Collection
Series
Publication
(2021), 308 pages
Description
Sensible, practical Elinor Tregarth really did plan to be the model poor relation when she moved into Hathergill Hall. She certainly never meant to kidnap her awful cousin Penelope's pet dragon. She never expected to fall in love with the shameless - but surprisingly sweet - fortune hunter who came to court Penelope. And she never dreamed that she would have to enter into an outrageous magical charade to save her younger sisters' futures. However, even the most brilliant scholars of 1817 England still haven't ferreted out all the lurking secrets of rediscovered dragonkind...and even the most sensible of heroines can still make a reckless wish or two when she's pushed. Now Elinor will have to find out just how rash and resourceful she can be when she sets aside all common sense. Maybe, just maybe, she'll even be impractical enough to win her own true love and a happily ever after...with the unpredictable and dangerous "help" of the magical creature who has adopted her. A frothy Regency rom-com full of pet dragons and magical misadventures, Scales and Sensibility is a full-length novel and the first in a new series of standalone romantic comedies.… (more)
Language
Original language
English
User reviews
LibraryThing member kmartin802
Elinor Tregarth is a poor relation. Doomed to live with her aunt, uncle, and incredibly spoiled cousin Penelope after her parents lost their money in a scam and died in a carriage accident, she finds herself running away from home with her cousin's abused dragon Sir Jessamyn Carnovoran Artos who
She doesn't get far from home when she is run off the road by a coach and rescued by Benedict Hawkins and his dragon-obsessed friend Cornelius Aubrey. Benedict's father got caught up in the same scheme as Elinor's parents and now Benedict needs to find an heiress to marry. Unfortunately the heiress he's chosen is Elinor's cousin Penelope.
Unbeknownst to scholars, some dragons are able to perform magic and Sir Jessamyn is one of them An off hand wish to be someone else - someone important - turns Elinor into the image of Mrs. DeLacy who is a well-known society icon and Elinor's aunt's childhood friend.
So Elinor finds herself back at the home of her uncle after promising to lend Penelope social clout during her upcoming debut. She's also trying to further Benedict's suit though she knows it won't make him happy and even though she is falling for him herself.
This was a fun Regency romp complete with dragons. I loved the characters and the wonderful romance plot. I liked that Elinor's good heart and intelligence finds a way to make everything come out right and provide her and Benedict with a happy ending.
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has a nasty habit of pooping when he is stressed no matter whose shoulder he is perching on. She doesn't get far from home when she is run off the road by a coach and rescued by Benedict Hawkins and his dragon-obsessed friend Cornelius Aubrey. Benedict's father got caught up in the same scheme as Elinor's parents and now Benedict needs to find an heiress to marry. Unfortunately the heiress he's chosen is Elinor's cousin Penelope.
Unbeknownst to scholars, some dragons are able to perform magic and Sir Jessamyn is one of them An off hand wish to be someone else - someone important - turns Elinor into the image of Mrs. DeLacy who is a well-known society icon and Elinor's aunt's childhood friend.
So Elinor finds herself back at the home of her uncle after promising to lend Penelope social clout during her upcoming debut. She's also trying to further Benedict's suit though she knows it won't make him happy and even though she is falling for him herself.
This was a fun Regency romp complete with dragons. I loved the characters and the wonderful romance plot. I liked that Elinor's good heart and intelligence finds a way to make everything come out right and provide her and Benedict with a happy ending.
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LibraryThing member SpaceandSorcery
I received this book from the author, in exchange for an honest review: my thanks to her for this opportunity.
While I usually tend to shy away from romance-imbued stories, I’m always happy to make an exception for Stephanie Burgis’ works, because her take on the subject is always permeated with
It was a truth universally acknowledged that any young lady without a dragon was doomed to social failure.
I know I’m in in for a delightful journey - particularly since the mere mention of dragons never fails to pique my curiosity…
Elinor Tregarth is an orphaned “poor relation”: her parents lost all their money at the hands of unscrupulous profiteers, then died in a carriage incident, leaving Elinor and her two younger sisters alone and penniless. The three girls were sent to live with various relatives, and Elinor clearly drew the short straw: her uncle Lord Heathergill is a pompous twit, his wife never utters a word, and Elinor’s cousin Penelope is a spoiled brat whose only interest lies in her society debut and grabbing a worthy husband. Oh, and in showing off her newly-acquired dragon, Sir Jessamyn - unfortunately, her horrid temper and shrill voice only have the effect of terrorizing the poor creature, which often leads to loose-bowels-related noxious effects.
After the umpteenth temper tantrum from Penelope, Elinor cannot keep to her meek demeanor any longer, and after (finally!) speaking her mind to her horrified cousin, she leaves Heathergill Hall, taking Sir Jessamyn with her. Alone and penniless, and thrown into a ditch by a passing carriage, Elinor discovers that dragons can work a peculiar kind of magic, of which she takes advantage to try and forge a new path for herself - not that it will be an easy feat, what with having to deal with some very convoluted situations and her growing affection for a gentleman whose fortune-hunting intentions might not be as nefarious as they look…
I had a great time with Scales and Sensibility, which turned out to be a fast-paced comedy of manners with a good dose of magic and fantasy elements, carried by entertaining characters in whose depiction one can clearly feel the author’s delight in poking fun at the stereotypes of the Regency era: from the venomous vapidity of Penelope and her close friends to the obtuse snobbery of Lord Heathergill; from the scholarly blindness for social graces of dragon-expert Aubrey (one of my favorite characters) to the sly viciousness of the Armitages, a couple of mysterious highly-placed socialites, without forgetting the formidable Mrs. De Lacey, one of the queens of the London scene, who features prominently in the story - but in a very unexpected way - everyone plays a role in the intricate plot that mixes mistaken identities, strict social rules, nascent love stories and magic in a spellbinding tale that we know will lead to a foregone happy conclusion but that we enjoy following to the end because the cast makes the journey more than worthwhile.
My favorite element? It was the relationship between Elinor and the dragon Sir Jessamyn: it’s much more detailed and even more intriguing than the actual romantic plot, which is extraordinary since the dragon does not talk, except by warbling quite meaningfully and exchanging expressive glances with Elinor. It’s not just because I’m quite partial toward dragons: Sir Jessamyn is an adorable creature (well, as long as he’s not upset, since that tends to create embarrassing consequences…) and a totally engaging creation.
Every time I have the pleasure of reviewing one of Stephanie Burgis’ works I feel the need to mention their covers, which remains constantly gorgeous throughout her production: the cover for Scales and Sensibility is no exception and works perfectly as a companion for a captivating and charming story whose next installments look already more than promising.
While I usually tend to shy away from romance-imbued stories, I’m always happy to make an exception for Stephanie Burgis’ works, because her take on the subject is always permeated with
Show More
a good dose of tongue-in-cheek humor, and Scales and Sensibility, the first volume in her new, Regency-inspired saga, passed the test with flying colors. When a book starts with this kind of sentence:It was a truth universally acknowledged that any young lady without a dragon was doomed to social failure.
I know I’m in in for a delightful journey - particularly since the mere mention of dragons never fails to pique my curiosity…
Elinor Tregarth is an orphaned “poor relation”: her parents lost all their money at the hands of unscrupulous profiteers, then died in a carriage incident, leaving Elinor and her two younger sisters alone and penniless. The three girls were sent to live with various relatives, and Elinor clearly drew the short straw: her uncle Lord Heathergill is a pompous twit, his wife never utters a word, and Elinor’s cousin Penelope is a spoiled brat whose only interest lies in her society debut and grabbing a worthy husband. Oh, and in showing off her newly-acquired dragon, Sir Jessamyn - unfortunately, her horrid temper and shrill voice only have the effect of terrorizing the poor creature, which often leads to loose-bowels-related noxious effects.
After the umpteenth temper tantrum from Penelope, Elinor cannot keep to her meek demeanor any longer, and after (finally!) speaking her mind to her horrified cousin, she leaves Heathergill Hall, taking Sir Jessamyn with her. Alone and penniless, and thrown into a ditch by a passing carriage, Elinor discovers that dragons can work a peculiar kind of magic, of which she takes advantage to try and forge a new path for herself - not that it will be an easy feat, what with having to deal with some very convoluted situations and her growing affection for a gentleman whose fortune-hunting intentions might not be as nefarious as they look…
I had a great time with Scales and Sensibility, which turned out to be a fast-paced comedy of manners with a good dose of magic and fantasy elements, carried by entertaining characters in whose depiction one can clearly feel the author’s delight in poking fun at the stereotypes of the Regency era: from the venomous vapidity of Penelope and her close friends to the obtuse snobbery of Lord Heathergill; from the scholarly blindness for social graces of dragon-expert Aubrey (one of my favorite characters) to the sly viciousness of the Armitages, a couple of mysterious highly-placed socialites, without forgetting the formidable Mrs. De Lacey, one of the queens of the London scene, who features prominently in the story - but in a very unexpected way - everyone plays a role in the intricate plot that mixes mistaken identities, strict social rules, nascent love stories and magic in a spellbinding tale that we know will lead to a foregone happy conclusion but that we enjoy following to the end because the cast makes the journey more than worthwhile.
My favorite element? It was the relationship between Elinor and the dragon Sir Jessamyn: it’s much more detailed and even more intriguing than the actual romantic plot, which is extraordinary since the dragon does not talk, except by warbling quite meaningfully and exchanging expressive glances with Elinor. It’s not just because I’m quite partial toward dragons: Sir Jessamyn is an adorable creature (well, as long as he’s not upset, since that tends to create embarrassing consequences…) and a totally engaging creation.
Every time I have the pleasure of reviewing one of Stephanie Burgis’ works I feel the need to mention their covers, which remains constantly gorgeous throughout her production: the cover for Scales and Sensibility is no exception and works perfectly as a companion for a captivating and charming story whose next installments look already more than promising.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Herenya
When Elinor runs away from her aunt and uncle’s house, she takes her cousin’s dragon with her.
Like Georgette Heyer, except that having a pet dragon riding upon one’s shoulder is the latest fashion for young ladies in society. I enjoyed reading this -- Burgis’s blend of Regency romance with
Nevertheless, I am very interested to see what other stories Burgis has to tell in this world.
It was a truth universally acknowledged that any young lady without a dragon was doomed to social failure.
Like Georgette Heyer, except that having a pet dragon riding upon one’s shoulder is the latest fashion for young ladies in society. I enjoyed reading this -- Burgis’s blend of Regency romance with
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fantasy is entertaining, and her heroine is very likeable -- but, rather to my surprise, this book doesn’t tick the right boxes to become a comfort reread. Elinor spends much of the story incognito, but this deception isn’t the main hindrance to her building more positive relationships -- too many people around her are being unpleasant.Nevertheless, I am very interested to see what other stories Burgis has to tell in this world.
It was a truth universally acknowledged that any young lady without a dragon was doomed to social failure.
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