My Lord Beast

by Mary Lennox

Book Overview

When Aubrey Drelincourte regains consciousness in an Indian jungle, his wife lies dead by his side, felled by a bullet from the pistol in his hand. Aubrey returns to England to defend himself in a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1594143285
• ISBN13: 9781594143281
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: Five Star (ME)
• Length: 398 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.9" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

Believable characters

Reviewed by Rebecka Vigus for Reader Views (3/06) Step back in time to England where arranged marriages were often marriages of convenience. We are first introduced to Audrey Drelincourte, Earl of Breme, arriving home from India to save his reputation, his family home and to wed and produce an heir. Is he the beast everyone believes him to be? Then we meet Lilias Merritt, feisty, outspoken second daughter of impoverished merchant Geoffrey Merritt. Lilias flees her father's home to avoid an arranged marriage to Richard Landham. In her escape she runs to the gypsies who plant her on the doorstep of Breme and directly in the path of Lord Breme himself. Read along and see how the two clash and strike out against the feelings that pull them toward their destiny. Having his carriage stopped on the road, Lord Breme listened to his man, Ram Dass carry on a conversation with a lady on horseback. As the carriage started again he commented, "Rather cheeky assassin." His thoughts stayed with Miss Merritt as he wondered about a woman "who went out on a winter eve with no groom, when a gentlewoman would have taken a carriage and an abigail. But she spoke like a lady and had just taken to task the owner of a coach and four with a gold crest emblazoned on it." Even ill, Audrey could find amusement in that. Arriving at Breme, Lilias proposes to be a nurse the ailing master of the house. Only to be told, "I don't need a well-bred nurse-companion." With hopes of sanctuary here dashed, Lilias wonders what will become of her. Although Lord Breme relents and keeps her on, their relationship is rocky and built on distrust. She wonders about the rumors, and he is there to stop the flow of rumors. Did Lord Breme kill his wife? Can he clear his name? Can he remember what happened that fateful night? Will he be able to marry and produce an heir, and save his home? How does Lilias fit into all of this? Does she avoid marriage to Landham? Can she earn the trust of the lord of the manor? All this and much more will be found in this book. Mary Lennox gives you very believable characters. Her sense of the times is uncanny. England's ton can make or break a person and she uses this knowledge to further the plot. It was a delightful read.

fine nineteenth century gothic romantic mystery

In 1842 with her merchant family in ruin, Lilias Merrit believes she is caught between a rock and a hard place; her options are limited to marrying an abusive man or accepting a job at Breme Castle, rumored home to an aristocratic beast. Lilias meets her new employer Aubrey Drelincourte, but shocks him as the repulsive scars on his face do not frighten her. Instead she expects his dark brooding will lead to rages that goes contrary to her feeling attracted to this depressing lord. Still suffering from Malaria he caught in India, Aubrey also feels guilty over his wife's death though he remembers nothing about it except awakening holding the murder weapon while a leopard stood near her corpse. He fears that remembering what happened will affirm that he is a murdering beast. Though Aubrey expects to be tried as a killer, this does not scare him, but his odious cousin inheriting Breme does. He wants to marry quickly and beget an heir before the law comes for him. With little time available he chooses Lilias as his bride, but expects she will refuse to wed a killer. This nineteenth century gothic romantic mystery hooks the audience from the moment that Lilias decides the unknown "evil" is safer than the known "evil". All the evidence cleverly points to Aubrey as a spousal murderer leaving fans to wonder how the male love interest could be the killer. Aubrey has doubts about his innocence and as he begins falling in love with Lilias, worries about her safety especially from him, his biggest fear. He insures MY LORD BEAST is a fine historical romantic suspense. Harriet Klausner

Lennox's Beauty Myth

Once again, Mary Lennox presents the thinking women of the 21st century with an opulent bodice-ripping period piece, while simultaneously removing the guilt from this guilty pleasure. Her Beauty is a forward-thinking, feisty foil for this version of the Beast, a hero long on animal sensuality and short on the mindless banalities usually reserved for fairy-tale princes. Both characters are plagued by doubts and the dark secrets of intrigue which bring to mind the great victorian novels of Dickens and Bronte. The relationship depicted in this, Lennox's third novel, marks a maturation of her work, presenting multiple dimensions and complexities, allowing the characters to be truly human and at times, riotously funny in their very authenticity. Lennox never skimps on her trademark sensuality, generating vividly lush landscapes and drawing us into her world with authentic period langauage and detail, displaying her scholarship and command of her topic. Always an escapist pleasure, Lennox's work again earns its place next to the best of literature, the crowd-pleasing classics of the 19th century.

A master of historical fantasy tops herself!

Mary Lennox, author of the spellbinding "The Moon Runners", has just outdone herself with this fast-paced and complex Victorian thriller. Evoking the best aspects of Edgar Allen Poe, Jane Austen, and Charlotte Bronte, Lennox artfully reimagines the story of Beauty and the beast. Set in the haunting Castle Breme and replete with historical details, in "The Lord Beast", fiery young Lilias Merrit meets her match in the Lord Breme. Their relationship grows out of a plot with so many vertiginous twists and turns that you will not want to put this novel down! I am anxiously awaiting the next chapter in Breme and Lilias' saga! Set a weekend aside to get to know your next favorite author, Mary Lennox.

Spellbinding! Totally Awesome Read!!!

Aubrey Drelincourte, Earl of Breme racing towards his home after recovering from a bullet wound, a mauling by a leopard, and the effects of a full-blown case of malaria looked out the coach window to view a young woman blocking the middle of the road and halting his progress. Lilias Merrit had stopped the racing coach to avert a potential disaster - warning them of children who were sledding down the side of the hill into the road around the bend. Admiring her spunk in scolding his drivers, he watched her ride away, and casually mentioned to his companions that she should be considered as a possible candidate as his prospective bride but then thought better of it - he didn't want a bride he might care for. In an effort to protect the people of Breme from his cousin and heir Rupert Hindley, Aubrey's needed time - time before Rupert returned and notified the House of Lords to try Aubrey for the murder of his wife - a murder Aubrey, unfortunately, could not remember. His cousin was fast spreading venomous lies in an effort to prove him guilty of the murder of his unfaithful wife. Before Aubrey would let that happen, he planned to marry and sire an heir in order to keep Castle Breme safe from his cousin's grasp. At around the same time, Lilias had discovered that her father was planning her betrothal to a man she knew was sadistic and cruel. Running to her friends in the nearby gypsy camp, Lilias begged them to let her travel with them to Castle Breme where she was hired as a nurse/companion to the ailing earl. Fearing that the reason his loss of memory was that he was guilty of murdering his unfaithful wife, Aubrey fought his growing attraction to Lilias by being thoroughly disagreeable during the worst of his malarial symptoms. He raged against the improprieties of a young woman being alone with him in a bachelor household all the while trying to distance himself from her. Frightened yet intrigued by Aubrey, Lilias' main concern was to care for and relieve Aubrey of his suffering, never expecting to fall in love. Eventually, she came to see the beauty of the man behind the disfiguring scars and tortured soul. *** This was a totally spellbinding and gripping story that I hated to put down. The concept of the `beauty' who didn't see herself as attractive, and the man whose loss of memory and rare flashbacks made him think of himself as only a `beast' and monster was intriguing. Lilias was an absolutely wonderful heroine, intelligent, brave, and strong with a totally non-existent sense of direction that will make you smile. Aubrey was that tortured hero that simply takes your breath away and I look forward to seeing his friend Ram Dass featured next with his very own story. This romantic action packed tale should wind up on your keeper shelf as an extraordinarily wonderful and absolutely riveting read! --- Marilyn (...)