With England under the shadow of Napoleon’s invasion, the windswept coast of Devon has become a hotbed of intrigue—with spies and smugglers terrorising the county, no one is safe.
The book was published by Robert Hale in 1961, and was dedicated to Alice Chetwynd Ley’s two sons, Richard and Graham.
This novel was later published under the title of The Courting of Joanna by Ballantine Books, a division of Random House, as a paperback in the US and Canada.
In 1804, England was under the shadow of an invasion by Napoleon, turning the windswept coast of Devon into a hotbed of intrigue—with spies and smugglers terrorising the county, no one is safe. Among the agents is Captain Jackson, the mysterious leader of a band of smugglers. By chance, Captain Jackson meets Joanna Fenton, an attractive young lady of strong commonsense who has been reared by her grandmother in a proud tradition.
It is expected that Joanna will marry the Honourable Algernon Cholcombe, a wealthy nobleman. But the arrival into her life of Jackson, and the words penned by Scots poet Robert Burns, throw her plans – and heart – into turmoil.
The novel shows an England under the threat of invasion and includes an account of the beginnings of the submarine in warfare, threatening England’s proud ascendency at sea, and thus her ability to defy the conquering French. Napoleon himself makes an appearance in a novel that combines gripping drama with the developing love story of Joanna Fenton.
Comments from users on Amazon
“The Guinea Stamp is a novel infused with the threat of invasion, spy activity, and marriage prospects.
Joanna is a strong willed, upstanding woman, attempting to decipher the mysterious Captain Jackson and pave her way through the minefield of marriage prospects and family expectations. She is clearly under great pressure, yet her will and wit shine through.
A great novel for those looking for a light-hearted Regency novel.”
