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Benedict Nesbitt #2
One Good Turn
Benedict Nesbitt, the Seventh Duke of Knaresborough, has resigned himself to a life of solitude. The woman he'd loved for years just married one of his best friends. And so, in the noble tradition of resignation, he is heading back home to look after his niece and work on his stiff upper lip...
But on the way he agrees to give a ride to a poor Spanish woman and her child. And though they appear to have nothing, Liria Valencia's self assurance is stronger and more genuine than any he's known in his whole upper crust life. There's certainly more to this single mother than meets the eye. But could she be Benedict's second chance at love? Only if they can see past their differences. And that will require delving into a complicated and painful past...
But on the way he agrees to give a ride to a poor Spanish woman and her child. And though they appear to have nothing, Liria Valencia's self assurance is stronger and more genuine than any he's known in his whole upper crust life. There's certainly more to this single mother than meets the eye. But could she be Benedict's second chance at love? Only if they can see past their differences. And that will require delving into a complicated and painful past...
224 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2001
56 people are currently reading
660 people want to read
About the author
Carla Kelly
138 books804 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Although Carla Kelly is well known among her readers as a writer of Regency romance, her main interest (and first writing success) is Western American fiction—more specifically, writing about America's Indian Wars. Although she had sold some of her work before, it was not until Carla began work in the National Park Service as a ranger/historian at Fort Laramie National Historic Site did she get serious about her writing career. (Or as she would be the first to admit, as serious as it gets.)
Carla wrote a series of what she now refers to as the "Fort Laramie stories," which are tales of the men, women and children of the Indian Wars era in Western history. Two of her stories, A Season for Heroes and Kathleen Flaherty's Long Winter, earned her Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America. She was the second woman to earn two Spurs from WWA (which, as everyone knows, is all you need to ride a horse). Her entire Indian Wars collection was published in 2003 as Here's to the Ladies: Stories of the Frontier Army. It remains her favorite work.
The mother of five children, Carla has always allowed her kids to earn their keep by appearing in her Regencies, most notably Marian's Christmas Wish, which is peopled by all kinds of relatives. Grown now, the Kelly kids are scattered here and there across the U.S. They continue to provide feedback, furnish fodder for stories and make frantic phone calls home during the holidays for recipes. (Carla Kelly is some cook.)
Carla's husband, Martin, is Director of Theatre at Valley City State University, in Valley City, North Dakota. Carla is currently overworked as a staff writer at the local daily newspaper. She also writes a weekly, award-winning column, "Prairie Lite."
Carla only started writing Regencies because of her interest in the Napoleonic Wars, which figures in many of her Regency novels and short stories. She specializes in writing about warfare at sea, and about the ordinary people of the British Isles who were, let's face it, far more numerous than lords and ladies.
Hobbies? She likes to crochet afghans, and read British crime fiction and history, principally military history. She's never happier than talking about the fur trade or Indian Wars with Park Service cronies. Her most recent gig with the National Park Service was at Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site on the Montana/North Dakota border.
Here's another side to this somewhat prosaic woman: She recently edited the fur trade journal of Swiss artist Rudolf F. Kurz (the 1851-1852 portion), and is gratified now and then to be asked to speak on scholarly subjects. She has also worked for the State Historical Society of North Dakota as a contract researcher. This has taken her to glamorous drudgery in several national archives and military history repositories. Gray archives boxes and old documents make her salivate.
Her mantra for writing comes from the subject of her thesis, Robert Utley, that dean of Indian Wars history. He told her the secret to writing is "to put your ass in the chair and keep it there until you're done." He's right, of course.
Her three favorite fictional works have remained constant through the years, although their rankings tend to shift: War and Peace, The Lawrenceville Stories, and A Town Like Alice. Favorite historical works are One Vast Winter Count, On the Border with Mackenzie and Crossing the Line. Favorite crime fiction authors are Michael Connelly, John Harvey and Peter Robinson.
And that's all she can think of that would interest anyone. Carla Kelly is quite ordinary, except when she is sometimes prevailed upon to sing a scurrilous song about lumberjacks, or warble "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" in Latin. Then you m
Although Carla Kelly is well known among her readers as a writer of Regency romance, her main interest (and first writing success) is Western American fiction—more specifically, writing about America's Indian Wars. Although she had sold some of her work before, it was not until Carla began work in the National Park Service as a ranger/historian at Fort Laramie National Historic Site did she get serious about her writing career. (Or as she would be the first to admit, as serious as it gets.)
Carla wrote a series of what she now refers to as the "Fort Laramie stories," which are tales of the men, women and children of the Indian Wars era in Western history. Two of her stories, A Season for Heroes and Kathleen Flaherty's Long Winter, earned her Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America. She was the second woman to earn two Spurs from WWA (which, as everyone knows, is all you need to ride a horse). Her entire Indian Wars collection was published in 2003 as Here's to the Ladies: Stories of the Frontier Army. It remains her favorite work.
The mother of five children, Carla has always allowed her kids to earn their keep by appearing in her Regencies, most notably Marian's Christmas Wish, which is peopled by all kinds of relatives. Grown now, the Kelly kids are scattered here and there across the U.S. They continue to provide feedback, furnish fodder for stories and make frantic phone calls home during the holidays for recipes. (Carla Kelly is some cook.)
Carla's husband, Martin, is Director of Theatre at Valley City State University, in Valley City, North Dakota. Carla is currently overworked as a staff writer at the local daily newspaper. She also writes a weekly, award-winning column, "Prairie Lite."
Carla only started writing Regencies because of her interest in the Napoleonic Wars, which figures in many of her Regency novels and short stories. She specializes in writing about warfare at sea, and about the ordinary people of the British Isles who were, let's face it, far more numerous than lords and ladies.
Hobbies? She likes to crochet afghans, and read British crime fiction and history, principally military history. She's never happier than talking about the fur trade or Indian Wars with Park Service cronies. Her most recent gig with the National Park Service was at Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site on the Montana/North Dakota border.
Here's another side to this somewhat prosaic woman: She recently edited the fur trade journal of Swiss artist Rudolf F. Kurz (the 1851-1852 portion), and is gratified now and then to be asked to speak on scholarly subjects. She has also worked for the State Historical Society of North Dakota as a contract researcher. This has taken her to glamorous drudgery in several national archives and military history repositories. Gray archives boxes and old documents make her salivate.
Her mantra for writing comes from the subject of her thesis, Robert Utley, that dean of Indian Wars history. He told her the secret to writing is "to put your ass in the chair and keep it there until you're done." He's right, of course.
Her three favorite fictional works have remained constant through the years, although their rankings tend to shift: War and Peace, The Lawrenceville Stories, and A Town Like Alice. Favorite historical works are One Vast Winter Count, On the Border with Mackenzie and Crossing the Line. Favorite crime fiction authors are Michael Connelly, John Harvey and Peter Robinson.
And that's all she can think of that would interest anyone. Carla Kelly is quite ordinary, except when she is sometimes prevailed upon to sing a scurrilous song about lumberjacks, or warble "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" in Latin. Then you m
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
September 30, 2017
A phenomenal 5 stars!!!. A touching story written with such depth it was hard to put down. The characterization was also beautifully done. I fell in love with each of them; I will sadly miss them.
July 25, 2021
Oh my goodness. This was so good. Well done, touching, sweet, redemptive and all that crap. I skimmed the first book, Libby's London Merchant, and was not impressed with the hero, Nez, as he was in that book. New sets himself on a path of growth and redemption in this one.
Here, the H is struggling with PTSD, recovering from alcoholism and basically struggling to be a better person. Yeah, he says he was in love with the heroine from the first book, but I had more the feeling that her rejection of his Dukish ways was more of a wakeup call than anything else. He puts her memory aside pretty quickly as he falls for the heroine and her little boy.
As damaged as he is, the heroine’s past more than trumps his. Raped and brutalized during the notorious Badajoz battle and with a son as a result of it, she makes the most of her new life. She’s not as fleshed out as I would have liked as the book is entirely from the H’s point of view. Nez isn’t a swaggering and rakish hero, but a man trying to be as decent as possible after experiencing a segment of life where man was at his worst. I was sorry when it was over.
Here, the H is struggling with PTSD, recovering from alcoholism and basically struggling to be a better person. Yeah, he says he was in love with the heroine from the first book, but I had more the feeling that her rejection of his Dukish ways was more of a wakeup call than anything else. He puts her memory aside pretty quickly as he falls for the heroine and her little boy.
As damaged as he is, the heroine’s past more than trumps his. Raped and brutalized during the notorious Badajoz battle and with a son as a result of it, she makes the most of her new life. She’s not as fleshed out as I would have liked as the book is entirely from the H’s point of view. Nez isn’t a swaggering and rakish hero, but a man trying to be as decent as possible after experiencing a segment of life where man was at his worst. I was sorry when it was over.
December 5, 2015
I've spoiler warned this but, really, go and read Libby's London Merchant before you read this review (even if you've read it before, treat yourself to a re-read!). This is really The Story of Nez and the conclusion of the journey he started with Libby and the doctor towards reformation. Along the way he falls in love. I enjoyed this, but it didn't feel that much like a romance novel to me. The romance was there, but not at the centre. It existed, it seems to me, as a way to move Nez's character forwards. The book had romantic moments but it wasn't as successful as Libby's book. Liria felt, in spite of her horrendous back story and struggles, kind of one dimensional. CK doesn't take any chapters from her perspective, which is common for Kelly (Dr Cook doesn't have a voice in Libby's London Merchant, for example) and usually not a problem, but I never warmed to Liria. As a consequence I simply was not as invested in Nez and her as a couple as I had been in, for example, Nez and Libby or Libby and Dr Cook. That said, this is still a fantastic book with some extraordinary writing. CK balances light and dark (because, oh boy, this book is dark at times) very well. Nez is flawed in the best way and ducal but still inherently likable. And the secondary characters! I want the mill owner to have a book and the Luster, even Audrey deserves a shot at love! This wasn't quite the book I was hoping for after reading Libby's LM, but it was still great.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 24, 2015
STOP!
I made a mistake. I didn't pay attention that this story was the follow-up to Libby's London Merchant. My bad. So I am warning you to read that book first.
I started ONE GOOD TURN and my gut told me that there must be another story out there somewhere. Stupid me. I continued reading because the hero was a dolt and I became intrigued with Liria and her little boy, Juan.
I admit I didn't like 'Nez' at the beginning. As I just mentioned, he was a dolt: a blockhead, nitwit, and imbecile. He was shallow. Go ahead, say it in slow-motion: heeeeee wassssss shalllloowwwwww. Because that is what he was. He told himself that he was thinking of others. But he wasn't. Until Liria came along and taught him a lesson in life.
This is a clean traditional-style Regency era romance with a WALLOP OF ANGST. Get out the kleenex because it you don't cry at least once, I will be surprised. And I am doing you a service by not telling you anything else that happens. Just read it. But only after reading LIBBY'S LONDON MERCHANT.
And now I have to go find that book. Memo to myself: read a book's description before starting it. Don't just base it on an author's name.
I made a mistake. I didn't pay attention that this story was the follow-up to Libby's London Merchant. My bad. So I am warning you to read that book first.
I started ONE GOOD TURN and my gut told me that there must be another story out there somewhere. Stupid me. I continued reading because the hero was a dolt and I became intrigued with Liria and her little boy, Juan.
I admit I didn't like 'Nez' at the beginning. As I just mentioned, he was a dolt: a blockhead, nitwit, and imbecile. He was shallow. Go ahead, say it in slow-motion: heeeeee wassssss shalllloowwwwww. Because that is what he was. He told himself that he was thinking of others. But he wasn't. Until Liria came along and taught him a lesson in life.
This is a clean traditional-style Regency era romance with a WALLOP OF ANGST. Get out the kleenex because it you don't cry at least once, I will be surprised. And I am doing you a service by not telling you anything else that happens. Just read it. But only after reading LIBBY'S LONDON MERCHANT.
And now I have to go find that book. Memo to myself: read a book's description before starting it. Don't just base it on an author's name.
April 5, 2015
Lovely book. This is what I expected but did not get from Reforming Lord Ragsdale based on reviews from that book.
This book also concerns the redemption of a man whose character is perhaps not all it should be. You could really see Benedict attempting to make himself a better man. Others around him knew he wasn't as bad as he thought himself to be although he did need the redemption. The book was told almost entirely in the POV of the hero and it was wonderfully well done.
There was pathos here and I choked up a couple of times. I really loved the hero. There were historical references to the Peninsular Wars that touched on some of the evils of that war.
This was the second in a duology but I didn't have any problems understanding what had happened in that book and not having read it did not affect my enjoyment of this one.
This book also concerns the redemption of a man whose character is perhaps not all it should be. You could really see Benedict attempting to make himself a better man. Others around him knew he wasn't as bad as he thought himself to be although he did need the redemption. The book was told almost entirely in the POV of the hero and it was wonderfully well done.
There was pathos here and I choked up a couple of times. I really loved the hero. There were historical references to the Peninsular Wars that touched on some of the evils of that war.
This was the second in a duology but I didn't have any problems understanding what had happened in that book and not having read it did not affect my enjoyment of this one.
October 7, 2018
We almost always forget the other side of war, worse we become immune to the sufferings accepting them as a part of War. This is written beautifully , showcasing strength and courage despite the Pain.
May 9, 2013
This book typifies what I really enjoy in a regency, even though it’s depressing and even horrifying at moments. I read the book in 3-4 hours and absolutely loved it. The slow build of the romance, the unfolding of each character's story, and the development of each one were wonderful. *I somehow missed the fact that this is a follow-up to Libby's London Merchant I'd urge readers to read that one first just so this book doesn't spoil the outcome of that one, but each book stands up well on their own.
Our seemingly self-absorbed hero, Nez, is traveling home with his young niece after visiting the woman he loved and the man she married. He stumbles upon a post-coach that has been disabled. He tries to help and is informed that he should find a woman and small boy who had continued in the rain to the next village.
He finds the pair and brings them into their carriage. He’s standoffish but can’t help but notice how the woman, Liria, instantly sets his niece at ease. They stop at the next village for the night where he learns the niece has small pox. Soon his butler, Luster, takes ill with it too. He realizes he can’t travel forward until the two have recovered so he reluctantly asks Liria to stay and assist him, a task for which she will be well compensated. She is reluctant but knows that to heed her son, she must accept. She nurses both back to health.
When he arrives at his home to find his sister who is demanding that he immediately replace the housekeeper who has left and also find a wife, he informs his sister Liria is here to fulfill that role.
As the story progresses, Nez develops an attachment to Liria’s son Juan and also realizes that Liria may be more than she appears. Nez learns that she had been in the town that his regiment assaulted during the Peninsular war and slowly recognizes the horrors that she suffered. As he courts the woman his sister wants him to marry, he recognizes that he needs to marry for love.
I loved the way the romance unfolded and developed between Nez and Liria. Nez is ready to marry the neighbor’s daughter because as an aristocrat he’s expected to marry and produce an heir. The daughter could serve that purposes as well as anyone. But as the story develops he begins to understand that there is so much more.
The terror that Liria suffered when her city fell is horrifying, but at the end she realizes still retained the capacity to love. What a beautiful tale.
Note - there is a rape scene in the book that is very graphic. It helps the reader understand the characters, but not every reader is going to be happy with it. I'm not sure that I needed that much detail, but I otherwise loved the book.
Rated on my five star romance scale
Our seemingly self-absorbed hero, Nez, is traveling home with his young niece after visiting the woman he loved and the man she married. He stumbles upon a post-coach that has been disabled. He tries to help and is informed that he should find a woman and small boy who had continued in the rain to the next village.
He finds the pair and brings them into their carriage. He’s standoffish but can’t help but notice how the woman, Liria, instantly sets his niece at ease. They stop at the next village for the night where he learns the niece has small pox. Soon his butler, Luster, takes ill with it too. He realizes he can’t travel forward until the two have recovered so he reluctantly asks Liria to stay and assist him, a task for which she will be well compensated. She is reluctant but knows that to heed her son, she must accept. She nurses both back to health.
When he arrives at his home to find his sister who is demanding that he immediately replace the housekeeper who has left and also find a wife, he informs his sister Liria is here to fulfill that role.
As the story progresses, Nez develops an attachment to Liria’s son Juan and also realizes that Liria may be more than she appears. Nez learns that she had been in the town that his regiment assaulted during the Peninsular war and slowly recognizes the horrors that she suffered. As he courts the woman his sister wants him to marry, he recognizes that he needs to marry for love.
I loved the way the romance unfolded and developed between Nez and Liria. Nez is ready to marry the neighbor’s daughter because as an aristocrat he’s expected to marry and produce an heir. The daughter could serve that purposes as well as anyone. But as the story develops he begins to understand that there is so much more.
The terror that Liria suffered when her city fell is horrifying, but at the end she realizes still retained the capacity to love. What a beautiful tale.
Note - there is a rape scene in the book that is very graphic. It helps the reader understand the characters, but not every reader is going to be happy with it. I'm not sure that I needed that much detail, but I otherwise loved the book.
Rated on my five star romance scale
March 4, 2013
4/5; 4 stars; A-
I vaguely recall Benedict, the Duke of Knaresborough from Libby's London Merchant, which I read several years ago. I think I put off reading this book because I didn't like him then although I was sure there was something decent in his character.
I'm so glad that Carla Kelly's books are coming out in ebook now because I always meant to read this book to feel that this story arc was complete. Its practically impossible to find her older books in print although I lucked out on ebay with a few of them.
Anyway, this is a lovely book of redemption and healing, something that Ms. Kelly covers very well in her stories. She touches on some of the really ugly aspects of war that are usually not given much air time in historical romances. I enjoyed the characters in the story and particularly appreciated the servant's POV that crept in to the story from both the butler and Liria herself.
I vaguely recall Benedict, the Duke of Knaresborough from Libby's London Merchant, which I read several years ago. I think I put off reading this book because I didn't like him then although I was sure there was something decent in his character.
I'm so glad that Carla Kelly's books are coming out in ebook now because I always meant to read this book to feel that this story arc was complete. Its practically impossible to find her older books in print although I lucked out on ebay with a few of them.
Anyway, this is a lovely book of redemption and healing, something that Ms. Kelly covers very well in her stories. She touches on some of the really ugly aspects of war that are usually not given much air time in historical romances. I enjoyed the characters in the story and particularly appreciated the servant's POV that crept in to the story from both the butler and Liria herself.
May 13, 2014
Author: Carla Kelly
First published: 2001
Length: 3160 locations
Setting: Kent, around 1820 (shortly after "Libby's London Merchant").
Sex: clean.
Heroine: Spanish camp follower with child.
Hero: Duke. Dried out Alcoholic. Fought at Waterloo. Some light ptsd.
Trigger: Liria was gang raped during wartime.
Includes: excerpt from The Lady's Companion by Carla Kelly.
A tear-jerker that delves into guilt, responsibility and reformation.
This isn't an easy book to read.
Benedict (Nez) isn't the most compassionate hero, but he grows on you. Beginning in "Libby's London Merchant" we have seen his reformation, a developing compassion alongside his drying out. Kelly leads us to believe in his basic goodness and charity. He becomes one of my all time favourite Heroes.
Liria is a difficult heroine to get to know. Her past has lead her to internalise and accept her fate. The amazing hardships she has overcome, and the love she is able to bestow on Juan, are all we have to understand her. We don't hear her inner voice. We love her through her actions.
But this is Benedict's story.
With an HEA I truly believe. And I want with all my heart.
Beautiful.
Linked Books:
Book 1 Libby's London Merchant -
Book 2 One Good Turn -
References:
Author's websites: http://www.carlakellyauthor.com/
(ISBN 978-1-101-57297-9)
-CR-
First published: 2001
Length: 3160 locations
Setting: Kent, around 1820 (shortly after "Libby's London Merchant").
Sex: clean.
Heroine: Spanish camp follower with child.
Hero: Duke. Dried out Alcoholic. Fought at Waterloo. Some light ptsd.
Trigger: Liria was gang raped during wartime.
Includes: excerpt from The Lady's Companion by Carla Kelly.
A tear-jerker that delves into guilt, responsibility and reformation.
This isn't an easy book to read.
Benedict (Nez) isn't the most compassionate hero, but he grows on you. Beginning in "Libby's London Merchant" we have seen his reformation, a developing compassion alongside his drying out. Kelly leads us to believe in his basic goodness and charity. He becomes one of my all time favourite Heroes.
Liria is a difficult heroine to get to know. Her past has lead her to internalise and accept her fate. The amazing hardships she has overcome, and the love she is able to bestow on Juan, are all we have to understand her. We don't hear her inner voice. We love her through her actions.
But this is Benedict's story.
With an HEA I truly believe. And I want with all my heart.
Beautiful.
Linked Books:
Book 1 Libby's London Merchant -
Book 2 One Good Turn -
References:
Author's websites: http://www.carlakellyauthor.com/
(ISBN 978-1-101-57297-9)
-CR-
May 6, 2020
The good thing about this book is the consistency of Benedict Nesbitt's characterization. In the first book he instantly rejects Libby Ames as a prospective wife upon discovering that she is penniless. In this book he will propose marriage to a Spanish woman, he initially dubs as a "drab", the minute he finds out that she outranks him by several degrees in her own country.
Apart from this, the author tries too hard to redeem the hero. Which is just tedious reading after a point. He was mildly interesting in the first book now he ends up a Gary Stu.
Liria's story would have been more interesting but the author doesn't let us in on her inner monologue. Liria is only presented through the eyes of Nesbitt and others. Her description of gang rape during the war is diluted by not letting us know anything of what she thinks or feels after she is first introduced.
Very conveniently she accepts Nesbitt's proposal while knowing that he was one of the officers who didn't stop his men from pillaging the town. Again, all part of the extreme redemption arc for the hero.
The interaction between the Duke and his butler make for some fun reading but the author seems to just drop characters in the last third of the narrative.
Audrey St. John apparently has no reaction to being dismissed as Nesbitt's prospective wife. Little Sophie is packed off unceremoniously after being used as plot point for the meet cute of the hero and heroine. Augusta Wogan is given some cringeworthy redemptive moments through the words of the butler Luster.
Liria is accepted into belowstairs without a hitch although she is a foreigner and an unwed mother. Which is attributed to the Duke's wonderful nature.
A bit of conflict amongst servants would have enlivened proceedings of this rather dull book.
Apart from this, the author tries too hard to redeem the hero. Which is just tedious reading after a point. He was mildly interesting in the first book now he ends up a Gary Stu.
Liria's story would have been more interesting but the author doesn't let us in on her inner monologue. Liria is only presented through the eyes of Nesbitt and others. Her description of gang rape during the war is diluted by not letting us know anything of what she thinks or feels after she is first introduced.
Very conveniently she accepts Nesbitt's proposal while knowing that he was one of the officers who didn't stop his men from pillaging the town. Again, all part of the extreme redemption arc for the hero.
The interaction between the Duke and his butler make for some fun reading but the author seems to just drop characters in the last third of the narrative.
Audrey St. John apparently has no reaction to being dismissed as Nesbitt's prospective wife. Little Sophie is packed off unceremoniously after being used as plot point for the meet cute of the hero and heroine. Augusta Wogan is given some cringeworthy redemptive moments through the words of the butler Luster.
Liria is accepted into belowstairs without a hitch although she is a foreigner and an unwed mother. Which is attributed to the Duke's wonderful nature.
A bit of conflict amongst servants would have enlivened proceedings of this rather dull book.
December 30, 2018
10 stars and my best read for 2018. This book continues the story about the H who felt heartbroken, in previous book but is really only bruised. He's learns that he is resilient and we see him to be a very sweet man. He fails at being a better man rather terribly at first, when he once again acts unkindly. The h is a great person, quite, calm and so desperately wounded, yet we don't actually get to know her much until the end and even then it is all from the Hs view. There is good reason for this - this story is about the H and the impact of his actions on others. Loved this history lesson entwined with a beautiful love story.
March 22, 2025
This was a non-dramatic closed-door historical romance and both of those things made this enjoyable to me. There was no womanizing wealthy rake to be (implausibly) reformed, no overabundance of lustful imaginings, no drama. Just real people - nice people - falling in love while openly acknowledging the pain of life and the imperfections they both need to overcome. I really liked both main characters and the writing was pretty decent for a historical romance. It’s a little older but that’s fine. I’ll be looking for more of Carla Kelly’s backlist to see if she’s a consistent author I’ll enjoy.
November 28, 2021
Excellent writing, very emotional, but too much real-world sadness for me.
September 11, 2022
For some reason I was keenly aware that it was an American [Canadian] writing it, even though I suspect I've seen British authors pull pretty much anything specific I might point at as an example. It just has an underlying "American west" attitude, somehow. I also felt that some choices were made to make a point about the issues the author was dealing with, when I wanted the author to challenge the hero a bit more. This is definitely the hero's story, not the heroine's, which would be fine except for some of the issues the author chooses to delve in -- she cuts herself some slack along with the hero!
None of that would have made much difference I think, except, as someone with considerable experience with one particular issue, I really, really disliked how the heroine's major crisis was initiated. I was not angry with any of the characters, and saw the author as equally well-intentioned, but as a solution to that particular issue, it would be hard to more completely miss the point. There's a reason well-intentioned meddling so often back fires in real life, and that scene fails to recognize same.
Really enjoyed it up until the last few chapters, though, and I generally enjoyed the characters and thought the HEA was credible, so leaving it at four stars.
2017
On second reading, I was much less aware of the Americanism. Still irked by the ending. Still like it considerable.
None of that would have made much difference I think, except, as someone with considerable experience with one particular issue, I really, really disliked how the heroine's major crisis was initiated. I was not angry with any of the characters, and saw the author as equally well-intentioned, but as a solution to that particular issue, it would be hard to more completely miss the point. There's a reason well-intentioned meddling so often back fires in real life, and that scene fails to recognize same.
Really enjoyed it up until the last few chapters, though, and I generally enjoyed the characters and thought the HEA was credible, so leaving it at four stars.
2017
On second reading, I was much less aware of the Americanism. Still irked by the ending. Still like it considerable.
April 9, 2022
Si hay una autora que realmente me parece digna sucesora de Georgette Heyer es Carla Kelly. Tiene su altura, su ambición creativa, su encanto en una palabra.
El aristócrata Benedict Nesbitt «Nez» recoge en el camino a Liria Valencia, una mujer española con su hijo, y se los lleva a casa. Es una mujer guapa , y muy cariñosa, bastante joven pero serena, con dominio natural en toda situación. Con el tiempo, descubre que ambos estuvieron en la guerra de Independencia española. Él estará traumatizado por lo que vivió, pero lo de ella fue una experiencia espantosa. En Nez tenemos a uno de esos altivos ingleses que entraron en la península más como saqueadores que como liberadores. Carla Kelly no se anda con melindres a la hora de contar la barbarie inglesa en tierras hispanas.
Es una lectura agridulce. La novela es estupenda, pero lo poquito que saca de la guerra es horrible.
Crítica más extensa, en mi blog.
El aristócrata Benedict Nesbitt «Nez» recoge en el camino a Liria Valencia, una mujer española con su hijo, y se los lleva a casa. Es una mujer guapa , y muy cariñosa, bastante joven pero serena, con dominio natural en toda situación. Con el tiempo, descubre que ambos estuvieron en la guerra de Independencia española. Él estará traumatizado por lo que vivió, pero lo de ella fue una experiencia espantosa. En Nez tenemos a uno de esos altivos ingleses que entraron en la península más como saqueadores que como liberadores. Carla Kelly no se anda con melindres a la hora de contar la barbarie inglesa en tierras hispanas.
Es una lectura agridulce. La novela es estupenda, pero lo poquito que saca de la guerra es horrible.
Crítica más extensa, en mi blog.
July 1, 2014
This book is almost entirely from the hero's perspective, which you don't come across too often in romance novels (though this isn't the first time I've run into in Carla Kelly's books). And while I would've liked to get to know Liria better than I did, I didn't feel like the book suffered at all being mainly from Nez's perspective, because he's such an interesting character. He's far from perfect, but he's trying, and I appreciated that it wasn't "the love of a good woman" that reformed him--it's his own determination to be a better person. The book deals with some extremely heavy topics, but the author's good at deftly balancing it with moments of humor. It's books like this that remind me why I like Carla Kelly as an author. This is a sequel to one of Kelly's other books, but you don't need to have read that one to enjoy this one.
May 20, 2016
Oops! I should have read book 1 first.
I love Carla Kelly's writing and her ability to draw me into a story. These characters were amazing. I love that Ms Kelly made the competing love interest a nice and kind woman. No need for her to be portrayed as a witch. Even the secondary characters were people of depth that I cared about.
Nez starts out as a selfish, inconsiderate jerk. But we see him grow as a man. He is a work in progress. Liria is not what she seems and as I learned more about her heartbreaking past I fell in love with her just like Nez did. There is some pretty awful stuff in her past that was difficult to read about. But Ms Kelly wrote about an event in history that I never knew about and she does it with sensitivity. It doesn't surprise me at all that this kind of thing happened.
I am going to find book one now and read about Libby.
I love Carla Kelly's writing and her ability to draw me into a story. These characters were amazing. I love that Ms Kelly made the competing love interest a nice and kind woman. No need for her to be portrayed as a witch. Even the secondary characters were people of depth that I cared about.
Nez starts out as a selfish, inconsiderate jerk. But we see him grow as a man. He is a work in progress. Liria is not what she seems and as I learned more about her heartbreaking past I fell in love with her just like Nez did. There is some pretty awful stuff in her past that was difficult to read about. But Ms Kelly wrote about an event in history that I never knew about and she does it with sensitivity. It doesn't surprise me at all that this kind of thing happened.
I am going to find book one now and read about Libby.
March 11, 2018
Wonderful book!!! Simple and great!!
Carla Kelly knows how to build a character and how to drive them into the story.
Benedict Nesbitt, the Duke of Knaresborough starts the story as a former drunkard, troubled war veteran, lonely soul and ended up so changed by the life events that took place in the book.
It goes slowly and without pretension. It is not just spelled out like in so many lesser books. You follow his change and you respect him, and you love him just as much as the heroine.
Talking about the heroine, what a character Liria Valencia is. The author does not have to say that she is strong, independent, smart, self possessed. No, none of this qualities have to be said explicitly. Her actions speak for herself. Such an admirable creature that was born the daughter of a Spanish Grand Duke and ended up alone, unmarried and with child after the battle at Badajoz.
The side characters are also great. Luster the Butler is such a great man and also the lovely child Juan. Even the smaller role played by Mr. Butterworth was so well construed.
Loved this book very much!
Carla Kelly knows how to build a character and how to drive them into the story.
Benedict Nesbitt, the Duke of Knaresborough starts the story as a former drunkard, troubled war veteran, lonely soul and ended up so changed by the life events that took place in the book.
It goes slowly and without pretension. It is not just spelled out like in so many lesser books. You follow his change and you respect him, and you love him just as much as the heroine.
Talking about the heroine, what a character Liria Valencia is. The author does not have to say that she is strong, independent, smart, self possessed. No, none of this qualities have to be said explicitly. Her actions speak for herself. Such an admirable creature that was born the daughter of a Spanish Grand Duke and ended up alone, unmarried and with child after the battle at Badajoz.
The side characters are also great. Luster the Butler is such a great man and also the lovely child Juan. Even the smaller role played by Mr. Butterworth was so well construed.
Loved this book very much!
July 8, 2017
I got to about Chapter 10 and read the end. It drags. The history lesson is interesting but I got tired of the dragging out of plot points. Love Libby, woe is me our hero, the Sargent , chicken pox, his sister, courting the neighbor.... The overall writing is good , I just got bored.
August 24, 2021
I enjoyed seeing Nez’s character evolve further. He goes from being a care-for-nobody (as he overhears one of his staff say) to a man who goes out of his way to make life better for others - even though he sometimes rails about everyone wanting to change him.
The relationship which develops between him and Liria, and also with her son Juan, is lovely to read. But as in the first book, the effect of the recent Napoleonic wars is devastating. In the first book, Nez was an alcoholic, trying to blot out the horrors of war. In this story, thanks to the efforts of Libby and Anthony Cook, he’s managed to dry out. But what happened to Liria during the sack of Badajoz now haunts them both in different ways.
Some moving moments as these two work to put the past behind them. That Liria eventually is due to a note from beyond the grave, from the Sergeant who rescued Liria and Juan in Spain, and whom they still love, miss and mourn. These scenes are poignant and powerful, especially when Liria . Her story is harrowing.
So a tender love story, this one, but it’s overshadowed by the horror and brutality of war.
The relationship which develops between him and Liria, and also with her son Juan, is lovely to read. But as in the first book, the effect of the recent Napoleonic wars is devastating. In the first book, Nez was an alcoholic, trying to blot out the horrors of war. In this story, thanks to the efforts of Libby and Anthony Cook, he’s managed to dry out. But what happened to Liria during the sack of Badajoz now haunts them both in different ways.
Some moving moments as these two work to put the past behind them. That Liria eventually is due to a note from beyond the grave, from the Sergeant who rescued Liria and Juan in Spain, and whom they still love, miss and mourn. These scenes are poignant and powerful, especially when Liria . Her story is harrowing.
So a tender love story, this one, but it’s overshadowed by the horror and brutality of war.
July 16, 2022
BOOK 2 - must read this second, because this is about the other Hero in the love triangle of the first book. Therefore SPOILERS!
3.5 to 4 stars
I would rate this Hero also as a Beta. Because, he’s quite indecisive, is non confrontational and takes too long to finally reveal his feelings to the heroine.
The heroine is wonderful. She goes through a truly horrific experience during the war, at quite a young age. (Really a bit too much realism here. In fact the author has a post script about the battle she refers to in the story) But she rises above her situation wonderfully.
Its a very very slow burn romance, more like a development of a friendship and a meeting of minds.
❤️
3.5 to 4 stars
I would rate this Hero also as a Beta. Because, he’s quite indecisive, is non confrontational and takes too long to finally reveal his feelings to the heroine.
The heroine is wonderful. She goes through a truly horrific experience during the war, at quite a young age. (Really a bit too much realism here. In fact the author has a post script about the battle she refers to in the story) But she rises above her situation wonderfully.
Its a very very slow burn romance, more like a development of a friendship and a meeting of minds.
❤️
September 4, 2022
e-book, own Kindle version
read in April 2022, forgot to add to this year's books.
Another enjoyable Kelly read.
read in April 2022, forgot to add to this year's books.
Another enjoyable Kelly read.
November 18, 2012
One of the things Ms. Kelly does well is to begin her story in media res. Her characters haven’t been waiting for this story to live, and we must catch up with them as they ramble, gallop, or flee ventre à terre across the landscape of the story. In One Good Turn, Benedict Nesbitt, the Seventh Duke of Knaresborough, crawled out of the bottle a year previous to the beginning of the story, after having lost the love of his life to a “bumbling, overweight surgeon”, who is utterly happy with her life. He has, in fact, just received the advice, from the lady’s husband, that he get himself his own wife, and stop eating his heart out for someone else’s. Friends or no, Nesbitt’s ability to accept this advice is interesting, and indicative of his character. He feels a failure at most things, and lazy, and feels he must take advice wholeheartedly given so that he can improve himself. Only his butler and his housekeeper do not try to change him.
As a result of this advice, and because his sister desires it, he finds himself courting his neighbor, a woman nearing 30 who has been his friend since childhood. He is not yet reformed, she tells him, until he can find a hobby that doesn’t include meddling in his servants’ lives–what he might have, until she spoke, called a reasonable care for their well-being.
The book ends happily, of course, and Nesbitt learns that he is good enough without reforming himself, but the journey there, through the horrors, guilt, and remembered griefs of the Napoleonic wars, is harrowing, and so very worth the reading.
*WARNING: Some of the things the heroine recalls were extremely violent and sexual in nature and could be triggers.
As a result of this advice, and because his sister desires it, he finds himself courting his neighbor, a woman nearing 30 who has been his friend since childhood. He is not yet reformed, she tells him, until he can find a hobby that doesn’t include meddling in his servants’ lives–what he might have, until she spoke, called a reasonable care for their well-being.
The book ends happily, of course, and Nesbitt learns that he is good enough without reforming himself, but the journey there, through the horrors, guilt, and remembered griefs of the Napoleonic wars, is harrowing, and so very worth the reading.
*WARNING: Some of the things the heroine recalls were extremely violent and sexual in nature and could be triggers.
June 21, 2014
This is a nice follow up to Libby's London Merchant. This time the story picks up a year later with the Duke of Knaresborough, Benedict Nesbitt (Nez). He has successfully stayed sober but still feels the sting of losing Libby to Dr Cook. However, a Spanish woman with her young son enters his life and he realizes his heart can heal. This story moves along at a good pace and deals with serious matters with just the right touch. It does not gloss over the horrors of war but neither did it leave me feeling psychologically damaged. There is good character development and there is enough realism to keep the reader engaged. Once Nez discovers Liria Valencia's true identity, the story takes a somewhat unexpected turn. This is not a light-hearted fluffy romance. It deals with hefty subjects like PTSD, wartime rape and pillaging, forgotten veterans once they return home damaged both physically and mentally...The author handles these serious topics with a deft hand. The plot never becomes bogged down. By the end when you think Nez's heart could not break anymore, it does. But of course, there must always be a happy ending and there is one here too. I appreciated the element of reality while it still told a love story. It's not as light-hearted as Libby's London Merchant but this is a very well-told story with all the right elements. There is romance, suspense, and, yes, even humour. This is a solid 4-1/2 stars.
December 2, 2014
synopsis:
nez was on his way back from visiting the woman that he loved, but lost to another man, when he meets a spanish woman and her son on the road. he takes them up, and offers liria a job as his housekeeper. liria is hiding something, some hurt from her past, and nez is still recovering from the atrocities that he saw during waterloo. when some of his comrades visit, he discovers the truth about liria, and has to answer for his actions. while he himself did not participate in the atrocities of badajoz, he let his men free to do whatever they wanted to. and while his men were not the men in particular who raped liria and her sister, one of the men who visits him is. liria runs away, and nez has to track her down.
what i liked: i liked seeing nez again and seeing his growth as a character. he was still aimless and drifting, trying to find his way, and he seems to do so. liria was a little harder to figure out, because everything is from nez's point of view, but she came through atrocities with her will to live intact.
what i didn't like: i like carla kelly's writing, so i'm not sure why this one didn't resonate with me. i think i need to read it again; i may just have been having a bad day. nez just didn't come off as sympathetic as he did in "libby's london merchant", and as i said earlier, i coldn't really get a fix on liria.
nez was on his way back from visiting the woman that he loved, but lost to another man, when he meets a spanish woman and her son on the road. he takes them up, and offers liria a job as his housekeeper. liria is hiding something, some hurt from her past, and nez is still recovering from the atrocities that he saw during waterloo. when some of his comrades visit, he discovers the truth about liria, and has to answer for his actions. while he himself did not participate in the atrocities of badajoz, he let his men free to do whatever they wanted to. and while his men were not the men in particular who raped liria and her sister, one of the men who visits him is. liria runs away, and nez has to track her down.
what i liked: i liked seeing nez again and seeing his growth as a character. he was still aimless and drifting, trying to find his way, and he seems to do so. liria was a little harder to figure out, because everything is from nez's point of view, but she came through atrocities with her will to live intact.
what i didn't like: i like carla kelly's writing, so i'm not sure why this one didn't resonate with me. i think i need to read it again; i may just have been having a bad day. nez just didn't come off as sympathetic as he did in "libby's london merchant", and as i said earlier, i coldn't really get a fix on liria.
June 12, 2019
This is a continuation of 'Libby's London Merchant.' When Libby turns down Duke Benedict's offer of marriage, he begins searching his soul as to why Libby would turn down a man with everything for an overweight physician. Benedict finds that he does not like the answers. He decides that he must become a better person, in order to find a wife. Using Libby and Tony for models, Benedict makes conscious efforts to become a more caring person.
I was so committed to Libby and Benedict as a couple, that I had to wait for almost a year to finish the second book. This book is much more like Kellys'Daughter of Fortune (1985), The Double Cross (2013) and Marco and the Devil's Bargain (2014). In these novels, the author's sharing of history is more central to the book than a romance. Warring sides rarely settled disputes with soft words and polite handshakes; they were often settled with grief, heartache and bloody wars (and many losses). Carla Kelly certain brings home the horror of war in telling the story of Liria Valencia. 4.5 stars
Nesbitt Series
Libby's London Merchant (1991)
** One Good Turn (2001)
I was so committed to Libby and Benedict as a couple, that I had to wait for almost a year to finish the second book. This book is much more like Kellys'Daughter of Fortune (1985), The Double Cross (2013) and Marco and the Devil's Bargain (2014). In these novels, the author's sharing of history is more central to the book than a romance. Warring sides rarely settled disputes with soft words and polite handshakes; they were often settled with grief, heartache and bloody wars (and many losses). Carla Kelly certain brings home the horror of war in telling the story of Liria Valencia. 4.5 stars
Nesbitt Series
Libby's London Merchant (1991)
** One Good Turn (2001)
December 12, 2010
This is the book that really got me into reading Carla Kelly and (for me) set her apart from similar authors. I love light Regencies like Georgette Heyer, but occasionally I want to sink my teeth into something a little more substantial. The Duke of Knaresborough is a thoroughly selfish and bored man now that he's retired from the army. The occasional act of service to another human being does nothing toward making him a more likable character until his coachman shames him into offering a ride to a woman and her son. At the Duke's insistence, Libby takes over the sickbed duties of his niece and ends up with a position in his household as housekeeper. She's very young to be doing such a large job, but she soon has the estate in perfect order and the respect of all the household. But the Duke believes there is something more under her calm facade and can't wait to find out the story behind her obvious years of toil in the army.
April 11, 2019
An absolutely lovely romance between a duke that's a veteran of the Peninsular We, and a Spanish woman who also survived them. Both are wounded, emotionally and spiritually from their time there, but these two veterans find an improbable and tender romance, as she struggles to find a way to support her young son, and he tries to become a better man.
Lovely characters at all levels of the book - Luster, Juan, and Sophia will all stake put portions of your heart - but Benedict and Liria truly shine. A clean romance, with nothing more than a few kisses, but it also doesn't shy away from the brutalities of war.
Lovely characters at all levels of the book - Luster, Juan, and Sophia will all stake put portions of your heart - but Benedict and Liria truly shine. A clean romance, with nothing more than a few kisses, but it also doesn't shy away from the brutalities of war.
August 10, 2013
So, this kind of looks like it's going to be a steamy romance novel, but it isn't bad like that. It was bad in that it took me until like halfway through to actually become a little interested in the characters and the story. One of the characters was so prevalent at the start of the book and dwindled to non-existance toward the end, which was weird because he decided that he was going to be so much a better uncle and everything, and then this niece... Yeah, what happens to her? Oh well. An interesting look into history and some of the Napoleon wars, though.
May 21, 2018
This is a second of a two book series (Libby's London Merchant is the first). Both 3.5 star rating from me. This book touched on a very ugly part of history that sickens me and makes it hard to read, but it also shows how some survive such things and try and create a life worth living despite such pain and torture of the past. Nez is much improved in this book, thankfully. I still have personal issues with certain actions of characters throughout the book, but it was good to see most of them trying to redeem themselves.
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