Utterly Devoted

Uncommon Courtships #4

by Regina Scott

The beautiful, sought-after Eloise Watkin has a painful secret, and he's just walked back into her life. Renowned rake Jareth Darby vows he is reformed and seeks only forgiveness from the woman he wronged five years ago. How can Eloise settle for sweet revenge when what she truly wants is his love? Recommended in The Ultimate Reading List as one of the best Regency romances of the last decade. Regency Romance by Regina Scott; originally published by Zebra

Genres: Romance, Regency, Historical, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Christian Fiction, Lost Love

220 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2002

About the author

Regina Scott started writing novels in the third grade. Thankfully for literature as we know it, she didn’t actually sell her first novel until she had learned a bit more about writing. Since her first Regency romance was published in 1998, her stories have traveled the globe, with translations in many languages including Dutch, German, Italian, and Portuguese. She is now the author of more than 50 works of warm, witty historical romance.

She and her husband of 30 years reside in Washington State on the way to Mt. Rainier. Regina Scott has driven four in hand, learned to fence, sailed on a tall ship, and dressed as a Regency dandy, all in the name of research, of course. Sign up for her free alert service to hear when the next book will be out or on sale at https://subscribe.reginascott.com/. You can find her online blogging at www.nineteenteen.com. Learn more about her at www.reginascott.com and connect with her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authorreginascott .

Reviews

[Kathy * Bookworm Nation · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this when it was published as Utterly Devoted.

So, I was curious about Eloise’s story and was glad she got her own book. I kind of wish she could have gotten a better hero though. I liked Eloise, she has really changed a lot since we were first introduced to her in The Irredeemable Miss Renfield. She wants to be respected and is trying to become a true lady. She has surrounded herself with good friends and is even being courted by a respectable gentlemen. Then her old flame Jareth returns to town. Jareth claims he wants to reform. Actually, he is dirt broke and his brother wants him to reform. In fact, his brother wants him to seek forgiveness from all the women he had wronged. I did like that Eloise wasn’t going to forgive him so easily, I thought it was a fun idea that she would put him through three different tests to earn her forgiveness. He actually only does two and it seems like the tests are forgotten as the story evolves and I still don’t think he past the first test. Half way during the test he starts to make a joke about the whole thing. Personally, I wouldn’t have passed him. But, Eloise is a sap and does anyway. Anyway, Jareth begins to rethink their past and realize just how much he hurt Eloise and truly wants to change and get her forgiveness. Overall, I thought it was an okay story. Jareth makes a bad first impression and he never won me over. He seemed like a slacker and not that great of a catch. Eloise can’t get enough of him though, so owell.

I think the reason why I just never warmed to Jareth was because of his past with Eloise. I’m not sure exactly how old he is supposed to be at the time, but it’s safe in assuming he is at least in his early twenties and she is fifteen when they first meet. He claims he thinks she is a teacher at the school Eloise attends (yeah, that’ll hold up in court “But Judge, she looked eighteen!” Yeah, right!) At this point he is already well on his way to becoming a rake. He sees his time with Eloise as a passing fancy and has no serious intentions. Eloise on the other hand is lonely and falls for his charms thinking he loves her (he said he did) and that they will marry, etc. They spend a few weeks together and he eventually tires of just kisses and ends up seducing her. When the deed is done Cloe (another student) finds them and he runs off. Never to be heard of again. Eloise is stuck with all the ramifications of her actions. Her headmistress finds out, forces an abortion (even though she was never pregnant, but just to be sure), and spends the next five years fearful that her secret would get out. It really ticked me off that he thought so little of Eloise and would take advantage of someone so young. He learns she is a student and in this time period a girls reputation is everything. He gave no thought to anyone but himself. Even as the story progresses I never got the feeling that he truly understood what he had done. I really think Eloise forgave him too easily and truly deserved someone so much better than Jareth. I just didn’t like him, at all. I've read a lot of regencies, and almost all of them have rakes as "heros" and in all of those they all draw the line at seducing innocents. Yet, Jareth had no problem with that. He saught Eloise out, seduced her, and gave her very little thought after. He had no compassion for her situation. And for that I think he is worse than a lot of other rakes I've read about. You know, if he had truly changed before the story started and he really came back to London as a changed man, I would have believed in their relationship. He comes back though with such a flippant attitude that I just had a hard time believing that he would really remain faithful. I’m sure he will at first, but in the long run I have my doubts.

Content: Clean. Mild innuendo.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jareth Darby has returned from exile in Italy in order to reform his reputation and earn some money. Before his disapproving older brother Justinian will hand over the reins to Cheddar Cliffs, Jareth must make amends to the ladies he wronged in the past. Easy peasy! The ladies seem willing to forgive him, all except Eloise Watkin, the one he let get away in his callow youth. Eloise is furious. How dare Jareth return now? Five years ago when she was a 15-year-old schoolgirl, she fell madly in love with Jareth Darby. Eloise would have done anything for him, even give up her virtue in a hayloft. She nearly did until they were interrupted by a vengeful classmate, Cleo Renfield ([book:The Irredeemable Miss Renfield). Jareth disappeared without a trace, leaving Eloise alone to face the consequences. She has spent a lot of time over the last year trying to make amends herself and now she is on the verge of a successful match. Should she settle for marriage without love or forgive Jareth for ruining her life? Is he really reformed?

This is a revised version of Regina Scott's early book Utterly Devoted. I put off reading it because I HATED Jareth in The Mistletoe Kitten and I really didn't care for Eloise in The Irredeemable Miss Renfield. However, when Regina Scott said this book was one of her most highly acclaimed books and her personal favorite hero, I had to try it. I can't say I loved it, there are a few problems with it, but I didn't hate it.

This book still needs editing. There are some minor typos in the Smashwords edition. The phrase "utterly devoted" is uttered way way way too many times (see what I did there). Given the revised title of the book, it did not need to appear more than once or twice. The plot was boring. It was fairly straightforward. The "villain" is a minor one without evil intent. The concluding events were over-the-top cheesy and heartwarming. I found the whole drama rather unrealistic.

I did like the parts where Eloise tests Jareth. The best test is when Eloise makes Jareth come to a home for reforming prostitutes to teach them how to resist being seduced. It's funny, sweet and very sad at the same time. If you think the Regency era was fun and lovely, read that section of the book.

I still don't like Jareth. I can't forgive him easily. He made a crude comment about Norrie, he seduced a teenage girl (thinking she was a teacher, but what gave him the right to seduce a teacher?) without a second thought. He's paid his price and he has grown up a lot. He has his good points but he just isn't the reformed rake for me. Eloise is also not my favorite. She wasn't very nice and now she's a saint. She's complicated. She had her heart broken and now she's built up walls Jareth intends to break down. She can't make up her mind whether to forgive Jareth or not yet she believes him when he tries to explain his behavior. That sounds like forgiveness to me. The one thing that bothers me about their relationship is that he is still hiding something from her at the end and he doesn't tell her where he intends to live or how he'll make money. She assumes he's wealthy and living with his brother.

I loved the cameos from Norrie, Cleo and Margaret, now all happily married. If you haven't read the previous books in the series, this one tells you who they marry (which is pretty obvious anyway but just in case you didn't want to know- beware!) I felt really bad for Portia. She's the main secondary character. She doesn't have a backstory but it's obvious what her backstory is from her actions. She shows Eloise what her life would have been like without Cleo.

I'm glad I completed the series finally, if only to see how the previous characters are faring.

[Kathy * Bookworm Nation · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

So, I was curious about Eloise’s story and was glad she got her own book. I kind of wish she could have gotten a better hero though. I liked Eloise, she has really changed a lot since we were first introduced to her in The Irredeemable Miss Renfield. She wants to be respected and is trying to become a true lady. She has surrounded herself with good friends and is even being courted by a respectable gentlemen. Then her old flame Jareth returns to town. Jareth claims he wants to reform. Actually, he is dirt broke and his brother wants him to reform. In fact, his brother wants him to seek forgiveness from all the women he had wronged. I did like that Eloise wasn’t going to fogive him so easily, I thought it was a fun idea that she would put him through three different tests to earn her forgiveness. He actually only does two and it seems like the tests are forgotten as the story evolves and I still don’t think he past the first test. Half way during the test he starts to make a joke about the whole thing. Personally, I wouldn’t have passed him. But, Eloise is a sap and does anyway. Anyway, Jareth begins to rethink their past and realize just how much he hurt Eloise and truly wants to change and get her forgiveness. Overall, I thought it was an okay story. Jareth makes a bad first impression and he never won me over. He seemed like a slacker and not that great of a catch. Eloise can’t get enough of him though, so owell.

I think the reason why I just never warmed to Jareth was because of his past with Eloise. I’m not sure exactly how old he is supposed to be at the time, but it’s safe in assuming he is at least in his early twenties and she is fifteen when they first meet. He claims he thinks she is a teacher at the school Eloise attends (yeah, that’ll hold up in court “But Judge, she looked eighteen!” Yeah, right!) At this point he is already well on his way to becoming a rake. He sees his time with Eloise as a passing fancy and has no serious intentions. Eloise on the otherhand is lonely and falls for his charms thinking he loves her (afterall he said he did) and that they will marry, etc. They spend a few weeks together and he eventually tires of just kisses and ends up seducing her. When the deed is done Cloe (another student) finds them and he runs off. Never to be heard of again. Eloise is stuck with all the ramifications of her actions. Her headmistress finds out, forces an abortion (even though she was never pregnant, but just to be sure), and spends the next five years fearful that her secret would get out. It really ticked me off that he thought so little of Eloise and would take advantage of someone so young. He learns she is a student and in this time period a girls reputation is everything. He gave no thought to anyone but himself. Even as the story progresses I never got the feeling that he truly understood what he had done. I really think Eloise forgave him too easily and truly deserved someone so much better than Jareth. I just didn’t like him, at all. I've read a lot of regencies, and almost all of them have rakes as "heros" and in all of those they all draw the line at seducing innocents. Yet, Jareth had no problem with that. He saught Eloise out, seduced her, and gave her very little thought after. He had no compassion for her situation. And for that I think he is worse than a lot of other rakes I've read about. You know, if he had truly changed before the story started and he really came back to London as a changed man, I would have believed in their relationship. He comes back though with such a flippant attitude that I just had a hard time believing that he would really remain faithful. I’m sure he will at first, but in the long run I have my doubts.

Content: Clean. Mild innuendo.

Reading Order:
The Unflappable Miss Fairchild
The Irredeemable Miss Renfield
Utterly Devoted

[Sherri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very cute! I liked the authors writing style. I liked it so much so, that I am now reading another book by the same author, and so far I am loving it!

[Fides · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the same book as Unwilling Miss Watkin.

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by this author. I'm usually fairly critical of flaws that I encounter in books, and not easily impressed. A book has to be notably above average to earn four stars from me, as this one did. I found the characters and story believable (for the time), imaginative, and enjoyable.

I don't understand why some other reviewers did not like the male lead. I was persuaded by his recognition of his poorly lived past, and his honest desire to turn his life around. From the point in time at which the new phase of his life begins, he did not do anything that I found reprehensible.

As for the female lead, I found the reasons behind her reluctance to forgive and accept him entirely believable, and her eventual catharsis and acceptance also believable and satisfying.

The only part that seemed a little too pat was the swift and squeaky clean resolution of the issue of "the other woman" (such as she was).

I intend to look further in into this series, and other books by this author.

[Catherine Sullivan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoy Regina Scott’s writing but did not really care for the main character, Eloise. She appeared in a previous book, cast in quite a different light, and I didn’t adjust well to seeing her as the heroine now. The hero’s actions and motivations were also quite unbelievable based on his past history.

[Carolina Colleene · Rating 2 out of 5]

Language: PG (3 swears, 0 "f"); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
The mature content rating is for alcohol use, innuendo, and mentions of prostitution, sexual harassment, and rape. The violence rating is for mentions of assault, gun use, domestic violence, sexual assault, and suicide.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glad to see Eloise finally get to have her happily ever after with Jareth Darby. It was good to see them both change for the better and find a true and lasting love for each other in spite of what others thought.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this series and I think this last one was the best of all 4. Regina Scott is a new-to-me author and I look forward to exploring more of her books in the coming months.

[Simo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I despised the H, he's not just a rake, much worse. He took the h's virginity when she was 15 and then disappeared without a word. Statutory rape anyone?

[Ed-Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Regency romance of Eloise Watkin and Jareth Darby.

[ChristineZ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful surprise of a book. Gave it five stars because I was so pleased to find a new author without glaring historical errors and annoying characters.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun easy read. Clean, references her hidden downfall in her youth and talks of her regret.

[Michele Chovanec · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic series. Loved every character.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was actually a relief that the two main characters did not fall into some misunderstanding from a lack of communication.

[Nellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a clean, fun story. I enjoyed the characters, and the whole series was good.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Unwilling Miss Watkin by Regina Scott
Uncommon Courtships Series Book Four
Miss Eloise Watkin was a changed young woman this past year. Thanks to her friend Cleo and her husband, Les. She no longer tried to gain love by her actions. Life was going along well, perhaps she'd even have an offer soon. She never expected a ghost to show up from her past and change everything.

Lord Jareth Darby had been a rogue. Well, he was still struggling to overcome his appreciation for women, but he'd promised his brother to reform. He'd hit bottom and to have a place to live and earn money—his brother required him to ask forgiveness from the women he'd hurt. Only one was left on the list and his Darby pride dreaded facing her. Eloise Watkin.

Confusion from five years earlier has followed these two characters and finally brought them together for closure. Jareth needed forgiveness, but had no idea the mess he'd left Eloise to face alone. Eloise still carries her hurt and doesn't trust Jarith. Another fantastic, page-turning story in this series.
http://justjudysjumbles.blogspot.com/...

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Unwilling Miss Watkin by Regina Scott
Uncommon Courtships Series Book Four
Miss Eloise Watkin was a changed young woman this past year. Thanks to her friend Cleo and her husband, Les. She no longer tried to gain love by her actions. Life was going along well, perhaps she'd even have an offer soon. She never expected a ghost to show up from her past and change everything.

Lord Jareth Darby had been a rogue. Well, he was still struggling to overcome his appreciation for women, but he'd promised his brother to reform. He'd hit bottom and to have a place to live and earn money—his brother required him to ask forgiveness from the women he'd hurt. Only one was left on the list and his Darby pride dreaded facing her. Eloise Watkin.

Confusion from five years earlier has followed these two characters and finally brought them together for closure. Jareth needed forgiveness, but had no idea the mess he'd left Eloise to face alone. Eloise still carries her hurt and doesn't trust Jarith. Another fantastic, page-turning story in this series.
http://justjudysjumbles.blogspot.com/...

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Jareth Darby, a rake, is back in England after a absense of three years. He is now penniless and has accepted his titled brother's offer to own one of his estates only if Mr. Darby can get the forgiveness of all the women he has wronged in the past.

Miss Eloise Watkin, 20, is one of those women he must get forgivness from.

I found it to be an entertaining and funny read. Miss Watkin doesn't forgive him instantly but intstead gives him three tasks he must accomplish first in order to gain her forgiveness. He accepts her taks since he is eager to show he is an reformed rake.

Wish the book was a little longer, it felt a little rushed towards the end.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This pleasant Regency romance is a staple in the genre but the plot is a bit contrived. Left in the lurch by the rake Jareth Darby after he loved her and left her, Eloise denies his attraction when they meet again several years later. He is determined to reform himself and begs her forgiveness. To earn her regard, he promises to pass three tests, but neither of them count on falling in love. Can Eloise get over the past in order to accept her future?

[suzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much better than 'The Irredeemable Miss Renfield' though I'm still not fully satisfied with this one. I can't fathom why Jareth didn't think Eloise should hate him even after he discovered that she's not a teacher. I liked that Eloise changed for herself though and the scenes with her father was awesome.

[Vampire-lk · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED THIS STORY!!!!!!

It was a sweet regency era novel!!! Can count on Zebra Regency/Signet books to keep it clean & provide a witty storyline!! Loved the characters!! A great escape into the regency era down a path of true love reunited!!!!!! :)

[Sylvia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Regency

[Trisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

June challenge

not as bad as romance normally is but still pretty awful....glad I finished it.

[Alisha Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

i loved seeing both sides of jareth n eloises story, cloe n her fierce loyalty edged on annoying but cute in protecting her friend