The Husband Hunt

Madison Sisters #3

by Lynsay Sands

Let the hunt begin…

Lisa Madison wants a husband, and she has just the candidate in Robert Langley. Trouble is, the infuriating man insists on seeing her as the impish girl she once was—even as every other gentleman in London has taken notice of her womanly... charms. When her beauty lands her in danger, it's Robert who comes to the rescue, only to announce his affections are not of the romantic kind!

Robert saw enough sorrow in his parents' union to know he wants nothing to do with marriage, which is exactly what he'll be trapped into if he acts on his desire for the irksome siren. And then Lisa does what Robert least gives up on him! As feigned indifference gives way, blistering passion burns at last. But just before the pair can succumb to hard-won bliss, an enemy with unfinished business lurks, threatening to destroy them both.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Regency, Audiobook, Fiction

389 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 28, 2012

About the author

LYNSAY SANDS is the nationally bestselling author who is known for her hysterical historicals as well as the popular Argeneau/Rogue Hunter vampire series. With her witty and charming personality, Sands describes books as, “Waking dreams or stories, tales to amuse, entertain and distract us from everyday life.” She’s been writing stories since grade school and considers herself incredibly lucky to be able to make a career out of it. Her hope is that readers can get away from their everyday stress through her stories, and if there are occasional uncontrollable fits of laughter, that’s just a big bonus. Visit her official website at www.lynsaysands.net.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

It started off as a fairly cute story with a spunky heroine, but the more I read...the less I liked it.
Lisa seemed less and less spunky, and more and more idiotic.
The hero of the story, Robert, wasn't anything to write home about, either. I just couldn't buy into his irrational fear that the men in his family were cursed to have unfaithful wives. It seemed silly after a while.
Speaking of silly...how many times does someone have to attempt to kidnap you before you start carrying a weapon around in your dress? The evil villain just came off as ridiculous after a while.

These are all things that bugged me more after I finished it, than they did while I was reading it.
So it wasn't that the book that was hard to finish, but I doubt I'd recommend this one to friends.

[Melissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read the first two Madison sisters books - thought they had some funny situations, diverting, etc. and so I preordered the third book.... Oops. I would have DNF'd this title except it wasn't very long so by the time I was well-and-truly not impressed I was over halfway through.

Things that rubbed me wrong:
1) Lisa (and the maid) not knowing that Mrs. Morgan doesn't have a respectable address or noticing that something truly "hinky" was going on when they got there.
2) Lisa developing a strange attachment to the see-through lingerie she's forced into at the brothel after being essentially Roofied and almost raped. She wears it for Robert later...WTF?
3) Bad dude can be seen coming nearly a mile away. Lisa has two brothers-in-law who seem well-placed to investigate the man yet they seem to know nothing.
4) Christiana and Suzette (the three girls in this family have almost laughable names) dress up as prostitutes to enter a house and distract servants used to abusing women...worst. plan. ever.
5) Lisa gets kidnapped/attempted kidnapped five times in this book. You'd think she'd learn about running off on her own to strange addresses....
6) Worst foreshadowing ever: the window in Lisa's room has a lock that doesn't work right...and how does the villain enter the house later? dum, dum, daaaaahhhh

I enjoyed some of Sands historical novels before but this one was ridiculous. Starting to wish I hadn't purchased it.

[Lori ◡̈]

No rating, DNF at 15%

I was warned. Every review I saw complained about how TSTL this heroine was. Even my friends that are heavy handed with their 5-stars ratings had rated this low. But this book had been sitting on my TBR shelf for 10 yrs so I decided to give it a shot of reading to at least 20%. Well, I made it to 15%, no point in going further.

Yes, she was a complete airhead, got herself into ridiculous situations and after reading more reviews, all further shenanigans would have had me throwing my iPad. Not my type of cute and charming.

Final series result: all 3 books were rated 1-star, or less.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐⭐
2 stars.

A somewhat OK read.
But the heroine is too naive and foolish …. and she behaves very idiotically.
And it was too obvious who the villain was.
So much was too over the top in the plot/story.

[BookLover · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lynsay Sands is one of my go-to authors. Her stories are funny and full of ridiculous awesomeness.

This is the final book in the Madison Sisters trilogy. I loved the first 2 books but did NOT like this one. I found Lisa’s character to be so dumb she gives new meaning to the word airhead.

Lisa is trying to move on from her unreturned love of Robert. At the same time, Lisa narrowly escapes a kidnapping and subsequent forced marriage. I don’t know about any of you, but I think something like that happening to me would bring along some common sense in trying to stay safe.

But not Lisa. No, instead, Lisa continuously puts herself in personal danger to get away from Robert, who she is trying to get over. She allows herself to be alone with suitors, knowing one of them could be her would-be kidnapper. I can forgive those decisions, but when she she carelessly goes alone to a seedy part of the city, all in an effort to not require protection from Robert, I was pretty much done with the story. I couldn’t even bring myself to care about what happened to her.

This one was a miss for me.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only reason for me to read this book was the obvious one: I needed to know what happens at the end of this series. Now, having read the other two books (‘The Countess’ and ‘The Heiress’ and reviewed them here and here), I knew what to expect and surprisingly enough, that didn’t bother me much. I was ready for this one and I was thrilled that it took place two years after the other two books. Our heroine thinks herself not just older but wiser, and decides that waiting for the affections of our hero just might be in vain, so she sets out to choose a husband for herself.

And off we go on an adventure , or misadventure, with Lisa and Robert.
Reading this book was like watching a train wreck. I just couldn’t avert my eyes and avoid the obvious from the plot and the identity of the villan to the stupidity of the heroine. Seriously, this chick needed for someone to knock some sence into her! Yet I kept reading it!

This is not my first time reading Lynsay Sands and even though I never read any of her Vampire books, I thought the ones I read (‘The Switch’ and ‘Love is Blind’) were very good, interesting and quite entertaining. I’ve ‘The Deed’ still on my TBR and one of these days will get to it.

If you’re in a mood for some silliness and need a lighthearted read, this will fit the bill. It will make you laugh but the story in itself will have you cringe at times.
In the end, I recommend it only to those that have read the other two books, and if you haven’t yet had a chance to read the other two, don’t start with this one. You’re better off getting the two that I recommended, ‘The Switch’ and ‘Love is Blind’. They were short, well written with sweet romance and witty dialogue, and really fun to read.

Mel

*Copy provided by AVON publisher through Edelweiss*

[Elb4966 · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you like the theme "Women who are too stupid to thrive" then you want to read this book. I could not finish it because I can't imagine someone that stupid. She doesn't even have the excuse of being naive because apparently something sinister happened to her sisters before her, so her eyes should have been open to the ways of the world. If by some chance that didn't happen, her kidnapping (Within the first 2 chapters) should have made her become more concerned about the potential danger she could possibly face. Instead, she focuses on making a guy jealous and continues to place herself in danger. Not even becoming concerned that the people who kidnapped and the ones who hired the kidnapper are still on the loose.

The 5 people who know of the danger she is in: 1. Lisa- she is more concerned about catching her man 2. maid- concerned about helping her catch her man 3 and 4. brother in laws- concerned about getting her man to notice Lisa exists so that they can be married and 5. Her Man - the only one who seems concerned about the danger she is in, but he can't concentrate because he is beginning to desire Lisa.

Because of this unrealistic character behavior, I must give it 2 stars.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books that I enjoyed quite a bit, but recognize that it’s got a lot of flaws. So if you’re in the mood for a fun, fast-moving story about a hero and heroine who were clearly meant for each other, then look no further. Just know going in that you’re going to have to “just go with it” in order to get full enjoyment.


The book starts with the heroine, Lisa, at a brothel getting drugged by the Madame, whom she’d stupidly thought of as a friend. The Madame reveals she was paid by a particular suitor who wants to rape Lisa in order to force a marriage. Lisa’s maid manages to escape to find Robert, Lisa’s childhood friend, whom she’s been in love with forever, though he claims to think of her as a sister.

While she awaits rescue, the Madame comes back, forces Lisa to drink some kind of drug, and has her dressed in a see-through gown to await her suitor. Then Robert climbs through the window to save her in the nick of time. He’s pretty shocked to see Lisa’s shapely body on full display, and it jolts him out of his self-enforced determination to always see her as a little girl with pigtails. Lisa is totally loopy and uninhibited because of the drugs so she confesses her love for Robert for what is apparently the hundredth time. He, wrestling with an inconvenient erection and unable to tear his eyes away from her body, insists that he doesn’t feel the same. Even in her inebriated state, this hurts Lisa’s feelings and she says that maybe she should turn her attentions to finding a different man then. Robert says that he wishes she would. Lisa runs into her house in tears.

Then she bizarrely only takes a nap and then is ready to go to a ball. Apparently being kidnapped and drugged aren’t enough for her to want to take the night off. In fact, she doesn’t even really think of her experience as an ordeal. She’s much more upset by what Robert said in the carriage, and she’s determined to move on from him. So she plans to throw herself into the titular Husband Hunt. There’s one guy in particular, Findley, whom she remembers from her last trip to London. He was handsome and she hopes to see him again.

Meanwhile, Robert runs back to the brothel to try to determine the name of the suitor, but the Madame escapes. Robert hires a Bow Street Runner to track her down, but in the meantime needs to see that Lisa is protected. So he follows her to the same ball and then pulls her brothers-in-law into a side room. The BILs then conspire to make it so that Robert has to guard Lisa himself. See, both men know that Robert loves Lisa as much as she does him, he’s just not ready to admit it. So they figure that throwing them together will be just the thing to make him come around. They also seem remarkably unconcerned about this would-be kidnapper/rapist/forced husband.

Lisa is a smashing success at the ball and all the eligible men fall all over themselves to catch her attention. It’s like a balm to her self-esteem, after all these years of being rejected by Robert. And Findley is there and he’s charming and very interested in her. Robert, on the other hand, is feeling very grumpy at having to watch all these young bucks dancing with Lisa. When Findley tries to steal a kiss on the terrace, Robert interrupts and drags Lisa away.

The next morning, Robert moves into Lisa’s house to protect her. He can barely take his eyes off her, but still maintains that he doesn’t want to marry her or anyone. Robert’s backstory is that he’s been raised to believe that the men in his family are cursed to always wed unfaithful women. And, in point of fact, both his mother and grandmother had rather public affairs. His mother hadn’t even waited the traditional mourning period after his father’s death before moving in with her lover. So Robert is quite sure his own marriage would be doomed to the same fate. Therefore, he won’t marry until he absolutely has to, to produce an heir.

The next bit of the book centers around Lisa going to various functions with her adoring suitors, and Robert following her in order to keep her safe. There are three men who really catch Lisa’s fancy, but Findley is the front-runner. During another outing, he gets Lisa alone and again almost kisses her, but Robert breaks it up and drags her back home, lecturing her on how she’s taking chances with her life by going off alone. Lisa basically tells him to buzz off. That she’s trying to find a husband and she can’t do that if he’s constantly interrupting.

That night at a ball, she and Findley again go out on the terrace and this time he does kiss her. She’s conflicted about the experience. She’s always wanted Robert to be her first kiss. But since he didn’t want her, she felt like she needed to try with Findley. And it was pleasant enough. She didn’t realize, however, that Robert was watching. He’d forced himself not to intervene this time, but inside he was seething.

The next day, a bunch of Lisa’s suitors come to call on her at her house and one of them, Pembrook, gives her pastries. She eats them, but soon after she starts vomiting. Since the pastries were the only thing she’d eaten all day, suspicion is cast on them. She’s too sick to go out that night and Robert tends her. After she’s gone to bed, someone comes through her window and tries to kidnap her. Robert is able to save her, but the man gets away. Everyone now suspects that Pembrook is the suitor, since he was the only one who knew she’d be too sick to go out that night.

Lisa’s feeling better by the next day and goes to another party. Robert warns her not to go near Pembrook and she says she won’t. However, through a series of mishaps, Pembrook manages to get her alone in the garden where he tries to kiss her. She’s able to get away, but Robert then accosts her and he’s pissed. Ranting about how he’s trying to keep her safe and the moment his back is turned, she runs off with the one guy he told her to steer clear of.

He pulls her into a dark room where he starts to berate her for being loose with her favors. She slaps him, and he says he’s going to have to “punish” her. This leads to an impassioned kiss where they’re both wild for each other. Things escalate quickly but then they knock over a table and break apart, realizing how easily they could be found in a compromising position. They exchange some words and Lisa gets in a great zinger about how she needs to get out of the room because she’s “certainly not going to find a husband in here.”

Then she runs right into Findley, who claims her for the next dance. He’s seen the state Lisa and Robert were in and guessed what they were up to so he asks if they are an item. Lisa, unbelievably, blathers on about how Robert was just “punishing her with kisses.” This leads Findley to ask if Robert’s kisses were better than his own, and Lisa suggests that Findley give her a “punishing” kiss as well, for comparison. So he takes her back out to that much-used terrace and gives her a very forceful kiss that she finds cruel rather than exciting.

The next day, she attends a public outing where she wanders off alone to think. She’s confused. Robert’s kisses prove he doesn’t think of her as a sister, but he’s still insisting he’s not interested in marrying her. Robert follows her and she calls him a coward. She says she knows he loves her, but he won’t admit it because he’s afraid of being hurt, then tells him to leave her alone. He does, but he’s barely a few feet away when a masked man jumps out, renders Lisa unconscious, and tries to kidnap her. Robert fights him, getting a minor knife wound in the process.

Lisa wakes up at home, distraught that Robert could have been killed. The BILs and Lisa’s sisters hatch a scheme to try to trap Robert into marrying Lisa. Again, they seem a lot less worried about the attempted kidnapping than in trying to get these two lovebirds together. The plan is for Lisa to seduce Robert while the rest of them are “out” only once she’s good and compromised, they’ll miraculously come back early and “find” them, which will force Robert to do the honorable thing. Lisa isn’t so sure about this. She thinks Robert will hate her when he finds out she set him up, but the sisters insist it’s all for the best because they belong together.

So Lisa puts on the see-through dress that should hold traumatic memories of her near-rape but apparently doesn’t, and goes to see Robert. He needs all of about 5 seconds of “seducing” before he’s on Lisa like a rabid dog. No hesitation, no second thoughts, nothing. Afterward he falls asleep. Lisa decides that she can’t go through with the plan. The entire experience was beautiful for her and she doesn’t want to tarnish it by trying to force Robert to marry her. She thinks they’ll both be miserable if he spends their whole marriage just waiting for her to cheat on him. So when she hears her sisters at the door, she quickly rolls under the bed. Once the sisters leave, Lisa comes out and Robert says they have to marry now because she’s compromised. She tells him that no, they don’t. No one knows what happened between them and that’s how it’ll stay. She won’t let anyone force him into a marriage he doesn’t want. He kind of splutters but can’t really deny it. He still doesn’t have any faith in the institution of marriage, though he acknowledges to himself that if he DID, Lisa would be at the top of his list.

The next day she deliberately avoids Robert, only coming out of her room when Findley arrives to take her on a picnic. She has a nice time and at the end, Findley starts to ask her to be his wife. Robert interrupts him before he can get the words out and then insists Lisa ride back with him. This leads to Lisa and Robert having sex again, this time on the floor of the stable. Robert falls asleep, again, and Lisa takes off, not wanting to have another conversation about why she won’t marry him.

She stays in her room for a while to avoid him, but Robert breaks in via the window, ripping his stitches in the process. This leads to her in his room, helping him re-bandage his wound. He tries to talk about marriage again and she tells him not to, so he switches to seduction and gets her worked up, saying that if they were married, they could enjoy this passion every night. Helpless to fight against their attraction, they have sex again, but Lisa’s in despair because she knows his views on marriage haven’t changed. So as soon as he falls asleep, she leaves. Shortly thereafter, her family bursts into Robert’s room again. Robert is a bit annoyed to find Lisa gone because, if she’d been there, it would have settled the marriage question. He then starts thinking about purposely getting caught, then is shocked with himself.

He gets up to go pace in the middle of the night and Lisa’s BIL finds him and tells him that he’s been thinking about his parents’ marriage all wrong. That Robert’s father was an awful, bitter, woman-hater who made life miserable for Robert’s mother. That while it may be true that the mother eventually cheated, she was probably driven to it by how awful her husband had been. Robert then thinks back to his childhood and remembers going on outings with his mother, only to come home and have his father immediately accuse the mother of being off with a lover. Any time she went anywhere, she faced the yelling, insults, and accusations when she got home. And even though she had eventually taken a lover, it wasn’t until many years later, when his parents had already been living separately and only remained married because of the stigma against divorce. He comes to the realization that the real curse in his family is a legacy of women-hating fathers poisoning their sons with the same thinking, and that if Robert hadn’t grown up knowing Lisa and her sisters and seeing that not all women were cheating whores, he would probably be a much worse person.

The next morning, Lisa decides that she needs to hire herself a bodyguard so that she’s not in forced proximity with Robert anymore. Before she can leave, Findley arrives with a bouquet of flowers. He makes it clear that he wants to marry her, then leaves. Robert overhears and tells her that she can’t marry Findley when she could be pregnant with his child. She needs to marry him instead. Lisa reiterates why she won’t marry him and before Robert can explain about his recent epiphany, he’s told that the Runner he had tracking the Madame has just turned up with news. So he leaves Lisa alone and she runs out of the house and jumps into a hackney without an escort.

The driver drops her in a bad part of town and takes off, then Findley turns up to “rescue” her. In his carriage, he proposes to her outright. Lisa hesitates and Findley turns nasty and reveals he’s been the villain all along. Turns out he’s a predator who likes to torture women sexually and that’s what he wants to do to Lisa. So he takes her to his house and locks her in the basement. He intends to go to that night’s ball to establish an alibi before dragging her off to Gretna Green for a forced marriage. He’s going to begin the torture tonight, when he returns from the ball.

Robert and the BILs figure out that she is missing and the Runner found out from the Madame that Findley was the suitor so they know he must have Lisa. So they go to his house and rescue her without much fuss. Robert gets knocked unconscious in the process. Back home, Lisa goes up to her room only to find Findley there waiting to carry her off. Robert wakes up just in time to see them disappearing out the window. He runs outside and he and the two BILs confront Findley with guns. He runs into the street to get conveniently trampled to death by his own horses.

Back upstairs, Robert gives Lisa a wonderful and heartfelt declaration of love that she completely ruins by acting like a crazy ninny, going on about wanting to record his words to use in a book that she’s suddenly decided she wants to write. It was very cringey. The epilogue picks up a few years later. Both sisters now have children and Lisa is in labor with her first. It’s a girl and Robert says they’ve truly broken his family’s woman-hating curse because you can’t hate women when you have a daughter you adore.

I really liked this one. I liked that Lisa loved Robert so completely, but also that she’d decided to move on and stop being a lovesick puppy dog. I liked Robert’s jealousy and irritation as he came to realize that he’d actually quite liked and counted on Lisa’s love and he felt the loss of it keenly. They sizzled together in sex scenes and I was really rooting for them to get together.

The mystery was easy to figure out, and it was more than a bit ridiculous that no one except Robert seemed to be taking the danger seriously. Lisa was a bit TSTL at times too, with how often she put herself at risk. But, like I said in the intro this stuff didn’t bother me because I liked the H and h together.

[Cheesecake · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lisa and Robert. Hmmmm. I love this kinda story. Where the girl loves the guy and he keeps pushing her away until one day she gives up. But Lisa was too forgiving and Robert didn't grovel.... at all.
Like most of Lynsay Sands books, the Heroine is innocently ignorant. But Lisa takes it to new levels. Reading her character getting into predicaments was like one of those dreams where someone is chasing you and all you can do is walk very slowly, all the while knowing that just isn't good enough. It was frustrating.
The story is a mystery. Someone wants to kidnap and ravish and then possibly marry Lisa. Robert is the neighbour that she has loved for many years but claims to only see her as a little sister. I think he actually did only see her that way until he sees her in a negligee... So hypothetically he would have continued to see her that way if he hadn't rescued her half naked?? Once he realizes he lusts after her does he change his ways? Noooooo... He believes his family is cursed to marry unfaithful women. I gotta say that this wore thin long before the end of the book. Even the epilogue was disappointing. Basically I wasn't feeling the love between Robert and Lisa. Her to him sure, but not visa versa. But the thing that really broke it for me... when he is rescuing her, he actually thinks about coming back to visit the madam's brothel again, knowing that she kidnaps women against their will... what a scumbag!!! It isn't til later that he decides she is evil and must be punished.

[CC · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated this book!

Lisa was TSTL. Robert was a total douche. They have known each other for years. He sees her as a sibling but she has been "in puppy love" with him for years. She just turned 21. Something happens that wakes him up to the fact that she has grown up but she is looking for a husband and he has always said he will never marry.

Since she was dating multiple men - right there I knew I would have a problem. But I did not expect her to continue on after fucking Robert
Robert has a mistress. It is discussed multiple times but you never hear of him specifically going to her, just saying he will. I am furious that was NEVER resolved. Lisa does not know about her nor does he say he gets rid of her by the end. I do not believe he saw her during his back and forth with Lisa, but it still bothered me!

Lisa likes to comparison shop. If Robert kisses her, she wants another guy to kiss her like that to see how she likes it. It was just ridiculous. Totally not my cup of tea!

Did I says she is TSTL? She really and truely is!!!

She kisses another man after she is with Robert. She actually thinks about marrying another man at this point too and Robert has proposed. I consider this cheating. Hence my marking it as such and not safe. Unusual for the cheater to be a woman!

I was so glad for this book to end!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lisa has finally realized that the man she´s wanted for as long as she can remember, won´t ever see her as anything other than a little sister, so now she has to set her sights on someone else, if she´s to marry. She just has to forget her heart to do it.
Robert won´t take a wife, not with the curse the men of his line has, that their women betray them. When Lisa turns out to be in trouble, he finds himself rethinking the decision, though. Now to persuade her to rethink her own..
Historical romance, smutty fluff and suspense in a great combo. Listened to the audio version and the narrator was great too =)

[GuisBell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lo que adoro de las protagonistas que crea Lynsay Sands, es su personalidad tan valiente, tan única y especial de las demás mujeres, es una mujer que sabe defenderse, me encanta...

[SidneyKay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thesaurus word substitutes for Sophomoric: Inexperienced, foolish, naive, birdbrained, blockheaded, harebrained, imbecilic, half-baked...shall I go on?

The Husband Hunt didn't have that many pages, however, it took me forever to read. I kept laying it aside then picking it up. It just did not hold my interest. And, for me, Ms. Sands' trademark humor was just not there. Oh sure, there were places in the book that had "insert laugh track here" moments, but they all seemed to be so, I don't know, juvenile. In fact there was one "OMG, how immature" scene involving all the sisters and their husbands, as they plan to trap the hero into a forced marriage.

We have Lisa, a typical TSTL heroine - and that should come as no surprise to anyone who has read the other two Madison sister books. She is from a family in which the TSTL gene seems to run rampant. She does all those things one would expect: run off into the night, go places she doesn't belong, visit people she doesn't know - at least she doesn't dress up as prostitutes - oh wait, that was her sisters who did that. That was another eye-rolling "insert laugh track here" moment. I also had problems with Lisa's vacillation with her love for our hero Robert. Oh sure, she loved him, always did, however because he doesn't trust her, she must move on. No, wait! She will try to make him jealous, then he'll love her. No, no, maybe it's better if she tries for some other guy - there are some hanging around. In fact, one of them just may be a killer/kidnapper/rapist, but that doesn't matter because she wants to get married. Besides, they all have nice smiles. Maybe if she has sex with our hero, he will love her. Nah, it's on to the guys waiting in the wing.

Then we have the hero, Robert. Ah, yes Robert, he of little faith. You see, there is a family curse. The women in his family are unfaithful, so, he can never ever find true love because all women will be unfaithful. It's the infamous cheating curse - the curse that strikes supposedly intelligent heroes and turns them into nincompoops.

Now, don't get me wrong...this book wasn't one that I wanted to throw against the wall. It just didn't have any spark and I thought some of the antics in the book were just plain old groan worthy. This book was responsible for a number of eye-brow raising moments.

As far as the Madison sister series, I thought the first one was the best. The remaining two didn't live up to the standards that I have come to expect of Lynsay Sands.
KaysBlog

[stunningpages · Rating 2 out of 5]

Leider bisher der enttäuschendsten Roman von der Autorin

[S · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my second time reading this book. I must say though, my first one rating was higher than this one. Perhaps it's because I now have higher expectations.
An easy read with pleasant characters and interesting plot, indeed. I love the heroine for she did not bow down and instantly melt to whatever the Hero's whims and wants. She stood her ground; in fact, she refused to marry just because she had surrendered her virginity to the man. She wanted love in her marriage and vowed to have it.
Hero was not a cad but he did have misgivings about marriage due to what his father had instilled in him ever since he was a young boy; that women are not to be trusted, therefore the Hero believed that all women will someday betray him.
The writing flows easily and beautifully. I enjoyed this piece by the author.

[Bookswithbenefits · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best Moment: Okay...there are special sexytimes for this couple and...I swear to you...one of the funniest moments in the history of my reading Lynsay Sands (and that says something) and historial romance was when Lisa is attempting to predict what is about to come by remembering how it's described in her romance novels: "one of the books she'd read had described as planting his victory flag in her turf..." (201). Just...awesome. Particularly with the reference two paragraphs after that. Heehee

Worst Moment: The worst moment for me wasn't actually terrible. There's the traditional "no I can't be with him" and "no I can't be with her" which I find a little tired, but it's done well enough.

Synopsis: Lisa Madison wants a husband and, really, just wants one man--the man she has loved all her life, Robert Langdon. The problem? Robert insists on seeing her as a little girl. When Lisa finds herself in danger, she turns to her childhood hero to rescue her, and so he does. Except, now Robert cannot possibly see her as a girl and is desperate to protect her from unknown danger. Robert knows exactly what his family's record is for successfull marriages--zero. He's grown up listening to his father and grandfather curse women and their infidelity. He has no plans of furthering the curse by getting married...least of all to Lisa...except...the longer he stays close to protect her, the harder it is to imagine not staying right where he is.

The Good: Like all of Sands books, this one is quippy, funny, and full of earthy wit. One of my favorite things about this book is the subtle metacriticism. At the beginning, Lisa is thinking about how she's just read "Fanny." She is of course referencing Fanny Hill, one of the first novels to be written and quite notorious for its detailing of the exploits of a girl forced into prostitution. It's quite lascivious and a pretty well kept secret of most English teachers and librarians (there be smut in your library!). Anyhoo, Lisa often compares herself to the heroines she's read about and corrects as she goes along, trying to locate herself in different stories. What I love about this? Most women do this in their romance reading journey. What story am I in, they ask. Which character am I, they wonder. Lisa, for the most part, is like the reader, and thus she is incredibly easy to engage with emotionally. The characters are charming, the story interesting, and, best of all, the love story is classic and full of good humor. Nevermind that, for once, it is the girl trying to debauch the Lord (and thank God Sands doesn't traipse back across that with the whole 'you tricked me' sub-plot).

The Bad: There's some pretty tried and true tropes in here. It's not a terrible thing, but I do have to say I wasn't terribly surprised about who the villain turned out to be. I kept flashing back to these Sweet Valley University books I read when I was 13 or so, and remembering the villain there. Also, what good historical book has such free-wheeling relatives who look the other way in the name of debauchery? I kept thinking...shouldn't there be dueling and pistols for the sake of honor here?

The Ugly: Random girl in a frilly dress and some hot pink outline thrown in...again. *sigh* But I did buy the paperback of this book...surprise, surprise! BUT check out the inside cover, too.

We’ve all been there. We’re wandering through a bookstore, or maybe  aimlessly searching suggestions, looking at  random lists on Amazon.com for something to read. Happily, we traipse through booktopias convinced that we’re going to find something wonderful to read and then… We are greeted with the cover.

Before I begin, I feel I must point out one very simple fact:

Most authors get absolutely no input in their covers, or, if they do, it’s mostly a kind of courtesy. Publishers rule. Authors weep and hope for reprints.

Challenge accepted. But sometimes...just sometimes...you find something not too bad at all.

[caption id="attachment_1015" align="aligncenter" width="466"] For some reason I am fascinated by what she's sitting on. Is it a log? A chaise? A footman?[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1016" align="aligncenter" width="333"] But wait! There's more![/caption]

This cover is not bad. I was able to pick it up and buy it despite it's weird centered girl with the hot pink cover framing the Drawing Room Jungle here. What kills me like a howler monkey on speed is the inside cover. I thought the smutty inside cover had gone extinct, but apparently I am very wrong. Very, very wrong. I don't get these things. It seems like something I should put a dime into and then crank a handle to see. Oooh, it's a semi-girly cover that seems appropriate. Let me turn the OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH why are those people undressing? My God, what's on the back cover?!?!? Words?! Dammit. Whose got a quarter? Mama needs a 1974 thrill.

As posted on http://bookswithbenefits.com

[Karen Darling · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only made it to chapter 4. The heroin is too dumb for me. She got herself and her maid, drugged, and trapped, and getting ready to be sold into prostitution. Why do female Authors make the heroines dumb?

[Quinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely one of my least favorite Sands books to date. The hero was annoying, and the heroine left something to be desired as well. Still, it's not the most awful thing ever, either.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this one, and it was definitely my favorite in the series. The previous books would definitely be helpful to read before reading this one, although not completely necessary. I would at least say read the first book so you can get to know the characters and the backstory behind everything - the second book is almost a retelling of the first, but focused on different characters.

The one things with Sands' books is that you really have to let go of reality before reading. There is always some kind of madcap scheme going on, or the heroine will get abducted numerous times due to her own resistance to be careful - which is the case in this book, although generally I could forgive Lisa for this because of the situation. For one thing, the girl is never alone and this can lead to people doing stupid things such as searching for privacy even when you know that someone is after you; and second, no one was suspicious of the man who ended up being the villain (except for the reader, since it was obvious from the start and that was my only real problem with this book).

Reading the previous books and loving Lisa and Robert from them definitely helped in my adoration of this book, but I think that I would have liked them irregardless. I loved their interactions, and I was also really enjoying the interactions between all of the men - Robert, Richard and Daniel. Although I have to say that my favorite scene was one where Robert was not involved: when the truth came out about why Robert was told that Christiana was pregnant (when she actually was not) and the whole subsequent plan for Lisa to seduce Robert. Sure, these scenes may happen in historical romances often, but generally the menfolk are not involved. I love that Richard and Daniel were essentially matchmaking! A scene I also totally loved was when Christiana and Suzette were fulfilling their part of the marriage trap plan and their total confusion that Lisa wasn't there.

This was a great trilogy, and part of me is really sad that we will not be seeing the Madison sisters again. I am hoping that Lynsay Sands doesn't get too distracted with vampires and writes another historical soon!

[Jordan · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at just over 1/10th of the way in. I enjoyed the first book in the series, wasn't crazy about how so much of the first story was just repeated in the 2nd book, but the new parts were all right, and then had been hopeful for Lisa and Robert's story.
I nearly always finish every book in a series once started, but I could tell that things I disliked would just keep piling up until I absolutely despised this novel. (Reading some spoiler reviews confirmed it.) Life is too short. Some of the lowlights from just the first tenth: the heroine’s lady’s maid, entirely aware that her mistress has been abducted and is being held captive at a brothel to be sold, and that every second brings her closer to being *raped and ruined*, (and, after having an entire carriage ride back home to compose her plea for help) rambles utterly useless drivel when she arrives, and then allows the hero to sidetrack her into giving the entire history of acquaintance with the Madame and every detail that led up to the abduction -instead of giving the pertinent information needed to rescue her! Time's a-ticking folks! Meanwhile, the heroine is given roofied tea, fully realizes it’s drugged and that it was done to put her in danger, comes to again, *has a conversation about it*, and then *continues to drink the beverages offered to her by that exact same person*. ?!? AND, to add insult to injury, the “hero” arrives at the brothel (which he's visited frequently apparently, they totes have the best prostitutes! *eye roll*) to rescue her, but gets pretty damn sidetracked (while standing on a ledge two stories up, peeping through a window) by a scantily clad woman, even going so far as to plan to return *later that evening* to bed her! (at the establishment that he now knows apparently abducts women to sell into prostitution against their will! (Way to vote with your dollars, lol))- realizes that she's actually *his childhood friend he's there to save(!)*, but then goes RIGHT BACK to ogling her nearly naked body(!) when she’s mere moments away from being sex trafficked! WTF?! Maybe just overlook the state of her nipples until she’s safe from being sold into sex slavery?! Absolutely horrid.

[Jen Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Madison sisters are back to find a happy ending for the last among them yet to be married. We first met Lisa back in The Countess and it was obvious, even then, that Robert would be the man for her. Unfortunately, Robert is the only one who doesn't see it.

Two years have passed since the events of the last book. And while Lisa has grown older, Robert still sees her as a little sister. Lisa is tired of waiting for him to come around so she decides that she will finally come out and choose another man to focus her affections upon --her search is on for a husband.

Before she can put her plan in action, she is drugged by a local madam and nearly handed over to a mysterious "suitor." Thankfully, Robert saves the day at the last minute, but the suitor gets away without making his identity known. Now Robert must keep Lisa safe until he can ferret out who is after her. And of course, that means he gets a front row seat for her husband hunt.

It doesn't take long for Robert to began seeing Lisa differently. I really liked watching him succumb to his desires for her. But he had some decidedly lame reasons why he wouldn't get married, which kind of annoyed me. Lisa's impetuousness bordered on stupidity once or twice, putting her in unnecessary dire straits. And unfortunately, the identity of the suitor was really obvious from early on. Overall though, I did enjoy the book. Lynsay Sands injects humor into her romances, which I like. And the sex was good. I also liked that Sands managed to ultimately tie in the dangerous "suitor" part of the storyline with the plots of the previous books.

We do get our happy ending --and a satisfying conclusion to the series. 3 1/2 stars.

*ARC Provided by NetGalley

[starryeyedjen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, thank goodness this book wasn't like the previous, which was basically a repeat of the book that came before it, only from a different perspective. But again with the kidnapping plot...and still related to the one in The Countess. I understand the reasoning behind it, but it was no less tedious the third time around. The romantic pairing in this one was rather fun, though: from friends to enemies to lovers, although the thing that came between them long ago was a little ridiculous but also kind of hilarious. ;)

[Elis Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story starts off with a bang--the heroine, Lisa Madison, sneaks off to visit a woman who gifts her with sleazy books. This time, the woman drugs her and her maid, with the intention of giving the heroine to a "suitor" who plans to ruin her and then force her to marry him.



The hero saves the day, then messes it up again by hurting her feelings (she's madly in love with the guy and still dopey enough from the drugs to make a pass, which he soundly rebuffs).

Anyway, once she sort of sobers up, she makes up her mind that she has to forget him and go husband hunting (hence the title). But the hunt is complicated by the fact that the hero has made up his mind to stay close and keep an eye on her until they figure out who paid the madam to help him rape her. Which leaves her sending all these other guys come-hither looks while he plays dog in the manger (it does get a little silly).

It wasn't too hard to figure out who the bad guy was (and he is really, really creepy), but his repeated attempts to get his hands on her kept things hopping while the H/h get their stuff sorted. I had a small quibble early in the book (see comment) but that issue didn't really come up in an intrusive way again, so it's all good. Four stars.

[Danette · Rating 2 out of 5]

I do hate it when the author decides to change a character and make them a complete idiot for the sake of a plot. All was fine until page 258 with the heroine and then....BAM!!... she becomes a fool and senile. Unrealistic. I instantly lost interest and skimmed the rest of the book. Complete turnoff. You'd think an established author could be more clever with their imagination.

[Joanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started out on a slightly weird note, but it managed to go down hill from there. While the other books in this series were funny in a silly way, this one one veered into complete stupidity and weirdness.

[Ipshita · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mediocre plot with tolerable characters. In short, barely impressive.

[Shani · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.9*

[Coral]

Will not read.

[readbydj 🧺 · Rating 3 out of 5]

homegirl really did get kidnapped 4 times 😭😭😭

[Nadia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story on how to get out of the friendzone. I would say I only enjoyed this as much as I did because I've read the previous books in the series - light and over the top. would recommend if you're into some telenovela style reading