His Wayward Ward

Risque Regency #4

by Kate Harper

Eliza knows exactly what she wants from life and has already found the man of her dreams in the handsome Mr. Henry. But she hadn't counted on the intervention of her guardian, the wicked Lord Carlton. Carlton has come by his responsibilities by default and is determined not to let the sudden intrusion of two feckless orphans interfere with his pleasures. But then he meets Eliza and the sparks start to fly. Can Eliza persuade Lord Carlton that she knows her own heart? Especially when the man seems determined to change everything she thinks she knows about love...

Genres: Romance, Historical, Regency

49 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 14, 2011

About the author

Like most writers I've always read and I've always got something going on in my head, story-wise. Mostly dialogue - at least, I hope that's dialogue and not something more serious - which inevitably makes demands on me.

I can recall lying under my bed when I was nine with a candle, a piece of scrap paper and a pencil, rewriting a disappointing ending to a book that had been pretty good up until those final pages. I'd 'borrowed' a highly unsuitable romance from an elderly lady and had gobbled it down in a day. I took away three things from that first sojourn into making up my own, far more satisfactory world. 1/ the hero really needs to end up with the heroine, no matter how irritating she is cause that is what romance is all about. Happy endings, even if they're unexpected. 2/ I liked storytelling so much that maybe it was something I could do on a regular basis. My people could behave as they were supposed to. And... 3/ burning a candle under a pile of highly combustible bedding is a really stupid thing to do. Or so my mother pointed out. I'm lucky I'm not toast.

Writing is a wonderful escape and nothing says run away with me better than romance. So that's what I pursue... historical (particularly Regency... oh man, Regency. Where the men wore breeches and the women appreciated the fact), suspense and contemporary. You can always check them out on Amazon or at www.kate-harper.com. On a more personal note, I live with my partner (no breeches), my kids and a hoard of animals that shed fur into my coffee on a regular basis. We live in a particularly beautiful part of Victoria, in Australia and feel pretty lucky to do so.

Reviews

[Jo Reads Romance · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing and not recommended
2 stars

Eliza has already got her perfect man and the pair have plans to marry. Now all she must do is convince her newly appointed guardian, the wicked rake Lord Julius Carlton, to give his consent.

One meeting between Carlton and Eliza and sparks fly. But will this rake realise where his heart lies before he loses Eliza forever and will Eliza realise that the perfect man might be in the last place she expected to find him?

I was quite looking forward to this story. Billed as a risqué Regency romance and at only 89p what could go wrong? Quite a lot, as it turns out.

I have read and enjoyed a number of stories where wards and guardians get together and never before have I read one where I felt slightly uncomfortable by the relationship between the two. Eliza is 18 but young with it. She's naive, hot tempered and brattish. In contrast, Carlton is 32 and a disillusioned rake. There was just something off about their interactions in my opinion. Perhaps it was because he continually referred to her as a child or girl that, to be truthful, gave me the creeps.

As well as that, there were a large number of typesetting errors which is just sloppy and irritating when you're trying to get into a story.

The story itself was very short but you know something's not going quite right when you feel a little bored and unenthusiastic about the story even with such limited pages. The writing wasn't terrible (hence the 2 stars rather than just 1) but it seriously lacked any emotion or depth which made it doubly hard to feel anything for the characters.

My last complaint has to be about the term 'risqué' romance because it wasn't in the least sexy or sensual. Perhaps that harks back to the lack of emotion in the text but I still think it's terribly misleading and makes the story even more of a disappointment.

Overall, even at only 89p I really can't recommend this story and would suggest you avoid.

[Stephen Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This amazing series marches on

This is another brilliant story in this series which is marching on with gusto. This plot has some wonderful characters, and a spicy start as well as a steamy finish.

[Adriana · Rating 3 out of 5]

His Wayward Ward by Kate Harper

This was a nice quick story about Eliza and her guardian Lord Julius Carlton.

“Carlton was in his thirties and quite old.” Thirty is practically ancient to 18 year old Eliza. She thought he would be an overfed and overdressed ugly man. She has already lined up her husband-to-be until her guardian decides to pay an unexpected call on his charges in the country. What she got was far removed from her vision of him. “Carlton was a blade; sharp and hard and well built.” Oh My! Old indeed…LOL Can she appreciate the experience that comes with age you ask? Mmmm

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short story with some charm, but definitely not "Risque" as mentioned.
I enjoyed reading this book and will be sure to read other Kate Harper books in the future. Having read most of this author's work, I was little disappointed - only by the predictability of it. However, still a good read.

[Jody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wasn't really what I was expecting. He meets his ward, decides to present her to London society and is determined to keep her suitor away. Only to fall for her himself. Not as much drama and funny / scandalous situations to match my expectations.

[P. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really just a long short story it suffered from its consequence.

[Τοημεε · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too short though