Deidre and Don Juan [Paperback]

I have been reading all of Jo Beverley's novels from the earliest to this point (still have a lot to go) and found, as always that I love this women's style.

In Deirdre and Don Juan (he is only part Spanish, hence the nickname)you have a hero who, rather than divorce his wife after she left him, used the marriage to fend off any like-minded mamas and was able to conceal his hurt behind the many dalliances he engaged in.

In the beginning, this suave and handsome man appears quite arrogant, which as you find later in the novel, was a shield to protect him from the hurt and devastation he experienced when his beautiful bride left him after 6 months of marriage. The reasons are explained later in the book.

With Deirdre, however, one has to wonder why even a plain, young, intelligent woman from a good family would want to marry a commoner mathemetician with little prospects. She convinced herself that she was needed and, he was handsome, left her to her embroidery which was her passion, but there was very little communication.

Don Juan finds himself a widower and before too many people find out he must find a suitable wife, to beget an heir now that his older brother has passed on and it is now up to him to set up his nursery.

The tale between Deirdre and Everdon (his real name) is so sweet. He assumed all he needed was a biddable brood mare and plain was just fine with him, there was no passion or lust involved in the choice, in fact Deirdre was his mother's suggestion. What follows was an awakening on the part of both of the participants, with a little push from Don Juan at the end, that just shows the talent for storytelling by Ms. Beverley.

I really liked this book, and if you had read her earlier novels, you will see characters from her previous books enter the scenes to add to the continuity of the time period.

I look forward to reading more and more from Ms. Beverley who is a stellar talent with wonderful gift for storytelling.

Ten years ago, Iphegenia (Genie) bolted from her new marriage w/ Mark Juan Carlos Renfrew, Earl of Everdon. Now, word arrives that Genie is dead and the earl, nicknamed Don Juan, will undoubtedly be the focus of all the scheming society mamas of the marriage mart. Don Juan is determined to keep his single status a secret until he can become safely engaged to a quiet, plain, biddable woman who will be content to stay at home and do her duty (namely, produce heirs and not run off).

On his mother's recommedation, Don Juan sets his sights on Lady Deirdre Stowe, a well-bred but quiet, badly-dressed, and, indeed, almost ugly young woman. Don Juan cannot conceive that Deirdre would be anything but flattered and grateful for his attentions, so he is disconcerted--and intrigued--when she greets his offer w/ dismay and annoyance. Up to now, Deirdre was well pleased w/ her lack of suitors and had purposely cultivated her plainness and unfortunate wardrobe. She had received her parents' agreement that, if she were to receive no offers of marriage during her London season, she would be allowed to return home to marry Harold Dunstable, a brilliant, poor, and totally self-absorbed mathematician. Don Juan's proposal ruined everything!

Don Juan doesn't want an unwilling bride, so he tells Deirdre that he will contrive an end to the engagement in a manner that will satisfy her agreement w/ her parents. In the meantime, of course, Don Juan begins to experience a growing fascination with Deirdre. In turn, Deirdre is alarmed by her response to his charm, kindness, and undeniable sexual appeal. Eventually, Don Juan decides to launch an all out campaign to win Deirdre for his own.

Don Juan is an interesting character. At the outset, he seems to be a typical aristocrat--emotionally shallow, mercenary, intent upon fulfilling his needs first, etc. The reader soon sees that there is much more than the initial surface image. This is a man who has had his own struggles and sorrows and come out the better for them. He is not perfect, but he is a caring man and is richer even for his flaws.

In fact Ms. Beverly has done a good job w/ all of the characters--including Don Juan's mother, the servants, and Deirdre's family. Don Juan's eccentric cousin, Kevin Renfrew (known as the Daffodil Dandy due to his affinity for yellow attire) is especially enjoyable in his brief appearances. Even the unpleasant Harold is well done.

Deirdre herself is a likable character, but her obstinacy concerning Harold was the biggest drawback to the book. It was apparent from the outset that Harold didn't love Deirdre and saw her merely as a convenience, but she refused to admit it, even to herself. Deirdre was an intelligent, strong-willed young woman, but she allowed Harold to treat her terribly. It seemed out of character for her to be so dense. I also think the scene between Deirdre and Genie's mother was awkward and unnecessary and could have (should have) been omitted.

There is almost no sex in this book, per se, but it is subtly--and satisfyingly--sensual. It is also often quietly humorous, and that's a big plus for me. I recommend that you find a copy--you'll want it for your collection.

Jo Beverley now writes historicals, rather than the traditional Regencies published by Avon. All her traditionals and most of her earlier work is very hard-to-find, and some have amazingly high prices on the secondhand-book (used book) market. Of all these books, I can commend this one DEIRDRE AND DON JUAN, which I have read, and EMILY AND THE DARK ANGEL (which I have not read, but plan to read). Both are slightly unusual takes on the typical Regency plot. The second is rated more highly, but I don't think that the first is *that* far behind. No, it does not rank with the highest, but I will consider this book a keeper.

The story is not of a beauty - Lady Deirdre Stowe is *not* a beauty, although she looks better when she dresses to her own taste rather than that of her mother. She is intelligent, but she also has a rather low opinion of herself, and is willing to settle for a rather inferior man (in terms of affection, rather than his rank). To begin with the beginning however.

The story begins with Mark Juan Carlos Renfrew, Earl of Everdon (aka Don Juan) learning that his wife has finally died abroad. She had left him very early into their marriage, and he had not bothered to divorce her. And as we learn, he is plagued with guilt about his short marriage, although it has enabled him to make merry as a "married" man without fear of the matchmakers. However, since his younger brother has died, it is incumbent on him to marry again, a suitable and plain wife who will be content in the country, and will give him heirs. His mother suggests Lady Deirdre Stowe who shares her passion for embroidery. And off Lord Everdon goes to meet the prospective bride, and to court her.

Lady Deirdre is not pleased. She has been a wallflower all the Season, and she is about to go back home unmarried. And she wants to be unmarried. Why? Because she is in love with a commoner, a mathematician. Her idea of bliss is life in a cosy cottage, embroidering and watching her future husband work on his problems. Never mind that he ignores her almost completely all day. And she will have one little baby to love and care for, or so she hopes.

The Earl of Everdon is stunned to hear that Lady Deirdre prefers a mathematician with no fortune (about 100 pounds a year) to him, a belted earl. He cannot however withdraw from the marriage, having obtained the permission of Lady Deirdre's parents. And Lady Deirdre has promised her mother that she will not turn down any reasonable offer. And so, the engagement continues, but Lord Everdon promises to behave unreasonably (create some scandal) and thus convince Lady Deirdre's mother that he is not a suitable husband.

Of course, Lord Everdon does nothing of the kind. He tries to persuade Lady Deirdre that kissing is fun. And that her mathematician is really a dull sort, although he is more subtle about that. The mathematician is persuaded to go with Lady Deirdre and her mother back to Everdon Park, where we learn many unexpected secrets about Lord Everdon, his first marriage, and his financial condition.

That is the spoiler-free review. Now a critique, to explain why I cannot assign this a higher grade. I loved this book, and read it in one afternoon. And I grew to like both Lady Deirdre and Lord Everdon by the end. I also appreciated the fact that the author had created a half-Spanish half-British earl, and that there was an "other man" rather than an "other woman". Furthermore, this other man is a brilliant mathematician.

Unfortunately, the book has some serious problems. Firstly, given the Earl's situation with his first wife, it is inconceivable that he would have avoided divorcing her because he was afraid of a scandal. What did he think she was creating? Also, the idea that he would avoid a divorce for fear of hurting his wife's parents made little sense, given the vituperative feelings of his mother-in-law (who appears briefly and bizarrely towards the end). A divorce would have been relatively easy for him; it is possible that he could not have divorced her for financial reasons, but she had certainly given him enough cause under the legal system of the time. Also, given that he had no direct heirs, the matter of an heir should have been of greater import to him.

Secondly, the fact that he escaped the matchmakers as a "married" man is a premise or plot device that really annoys me. (It reminds me of a terrible book where a duke plans to marry a dying woman precisely to avoid the matchmakers for a little while).

The fact that he wants a plain well-bred wife willing to breed and remain in the country, and that he seeks his mother's advice, also does not sit well with me. I compared this mentally to Heyer's SYLVESTER, but found that the premise there was far different. The hero there was willing to consider a lady mentioned by his mother, but did not plan to marry her immediately - until she had caught his interest.

Lady Deirdre herself at the outset (and for most of the book) irritated me. If her mathematician had indeed been a worthy man (albeit an absent-minded genius), that would have one thing. She was however in love with a deeply selfish man, who was totally unconcerned with her and her needs and wishes. And she persuaded herself somehow that she was in love. How did she come to have such a poor opinion of herself (well-articulated by her erstwhile lover toward the end)? She was no beauty to be sure, but her parents appeared decent people. There was no explanation of why Deirdre would pick a lowly mathematician, would prefer life in the country (in a small cottage!), or would have such a low opinion of herself.

I thought that the best part of the book was the last third (apart from the bizarre mother-in-law). Here, we learn the truth about the Earl's finances, and about his first marriage (and the irrational sentiments of his first wife). I think that much more could have been made of these. I appreciated the fact that the hero was not overwhelmingly wealthy, and that his father had frittered the family wealth away on improvements to the grounds but had remained a loving father and husband. [Too many fictional fathers spent their money on gambling at cards or dice, at racing, or in the pursuit of fast women. It is refreshing to meet one who overspends on his estate].

At the end, while I was happy for Deirdre and her Don Juan (his middle names, incidentally, did not make a lot of sense), I felt curiously dissatisfied. I felt that both Deirdre and Everdon were lucky to have found each other; she could so easily have married Howard (the mathematician) and discovered only after several children what she had let herself in for. Perhaps, if she had become disillusioned herself, the book would have been stronger. Unfortunately, she seemed to lack an understanding of human motivation, and to be curiously naive about men right to the end. As for Everdon, he was lucky to have found Deirdre, although I could not understand why he wanted to persist with the engagement. [Yes, he realized early on that she was mismatched, and that she would be miserable, but we have little evidence at the outset that he cares that much about other people].

This is not a bad read by any standards. But you might share my sentiments - liking the unusual heroine (and the odd situation the hero and heroine find themselves in) without being happy about how they work their way to a happy ending. I can say that I have had the same feeling about one other book - Joan Wolf's THE GAMBLE, where I also ended up keeping the book, but remained deeply frustrated with the heroine in particular.

Rating = 3.5

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