Lord St. Claire's Angel

by Donna Lea Simpson

Book Overview

Love is a game for Lord Justin St. Claire--until he meets Miss Celestine Simons, the intelligent governess to the Marquess of Ladymead, his sister. But Celestine isn't sure a marriage proposal from... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0821764497
• ISBN13: 9780821764497
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Zebra Books
• Length: 254 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.3" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

Sensitive.

Disgracefully, this book has sat on my TBR shelf for several months. A dear friend recommended this story and I could no longer avoid her interrogations. Ok, she was right; LORD ST. CLAIRE'S ANGEL is a wonderful story. Justin St. Claire is the younger brother of the Marquess of Ladymead. He is stunningly handsome; he is a devil-may-care womanizer; he is a playful gambler and he is a remorseless rogue. He lives his life breaking the hearts of countless beautiful women; he enjoys making them fall hopelessly in love with him and then guiltlessly walks away. Justin St. Claire is a cad. Celestine Simons is a poor, plain spinster. In her life, she has lost a great deal: her father, her home, and her position in society. Now, she works as the governess for the Marquess and Marchioness of Ladymead. They hired her because she is so satisfyingly homely and that unattractiveness will be her best protection from the flirtations of Justin St. Claire. Yet, under the cloak of plainness, lives a beautiful, cheerful woman, a woman accustomed to helping others, a woman who lives her life with optimism despite the cruel hand life dealt her. For not only is Celestine Simons ordinary and plain, she painfully suffers from rheumatoid arthritis - a chronic disease marked by stiffness, inflammation, and deformity. Her hands are especially bad, her knuckles are swollen and red, her fingers malformed. Yes, Celestine Simons' shortcomings would definitely protect her from the advances of that libertine, Justin St. Claire! Or would they? Justin St. Claire is bored; he is bored with his life. What started as a lark to irritate his tyrant sister-in-law abruptly turns into much more. Suddenly, Justin St. Claire yearns for stability and permanence in his life. Perhaps he should start looking for a wife and begin making little St. Claires to populate his unattended estate. After all, a few of his friends have succumbed to the matrimonial cause. Suddenly, Celestine Simons intrigues him. She is like a beam of dancing sunlight, a herald of joy and spirit. So, why does she refuse his suit? Donna Simpson did an incredible job on this gentle Regency story. She did, however, gravely abuse English Titles, but I wouldn't dwell on that problem; except, to say WHERE WAS THE EDITOR? Nonetheless, this author did impress me. She has a wonderful writing style and her plot development is first-rate, but it is her application to her heroine's crippling disease that truly is unique. And her brief reflection to dear little Gwen, the Marquess' child - a child with special needs - is decidedly original. However, in the end this reader wondered who would NOW take care of little Gwen? Who would protect her from her cruel, demanding mother? I must check Simpson's subsequent books; surely she does not leave her readers dangling! Grade: A- MaryGrace Meloche Reviewer for: Romance Designs.com

delightfully different

This is a really great different novel. The heroine, Celestine is not beautiful, rich or especially charming. Forced to be a governess by lack of funds and too much pride to become dependent on her aunt, she works at a job which brings her into contact with children-something she fears she will never know personally otherwise. Believing herself new but qualified for her job, she overhears her employers saying that her prime asset for the job was that she was plain and of no possible interest to the soon to visit Lord St. Claire-a handsome rake with lots of charm but little of any other qualities. As expected, the charming Lord St. Claire sees the plain jane governess and immediately understands that his sister in law is putting him in his place(away from any Christmas dalliances) and he is burned. With teaching Elizabeth(sis-in-law) a lesson, he decides to woo the little governess anyway. Is this an improbable story as another reviewer said- most likely yes, but it is a pleasure to read a story where the heroine is not a diamond of the first water and all grace personified but still able to gain a man's admiration and love. Sort of like love in real life-where not all couples match in looks or money and still marry and do well together. Besides, how many regency romance even come close to reality. Is the reader aware that either evening assemblies and dinners were held in near virtual darkness or thousands of candles applied to get some light. Bathing was not a regular occurence even for those well to do and without fans in summer -it does not take much imagination to visualize the state of clothes after a day in them. We read,most of us anyway, to escape today and return to what we want to see as a colorful, more frivolous era-it wasn't by any means and yet, how many of the books we are reading would still be read-if those facts were illuminated for us. Read this book with your eyes and your heart-it is a lovely romance. Want reality-read Les Miserables

An Uplifting Romance

Celestine Simons knows she was hired as a governess not because of her skills, but because she is so plain. Her employer is trying to thwart her rakish brother-in-law, Justin, from dallying with the servants again.Partly out of anger, Justin decides to go ahead and charm Celestine, even if she is plain. Then, he sees Celestine sing in the local choir. And everything changes.In this book, we get to see the rake grow up. Readers can also revel in the quiet strength of its heroine. If you like Regencies that are about people, rather than romps and intrigue, try this one.I gave this book Desert Island Keeper status at All About Romance.

A GREAT START FOR A NEW AUTHOR

i enjoyed this book immensely. it had a very "phantom of the opera" theme. he falls in love with her singing despite her plainess,status,and arthritic condition. i think this author has great potential

Good new author with excellent characters.

I am VERY pleased to have happened on this book by a new Regency author. The plot is a bit predictable with the "poor governess/rich nobleman" theme but don't let that put you off. This book is full of interesting people you identify with or want to get to know better. All the characters have exceptional depth for books in this genre, and I especially enjoyed the secondary ones: the details given about the heroine's aunt Emily make you long for the author to give her a book of her own. Even the antagonists in this book have lots of interesting personality traits. No one dimensional characters here! My only complaint - and it is not unique to this author - is that she needs a crash course (or a better editor) in English titles. It was especially irritating to me that even the title of the book is wrong. Her hero is NOT Lord St. Claire, as the younger brother of a Marquess, he is Lord Justin.