BELLA’S BETROTHAL an entertaining romance with humour and a touch of thematic mystery.
Bella’s Betrothal, set in Edinburgh 1826, has two mothers offering opposing views of that position. Bella’s actual mama is a distant and critical woman who does everything in her power to diminish her talented and engaging daughter. Why would she do that? Obviously, it’s a plot device, but it happens in life and many women will sadly recognise the relationship. Hatty, to whom Bella flees for succour is red haired and feisty like her niece. She’s also the kind of mother we all long for: supportive, encouraging and loving without being suffocating.
Mariah’s Marriage a roller-coaster read with razor sharp dialogue.
Mariah’s Marriage, set in London, 1822 has a motherless heroine who wonders wistfully if her life would have been different had her mama survived. But she’s made a very good job of growing up with only one parent and when confronted by the Earl of Mellon’s mama, Lady Constanzia, has mixed feelings about the relationship. The earl, finds his mama exasperating, loving and a great excuse for trapping Mariah into marriage. Will he, though, get the high-spirited girl as far as the altar?
Daisy’s Dilemma a brilliant exploration of what it was to be a lady in the 1800s
Daisy’s Dilemma, set in London 1822 and later brings us more of the story of Lady Constanzia and another of her children, the talented and stifled, Lady Daisy. How does a girl behave when her duty is clear, but her head and her heart are at war? Can her mama help resolve her difficulties? Once more, Anne Stenhouse juxtaposes two mothers in Lady Constanzia and her sister-in-law, the monstrous Lady Beatrice. Whose will prevails?
Novels Now 
Yes, all ‘your’ mothers are vivid and vibrant characters. Lady Grizel in Winter Wonder was also a ‘great’ mother in the sense of author characterization if not in terms of motherly kindness 🙂
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Hi Anne, Thank you. I hadn’t thought of Lady Grizel, but you’re right, she was a bit of a monster. Anne
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