Love Saves the Day 3Stars

 

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Title: Love Saves the Day
Series: -----
Author: Barbara Cartland
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Romance
Pages: 110
Words: 39K

For such a short book (only 110 pages), I have a feeling this is going to be a long review. A lot went on behind the scenes before you ever saw the updates each Friday in December. So I’ll start with those updates and then blab on

• Announcement: Love Saves the Day

• Love Saves the Day, Chapters 1-3

• Love Saves the Day, Chapters 4-5

• Love Saves the Day, Chapters 6-7

• Love Saves the Day, Chapters 8-10

While I touched upon, briefly, how I came to actually read this book in the Announcement post, I think a little more explanation would help set the backdrop for this review. When I wrote my first Book Recommendation post, Film-Authority left a comment recommending I read ALL of Barbara Cartland’s books. Eddie (Film-Authority) and I had a crazy friendship that started in ‘17 or ‘18 and we ended up commenting on each others blog, just crazy random bullshit that fed off of each other. We got threads going close to 100 comments long sometimes. It was great. So I knew Eddie was joking with his suggestion but also that he wasn’t. I dismissed it out of hand but as the season advanced, I began wondering. Could I leverage this into something amusing where I could get one up on Eddie AND amuse my followers AND get multiple blog posts out of it? Eddie is a movie and tv reviewer, professionally. I proposed to him that if I would read a Barbara Cartland book, that he in turn review 13 episodes of GI Joe, the 1980’s cartoon show. He agreed. Then the US elections came upon us and he took things hard. Once the elections were over, he took things even harder, to the point where he closed off the comments on his blog and stopped commenting elsewhere. I began wondering if our deal was off and should I NOT read a Barbara Cartland novel after all? Then common sense asserted itself and I realized that this was MY blog and it was MY choice and the decision about what I read was ultimately up to me. So I began the Barbara Cartland readalong. In deference to Film-Authority’s apparent wish for privacy, I didn’t link to him on any of the updates nor did I reference any of the above. But this is my goodbye to him, so I thought it fitting to write it out so I remember. It was a good run Eddie, and I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.

With that done, it’s time to head to the review “proper”, if you can call it that.

When I was looking for a Barbara Cartland book to read, I simply chose one at random. This is part of Cartland’s posthumuous “Pink Collection”, which are all the books she wrote but hadn’t published yet before she died. In all honesty, they are more like outlines of a novel than an actual novel. Most of Cartland’s novels are around the 200 page mark, so 110 for this means we all know we’re getting the rough draft. I went into this read fully prepared to hate it, to have a horrible time and to come out the other side despising Cartland as an author.

So imagine my utter amazement when I began the readalong and I was actually ENJOYING what I was reading? I was befuddled, I was astounded, I didn’t know if something was wrong with me! But maybe it was a fluke. It could happen, right? I mean, just because I enjoyed the first 3 chapters out of 10 didn’t mean I’d actually end up liking the whole thing. But as December rolled on and each Friday came and I read that week’s selection, I continued to enjoy myself, tremendously.

Yes, this really was an outline. Yes, it was as cliched as could be expected of a romance novel. Yes, yes, yes. And I still enjoyed it. I LIKED the cliches. Cliches are cliches for a reason. It appealed to that part of me that is gooey, deep inside where nobody can see. It did help that it was so short. There wasn’t time to nitpick or be all stuffy or get up on my high horse. I had a good time and while I can’t give this more than a 3star, it fully earned those three stars. I was also impressed with how Cartland the author could use a phrase or just a couple of words to convey exactly what she wanted. She was a master of the emotional impact of the words she chose and I salute her skill.

In closing, I enjoyed this enough that I am seriously thinking of doing another Barbara Cartland readalong in December, same format. I am thinking I will try one of her novels from her “Eternal Collection”, which are her full sized novels. I’d like to see what the differences are. If you have a favorite Cartland novel, don’t hesitate to suggest it. If you’ve never read a Cartland Romance, give some serious thought to blocking out each Friday in December to do a readalong with me, we’ll have fun. Or else!

★★★☆☆

From the Publisher

The beautiful redheaded Tiana Weston sets out to visit her inheritance in Dorset with high hopes.
It had been her parents' dream to restore Castle Rose to its former glory as it is now a dilapidated ruin and only a small part is fit to live in.
But Tiana soon discovers that enthusiasm and determination alone do not pay the workmen or keep property developers at bay and soon she is faced with a dreadful dilemma.
Her handsome and aristocratic next door neighbour Richard, the Earl of Austindale, also faces considerable problems.
He has to be married by midnight on his next birthday or he will lose everything he holds most dear to his cousin Alan, Viscount Paige.
A young girl anxious to protect her home – a man desperate for a wife – it seems like a sensible, business-like arrangement that they should marry each other.
And Tiana finally accepts the Earl's proposal and they are due to be married on his thirtieth birthday.
But then an old flame of the Earl's arrives to claim him for herself and Tiana is filled with doubt especially as the Viscount is paying a great deal of attention to her.
She also finds herself in great danger because now so many are determined that the marriage will not take place.
How Tiana realises how much she loves the Earl.
And how she finally finds happiness is all told in this exciting romance

Love Saves the Day, Chapters 4-5

Chapter 4 is simply a page break, as the story continues like there had been no break at all. The Earl makes an undying enemy of the Greedy Developer by kicking him out of Tiana’s castle, with threats of physical violence no less. Dude gets mega-points for that as far as I’m concerned.

It also wakes up Tiana to the fact she is in desperate straits and her parents dream, now hers apparently, of restoring the castle is an impossibility. This gives her the courage to ask The Earl if his offer of marriage is still open. He says it is and that she should really take the day to think about it, as it will be a decision to affect her for the rest of her life. He sets dinner plans for later that day so they can discuss things.

Tiana is 19. The Earl is 29. At least he is decent enough to realize what his marriage proposal will do to her reputation and the fact that she’s not lightly making this. At the same time, 29 and 19 don’t seem as far apart as say Marianne and Colonel Brandon from Sense and Sensibility. It’s still a gap though, which means that our cultural differences from now to 1903 haven’t changed in some of our underlying sensibilities.

You know, I have to say, I think I would have fit right into this story. That, or my emotional quotient is just about the same as Dame Cartland’s. Here’s a quote from Tiana as she is getting ready for dinner that night.

‘I always vowed,’ she reflected, ‘that I would only ever marry for love a man I could respect, who would be my friend and partner.
~Chapter 4, Love Saves the Day

That made me realize that both Mrs B and I have been blessed with being able to state that we got all those things when we married the other. We love each other, we respect each other and we are best friends. I know that isn’t the case with every couple, even happily married ones, so I am thankful that I got such a trifecta.

The rest of the chapter deals with one of the servants taking things amiss and planning on going to the Greedy Developer for nefarious reasons. We also get the engagement ring scene and the chapter ends with the wastrel cousin making a surprise entrance just after the engagement.

It is all so simple and trite and cliched. And I am loving every second of it. I can’t believe I wrote that, but it’s true. Reading this is like eating a white chocolate truffle. Just one little bit is enough to go a long way.

Chapter Five sees Tiana immediately having regrets and doubts about the wisdom of her choice. It doesn’t help that the Wastrel Cousin begins talking to her and talking about how “poor” he will become. Of course, The Earl sees them together, immediately jumps to the wrong conclusion and storms off in a jealous rage. Tiana rebuffs the Wastrel, who in turn writes to a former Lady Love of The Earl’s to come back and come between Tiana and The Earl. The Earl escorts Tiana back to her home and on the way they have “relationship” moment where they both realize that yes, this can work. The chapter ends with Lady Lover determining that only SHE can have The Earl and she swans off to England to put Tiana in her place.

Oh, this was one cliche on top of another. From the “old and jealous” reaction of The Earl to the “misunderstanding” to the “other woman”, they are all situations you’d expect to find in a soap opera. If I was just reading through this at my usual speed, I’d be well past this before all the issues caught up to my attention. I’d just enjoy it and blast on through like a whirlwind. That’s one unforeseen consequence of taking just a couple of chapters at a time.

Love Saves the Day, Chapters 1-3

The date given right in the first chapter is 1903. And Dame Cartland wastes no time in inundating us with the most purple’ish of prose. The saving grace is that each purple description is so short.

We find out that Tiana’s parents (Tiana is the main character, who is 19) died together from a fever they contracted while nursing amongst the local villages. And her father wrote her a letter saying not to worry, because they were so happy together and were happy they both were dying so they could be in heaven together. Oh, and they talk about restoring the dump of a castle they had inherited and been pouring their money into. I mean, your wife has just died, you are about to die and you’re sending your only child of 19 a letter and you talk about the bloody castle restoration?

It was all just a syrupy potion to mask the reality of the sadness of their death. Can’t have sadness in a romance after all. Not even “I” would want that. So I have to give Dame Cartland her due, she writes the situation well.

The scene then immediately changes over to the other main character, Richard, Earl of Austindale. Who has just found out that the will from his grandfather has made matrimony a part of inheriting the estates. If he’s not married by 30, he loses it all. What kind of nonsense is this?!? Not that it exists, because that kind of stipulation seems rather wise to me. If you have to think about somebody else besides yourself in regards to your fortune, you are going to be LOT more careful. No, what I refer to is that Richard is just finding this out 3 months or so before his 30th birthday when this will take effect. WUT?!?! That’s the kind of information his dad should have talked about with him along with the birds and the bees talk at 12. If I were him, I’d immediately fire the lawyer handling this for dereliction of duty. Like a real man, Richard immediately thinks of a solution and realizes it isn’t viable (some chickie boo who he likes and apparently likes him, but prefers gallivanting across the continent to country life). At least Richard is smart enough to realize trying to marry Chickie Boo would be a huge mistake. Good on him for that! And it gets even more drama’y when he finds out that his younger cousin will inherit everything, and said cousin is a confirmed gambler and will spend the accumulation of wealth of three lifetimes in a matter of months, thus destroying the family name, honor and material wealth. Now there’s a conundrum for you.

The chapter ends with the two main characters meeting each other.

Incredible! While the prose is some of the most purple I have ever read, and so generic and vague that it feels like a formula (Duke “insert name” with “insert pants type” walked over to Heroine “insert name” and said “insert romantic platitude”), the intent and the information are gotten across quick as a whip. The setup is completely done in ONE chapter. Man, I wish more authors out there would do things like that.

On to chapter two.

In which we find out that Tiana’s parents were typical pie in the sky dreamers and wasted everything on restoring the castle, to the point where they left no money whatsoever to their daughter. And the castle wasn’t really restored. Oh, that pissed me off. The parents put their dream ahead of their child. If they weren’t already dead, I’d be tempted to toss them off the battlements of Castle Rose. I would say they were typical English idiots without a passing grasp of reality, the kind who squander the little they do have and bring their children to rack and ruin. Shame on them. They aren’t going to heaven now, that’s for sure!

Tiana meets an old Grand Uncle who drops by for just enough time to give her a family heirloom, which she can sell to live on. Of course we know she’ll use the funds for the castle. She approaches Richard and they are both surprised when they discover who the other really is. They met in chapter one and Richard thought Tiana was a visiting townie and Tiana thought Richard was a farmer. Richard is not at all impressed with the Grand Uncle placing the burden of selling the jewelry on Tiana, and I must admit, I am in full agreement with him on that.

The chapter ends with Richard proposing to Tiana, since he needs a wife and she needs the funds for Castle Rose. It comes out of no where, but it fits with the hasty speed of this story. It wasn’t jarring, it simply needed to happen, so Dame Cartland made it happen.

Chapter three sees Tiana being highly insulted at the Earl’s proposal and storming out of the room, just like a teenager, without thinking through the consequences of her actions, ie, Castle Rose aint going nowhere except to the seller’s block without outside money. She accidentally meets the wastrel cousin and is instantly attracted to his youth, blond locks and deep blue eyes. Aye carumba.

I’ve noticed that teenagers tend to group adults into two groups. I vaguely recollect doing this myself too back in the day. There are the adults in their 20’s who are adults but you still feel comfortable with. Then there are the adults over 30 and they are just plain old. They are all the same and a homogenous group and it’s easier to ignore them and go about your own business of living your life. Dame Cartland obviously remembers this too and uses it, albeit as lightly as any other trope to amp up the drama.

Then the drama amps up again and I must say, I actually loved it! A developer, an EEEEEEEVIL developer shows up and he owns all the bills that Tiana’s parents never paid. Apparently, they were even worse than I initially thought. They not only spent all their money on the ruin of the castle, leaving their daughter destitute, but they also spent well beyond their means and left debts amounting to “a lot” (money from that time period means absolutely nothing to me, so whenever an amount is named and the form of currency, I just translate it as “a lot” or “a little” in my head). Said developer is described just how you’d expect an “evil greedy” developer to be described and he’s a complete ass. The chapter ends with the Earl threatening to toss him out when he refuses to leave at Tiana’s request. That’s how a man should act. Good for the Earl!

And thus ends this particular update for the first three chapters of Love Saves the Day by Dame Barbara Cartland. I have to admit, I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would (ie, not at all). Cartland’s writing, while formulaic and generic, gets the point across very well. There is no mistaking who is who, who is good, who is bad, who is supposed to end up with who. It is a comfort read I would say. I’m no longer dreading the rest of these updates 😀

Announcement: Love Saves the Day Buddy Read

When I first started out my “Recommend Me a Book” series, someone earned the VERY FIRST chartreuse flag by suggesting I read a Barbara Cartland book. If you don’t know, Barbara Cartland is the Queen of Romance, with over 700 books under her belt. You don’t need AI when you have Ol’ Barbie churning out the mush.

As the jokes flew fast and furious over the days and weeks afterwards, I began to wonder if perhaps I could leverage this into a fun misery read?  Unlike Neuromancer,  there will be no hate, just pure emotional misery as I wade through the estrogen with my extra thick Man Boots on.

I expect this to be comparable to when I read Venetia by Georgette Heyer back in 2016 on a dare. It turned out as badly as I expected and I fully expect this read to be just as tumultuous.

“Oh the sights I have to show you!”

But instead of just keeping this to myself, I figure I’d share the fun and invite anyone who wants to participate in a buddy read during December with final reviews going up January 7th, 2025. Love Saves the Day is approximately 110 pages and consists of 10 chapters.

I will be publishing updates as follows:
December 6 – Chapters 1-3
December 13 – Chapters 4-5
December 20 – Chapters 6-7
December 27 – Chapters 8-10

I plan on fully discussing the chapters in each post, so there will be spoilers. If you would like to participate, let me know in the comments and please use the “Barbara Cartland Buddy Read” tag. This is a “fun” read, so be as crazy as you want, I certainly plan to. Love Saves the Day just screams to be made fun of after all.

Here is the publisher’s synopsis if that will help you make up your mind in any way.

The beautiful redheaded Tiana Weston sets out to visit her inheritance in Dorset with high hopes.
It had been her parents’ dream to restore Castle Rose to its former glory as it is now a dilapidated ruin and only a small part is fit to live in.
But Tiana soon discovers that enthusiasm and determination alone do not pay the workmen or keep property developers at bay and soon she is faced with a dreadful dilemma.
Her handsome and aristocratic next door neighbour Richard, the Earl of Austindale, also faces considerable problems.
He has to be married by midnight on his next birthday or he will lose everything he holds most dear to his cousin Alan, Viscount Paige.
A young girl anxious to protect her home – a man desperate for a wife – it seems like a sensible, business-like arrangement that they should marry each other.
And Tiana finally accepts the Earl’s proposal and they are due to be married on his thirtieth birthday.
But then an old flame of the Earl’s arrives to claim him for herself and Tiana is filled with doubt especially as the Viscount is paying a great deal of attention to her.
She also finds herself in great danger because now so many are determined that the marriage will not take place.
How Tiana realises how much she loves the Earl.
And how she finally finds happiness is all told in this exciting romance by BARBARA CARTLAND