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Felicity York
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The Runaway Bride: An enthralling true story of Regency romance: the first novel in the Stately Scandals historical series (Stately Scandals, Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Felicity York (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 254 ratings

Only the boldest of ladies risks her heart and her reputation . . .

THE FIRST BOOK IN THE STATELY SCANDALS SERIES

1826. At first sight, Ellen Turner does not seem the type to elope with a stranger. So when the young heriess vanishes from her boarding school in the arms of the rugged scoundrel Edward Wakefield, and the pair are sighted in a carriage racing from Gretna Green to the Port of Dover, her virtue becomes the subject of hot public debate.

In the ensuing court case, Ellen keeps a cool head. Until she discovers who is judging the trial – her mortifyingly handsome and charming neighbour, Thomas Legh of Lyme Park.

Ellen faces a choice. To pursue the husband of her dreams would mean risking everything. But when a lady’s reputation already lies in tatters, what has she to lose?

Inspired by the incredible true story of romance, subterfuge and intrigue, The Runaway Bride will whisk you away on the escapade that was Lyme Park’s greatest scandal.

* * *

The Stately Scandals series is a brand new selection of incredible true stories, never before told in fiction, by Felicity York. Each novel follows one of the most rebellious women to have lived in the stately homes of 19th-century northern England. The next novel in the series, The Quiet Wife: A Speke Hall Scandal, will be published in June 2024spring 2025.

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  1. Book 1 of 3
    Stately Scandals
  2. Print length
    366 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    HarperNorth
  5. Publication date
    March 30, 2023
  6. File size
    2.8 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

READERS LOVE THE RUNAWAY BRIDE

‘This is honestly the best book I have read in a long time’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘The romance was beautiful’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Romps along at a cracking pace’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘All the more thrilling for being based on a true story’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I recommend this book to anyone who loves romance’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Can’t wait for the next book in the series!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘The author brought such care and excitement to the characters’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Not just a romance but also a glimpse of the social history of the time’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘It mixes my two loves, romance and courtroom drama’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Fascinating story, delightful style’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Something completely different’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Kept me on the edge of my seat’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the Author

Felicity York lives in Lancashire. A freelance further education consultant by day, she is the author of eighteen M/M Regency romance novels under the name Ruby Moone.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BKYW3163
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperNorth (March 30, 2023)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 30, 2023
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.8 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 366 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 254 ratings

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Felicity York

Felicity York

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
254 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's story engaging, describing it as an interesting true tale with twists and turns typical of historical romance. The writing receives positive feedback, with one customer noting it is well edited.

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8 customers mention "Story quality"8 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the story quality of the book, describing it as an interesting true tale with twists and turns typical of historical romance, and one customer notes it's based on an actual scandal.

"...the various characters' points of view, it is a fictionalized version of an historical abduction and the ensuing scandal...." Read more

"...Overall, the story is interesting as it’s based on an actual scandal. However, readers who want an HEA, they should skip the fact-based epilogue." Read more

"Interesting true story about a different time and place. Kept me turning pages. Not something I would usually read but I am glad I did." Read more

"...Based on a true documented event, it was fascinating to see it unfold. Well done!" Read more

3 customers mention "Writing quality"3 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book.

"...The book has been well edited - I very much appreciated not stumbling over poor grammar, misspellings and missing or excess words in sentences...." Read more

"...Well done!" Read more

"Very well written story that kept me on the edge of my seat. It was all the more thrilling for being based on a true story." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Magoo47
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read!
    Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    This is one of the best stories I've read - not the least because it's based on a real incident. Told from the various characters' points of view, it is a fictionalized version of an historical abduction and the ensuing scandal. The book has been well edited - I very much appreciated not stumbling over poor grammar, misspellings and missing or excess words in sentences. Very much do I look forward to the next in the series!
    6 people found this helpful
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  • WyoGal
    4.0 out of 5 stars More of a crime story than a romance
    Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    The protagonist is a likable person at the cusp of becoming a woman. The loss of her schoolgirl identity and her transition into a strong-willed future wife is portrayed well by the author. The circumstances of her transition occupy most of the story. The ensuing trials are on the back half of the novel. Her love interest is not on the page as frequently as the antagonist. This is somewhat dismaying for readers who love alpha males. Readers who want lots of dialog between the romantic partners will be disappointed as the main romance is somewhat sidelined for most of the novel. There is some kissing and sexual innuendos, but the story is mostly PG.

    The author shifts POV several times in this novel, and it does help to “flesh out” the antagonist into a more interesting character as the reader sees his motivations and behaviors when he’s not around the protagonist.

    There are mistakes in the writing that more and better editing could address.

    Overall, the story is interesting as it’s based on an actual scandal. However, readers who want an HEA, they should skip the fact-based epilogue.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Historical Scandal
    Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Interesting true story about a different time and place. Kept me turning pages. Not something I would usually read but I am glad I did.
    Helpful
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  • Dianne S.
    3.0 out of 5 stars Very few written reviews, why?
    Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2023
    I was unable to finish this book and came to Amazon to read reviews to see how others felt about it. Only 6 five star reviews currently exist, curious. According to the graph only 51% of the reviews are five star but only the five stars have written content. Again, curious.
    I found the writing stiff and disliked the shift in POV as there was no shift in style for each character. I will check back in a few weeks to see if any more written reviews have shown up that are not five stars.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Reads Like A Thriller!
    Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I enjoyed this book , it was something completely different. Based on a true documented event, it was fascinating to see it unfold. Well done!
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Kathleen Buckley
    5.0 out of 5 stars A page-turner
    Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    The Runaway Bride by Felicity York surprised me. From the cover, I’d expected a typical historical romance. But based on an actual English legal case it falls effortlessly into two genres: historical romance and historical fiction, both of them good. I’m not going to say anything more about the story except that it’s every bit as surprising and full of twists as a good historical romance. This is the first of Ms. York’s Stately Scandals series.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Dcox
    5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful
    Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Very well written story that kept me on the edge of my seat. It was all the more thrilling for being based on a true story.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Donna R.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very good mystery and adventure in romance
    Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Very good mystery and adventure in romance. As part of this is true fact, the story is !more exciting to see how they treat women back then. I recommend this book to anyone who loves romance.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • LN Bayne
    4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable and Interesting
    Reviewed in Canada on January 23, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    This story is based on a true event but this author’s facts and the facts I have read elsewhere are somewhat different. Ellen was 15 not 17 she and Thomas Leigh had two surviving children a son and a daughter but the son did not outlive the father. Who is right..I don’t know. Edward Wakefield may have ended up in prison but in many ways he had a better time of it than Ellen. He didn’t marry again and his reputation was damaged and he never did get to be in parliament which had been his goal but he went on to be influential forming policies in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Ellen did marry but according to the source I read she gave birth to a son, daughter and died in childbirth so though her story sounds romantic her life ended far too soon. This is actually a very sad story because Ellen was only 19 when she died and she became barely a foot note in both Edward Wakefield’s and Thomas Leigh’s lives. If you google her the information is very contradictory..she had two live births, the first birth was a stillborn son, a daughter survived her, a son survived her, both a son and daughter survived her, she had three pregnancies, she had two, she had one. How tragic..the men remain important and she hardly matters except as a scandalous attempted elopement. Women in Regency times were possessions and rarely had a voice in legal matters. All of us who read Regency romances should remember that times were not as romantic as we might want to believe.
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  • Clare London
    5.0 out of 5 stars charming and suspenseful
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 24, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Such a refreshing approach! and it mixes my two loves, romance and courtroom drama. It was based on a true story, and could have been a dry read, but the author brought such care and excitement to the characters that I was thrilled to read right to the end notes, to find out what happened to them all. Fascinating story, delightful style.
    Report
  • lucy knight
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 30, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Really enjoyed this book. I’m a frequent visitor of both Lyme Park and Shrigley Hall Hotel, so I was really excited when I heard about this book. It’s well written and the story keeps you on your toes. I loved that it was based on a true story too. Can’t wait for the next book in the series!
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  • Yorkie
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 28, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    This book was a real page turner. Sympathetic characters. Based on a true story. And romps along at a cracking pace. It really brought home to me just how little power or independence women had until very recently. Thank goodness I live now!!!!
    Report

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