Last Gentleman Standing

Last Gentleman Standing was originally published as Bluestocking in 1980. Knowing that, I'm inclined to be a little more forgiving of the few minor things that bothered me about this book (things like the protagonist being referred to as 'the girl' in speech tags and such). Elisabeth Elham is a delightful heroine for any era. Raised poor but genteel, she is teaching at a private seminary for young ladies when a solicitor tracks her down and informs her that she is the sole heir of her wealthy, curmudgeonly uncle. I thought, as I read the book, that what happened to Elisabeth must be rather like winning the lottery today. With your life suddenly transformed by enormous wealth, what would you do? Would you treat those around you with grace and respect, would you be able to recognize those of you who are only interested in you for your riches? And of those, would you prefer those who are open about their reasons for seeking your friendship, or those who lie and conceal? Elisabeth handles her changed circumstances with grace and aplomb. Despite never having had any suitors before, she handles those who appear expertly. I have to confess that I was rather rooting for her to end up with a penniless but honest gentleman who treated her wonderfully, rather than the eventual winner. She honestly seemed to have more chemistry, and more fun, with the former. While this book was originally written almost 40 years ago, it stands up at least as well as a piece of Georgette Heyer's work. Read it with the understanding that it was written in a different time, and you'll enjoy it as much as I did. Five stars. Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through NetGalley.

Mr. Julius Tilling, a solicitor with Tilling and Bates, is visiting Mr. Elham at Elham House in Berkley Square only to find the elderly Mr. Elham to be suffering from a bad case of gout. Mr. Tilling has come to tell the man that he has found the three heirs he asked about. There are two nieces and a nephew remaining of his family members. They are Anthony, age 17, and Belinda, age 18, brother and sister, who currently live with an uncle. Mr. Elham’s other niece, Miss Elisabeth Elham, age 24, is a teacher at Miss Creedy’s Select Seminary for Young Ladies, located in Bath. Now, Mr. Elham wants his will written. After it was signed, a month later he died. It turns out that Miss Elisabeth Elham is the sole heir to her uncle’s estate. When contacted, she informs Mr. Tilling that she will invite her cousins, Anthony and Belinda, to live with her. She is also advised to have a companion to act as chaperone to avoid scandal, so she asks her distant cousin, Lavinia, to fill that role. When Elisabeth travels to fetch her cousins, she stops by Willowmere, an old home that she also inherited that needs some work. She has found that both residences are in dire need of remodeling. While there, she takes a walk and meet Derek Wincannon. The man is pleasant and his family helps get her and her cousins introduced into society. She meets Lord Darnell who claims to be looking to marry an heiress and is quite humorous about his situation. She also meets Mr. Jarrett who tries to pressure her to marry him. She then meets a man from Martinique who tells herethat Mr. Jarrett had been married to the man’s sister who died and he blames Mr. Jarrett for her death. She finds herself surrounded by suitors, some obviously after her money, but are all of them like that? This book is a whirlwind of social events and lots of characters. Several men have shown interest in Elisabeth but she is not sure whom to trust. But when she is thrust into danger, the true hero shows himself to rescue her. It is a sweet, clean novel but I found it to be a bit long with many characters to keep track of. However, I have long been a fan of Jane Ashford and look forward to reading more of her novels. I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

The Last Gentleman Standing was originally published under the name Bluestocking and was only just made available again after 25 years. This is more of a historical women's fiction with a side of romance. It kind of makes me think of what a newer Austin-esk books might read like, where it's more about Elizabeth and her cousins getting to know one another and how they are dealing with joining high society and all the troubles that come with it followed up by romance. It was a nice read I did enjoy it but for a romance it took way too long for that to happen and the ending seemed a bit rushed. It is third person POV but entirely from Elizabeth's perspective, so my greedy little mind doesn't find out what the other characters are thinking and their motives. Elizabeth inherited her cantankerous miser of an uncle's fortune, all because she never asked for a hand out, and it was his way of shocking society. Elizabeth isn't your typical English miss, she has been for the last five years been a teacher at a boarding school, she is very intelligent and takes the news of becoming an heiress in a calm and practical manner. She even invites her two cousins, Anthony and Belinda, who were left out of the will to come live with her in London. Elizabeth has her work cut out for her both houses are in shambles from neglect and because her mother's side of the family disowned her for marrying beneath her she has no connections in the London society, for the exception of some cousin she met once as a child before her mother died. Luck for her her solicitor is a really good one and manages to track down her second cousin, Lavina, who is a hoot. Along the way Elizabeth met a neighbor of her country estate, Derek Wincannon. It isn't until later she finds out he is the son and heir to a Viscountcy. Derek is immediately taken with this beautiful but unusual woman and even goes out of his way to please her, unfortunately Elizabeth is kind of oblivious to it until almost the end of the book, more like three quarters of the way in. Lavina is old friends with a Duchess who likes Elizabeth's straight forward manner and agree to sponsor Belinda and Elizabeth into society. Tony is enthralled by London and gets carried away, and it leads him into some trouble. Elizabeth also meets James Darnell who is an admitted fortune hunter, and falls in love with Elizabeth, fortunately Elizabeth is smarter than that. She also meets a mysterious Mr. Jarrett and a woman reporter who is aspiring to be a published poet. Overall, the story was good it was definitely well written I like what happened I just think it was too much about everything else and not enough about Elizabeth and Derek.

It was and ok, I am a little mad that I spent money on it as it's not something I will likely read again. I feel like there was not enough character development and the ending was just so sudden. And there were several things that happen through the book that leave you wondering why they were even put in the book in the first place.

Elizabeth is an independent lady of four and twenty, having had to work for her living as a teacher since the death of her father. When the uncle she has never met dies and leaves her his entire fortune, she suddenly becomes an heiress with a dilapidated house in the country and a house in Town in dire need of re-decoration. Along with these responsibilities, she takes into her home her two young cousins, who had received nothing from their uncle because they had dared to ask him for assistance when they were orphaned a year earlier! Whilst not in need of marriage herself she offers to give her beautiful cousin Belinda a Season in London and finds to her surprise several men that appear attracted to her. With eccentric characters, balls and abductions I thoroughly enjoyed this Regency romance. Far too many of the stories published in recent years are flawed with historical inaccuracies and sex scenes. Whilst I don't mind the latter in contemporary novels, they feel out of place in a Regency novel unless they take place after the wedding. So unlike some reviews that I have read, I was not disappointed with this story but could instead read it without feeling that the author was taking liberties with the era in which it takes place. I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated for my review, and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

Last Gentleman Standing is a Regency-era romance novel written by Jane Ashford. It was first published in 1980 under the title Bluestocking and appears to have been out of print for 25 years. Elisabeth Elham is a twenty four year old schoolteacher who receives a large inheritance from an uncle she has never met. She rendezvous with two slightly younger cousins who she has also never met, and they are joined by an older cousin to serve as chaperone. This cobbled together family begins renovations on their country estate and also sets up a house in London. Naturally, a young heiress attracts a great deal of attention, and Elisabeth is introduced to a great number of people, including several young gentlemen who are very interested in furthering their acquaintanceship. Unfortunately for them, Elisabeth has no interest in marrying anyone! This is very much a traditional Regency story, so there are no explicit scenes. Instead, the narrative focuses on Elisabeth and her cousins’ adjustments to life in Town. There is an element of mystery, and a series of startling events; these add some suspense to the story. I would recommend Last Gentlemen Standing. This is a fun and light book, and my only criticism would be that Elisabeth appears too forgiving after a very serious betrayal. Ashford has a very lively style of storytelling, and combined with engaging characters, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience. I am looking forward to reading more of Jane Ashford’s books in the near future!

I wouldn’t refer to any of her books that I’ve read so far as romances. They are well written books, but there’s barely any chemistry between any of the characters who are supposed to be the ones in the romantic relationship. I don’t expect smut every time, but come on! The two characters get engaged at the end, and they have never even kissed! They don’t even kiss when they get engaged! The impression that I get in the books I’ve read by this author is the characters are thinking in their heads: You’re ok. You’ll do. I’m supposed to like you because we’re in a historical romance. I have no desire for you at all. I’ve never shown any desire for you throughout this book, but let’s get together anyway. Some of her other work is interesting as a historical novel, but this wasn’t. The characters weren’t developed properly.

Slow read. Didn’t really care for it. Good plot but boring to get through. My fist book by this author.

While the two main characters failed to spark much interest (either from me or in each other), the secondary characters (with the exception of the nephew and his dog) were fun. In fact, I ended up pulling for the villain and his cohort, and checked the author's book list on Amazon hoping to find books either for them (which would have been a truly interesting book), the losing suitor - a truly charming character who deserved a heroine of his own, or a prequel for the father and mother of the drab male lead.

Not much actual romance (not even a kiss!) But a well written, enjoyable story with decent characters. One to make you smile.