes to Portsmouth by M.C. Beaton, Helen Lisanti

This book is absolutely crazy. We still get Miss Pym but she is sort of not interested in matchmaking anyone on the coach to Portsmouth since none seem like they would suit. Yes, there is the painfully naive merchant's daughter, Penelope, and the aristocrat's son who she might normally try to pair but Lord Augustus really is just too dissipated. At least, he seems that way until Penelope begs him to try and save Benjamin, a man who cannot hear or speak but is accused of thievery and is due to be hanged. Augustus steps up and... distracts... the evil Lady Kasey (sp?) to find the broach. Benjamin is freed! But there is more than half the book left. 
Still to be read are kidnappings, fires, near drownings, murder for hire, a marriage that Miss Pym doesn't believe in, one she does, and a night at the opera for Miss Pym.
I don't know how all of this fit in such a small book and I really can't believe that this book was published but, outside of the parts I was aghast at, I did enjoyed the end of the ride.

Three stars
This book came out January 1, 1992
Borrowed as audiobook from Libby
Opinions are my own


Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Beatrice Goes to Brighton by Marion Chesney

Lady Beatrice is a widow- a happy widow at that. But now her father has promised her in marriage to another brutish man so she decides to travel by coach to Brighton. Hopefully, but the time she comes back, those hopes will have been dashed. She intends to be cold to the other coach passengers but, of course, one of them is Miss Hannah Pym. The others include a dumpy man, a woman with a child, a soldier, and a small woman with big eyes.
At the first stop, a few things happen. Lady Beatrice is taken by a brutish man into another carriage. She says it is of her own free will but Miss Pym is not convinced. Benjamin, her footman who was thought not to have hearing or speech is found to have both. She is left behind but is helped by Lord Alistair.
Miss Pym is at it again though, trying to convince Lord Alistair that Lady Beatrice is not quite the harridan she appears while convincing Lady Beatrice that Lord Alistair is going to be her best choice if she doesn't want to marry the brute. 
A little disappointing because this one isn't nearly as crazy as the last one but still a nice addition to the series. 
I liked that we got more in the way of Miss Pym and her budding relationship with Sir George.

Three stars
This book came out in 1991
Borrowed as audiobook from Libby
Opinions are my own



Friday, October 27, 2023

Belinda Goes to Bath by M.C. Beaton

Hannah Pym is off on her next adventure, heading to Bath (she can't bring herself to call it "The Bath"). Her group of traveling companions does not at first appear to be as congenial as the last group but she is intrigued by the young lady who is dropped off by carriage with a companion. It seems that Belinda is an heiress but she didn't "take." To try and get out of her own life, she ran away with a footman. It was not the usual story as the footman didn't want to do anything other than help her leave the house but the damage was done. Her aunt and uncle are sending her to Bath to live with her very Methodist great aunt and she has to go by coach as part of her punishment. 
The carriage has an accident and Miss Pym, Belinda, Miss Wimple (the companion), and the quarreling couple, the Judsons, are all put up by the Marquess of Frenton. He has other visitors, the Jordans, who are under the belief that he is going to propose to their daughter Penelope. Having the lovely Belinda in the house does look like it  might cause those plans to derail. 
The first book in this series was a romance. This book has some romance in it but is more fiction than anything else. I have also recently read the third book in this series and that goes completely off the rails.

Three stars
This book came out August 1, 1991
Borrowed as audiobook from Libby
Opinions are my own


Thursday, September 21, 2023

Emily Goes to Exeter by M.C. Beaton

Miss Hannah Pym inherits a vast sum of weslth from her employer. She decides to travel England with the money and starts by purchasing a ticket to Exeter. It is the coach that used to go past her employer's house and she would dream of riding it. And her first travel is quite the adventure with a highwayman, a runaway bride, and a widow who is about to married to a man who may not be as he appears. The runaway bride's groom is also there and Miss Pym's new goal is to bring the two together because, well, they are so well-suited (at least by station). 
This book was originally written in 1990 but, even thirty years later, holds a lot of charm. 

Four stars
This book came out November 1, 1990
Borrowed as ebook from Hoopla
Opinions are my own