Daughters of Mannerling

Isabella Beverley is blessed with unparalleled beauty but, unfortunately, has been raised in the most snobbish and haughtiest of families. And when her father gambles away their fortune--including Mannerling, the exquisite family mansion--Isabella discovers there is very little sympathy for her plight. As the eldest, Isabella is chosen to court Mr. Judd, the roguish bachelor who won Mannerling. Surely no sacrifice is too great to regain Mannerling? But tempting her away from Mr. Judd is Lord Fitzpatrick, an Irish rake who fears Isabella can never love a man as she does her home--but is nonetheless determined to convince her to choose man over manse!

Mannerling, the splendid family estate gambled away by Sir Beverly, remained the passionate desire of his daughters. Beverly himself had died; the eldest daughter, Isabella-having failed in her bid to reclaim their home-was blissfully wed. The mantle of savior then fell to the next eldest daughter, Jessica. How fortunate that the new owner of Mannerling had a marriageable son. In truth, Harry was a brutal lecher, a drunkard, and a wastrel, but Jessica, blinded by determination, vowed to secure a betrothal. She was barely aware of the attentions of handsome, charming Professor Robert Sommerville, whose affection for Jessica was equaled only by the fear that her obsession to secure Mannerling would lead to disaster for all concerned. As scandal and intrigue swirl around her, Jessica must discover where the heart finds true happiness.

Like her sisters, Abigail Beverley is obsessed with winning back Mannerling, the ancestral home--no matter what it takes. But marrying Harry Devers, the rakish and repugnant son of the manor's present owner, isn't an appealing option. Marrying the handsome Lord Burfield, just back from the war, is far more appealing. But then the intolerable Harry Devers suffers a fall from a horse--and is forced to recover with Abigail's family. When Abigail's twin sister Rachel nurses him back to health, Harry proposes marriage--but Rachel has doubts. Determined to win back Mannerling once and for all--and not by marrying Harry--Abigail launches an audacious plan that's sure to keep you turning pages.

Lovely Rachel Beverley, 19, having narrowly avoided an entanglement with a cad more interested in her former family home, Mannerling, than in her lissome person, is surprisingly still in that house's spell. The new owner, widower Charles Blackwood, is thought at "nearly forty" to be too old for marriage prospects by the remaining Misses Beverley, including Rachel. But a chance meeting with him, during which Rachel castigates the man for his inattention to his two children, shows her what a handsome and impressive "old" man he is. Shades of the Von Trapps, with fewer kids and no singing nuns. Two potential rivals are introduced to quell this budding attraction, as are hauntings, intrigues and a near-murder. And then there is the Beverleys' scheming reputation: for although Mannerling seems to be loosening its hold on Rachel, does she really want the man or the manor? Chesney's sketchy plotting and facile resolution of the lovers' situation will not disturb her many fans.

As one of the two remaining unmarried Beverley sisters, Belinda considered herself the last hope for Mannerling, the beloved estate gambled away by their father. Each of her four elder sisters had hoped--even schemed--to marry one of Mannerling's successive owners. But all had chosen true love over their ancestral home. Practical and duty-bound, Belinda would woo and wed Lord St. Clair, current holder of the estate. True, he was a silly fop, hardly what she desired in a husband, but she vowed to make the man love her--even at the expense of her own happiness. However, dashing Lord Gyre could hardly ignore the ridiculous drama. Belinda was far too good for that dandy St. Clair. Therefore, his lordship decided it was his duty to win the lovely Belinda's heart!

In the final entry in this Regency romance series by a New York Times—bestselling author, a family's legacy rests on the love life of their youngest. When the father gambled away Mannerling, their ancestral home, the Beverley sisters each thought one of them would surely marry the current owner and get back the house. Yet five sisters tried and failed-marrying for love instead of bricks. Now, Lizzie, the sixth and youngest daughter, is the family's final hope of regaining their legacy. Yet the new owner, the Duke of Severnshire, is far too arrogant for Lizzie's heart. And while the duke has no intentions toward the saucy girl, her curt dismissal of him is perplexing-for no woman has ever refused him! Now, as his lavish house party to select a bride becomes a whirlwind of mismatches and scandal, lovely Lizzie is turning the duke's own thoughts away from a suitable marriage-to the wonders of falling in love!