Taking delight in the adventures of Demelza on the Poldark Express

On this second half of the Poldark blog tour, we get more of a scenic view of Cornwall life as Ross's new bride Demelza becomes more of a main player than a supporting one in the novel that bears her name.

As we begin, Demelza is now stepping more firmly into her role as lady of the household, despite the whispers and doubts about her class line crossing, and a good deal of that added responsibility includes becoming a mother.

While Ross and Demelza may have their problems in dealing with the neighbors, such as the sneaky Warleggans or helping the good natured Mark Daniels win a wife whose tastes run more to generous amounts of money rather than a generous heart, having their first child is an emotional milestone that helps to cement their bond:

 Demelza is very keen on what it is her duty to do and part of that extends to cousin Verity, whose heart is still with Captain Blamey. Knowing that Ross would not approve of her interference, she seeks out the captain to make certain that he still has feelings for Verity in secret.

Once she has confirmation from Blamey, who was reluctant at first, Demelza arranges for a chance meeting between the two of them on a seemingly casual shopping trip into the nearby town of Truro. That plan has a number of twists and turns, as Verity is caught severely off guard and flees the scene, heading right into a riot that's breaking out all around them. As Blamey manages to get both women to safety, Demelza is both anxious and pleased to help Verity receive a another shot at love(even though his persistence in pledging his suit is a tad ill timed there):

There are other worries on Demelza's plate, as Ross is dismayed by an unexpected death and takes out his rage during a party that is also meant to give his new wife her grand entrance into society. Adding onto that are concerns over the copper company Ross has helped to set up and been made head man of, something that the Warleggan family finds to be a threat worth taking down.

What is great about this book is that much more dimension is added not only to Demelza's character but Ross and other newcomers like Mark and his bride Kerin who has an eye for the new doctor in town,Dwight Enys(Poldark stories seem to thrive on love triangles!). Stirrings of historical changes in the air,such as notions of prison reform and unrest amongst the have and have nots in society, are serious cards laid upon the plot table that form a hand for more than one character to play.

 Since this novel is named Demelza, you do want to focus more on her and the writing delivers on that promise. Our leading lady's desire to fit in with her new station in life while keeping true to where she comes from is well balanced and sincere.

In some ways, she reminds me of Elizabeth Bennet, as the story has a bit of a "what came next in Pride and Prejudice?" feel to it at times. While Miss Bennet would be a little more familiar with the social demands of the class she married into than our girl Demelza, both ladies share a good sense of family loyalty and keen insight of right and wrong despite what others might say, which would make them very good friends indeed. Plus, they would both help out poor Verity there, I just know it!

Demelza may not seem like the typical Austen heroine but she certainly is the equal of any of them and should be as inspiring as Emma Woodhouse or Elizabeth Bennet, especially since she's a bit more relatable with her down to earth sensibilities:

I'd like to thank Laurel Ann Nattress of Austenprose(as well as the good people at Sourcebooks) for making me part of this blog tour. Having both the Winston Graham novels and the charming new PBS Masterpiece series to engage in this summer has made this season all the more sweeter to savor.

I do hope that these books are being brought back into reading fashion, as they are many more of them(I do believe that the third title, Joshua Poldark, is about to be republished) and perhaps, we'll get another Poldark TV series based upon those sometime soon.

 There are more stops on the Poldark blog tour, which ends on August 3, so do check those out to see and hear more, plus enter the giveaway for a special prize pack that includes the first two books in the series.

 *UPDATE: the giveaway deadline has been extended to August 10, plus an additional prize has been included in the Grand Prize pack, a DVD of Poldark Season One! You can leave a comment here or at one of the other Poldark blog tour stops for your chance to win.

 Above all, this Poldark renaissance has returned to us one of the most romantic couples I've ever had the pleasure to meet on the page. Ross and Demelza are honestly a pair that truly appear to be meant to be, in the best sense of that term: