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jackiehorne's review against another edition
3.0
Always enjoy reading a new Jo Beverley, even one that doesn't have too much in the way of tension as to whether the hero and heroine are going to get together in the end. Readers unfamiliar with other books in this series are likely to be annoyed by the constant mentions of events that happened in previous books.
bookloverchelle's review against another edition
4.0
Life has not been the same since Lucy lost her mother a year ago. Her father seems to have abandoned her and now on the one year anniversary of her death Lucy is ready to move on. Her father has a different idea; he's ready to marry again. Lucy always thought she'd have a chance to become her father's heir but when he announces he will marry again she can no longer stay in her household. Lucy decided to head to the Ton and spend time with her family. Wyvern knows he needs to find rich heiress to save his home and Lucy is just that woman. Can he convince her that he is the right man for her? Great read about a strong, independent woman who knows her heart and mind and knows when to fight for what she wants. I had missed some of the earlier stories in this series so I was a little confused with some of the secondary characters but overall an enjoyable read.
scoutmomskf's review against another edition
4.0
Good book. It is an opposites attract, city girl/country boy story. The book opens with Lucy's period of mourning for her mother at an end. She is ready to go back to helping her father with his business as a merchant, and dealing with everything that entails. Except her father drops the bombshell that he is about to remarry and wants Lucy to have a chance to find a husband of her own. Her mother was a member of the aristocracy and he wants Lucy to have a taste of that world. So off she goes to her aunt's home, to have a London Season with her cousin. She doesn't want a husband, but she'll try to have fun. Unfortunately, her aunt reminds her that intelligent, forthright women are not exactly appreciated (at least in her opinion) and reminds Lucy to tone down her personality.
David, who was introduced in The Dragon's Bride, is the new Earl of Wyvern. He didn't want the title, but he's stuck with it. The estate is essentially broke, and to do the things he needs to, he must find a wealthy bride. He pragmatically does the research and discovers that Miss Lucy Potter will fit the bill. Unfortunately, he will have to take the time and go to London to woo her. Complicating matters, he is also the head of the local smugglers, also unwillingly, and needs to keep that information under wraps. He's hoping Miss Potter is a typically empty-headed society miss.
I loved the way the two met by accident, not knowing who the other was. Their encounter takes place in a bookshop. David is looking for books on modern estate management. Lucy is looking at novels that will help her with her image of "silly Lucinda" while she is stuck dealing with society. When she also picks up a book on smuggling, they fall into a conversation about it. Lucy is pointed in her opinion that smuggling is wrong and must be stopped. David, of course, knows that things are not quite so simple. There are sparks of attraction under the surface, and each leaves the shop still thinking about the other.
When David meets Lucy officially, in his guise of Earl in pursuit of a wife, he is stunned to discover his woman of choice is the same as his bookshop acquaintance. Despite her illusion of empty-headedness, he knows she's not the oblivious woman he needs to marry. He tries to put her out of his mind, but finds it impossible. Lucy is equally drawn to him, but has no desire to marry at all, much less to an avowed fortune hunter. Their relationship grows slowly, with a few meetings in the park and at various society functions. Lucy is having trouble with overzealous suitors and David offers to pay his attentions to her, thereby discouraging the others. It doesn't take long for Lucy to realize that David is the one for her. But just as she does, he pushes her away and leaves London.
David has realized that his feelings for Lucy are too strong to put her in the position of having to deal with his secret life. Though he still needs money for his estate, he doesn't want anyone but her. An encounter with Lucy's father emphasizes the point. But Lucy isn't one to refuse a challenge and follows David to his home. David's stunned surprise is fun to see, and his efforts to scare her off were pretty blunt. But Lucy knows what she wants and isn't going to be discouraged by anything he shows her. It doesn't take her too long to figure out his secret and deals with it surprisingly well. She also keeps her head during a crisis and saves the day from unexpected trouble. This cements their determination to be together. I loved seeing them talk about their expectations and work out their future together.
I enjoyed seeing the changes that both David and Lucy go through. Each started the book hiding their true selves from others, but when they are together the masks slip. Lucy seemed a bit selfish and determined to have everything her way at the beginning, but as her feelings for David grew, so did her willingness to change. I really enjoyed her reactions to Crag Wyvern. David's determination to find a rich bride was logical in his circumstances. It was fun to see him realize that the one he wants is nothing like he expected. I liked the way that he appreciated Lucy's intelligence and treated her accordingly. I loved seeing him finally accept that he really could have it all.
I liked seeing the various Rogues who made brief appearances in the book. I especially liked seeing Nicholas take a hand in getting David and Lucy together. I also enjoyed seeing Susan and Con again.
David, who was introduced in The Dragon's Bride, is the new Earl of Wyvern. He didn't want the title, but he's stuck with it. The estate is essentially broke, and to do the things he needs to, he must find a wealthy bride. He pragmatically does the research and discovers that Miss Lucy Potter will fit the bill. Unfortunately, he will have to take the time and go to London to woo her. Complicating matters, he is also the head of the local smugglers, also unwillingly, and needs to keep that information under wraps. He's hoping Miss Potter is a typically empty-headed society miss.
I loved the way the two met by accident, not knowing who the other was. Their encounter takes place in a bookshop. David is looking for books on modern estate management. Lucy is looking at novels that will help her with her image of "silly Lucinda" while she is stuck dealing with society. When she also picks up a book on smuggling, they fall into a conversation about it. Lucy is pointed in her opinion that smuggling is wrong and must be stopped. David, of course, knows that things are not quite so simple. There are sparks of attraction under the surface, and each leaves the shop still thinking about the other.
When David meets Lucy officially, in his guise of Earl in pursuit of a wife, he is stunned to discover his woman of choice is the same as his bookshop acquaintance. Despite her illusion of empty-headedness, he knows she's not the oblivious woman he needs to marry. He tries to put her out of his mind, but finds it impossible. Lucy is equally drawn to him, but has no desire to marry at all, much less to an avowed fortune hunter. Their relationship grows slowly, with a few meetings in the park and at various society functions. Lucy is having trouble with overzealous suitors and David offers to pay his attentions to her, thereby discouraging the others. It doesn't take long for Lucy to realize that David is the one for her. But just as she does, he pushes her away and leaves London.
David has realized that his feelings for Lucy are too strong to put her in the position of having to deal with his secret life. Though he still needs money for his estate, he doesn't want anyone but her. An encounter with Lucy's father emphasizes the point. But Lucy isn't one to refuse a challenge and follows David to his home. David's stunned surprise is fun to see, and his efforts to scare her off were pretty blunt. But Lucy knows what she wants and isn't going to be discouraged by anything he shows her. It doesn't take her too long to figure out his secret and deals with it surprisingly well. She also keeps her head during a crisis and saves the day from unexpected trouble. This cements their determination to be together. I loved seeing them talk about their expectations and work out their future together.
I enjoyed seeing the changes that both David and Lucy go through. Each started the book hiding their true selves from others, but when they are together the masks slip. Lucy seemed a bit selfish and determined to have everything her way at the beginning, but as her feelings for David grew, so did her willingness to change. I really enjoyed her reactions to Crag Wyvern. David's determination to find a rich bride was logical in his circumstances. It was fun to see him realize that the one he wants is nothing like he expected. I liked the way that he appreciated Lucy's intelligence and treated her accordingly. I loved seeing him finally accept that he really could have it all.
I liked seeing the various Rogues who made brief appearances in the book. I especially liked seeing Nicholas take a hand in getting David and Lucy together. I also enjoyed seeing Susan and Con again.
slimikin's review
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
taisie22's review against another edition
slow-paced
3.0
I usually like Jo Beverley, but this book was a bit of a disappointment. Slow for most of the story with a somewhat fantastical (not in a good way) ending. Lucy and David were fine, but there was a lot of waffling done by their characters, too much for my tastes. We see some of the Company of Rogues but all in all, this was just okay.
shelbycat's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book and may look for others in the series.
lootsfoz's review
3.0
I bumped it up from three stars to four because it had so many cameos or mentions of characters from previous books.
Read again on Sept 2, 2017
Back to 3 stars
Read again on Sept 2, 2017
Back to 3 stars
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