Genre: Historical

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Miss Willa Ffynche is a master at navigating English high society in the Regency era. Keeping her vivacious personality and love of bawdy jokes to herself, she makes herself one of the most refined, desirable ladies of the Season, along with her best friend Lavinia.

What she most definitely does not want is to be a public spectacle. And that’s exactly what Lord Alaric Wilde will make her if she gets tangled up with the likes of him.

Alaric never thought he would be famous when he started writing about his daring adventures abroad. But when he returns home, his ship is met by a mob of screaming ladies who adore him and have his likeness posted on their walls. To make matters worse, he finds out a godawful play is starring him in a fictionalized adventure.

When he meets Willa, he is drawn to her. She was beautiful and witty and everything he wanted. But she would have nothing to do with a man so infamous. Unless he could convince her otherwise.

I really enjoyed this book. I tend to read regencies where the heroine is either socially awkward or is in some way an outcast from high society so it is refreshing to read a book about someone who navigates the world successfully.

Lord Alaric is, well, about the same as any other rakish Regency hero. But I enjoyed him anyway. Sometimes if the plot device ain’t broke…

What I didn’t care for, though, was Willa, or at least how her personality was drawn out by Alaric. In public, she is very prim and proper, if a little bookish. But when she’s in private with Alaric, she’s confident and care-free. However, it felt more like an abrupt change in character than an actual character arc. She never felt like she was holding back in public, so her “real” personality felt inauthentic.

I didn’t care for the villain, the love-crazed woman who wrote the play. She was a weird mix of religious fanatic and teeny-bopper and it didn’t work for me. Maybe if I saw more of her background I would like her as a villain more. Her mental instability wasn’t well fleshed out at all. She was instead a half-baked plot device. The bloodthirsty Lady Helena Biddle who hunted Alaric before disappearing less than halfway through the story would have been a better villain. Yes, she was two-dimensional, but at least she made sense.

However, people looking for a run-of-the-mill Regency will probably enjoy Wilde in Love. It didn’t give me any thrills, but I bet these characters will resonate well with other readers.

Have you read Wilde in Love? What did you think?

Get Wilde in Love at your local bookstore.

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The Wildes of Lidow Castle #4, A fun Historical Romance by Eloisa James. Boadicea "Betsy" Wilde has spent the last few years trying not to give anyone the impression that she takes after her mother, a mother who abandoned her children when she ran off with another man. Betsy's first year at a school taught her the rumors and whispers that were about her mother, her sister, and herself. Betsy was determined that not only was she nothing like her mother but she would prove the other girls wrong at school by getting more offers for marriage then any of them, and she did but she accepted no one.

Lord Jeremy Roden is a hero, but he doesn't feel like one. He charged his men into battle and lost every single one of his men. It was the fault of another cowardly man but Jeremy is blaming himself. To society, because he was the lone survivor, he's the coward but all the important people know the truth and he has the Wildes on his side. He's had a hard time coming home he thinks of himself as a failure. The only bright spot in his self inflicted misery is Betsy. He enjoys arguing with her and refusing to play billiards with her it isn't until the son of a Duke offers for her that Jeremy realizes he doesn't want to lose her.

Betsy decides she wants and adventure before she finally accepts this last marriage proposal but she needs someone's help,  she convinces Jeremy to finally play a game of billiards with her and if she wins he has to escort her, while she's dressed as a man, to some place where only men are allowed to go. After she wins he manages to talk her down from a five day drive to London to go to Whites to go to the nearby town to an auction but only with a chaperone. A whole group ends up going along with Betsy and Jeremy, and surprisingly enough not only does her aunt want to join her in dressing like a man so does her maybe future mother-in-law.

I loved the relationship between Betsy and Jeremy how they started as friends bickering back and forth and Betsy who never realized how much he likes her kept brushing off certain comments that is until he kissed her to prove he desired her. But because her feeling about her mother she never wanted to feel desire like that, that would prove she was just like her mother. Once Jeremy realizes just how deep his own feelings go he keeps asking Betsy to say no to the duke.

Overall, it was a fun and enjoyable read with minimal drama and angst and what little there is is dealt with easily. I loved that Jeremy nicknamed Betsy, Queen Bess, saying it was far more appropriate for her than Betsy. Eloisa James is one of my absolute favorite historical romance writers, her characters are so real and the situations they find themselves in are always wonderful to read she's brilliant at what she does. I really can't wait for more Wildes to find their HEAs.   

Lady Betsy Wilde’s first season was a smashing success and all of society loves the image of a perfectly proper lady she presents.  But there’s one type of man she hasn’t netted a proposal from: a duke.  Then one comes along, the nice, proper sort of future duke Betsy knows she should marry.  There is just one problem…one very grumpy, unruly, deeply wounded problem: her brother’s best friend, Lord Jeremy Roden.

Jeremy came back from war a changed man.  Haunted by the past, he knows he’s not suited for Betsy.  But their verbal sparring sparks life in him for the first time and Jeremy can’t seem to stay away.  It’s not long before he’s falling for Betsy, the real Betsy that not many see, the wild, bold woman she keeps hidden.  But Betsy has a life planned out for herself, one that includes marrying the ideal duke.  Can Jeremy convince her to say no the duke and yes to a man with a scarred but loving heart?

Say No to the Duke is by turns playful, sensual, heartbreaking, and hopeful.  Eloisa James’s fourth Wildes of Lindow Castle tale is so engaging that I devoured it in one sitting.  Betsy and Jeremy just grabbed my heart from the first page and didn’t let go.

Betsy, the oldest daughter of the Wilde brood, carries a hidden fear: that she will be judged by society because of her mother’s actions.  Her mother created a scandal when she abandoned her husband and children to run away with her Prussian lover.  Betsy’s teenage years were spent shaping a demure, perfect façade to prove that she’s nothing like her mother.  Society takes her at face value, but Jeremy easily sees beneath the surface.  He sees the fire and passion Betsy hides and he needles it out of her in hidden moments that make the first part of this book snap and sparkle.  I loved watching Betsy come into her own and embrace the part of herself she keeps hidden.  She’s a bright, wonderful heroine who charmed the heck out of me.  As for Jeremy, he’s a war hero who sees himself as anything but.  He has PTSD and though falling for Betsy doesn’t cure it, the entire Wilde family’s care and acceptance of him gives him the support and time to start to heal.  Jeremy is also quick, incredibly observant, and not afraid to shake things up.  Both of them need to learn to learn self-acceptance, and their personal journeys are fantastic.  As a couple, they make my heart sing.  Sparks fly between them for the first part of the book and I didn’t think it could get any better.  But when they give into their attraction Say No to the Duke shines.  Jeremy and Betsy’s romance is sensual, playful, and heartwarming.  I just loved it.

Say No to the Duke can be read as a standalone if you don’t mind some spoilers from previous Wildes of Lindow Castle books.  The Wilde family is quite large and vivacious, but though I love them all I was glad Ms. James kept the supporting cast of this book rather small.  It allowed the focus to remain on Betsy and Jeremy while still adding some Wilde sparkle, mostly in the form of Aunt Knowe, a character so awesome I wish she were my aunt.  I can’t think of anything I didn’t love about Say No to the Duke.  It’s a fast-paced, utterly addictive story with engaging, well-rounded characters, a refreshing lack of false drama, and a romance that made me smile.  Joyfully Recommended!

Recommended Read.  Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed.

Lord Alaric Wilde, son of the Duke of Lindow, is the most celebrated man in England, revered for his dangerous adventures and rakish good looks. Arriving home from years abroad, he has no idea of his own celebrity until his boat is met by mobs of screaming ladies. Alaric escapes to his father’s castle, but just as he grasps that he’s not only famous but notorious, he encounters the very private, very witty, Miss Willa Ffynche.

Willa presents the façade of a serene young lady to the world. Her love of books and bawdy jokes is purely for the delight of her intimate friends. She wants nothing to do with a man whose private life is splashed over every newspaper.

Alaric has never met a woman he wanted for his own . . . until he meets Willa. He’s never lost a battle.

But a spirited woman like Willa isn’t going to make it easy. . . .

"She wanted a husband who, although he might not share her interest in bonnets, would nevertheless respect her fascination with the artistry of fashion, in the ways clothing could transform a person."

*** ABOUT THE BOOK ***

Title: Born to Be Wilde (The Wildes of Lindow Castle #3)

Author: Eloisa James

Genre: Historical Romance

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*** BOOK BLURB ***

For beautiful, witty Lavinia Gray, there's only one thing worse than having to ask the appalling Parth Sterling to marry her: being turned down by him.

Now the richest bachelor in England, Parth is not about to marry a woman as reckless and fashion-obsessed as Lavinia; he's chosen a far more suitable bride.

But when he learns of Lavinia's desperate circumstances, he offers to find her a husband. Even better, he'll find her a prince.

As usual, there's no problem Parth can't fix. But the more time he spends with the beguiling Lavinia, the more he finds himself wondering…

Why does the woman who's completely wrong feel so right in his arms?

*** REVIEW ***

This book can be read as standalone, but to better understand the secondary characters I would recommend first read previous two books in the series.

Born to Be Wilde is kinda "enemies to lovers" type of romance. Story spins around two main characters - Parth and Lavinia - who claim not to care for each other while the opposite is blatantly obvious. 

I liked how through the book Lavinia's self-esteem is growing and she learning new things about herself. And her ingenious way of solving money problems by starting to work was not commonly found in regency romance either.

"Starting this evening, she would be herself around him: not flirtatious, not foolish, not insulting. Herself. No more and no less than her true self. A bonnet lover—an unabashed, unrepentant bonnet lover."

The book has subplots related to addiction and fashion, which for me were more interesting than the main plot. Maybe because it's not often you would find these topics in historical romance.

Overall I liked the book, but it didn't blow my mind. It was just fun and light story.