Nov 21 2006
REVIEW: Of Paupers and Peers by Sheri Cobb South
Dear Mrs. Cobb South,
I’ve been a fan of yours since “The Weaver Takes a Wife” and was delighted to hear that a new book was coming out. I can now happily say that “Of Paupers and Peers” will take its place beside my other Cobb South keepers. I just wish that 1) it was a lot cheaper so more people might buy it and enjoy it and 2) your books were available as ebooks. Any chance of that?
James Weatherly’s greatest hopes in life were to win the hand of the Peerless Miss Prescott and to aspire to the living in the small village of Fairford. When Miss Prescott laughed at his proposal, he lowered his sights to earning his keep as a Latin tutor and vicar. It was then that Fate, in the form of an unbroken male descent from the disinherited second son who ran off with a milkmaid, changed his life. James suddenly finds himself a wealthy Duke traveling to his vast Surrey estate when Fate hits him over the head again, only this time literally. Beset by two robbing ruffians, he’s lying in the middle of a dusty road when Miss Margaret Darrington appears and pronounces that he must be the new tutor she’s engaged to teach her 14 year old brother. James is horrified when he discovers he’s lost his memory and with nothing to contradict Margaret’s assumptions, he soon takes his place in her family house and begins to fall in love with her. When his memory finally returns, James, mindful of his first rejected proposal, decides to woo Margaret as a lowly tutor instead of revealing his true identity. But things don’t turn out as anyone expects on the road to true love.
Thank you for turning standard trad Romance traditions on their heads. Those of us who have read tons of ton books will recognize them and delight when you veer around heroes who don’t need buckram padding to fill out their Weston coats or head off most of the Big Misunderstandings we’ve come to accept as inevitable. And the fact that you manage this without either making your characters act too modern or jump into bed with no fear of the consequences is that much better. This is a wonderful book and a strong B+ recommendation.
~Jayne
Send to Kindle
Nov 27, 2006 @ 22:23:19
Jayne,
Thank you so much for your post. I’m glad you enjoyed OF PAUPERS AND PEERS. Like you, I regret that the price of a hardcover is beyond the budget of many readers (myself included). I’ve been reading a lot lately about how the traditional Regency is thriving in the e-book market (ironic that such low-tech books should find such a high-tech niche!), and have been giving a lot of thought to finding an e-book publisher for my out-of-print Regencies. Thanks for your input!
Sheri Cobb South
Nov 28, 2006 @ 07:53:13
There are quite a few epublishers out there from whom to pick. I know Belgrave House (Carola Dunn, Joan Smith, Laura Matthews and others) has developed a reputation for OOP trad regencies and I’ve seen trads at other places as well. I hope you’ll join the ebook movement and give new readers a chance to enjoy your past books. ;)
Nov 28, 2006 @ 09:50:14
I agree! Please do consider releasing your backlist in ebook format. I love buying and reading the Dunn, Smith and Matthews books. Virtually all of them have been a good buy for me.