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Debra Brown
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The Companion of Lady Holmeshire Paperback – July 5, 2011

by Debra Brown (Author)
3.5 out of 5 stars 86 ratings
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A baby girl was found in a basket on Squire Carrington's doorstep. She was raised and sent to work as a servant girl for The Countess of Holmeshire. The widowed and unconventional Countess chose Miss Emma Carrington as a companion and sent her off for finishing with the goal of dragging her along into genteel Victorian society. What sort of reception would she have at tea and dinners? The young Earl of Holmeshire was engaged by arrangement to a lovely London lady, but their relationship was difficult. Could they work it out? Even the tribulations and banned romances of the servants downstairs play into the story as we follow Emma from a stone fortress to a Victorian village and then into fabulous London mansions. Great surprises unfold at a Midsummer Night's Dream Ball which help to solve mysteries that have gradually developed. You are invited to predict the great revelation of the last few pages!
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  1. Print length
    262 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    July 5, 2011
  4. Dimensions
    6 x 0.66 x 9 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1937085376
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1937085377
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Indulging Your Inner Aristocrat British Period Novels Meet Author Debra Brown I grew up with my nose in books. I loved mysteries and surprise endings. I especially loved the Victorian houses that my favorite sleuths tiptoed around in. In school, I was handed a copy of Great Expectations, which I could not put down. Miss Havisham was an incredible figure! For the rest of my life, I wanted to be a mouse in the wall watching her live her strange life. During my years of self employment in the jewelry field, I watched period movies while I worked on my creations. I was in love with the characters, the plots, the historical realities. I became acquainted with the rigidly structured class system, the customs of the times and the required polite behaviors with the policy of shunning anyone who stepped out of line. I ran out of movies. With the economic difficulties of recent years, my jewelry business slowed. I began to write my own little story as a hobby, never intending to publish it. It developed in my mind faster than I could get it down on my word processor, and I stayed up later than I should have typing away. It didn't let me sleep when I did go to bed! It developed so beautifully that I decided to put it out there into the world. I am grateful to those that have helped me in various ways with this happy project; you know who you are. I am thankful to World Castle for accepting my book for publication. And my second book is now keeping me from sleeping.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ World Castle Publishing (July 5, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 262 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1937085376
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1937085377
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.66 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.5 out of 5 stars 86 ratings

About the author

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Debra Brown

Debra Brown

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Debra cut her teeth on the Bookhouse Books, which created a nagging longing to live in a land of castles and wear flowing gowns and exquisite headdresses. Though life kept her busy, she was eventually able to do so vicariously through the characters of her books.

Her first published novel, The Companion of Lady Holmeshire, is set in early Victorian England. Emma, a former servant girl, is chosen as companion to The Countess of Holmeshire and dragged along into polite society where she is sure to receive a rude reception.

Debra's work-in-progress, For the Skylark, is on the back burner but simmering slowly. She has spent more time on the development and running of a multi-author blog, English Historical Fiction Authors. The group posts a daily article on British history and has a weekly historical fiction giveaway. History lovers join us with their morning tea at http://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com.

Shortly after the first anniversary of the blog, an author suggested the creation of a book composed of select posts. A year later, to celebrate the second anniversary on September 23, 2013, Castles, Customs, and Kings: True Tales by English Historical Fiction Authors, edited by Debra and the late M.M. Bennetts, was released. Volume II will be released on September 23, 2015, and we hope to continue the series.

You can chat with Debra about history and historical fiction and meet her author friends on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/212369672160560 and at her Goodreads group, Historical Info for Historical Fiction Readers.

Debra is the President of the M.M. Bennetts Award for Historical Fiction Association which honors the author of an outstanding novel each year with a $500 USD prize. Winners are announced at the annual Historical Novel Society Conference. Learn more at http://mmbaward.blogspot.com.

Customer reviews

3.5 out of 5 stars
86 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoy this historical romance novel for its finely polished storyline with plenty of twists and engaging characters. The book receives positive feedback for its writing quality, with one customer highlighting its rich detail of Victorian London. The descriptions receive mixed reactions from customers.

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29 customers mention "Plot"23 positive6 negative

Customers enjoy the plot of the book, describing it as a charming historical romance with plenty of twists.

"...plausible and I found myself thinking of this novel as a great historic fiction piece. Emma was endearing as any great heroine needs to be...." Read more

"I like period pieces and this one was a lovely read what with the period details and sweet and sour characters...." Read more

"...The combination sets solid scene without dragging the flow in miscellany...." Read more

"...This well-researched novel explores social and cultural change, most particularly a Victorian concern for the plight of the poor...." Read more

13 customers mention "Enjoyment"13 positive0 negative

Customers thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, with one mentioning it was intensely thrilling at parts and kept their attention to the very end.

"...I really, thoroughly enjoyed reading this book...." Read more

"...The story contained elements of gentle humor which I found very enjoyable...." Read more

"...If you like sweet, all-loose-threads-tied, endings, this is a good read...." Read more

"...A first effort worth your time if a light Victorian Romance is what you are in the mood for." Read more

11 customers mention "Writing quality"8 positive3 negative

Customers appreciate the writing quality of the book, finding it well-crafted, with one customer noting its elegant language and another describing it as a sweet and innocent read.

"...It is well written with solid accuracy for period details...." Read more

"...The Companion of Lady Holmeshire is quite well-written, with vivid descriptions of life in that bygone era, and well defined, sympathetic characters...." Read more

"...This one took forever. Very bad Charles Dickens style of writing...." Read more

"...free for my kindle and I wanted to thank the author for a great sweet innocent read." Read more

7 customers mention "Character development"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the characters engaging and interesting.

"...The reaction of the characters was completely plausible and I found myself thinking of this novel as a great historic fiction piece...." Read more

"...I enjoyed the exploration of the other characters and it gave the story more depth than I expected from what I thought was going to be a period..." Read more

"...this one was a lovely read what with the period details and sweet and sour characters...." Read more

"...All but one of the multiple tropes used work well, with a kind and engaging heroine; a solid supporting cast, including just enough details of the..." Read more

6 customers mention "Attractive theme"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book beautiful, with one review highlighting its rich detail of Victorian London and another noting its traditional style.

"...how the rich responded to it was extremely fascinating; it was a unique theme to combine that social response of the human condition and it really..." Read more

"...engaging heroine; a solid supporting cast, including just enough details of the clothing, homes and coaches...." Read more

"...historically accurate settings of early Victorian life, from elegant country manors and the town houses of Belgravia to the congested, rank slums of..." Read more

"...I was able to picture it in my mind so easily. The lovely gowns, the stately homes and, also, the utter desolation of the poor...." Read more

7 customers mention "Description"3 positive4 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's descriptions, with some finding them excellent and vivid, while others note the need for more conversation and detail.

"...The Companion of Lady Holmeshire is quite well-written, with vivid descriptions of life in that bygone era, and well defined, sympathetic characters...." Read more

"...ending of this novel had a lot of things going on but the information was given as a list. This happened and then this happened etc...." Read more

"...The author's descriptions are excellent and it makes you really feel you are in the Victorian age...." Read more

"...The story is very jumbled & seems like the author didn't have a set idea as to where it was going...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Dee
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Companion if Lady Holmeshire will leave you on the edge of your seat!
    Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    A copy of this book was provided to me by the author, Debra Brown.

    I really, thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. After jumping through some hurdles with Amazon when they never shipped me my copy-- I was beyond frustrated. I was happy to finally receive a copy and looked forward to reading what was described to me as a Austenesque Novel with some clean romance.
    The start of the book immediately had me intrigued with a lanky alcoholic man, who, by the way kept the intrigue high until the epilogue! Not an easy feat. It did start a bit slow for me, and it wasn't until I was about 60 pages in that I felt compelled to finish. I even stayed in on a Friday night to read until the wee hours of the morning! It was awesome, I love when Books do that. I was also very surprised by how much mystery this novel had! For whatever reason I missed the memo that it was a mystery novel and was taken aback by that element. However, I love mystery and it's combination with Victorian era fiction was delicious!
    I loved the feel of the book. There was a tone to everything that was similar to Austen, or classic English literature. I liked the fact that there were historical elements as well. I thought the theme of poverty and how the rich responded to it was extremely fascinating; it was a unique theme to combine that social response of the human condition and it really made me think. I found myself thinking-- I bet the rich were often bullied into snubbing the poor and most had never ventured into the workhouses where they insisted people work under so-called "fair conditions"! The reaction of the characters was completely plausible and I found myself thinking of this novel as a great historic fiction piece. Emma was endearing as any great heroine needs to be. She was noble, beautiful, and classy. She carried herself with dignity, and, I want to add, she was a very courageous woman. Genevieve was a character I heartily despised at first. Then I grew to love her. Watching her grow up in front of my very eyes, so to speak, was quite enjoyable. Wills was an interesting personality, I pictured him to be extremely handsome and I like his style.
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  • Lucy Ditty
    4.0 out of 5 stars Delightful Surprise
    Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    This was something of a departure from my usual reading material, and I found it to be a refreshing change. I would compare this to a sorbet, a palate cleanser between courses.

    If the plot rambled, I didn't notice it. I just enjoyed reading it. I was conscious of a sense of disappointment when I realized I had read most of the book and it was going to be over soon. The story contained elements of gentle humor which I found very enjoyable. Words like "charming" and "delightful" came to mind as I pondered my review.

    I only realized after I had finished that the supposed main character was not the center of attention the whole time. I thought this was a nice change from endless introspection and brooding and misunderstandings between hero/heroine. I enjoyed the exploration of the other characters and it gave the story more depth than I expected from what I thought was going to be a period romance.

    The wrap-up did seem somewhat rushed and stretched my credibility a bit, perhaps, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story. I was proved right in my initial suspicion of one plot element, but others did actually take me by surprise. I didn't find the social aspects anachronistic at all, and I absolutely loved Genny.

    Quibbles and Nitpicks:
    The word "courtesan" is not at all correct in its context (but did provide a source of unintended amusement).
    The name of the main character is misspelled near the end, and I do have to wonder if the misspelling is closer to the author's intended spelling of the full name with two L's and an E.
    The capitalization seemed a bit odd, with words like Nanny, Sitting Room, Fourteenth Century Stone, and the like, but again, I don't read fiction of this era or set in this era very often, so I can't say whether it's appropriate for the time or not.

    All in all, this was a nice change and a thoroughly pleasant read.
    One person found this helpful
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  • CSO
    3.0 out of 5 stars Pleasant reading; a bit too contrived.
    Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I like period pieces and this one was a lovely read what with the period details and sweet and sour characters. However I felt I was being strung along by 'mysterious' looks, personalities and behaviors and at the same time, I was guessing, correctly, from the beginning what the outcome would be. Some of the plot was convenient to the outcome, but not necessarily believable in the context of the story. If you like sweet, all-loose-threads-tied, endings, this is a good read. I enjoyed it sufficiently, but would have liked a bit more if the characters hadn't been so conveniently good or bad.
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  • Larisa
    2.0 out of 5 stars Solid first book in a detailed genre
    Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    *Disclaimer* I downloaded the Kindle version for free thanks to the author.

    If classified as a teen or young adult HRF book this would be a 3-3.5 star rating.
    The difference is more about where I am in life than the author's skill...how far fiction can stretch within a genre and still remain plausible to me at this age. This is a very traditional style book with no sex and most of the proprieties observed until the very end. It is well written with solid accuracy for period details.

    All but one of the multiple tropes used work well, with a kind and engaging heroine; a solid supporting cast, including just enough details of the clothing, homes and coaches. The combination sets solid scene without dragging the flow in miscellany.

    The ending disclosure about Nicky is where the book jumped the shark for me and lost the two stars. It is one too many twists and greatly detracts from the main trope. Deleting his entire subplot from the book would tighten the focus and impact of the ending. Creating a solid 4 star piece.

    Given that one issue I look forward to reading Ms. Brown's next book, to see how she evolves as a story teller.
    5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Brenda Bartlette
    4.0 out of 5 stars Easy read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 21, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Made a change from historic reading. Easy to get into and enjoyed the storyline .Don't have to go back to remember what was happening when you left off as with some books
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