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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
Millicent Boarder, her mother and two sisters are living as unpaid servants to their cousin Antony North when he unexpectedly dies. With no other options except being sent to the workhouse, Millicent takes over Mr North's identity. Her familiarity with her cousins business dealings helps, and she successfully passes as Mr North. In her disguised identity she encounters Timothy Shoffer, Duke of Trolenfield. The young Mr North impresses the Duke, and when he helps Shoffer's sister Beth with what appears to be crippling shyness issues, the friendship between the two firms up. Millicent is very attracted to the Duke, but the Duke has no idea about her secret identity. That identity is tested when North and the rest of the Boarder family join Shoffer and his sister in London for the season.
I thought this was an excellent read, although a overlong and light on romance for most of it. Millicent has feelings for Shoffer from the beginning, but Shoffer is ignorant of her identity for most of the book.
I thought this was an excellent read, although a overlong and light on romance for most of it. Millicent has feelings for Shoffer from the beginning, but Shoffer is ignorant of her identity for most of the book.
Easy fast paced Regency comedy of errors...a widow and her three penniless daughters and a suddenly dead loathsome male cousin - how could 4 females in the Regency era survive? By the eldest daughter dressing as her male cousin of course and fooling the Ton with her disguise as she runs "his" estate, rescues Dukes' sisters and plays the part wonderfully ...until she falls in love with the Duke with blue eyes. How could this possibly have an HEA? Ridiculously of course! Burst out laughing over some parts. Millicent née Timothy North is witty, ridiculous and lovable...only wish the POV from the Duke was more fleshed out when it came to his feelings about North.
This book is so much fun.
I needed to read a romance novel for the Read Harder Challenge, and I came across this. A woman named Millicent assumes the identity of her dead male cousin and falls in love with a duke in the process? How could I not want to read it immediately?
This book is fun because it's meant to be. The title is Ridiculous, after all, and I love that the book doesn't take itself too seriously. It's great in a Lifetime movie sort of way. I'm sure there are "better" romances, but as far as I'm concerned this is the best romance novel to ever exist.
I needed to read a romance novel for the Read Harder Challenge, and I came across this. A woman named Millicent assumes the identity of her dead male cousin and falls in love with a duke in the process? How could I not want to read it immediately?
This book is fun because it's meant to be. The title is Ridiculous, after all, and I love that the book doesn't take itself too seriously. It's great in a Lifetime movie sort of way. I'm sure there are "better" romances, but as far as I'm concerned this is the best romance novel to ever exist.
This book was a big disappointment for me, all the more so because I thought it started out well, and then just sort of imploded later in the book. I actually started reading with no expectations--this was another Gail Carriger monthly reading recommendation, and was .99 on Kindle, so why not? I'm picky about Regency novels, though, so I went in skeptical. The thing is that the story engaged me almost right away. I admired Millicent's practicality, and I could almost see how she would pull off her masquerade. Some of her social behavior seemed a bit unrealistically outrageous but I could deal with it. I also enjoyed his/her comraderie with Shoffer. I don't know why Shoffer had to be a duke, of all things, except that regency readers are obsessed with Dukes, perhaps. His high rank made some of his behavior, the behavior he encouraged and permitted in his sister "Beth", and his eventual life decisions really difficult to accept as being rational at all within the world that they're supposedly set in. I suppose when I pick up a novel and the TITLE is Ridiculous, I should be prepared to suspend disbelief, but I was just so disappointed that the engaging and more believable beginning could descend so quickly into nonsense and anachronistic attitudes and behavior and morals. I can't say much more specifically about them without spoilers, so I will just say that if you read this, and you think, "well, I'll keep reading, because this part is foolish, but it's got to get better again", then stop reading. Because it doesn't. I skimmed the last 15% of this story, desperate for a satisfying resolution to reward my efforts, to no avail. If you don't mind anachronistic silliness and mayhem, one dimensional villains, and oddly icky and jarring sexual thoughts and scenes out of character with the time and the characters, then go right ahead. You just may be the audience this book is meant for. But I'll pass.
A ridiculous enjoyable read.
The destitute Boarder family go and live with their Cousin Mr North and are treated as servants. After his death, to preserve their home, Millicent Boarder assumes his identity.
Then she falls in love, and her family move to London to socialise with the Ton.
The destitute Boarder family go and live with their Cousin Mr North and are treated as servants. After his death, to preserve their home, Millicent Boarder assumes his identity.
Then she falls in love, and her family move to London to socialise with the Ton.
The name says it all, really. I believe the genre is glutted with stories of women pretending to be men to save the family. But I've yet to see one done better than this. It is delightful - if odd at times and I do greatly enjoy the way Carter wrapped it all up.
(WARNING: SPOILERS) While Ridiculous! started with a clever plot and strong characters, I felt like the romance introduced halfway through the book disrupted the story more than adding to it. I loved Millicent's Mr. North! As a poor, low-caste female in a male-dominated society, through Mr. North, Millicent was able to turn the ridiculous rules and habits of the Ton against them and take over the entire London season. She was fearless, witty, and completely unaffected by the opinions of the haughty London Ton. If only she hadn't allowed her foolish female heart to fall for Shoffer.
Shoffer didn't seem interesting at all in the first half of the book. While he was written as a doting brother, he was completely clueless about his sister and rather boring in all other ways, to my mind. And then, Millicent decided that she must be with him and the moment that they were together, he went from boring to boorish! He became demanding and lecherous! He went from practically turning his nose up at Mr. North because of scandalous rumors to libidinously attacking Millicent like a horny teenager. The garden scene especially felt like rape to me. I could not like him after that and I became surprised that Millicent continued to like him either.
Carter is an eloquent and inventive writer but the sex scenes were unnecessary and unimaginative. Millicent was a great character and, though his end was excellent, I was sorry to see Mr. North go. I wish that the book hadn't taken the turn that it did.
Shoffer didn't seem interesting at all in the first half of the book. While he was written as a doting brother, he was completely clueless about his sister and rather boring in all other ways, to my mind. And then, Millicent decided that she must be with him and the moment that they were together, he went from boring to boorish! He became demanding and lecherous! He went from practically turning his nose up at Mr. North because of scandalous rumors to libidinously attacking Millicent like a horny teenager. The garden scene especially felt like rape to me. I could not like him after that and I became surprised that Millicent continued to like him either.
Carter is an eloquent and inventive writer but the sex scenes were unnecessary and unimaginative. Millicent was a great character and, though his end was excellent, I was sorry to see Mr. North go. I wish that the book hadn't taken the turn that it did.
Ok, trashy Romance is my secret reading indulgence; and this one was very entertaining with a fun and strong female lead. The premise is indeed ridiculous, but the story was entertaining, and the characters well written. I'm perfectly willing to accept anachronistic language and attitudes as long as the writing is skillful.
I usually stick to books I have downloaded for free to read on the iPad, so the quality of books is sometimes pretty low. I have to read through a lot of terrible first chapters, before I find a book whose writing isn't too awful to stomach or whose characters aren't so inconsistent that I give up in disgust.
I usually stick to books I have downloaded for free to read on the iPad, so the quality of books is sometimes pretty low. I have to read through a lot of terrible first chapters, before I find a book whose writing isn't too awful to stomach or whose characters aren't so inconsistent that I give up in disgust.
Entertaining
And witty! I got quite a few chuckles out of this story. The heroes were likable and the villains disdainful.
And witty! I got quite a few chuckles out of this story. The heroes were likable and the villains disdainful.
This story lived up to its title and was a delight to read. Anyone who knows me can tell you that I have an overwhelming love for crossdressing romcoms so I was already inclined to enjoy the story but oh my goodness. The banter! The pacing! The ever-increasing tomfoolery! Recommend muchly.
okay for Aayesha.
okay for Aayesha.