Who Can Deny Love?

Who Can Deny Love is #111 in the Bantam series and was published in November 1979. Cyrilla meets the Marquis of Fane while her father is dying. Because her father was an artist, Fane is interested in his art, but after he dies, they realize that they love each other. Circumstances occur to separate them, but all goes well in this great Cartland romance!

Francis Marshall shows our heroine as the subject of the painting! She is pretty in a simple empire muslin dress and our hero is dashing in a greatcoat. The painting is beautiful and the room looks like a garret! I like Marshall's simple, full regency dress and ballet slippers!

The 1800's were a great time for artists. They were able to make a living and their work was valued. Many people wanted paintings of themselves or their families and other artists made a name for themselves painting landscapes and even animals! The Prince Regent (George IV) was a collector and it became fashionable to follow him in his passions!

Sharp eyed reader Tracey J found this photo and sent the comment below! Thank you, Tracey!!

Terror in the Sun

Terror in the Sun is #110 in the Bantam series and was published in October 1979. I ended up buying this book used instead of new since I couldn't find a new copy a few months after it was published. Books had a longer shelf life in the past!

This is a story about Brucena, who runs into Ian Huntley after he meets her on the train to Saugor. She is on her way to stay with her cousin and help out with their new baby. Ian escorts her there because of the dangers in 1830's India.

Francis Marshall illustrates a magnificent cover with our hero in uniform looking very dashing and our heroine in a full blue dress and bonnet typical of the 1830's. Note the little boy with a ball behind her. The natives behind are colorful and the ruler looks proud and wealthy. Another great cover by Francis Marshall!

A Nightingale Sang

A Nightingale Sang is #109 in the Bantam series and was published in September 1979.

As you can see, this is the other wrong cover illustration. The Corgi (UK) one is correct.

It is the story of Tybalt and Aleta, who meet at a ball in Berkeley Square and share a romantic moment in the garden. They happen to meet again after 2 years and she realizes he is a duke!

I will discuss the Corgi illustration. Francis Marshall shows our couple sharing a kiss in the garden in Berkeley Square! She is dressed fashionably for a book set in 1920 and our hero is handsome in black. The garden is fenced and pretty! One can almost hear the nightingales singing! It's a pretty cover and fits this story!!

England after WW1 was recouping after losing many men. Many who returned were looking for work and money was scarce. They found enjoyment in the present: balls, dances, and flirting with pretty girls. Many social restrictions of the past were relaxed. This was the time frame that Barbara Cartland herself was familiar. She dated and danced with London's elite during the 1920's!

Love Climbs In

Love Climbs In is #108 in the Bantam series and was published in September 1979.

Now before you comment that these are 2 different covers....I know! I couldn't figure out why Francis Marshall drew a modern 1920's cover for a regency story until I read #109 and realized that Bantam put the wrong cover art on this book and #109 A Nightingale Sang! The British Corgi version has the correct art!

Love Climbs In is the story of Valeta, who becomes the ward of the Marquis of Troon. He falls in love with her after his engagement to Lady Dilys. How she rescues a climbing boy and is rescued by the Marquis is the exciting tale of this story!!

I'll discuss the Corgi cover. Francis Marshall illustrates our hero saving our heroine from a villain. She is dressed in white muslin with a dark sash and has long flowing hair. It looks as if they are in an inn room and have help in dispatching the villain. It's a pretty cover and I wish it was on the correct Bantam book. As far as I know, this was the only time Bantam made a mistake in cover placement, which is remarkable considering they published 2 different Cartland books a month!

The Duchess Disappeared

The Duchess Disappeared is #107 in the Bantam series and was published in August 1979. Fiona and her young niece are taken to Scotland after she finds out that her niece is the heir to the Duke of Strathrannock. Once there, she finds that there is a mystery about the duke's late wife and against her wishes, finds herself falling in love with the duke!

Francis Marshall illustrates a rescue scene with our hero saving the heroine from a bad fall! They look like they are in a tower or turret and the rotting wood behind her indicates that she has been saved in the nick of time! It's an interesting cover and a great story!

Love in the Dark

Love in the Dark is #106 in the Bantam series and was published in July 1979. It is the story of Susanna, the second daughter of Lady Lavenham, who married off her older sister to an unwanted suitor and plans to marry off Susanna, who is heavy and plain, to a penniless duke! To stop this plan, she escapes home and takes a position as a reader to a temporarily blind American man. What happens next is magical Cartland!

Francis Marshall paints our couple in an elegant room where our now thin heroine is reading to the hero, who sits in the chair with a cloth over his eyes. She is now very thin and he is handsome from what we can see! I like her white flowing dress and olive sash. The cool colors of the room look like a comfortable and inviting place to sit and read!

Flowers for the God of Love

Flowers for the God of Love is #105 in the Bantam series and was published in July 1979. Cartland writes a story about a girl named Quenella, who is being pursued by a married man and Rex, who has become the new lieutenant governor in India. Both have problems, since Rex can't afford his new position unless he marries and Quenella needs a refuge from the suitor. They decide to marry and learn to love each other as they travel to India!

Francis Marshall illustrates our couple while in India and it's a pretty cover with them outside admiring the native flowers. She is pretty in white muslin and carrying a pink parasol while our hero is handsome and cool in a beige linen jacket. I like the hint of wildness in the garden where they stand. It's another great cover by Marshall.

The Prisoner of Love

The Prisoner of Love is #104 in the Bantam series and was published in June 1979. It is the story of Sorilda, who is forced into marriage with the Earl of Winsford after a sordid scene involving the Earl and her stepmother. They prepare to make the best of a hurried marriage amid the events of London's Crystal Palace!

Francis Marshall illustrates our couple at the Crystal Palace, which was held in 1851 with a Great Exhibition of all of the Empire's wealth and curiosities. The palace was made of glass and erected in Hyde Park. It was the brainchild of Prince Albert and Queen Victoria was happy that the English people were proud of this accomplishment!

Light of the Moon

Light of the Moon is #103 in the Bantam series and was published in May 1979. It is the story of Neoma and her brother and how they visit the Marquis of Rosyth in order to steal an IOU that the Marquis mistakenly acquired. Unfortunately, some mistaken identity and rotten characters get in the way of the Marquis falling in love with her until all gets cleared up in this romance by Barbara Cartland!

Francis Marshall illustrates our couple on a terrace in the moonlight! They are kissing and it's a very romantic picture! Our heroine is pretty in white and the dark gray of the sky and background emphasize them.

Young men quite often got into trouble with gambling during regency times. IOU's were an honorable way to state that you would repay the debt and usually had to be paid within the month.

The Treasure is Love

The Treasure is Love is #102 in the Bantam series and was published in May 1979. It is the story of Tyson Dale and how he rescues Vania at the village inn and brings her back to the safety of his house. However, he has just returned from Waterloo and is looking for the money that his father withdrew from the bank before his death. How Vania helps him find the treasure and how he finds a wife is the plot of one of my favorite Cartland romances!

Francis Marshall paints our couple in the inn where the hero rescues the heroine! She is pretty in her blue gown and he is handsome in green. The villain lies on the floor dazed. The room is all brown and gold in tone. Another great cover by Marshall for Cartland!

A Serpent of Satan

A Serpent of Satan is #101 in the Bantam series and was published in April 1979. It is the story of Ophelia, who lives with a horrid stepmother. She meets the Earl of Rochester and he finds out from her that his agent has been cheating his dependents. Soon he finds out that evil has been happening around Ophelia and he is determined to save her!

Francis Marshall illustrates the moment in the story where our couple meet. She is cutting flowers and wears a simple muslin dress and sash. He is handsome in a typical regency coat. Note the small dog at the bottom left! The dark background emphasizes her white dress! It's a simple, but pretty cover and one of Marshall's finest!

The Prince and the Pekingese

The Prince and the Pekingese is #100 in the Bantam series and for this book, Francis Marshall painted Barbara Cartland and her own pekingese dog! I wanted to show you the reverse so that you could see more of Marshall's work! This picture is also the front cover of her biography, Crusader in Pink.

This book is about Angelina, who lives retired with her grandmother. Next door, though, is the ministry of Cephalonia, where she can watch those visiting for the new King's coronation. How she meets the Prince and how they are able to marry, even though she is a commoner, is the thrilling plot of this story from Barbara Cartland!

Francis Marshall has outdone himself in this cover! It shows our couple, handsome and elegant, along with the pekingese dog, who introduces them and is a main part of the story! They stand in Trafalgar Square! Our heroine is pretty in blue with her Gibson girl hairdo and the Prince is handsome in his dress suit and orders. I like the background scene, complete with Big Ben! A great picture of London celebrating a new king in 1902!

Alone in Paris

Alone in Paris is #99 in the Bantam series and was published in March 1979. It is the story of Una and how she ends up staying with the Duke of Wolstanton after she arrives in Paris and finds out that her artist father has died. The Duke is a collector of her father's art and assumes that she is not "quite a lady" but realizes very soon that she is everything he's been looking for in a wife!

Francis Marshall paints our couple at the Moulin Rouge where our heroine is pretty and innocent in a white gown while our hero is dashing in evening wear. Note the orchestra in the balcony and the dancers in the background! It's a fascinating cover and typical of Marshall's talent!!

The Drums of Love

The Drums of Love is #98 in the Bantam series and was published in February 1979. It is the story of Saona and how she is hidden by the nuns after an uprising in Haiti that kills her adoptive family. Unknown to her, the new heir of the family, Andre, is looking for her and the treasure his uncle buried on his land!

Francis Marshall paints our couple as they masquerade to find the hidden treasure. Our heroine is beautiful in her nuns costume and our hero is handsome. Note the Haitian man behind them and the beautiful native flowers. It's a pretty cover and very appealing!

The Ghost who Fell in Love

The Ghost who Fell in Love is #97 in the Bantam series and was published in January 1979. It is the story of Demelza and how her brother rents their home to the Earl of Trevarnon for Ascot week at an enormous rate! However, since the party is for men only, Demelza needs to leave, but has no where to go, so she decides to hide within the house and if seen, pretend to be the White Lady, ghost of the house. How she meets the earl and he saves her is the plot of one of my favorite Cartland romances!

Francis Marshall draws our couple after a carriage accident which has thrown the heroine. She is dressed in white and the hero has rescued her from her fall. Note the open carriage and the mile marker in the background! A pretty cover for a great book!

Ascot race began in 1711 and is still run today. It is still an exclusive event and tickets are given by the Lord Chamberlain. It is memorialized in My Fair Lady!

The Duke and the Preacher's Daughter

The Duke and the Preacher's Daughter is #96 in the Bantam series and was published in January 1979. It is the story of Benedicta and how she meets the Duke of Kingswood after her preacher father falls ill and they take shelter on his land. The duke sees her arrival as a blessing since he's looking for someone to marry his young cousin and remove him from an unfortunate entanglement. What he doesn't realize is how he falls for Benedicta, himself!

Francis Marshall paints our couple on horseback and in an embrace! It is a gray night and the coat and waistcoat of our hero stand out in the picture. Our heroine is pretty in a simple muslin dress with her hair loose. This is a pretty cover and a great story by Barbara Cartland!

The Chieftain Without A Heart

The Chieftain without a Heart is #95 in the Bantam series and was published in December 1978. It is the story of Clola, who is told to marry the new Duke of Strathnarn in order to provide a end to their clan's fighting. How they fall in love with members of the different clans disagreeing, is the plot of this romantic story!

I love this cover by Francis Marshall! Our hero is rugged and handsome in his tartan plaid while our heroine is dainty in her blue gown with tartan bows. She is beautiful and the hero definitely admires her as she plays the harp! Cartland's husband was Scottish and she loved Scotland!

This story is set in 1822, but the Scottish clans did feud amongst one another. George IV was the first English king since Charles, to visit Scotland and he did so in full Highland regalia!

The Irresistible Force

The Irresistible Force is #94 in the Bantam series and was published in November 1978. It is the story of Nerita, who becomes a nursery maid in the house of the Marquis of Wychbold after the death of her father and finds a mystery about the child she's rearing and love awaiting her there!

Francis Marshall illustrates an outdoors scene for this picture with our couple out in a snowstorm with a sleigh for transportation. It's an interesting cover since really all you see is the snow, the faces of our couple, and the shape of the sleigh. It is romatic, though, with our couple in an embrace!

There was little employment for young ladies in the late 1800's. One could become a governess or companion, but World War 1, with its influx of women into the workplace, would change that forever!