After losing her fiancee, Meg Denvy is worried that she is on the shelf, and will never find happiness. When the new Lord Ashham returns to the village following the death of his wicked father, everyone expects that Nicholas will be just like the old Baron. And no one could ever imagine he would set his sights on Meg, who was more suited for caring for her young siblings.

I liked how quick this book was, and how close Nicholas and Meg came throughout the course of the story. She, like everyone else, expected that he would be just like his father, but Nicholas was artistic, and had no intention of ever emulating his despicable father. When Meg and her siblings find themselves on Nicholas' land, they are surprised that he is interested in what they are creating, and that he wants to encourage young Violet in her artwork, while also spending more time with Meg. It wasn't easy for the couple to overcome the opinions of the village, but it was a sweet romance, and an enjoyable book nonetheless.

Pamela Hart's "Long Meg and the Wicked Baron" was light relief after a string of WW2 historical fiction sagas. A true and sweet love story, that was quick to read and really had you gunning for a happy ending. If only life was so simple.
Set in 1818 regency rural England, Pamela paints a picture of a small rural community, a mixture of well to do and more common folk. A young Baron returns to take over the family estate and battles hard to gain the communities trust and affection....sadly his father was a wicked Baron who was not liked for various reasons.
Meg is still in mourning for her fiancee. But certainly notices the newcomer and feels attraction like never before. Meg has plans to discover her love of ancient Rome and longs to be more than a spinster stuck at home. Maybe she can have love and adventure?
Both main characters are adorable, with a support act of Meg's sister of Violet...artistic, progressive and funny.
A refreshing read....thank you for the old fashioned romance.
Thanks to NetGalley, Pamela Hart and Escape Publishing (very appropriate as this book was a true escape).

Pamela Hart never disappoints with her historical fictional.

I really enjoyed this novella, I could happily read her novels until the cows come home.

Long Meg so-called because she is very tall in an age of very small women, and shortish men. An age when petite was valued which leaves her with no beaux. Until along comes someone who doesn't mind being looked straight in the eye .
Enjoyable novel and storyline with social expectations exposed for their rather stupid rules about behaviour, value and appearance.

I am always up for a book by Pamela - I love her writing! Here she offers her readers such a sweet and fun Regency short story. I am not a fan overall of short stories as it's difficult to get invested in the characters, however, Pamela does a great job in Long Meg and the Wicked Baron.

‘Step by step he’d build a reputation here which would allow him to stand in the open with Margaret Deveny without destroying her reputation.’

Despite the obvious wishing it were longer and provided more detail, the story moves along at a good pace with highly engaging lead characters. Meg is thought to be a spinster and Nick finds himself judged because of the wickedness of his father (now deceased). Pam successfully captured an energy between the two which is commendable in such a short amount of writing. Of course there is the requisite small village gossip with all their prejudices and rumours to add highlights to this engaging tale.

‘How wonderful it must be to want something so desperately! To know who you were meant to be, and strive for it daily.’

Long Meg and the Wicked Baron is a perfect afternoon read. A mutual attraction between the endearing heir, the forgotten maid with an artistic little sister providing the fun connection between the two. There is a lovely epilogue that rounds the story out nicely and makes for a satisfying if somewhat quick Regency fix.









This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

The Wicked Baron has died! The war has been over for 3 years, and now his son has finally arrived home to be the new Lord Asham. He's nothing like his father. He was raised by his mother in Bath and was a painter.
Meg is the daughter of his first wife. When her fiance died, she thought all her dreams of having a family were lost. So now Nicolas will do anything to prove to Meg that he's different than his father because he finds her beautiful and wants her to be his wife!

Ms. Hart is a new-to-me author so I didn't know what to expect when I picked up this book. It was a delightful short story and I enjoyed it very much. Nick travels back to his farm after his father passes. No one liked his father and he was known as The Wicked Baron and now Nick unwillingly and undeservingly received that title and must overcome his father's reputation. Meg has lost her fiance and believes no one will be interested in her leaving her firmly to be on the shelf. When Meg and Nick meet, she finds him to be quite a kind and charming gentleman, regardless of what the neighbors all think of him. He is also quite taken with Meg and wishes to court her, but because of his father's reputation, no one trusts him. Nick is determined to prove to everyone he is nothing like his father. Both Meg and Nick were very likable and lovely characters. Their budding romance was very sweet and I was rooting for them the whole time. I found this to be a very entertaining and enjoyable story and I will definitely look for more of Ms. Hart's books.

I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

This is a lovely novella. It's an easy read but had plenty of depth.
Meg is dwindling into a spinster aunt after the death of her fiancé some time ago. She adores her nieces and nephews but is a little sad that she has lost the chance of her own family.
The arrival of Nick into the district is a cause for local gossip. His father was wicked though perhaps that might have been forgiven if he'd done his duty by the district and been a good landlord. Nick is painted with the same brush by local hearsay, especially as he has been gallivanting in Italy of all places.
The attraction between Meg and Nick when they meet is there, but it is hopeless as Meg's father would never approve an alliance with a wicked baron.
It was lovely to see Meg's friends rally around her and provide opportunities for Nick to prove himself. I did like Nick who was lovely with the youngsters and proved himself a true hero.

4.5 stars
This story moved along at a very good pace, perhaps sometimes a little too quickly, as I would have liked to know a little more about Meg’s family background. The characters of Meg and Nick were engaging. I did feel for Nick, being judged by the community because of his father’s ways. Meg was thought to be on the shelf and she didn’t realise her own beauty. I loved the way Nick really appreciated Meg for herself. There are the prejudices and rumours found in a village and the way that women with intellect are viewed by some males. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved this story. It’s short—perfect for an afternoon read—yet thoroughly entertaining. As you would expect from the book title, Meg Deveney is tall for a woman. She’s sensible, practical, thoroughly likeable and has a fine sense of humour. I warmed to her immediately. Nick de Courtenay is also easy to like. He’s returned to Norfolk to bring the family estate back from the ruinous condition his father left it in, but he faces an uphill battle convincing his neighbours of his worth thanks to his deceased father’s appalling reputation.
Being short, this story focuses on the basics: the mutual attraction between Meg and Nick, getting him established in the neighbourhood, and as a lovely aside, enabling Meg’s ten year-old sister Violet to improve on her already outstanding artistic talent. I got the impression author Pamela Hart enjoyed writing this story. I imagined her chuckling at having found a spot to use the word “mangelwurzel”. I chuckled when I read it and honestly it was in that happy state that I read the whole book. It was fun!

The war with Napoleon has been over for three years. The Wicked Baron is dead and his son, Nicholas has arrived in Norfolk as the new Lord Ashham. Raised by his mother in Bath and studied painting in Italy, he is nothing like his father. Meg Deveny is the daughter of her father's first wife. Her dreams of a husband and children were
shattered on her fiancé's death. Nicholas is stunned by Meg's beauty and wants to court her, but no one trusts him to be different from his father. To prove he is a better man than his father, Nicolas will do whatever it takes to be accepted to win Meg as his wife.
A short quick romance of a spinster who finds love with a determined Baron.

It was 1818 and Nicholas had returned to his farm in Little Foxbury, Norfolk after the death of his father, a man no one in the area had liked. He’d been with his mother in Bath since she’d taken him away as a youngster, a place where he’d perfected his knowledge on the art that he loved, and now Nick had to overcome the reputation his father, the Wicked Baron, had handed down to him, much against his wishes.

Meg was in her mid-twenties, still grieving after her fiancé John had died and she was wondering if she was on the shelf – no one would be interested in her. With John’s death, her dreams of a family had gone as well. Now she spent time with her step-family, and young Violet who was only ten, but already showing talent with her artwork. Finding a person who would agree to teaching Violet the art she craved was proving difficult, as teaching a girl to use oil paints – Violet’s dream – was folly.

Would Nick find his way into the hearts of his neighbours and rid himself of the wicked baron title? He was determined to do it, especially after he saw Meg. And would Meg fulfil the dreams she’d carried for so long?

A short story but no less delightful, Long Meg and the Wicked Baron is a rollicking Regency tale by Aussie author Pamela Hart which I thoroughly enjoyed. I loved Violet and her siblings, and Meg was a charming character who had a reputation to keep in those long ago days where everything mattered. Highly recommended to fans of the genre.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

I am a big fan of Pamela Hart’s stories and that is because she writes lovely engaging stories with fabulous characters and this one is no different, this one is set in Foxbury, Norfolk 1818 and we get to know the lovely Meg Denvy in her mid-twenties seemingly firmly on the shelf after losing her fiancé but will things change when someone returns to the county?

Baron Nicholas Asham has returned to do his best to bring the family estate up to scratch after his despicable father known as the wicked baron has died but the locals are certain that he will be no better than his father, it is in the blood you know. Nick has been living in Italy and is an artist, when the lovely Meg meets him he is instantly attracted to her, does he have any hope in winning her heart.

Meg finds Nick a lovely chap but with the rest of the county against him can she change their minds and help Nick find the happiness he deserves and find true love herself? This is such a great story a quick read that had me smiling throughout and cheering both Nick and Meg on. This one is sure to leave any reader feeling very happy, it is one that I would highly recommend.

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy to read and review.

An enjoyable book to read. It was short but had an interesting storyline. The main characters were intriguing and were well described. I did enjoy the description of the area and how ladies of that time were supposed to behave. There was also humour and lightheartedness. A book to enjoy.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy of this ebook; this is my freely given opinion.

This was a very sweet short story based in a small community in Regency Norfolk. Nicholas, Lord Ashham, has inherited his barony after his estranged father has passed on, but unfortunately he has inherited his father's terrible reputation as well. His father sounded like a morally corrupt and contemptible man, who earned the sobriquet the Wicked Baron for his morally bankrupt behaviours, and maltreatment of his community. His wife left him, taking his young son, Nicholas, and raising him herself. However unfairly, when Nicholas stepped into his father's place as the new Baron, he was painted by the community as being tainted with his father's blood, and given the same reputation. He has an uphill trek to earn the community's trust and respect, to better his reputation, and help build his estate back into solvency. He is willing to work at this, but his personal passion is art and had spent time in Italy, and that is where his heart lies. He makes an effort daily to take time to sketch and paint, after he has seen to his duties to the barony.

Meg is the eldest daughter of a member of the local gentry. She has been in mourning for her fiancee. She feels that she has missed her chance at a family, as she is in her 20s and not a traditional beauty as well as, gasp... a bluestocking! She is resigned to being the spinster older sister to her young siblings. Her sister, Violet, has a wonderful talent for art as well, and she and her family are trying to foster it, but is unable to engage an appropriate teacher for her, as many have the prejudice against females learning art beyond lady-like water colours and sketching. Violet wants to learn to paint in oils. Violet and Nicholas meet through their art, and thus Nicholas meets Meg, whom he develops and admiration for and later deeper feelings.

I really enjoyed this story; both Nicholas and Meg were characters that had warmth of character that I enjoyed. I quite liked their sweetness and earnestness. It was certainly unfair of people to judge Nicholas by his father's behaviours, but considering some of the behaviours that were attributed to the dead man, I could certainly understand the reticence of the community to associate with the child of such a man, despite the unfair prejudice and judgement. But people are people, and it is human nature to judge. It says something about Nicholas's character that he would stay and try to repair that history and the barony, and seek to be part of that community, rather than turn tail and run back to Italy.

This was a sweet story, and I did enjoy it.

3.5 stars out of 5.

Mourning the death of her fiancé, Meg is a lonely step-daughter in her father’s home who wants to see the world. Nick is the son of the wicked baron, an artist who doesn’t feel like he belongs because of his deceased father’s amoral habits.

This was almost unreadable, and not because of the pdf format. So many ellipses and exclamation points. It was hard to get to know these characters. The only way we saw their personality was through an internal thought, complete with the dialog tag “he thought” and an exclamation point. Everything else about Meg and Nick were told to us, rather than shown by their actions and comments conversations. Their personalities are so flat it was a slog to read.

It almost reads like a draft, as though large sections were always intended to be fleshed out later. There were mistakes with character names, incomplete thoughts, and stilted dialog. It read more like a recitation of actions than narrative prose. There were no conflicts for Meg and Nick to overcome at all, internal or external. Nick’s supposedly scandalous reputation was resolved with a social call and a party.

I laughed when the family decides not to hire a painting teacher for Meg’s noble born stepsister and Meg fears the spurned instructor might damage her sister’s reputation by telling the world the ten-year-old wanted to paint with oils. Meg worried about making eye contact or smiling at someone who held a door for her because they weren’t introduced. Later, after Meg and Nick are introduced and have seen each other socially, they’re afraid to be seen talking together, outside, with her siblings with them for fear of her reputation being ruined.

Tell me you don’t understand regency social mores without telling you don’t understand regency social mores.

In the end, when I finally got there, after what felt like years even though it’s only about 100 pages, I didn’t know why these people were together, I didn’t care, and I felt like I wasted my time.

Long Meg and the Wicked Baron is super sweet and super short! Nicholas is adorable as he falls in love with Meg. His internal dialogue is perfect! Meg is kind of watching life pass her by as she mourns a fiancé who passed away sixteen months earlier. The strict adherence to propriety of that time period almost keeps these two apart in spite of their instant attraction. Thank goodness Nicholas ‘mounted’ a campaign to clear his good name and distance himself from his deceased father at the same time the females in the community decide he needs to be welcomed and his name cleared. All because a little girl wants/needs to have a painting instructor and Nicholas fits the need, while Meg fits Nicholas’ needs.