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The Reluctant Duchess
Amazon Bestselling Regency Romance
Having been the sole provider for her family since she was 16, Lady Annabelle Wyatt knows an awful lot about responsibility but sadly, very little about love.
Richard Armstrong is just back from serving in the Army and is having difficulty filling his deceased father's shoes, as the new Duke of Hampshire.
Richard is enamoured from the moment he sets eyes on the hard working Annabelle but she is far too bound by duty to admit that she reciprocates his feelings.
With a little meddling from Richard's mother, love seems to blossom between the pair, only to be threatened by Annabelle's vengeful brother. Can Richard and Annabelle find lasting happiness, or will her brother's wrath separate them permanently?
Having been the sole provider for her family since she was 16, Lady Annabelle Wyatt knows an awful lot about responsibility but sadly, very little about love.
Richard Armstrong is just back from serving in the Army and is having difficulty filling his deceased father's shoes, as the new Duke of Hampshire.
Richard is enamoured from the moment he sets eyes on the hard working Annabelle but she is far too bound by duty to admit that she reciprocates his feelings.
With a little meddling from Richard's mother, love seems to blossom between the pair, only to be threatened by Annabelle's vengeful brother. Can Richard and Annabelle find lasting happiness, or will her brother's wrath separate them permanently?
328 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
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189 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
December 27, 2023
NB: Also as an additional note, here is a link to a more general complaint of mine regarding romance novels (this novel was cited as an example of the problems I discuss in my complaint).
This definitely fell into the 'godawful worst ever' category.
Good points:
Characters: I liked the IDEA of some of the characters (i.e. as opposed to their realization). That is, I liked the idea of an unconventional and strong female character, who had taken care of her family and friends as a woman alone and done so quite well.
World building: In general I enjoy historical novels. I can't say anything good about the world building in this one though, I'm afraid.
Plot: I can't say anything good about this either, I'm afraid, as the plot was just an annoying and rather idiotic series of clichés.
Bad points/constructive criticism/venting:
World building: Other reviewers have described the problems with the lazy 'world building' in this book (in other words, the lack of any meaningful attempt at historical accuracy). I definitely concur. Wholeheartedly.
Plot: This was just a rehash of many of the standard romance novel tropes: an evil villain out to do in the heroine/main female character? Check. Criminal elements and seemingly 'random' crimes actually being an attempt to 'do in' the heroine? Check. The heroine being saved by the 'hero'/main male character? Check. Heroine giving up her earlier independence for said male character? Check.
Rehash. Repeat.
...And fuck off, especially for that last part.
Characterization:
Oh, my my. There is a reason I saved this for last, and this was...
The main male character, our so-called 'hero'.
He was such a nice guy: he kept on berating the woman he was supposedly in love with because she wasn't doing what he wanted or wasn't *being* what he wanted.
One example takes place during their first encounter: he kisses her and does not pull away when she tries to end the kiss. She ends up slapping him and he is angry because she, "wanted that as much as [he] did". He is angry and claims that he only wants to help her, yet he has only just met her and never even expressed a desire to help her or be in any way different from the men who thought she was fair game (and he initiated the kiss and didn't let her end it), so she was certainly within her rights to let him know she wasn't for sale. Yet HE is angry and SHE later winds up apologizing to him for 'her behavior'.
As another later example, this assh*le woos the main female character (I will refer to her as A) in the story, but neglects to end it with his mistress until the last possible minute (apparently because 'men have needs' or some such). Yet he supposedly loves her (A, that is), but isn't willing to go without sex for even the shortest time period despite this and despite the fact that this might hurt her. When she finds out that he did this she is understandably upset. In this particular instance, it is his mother who winds up making A guilty about being upset about this on her son's behalf. However by this point everyone has done such a number on her that when she next sees our main man, SHE APOLOGIZES FOR NOT TRUSTING HIM.
The fuck?????
Another lovely detail to complete the picture of this douchebag extraordinaire: it turns out that, while he was in the military (i.e. before inheriting the dukedom, I gather) he witnessed an incident whereby a young woman was raped by a fellow soldier. He notes how it didn't occur to him back then that just because the woman had agreed to have sex with another man on a previous occasion (i.e. because she loved him), it didn't mean that she agreed to sleep with her lover's entire unit (i.e. she was raped by another soldier after the man she loved had tired of her and passed her on to the other soldier). Yet in the case of our main male character/'hero' (note that I use this term VERY loosely), he did not realize that this was rape and that it was wrong until his own penis was involved (i.e. it is only once he has been made to realize that the woman he loves/sees as his has had to deal with unwanted advances all her life and that she was almost raped in one particular instance, that he realizes that the young woman in this past instance didn't want to be 'passed on' to these other soldiers).
So, to say I hated this asshole is putting it mildly, to be honest. Honestly, I should have cut my losses early and DNFed this sucker: I figure that when a book makes me want to castrate a character, it's probably time to move on to something else.
I also really disliked the fact that A was convinced to/wound up giving up her independence and her business, in the end. This is fiction, after all: was there no way that she could have retained her business? Also, if you've had to essentially have your main female character be brainwashed and browbeaten into changing to fit into a particular mould, then you're doing romance WRONG.
I can't believe I finished this story, honestly, it was that bad.
Here is what I wanted to do while reading this... Good times!!
This definitely fell into the 'godawful worst ever' category.
Good points:
Characters: I liked the IDEA of some of the characters (i.e. as opposed to their realization). That is, I liked the idea of an unconventional and strong female character, who had taken care of her family and friends as a woman alone and done so quite well.
World building: In general I enjoy historical novels. I can't say anything good about the world building in this one though, I'm afraid.
Plot: I can't say anything good about this either, I'm afraid, as the plot was just an annoying and rather idiotic series of clichés.
Bad points/constructive criticism/venting:
World building: Other reviewers have described the problems with the lazy 'world building' in this book (in other words, the lack of any meaningful attempt at historical accuracy). I definitely concur. Wholeheartedly.
Plot: This was just a rehash of many of the standard romance novel tropes: an evil villain out to do in the heroine/main female character? Check. Criminal elements and seemingly 'random' crimes actually being an attempt to 'do in' the heroine? Check. The heroine being saved by the 'hero'/main male character? Check. Heroine giving up her earlier independence for said male character? Check.
Rehash. Repeat.
...And fuck off, especially for that last part.
Characterization:
Oh, my my. There is a reason I saved this for last, and this was...
The main male character, our so-called 'hero'.
He was such a nice guy: he kept on berating the woman he was supposedly in love with because she wasn't doing what he wanted or wasn't *being* what he wanted.
One example takes place during their first encounter: he kisses her and does not pull away when she tries to end the kiss. She ends up slapping him and he is angry because she, "wanted that as much as [he] did". He is angry and claims that he only wants to help her, yet he has only just met her and never even expressed a desire to help her or be in any way different from the men who thought she was fair game (and he initiated the kiss and didn't let her end it), so she was certainly within her rights to let him know she wasn't for sale. Yet HE is angry and SHE later winds up apologizing to him for 'her behavior'.
As another later example, this assh*le woos the main female character (I will refer to her as A) in the story, but neglects to end it with his mistress until the last possible minute (apparently because 'men have needs' or some such). Yet he supposedly loves her (A, that is), but isn't willing to go without sex for even the shortest time period despite this and despite the fact that this might hurt her. When she finds out that he did this she is understandably upset. In this particular instance, it is his mother who winds up making A guilty about being upset about this on her son's behalf. However by this point everyone has done such a number on her that when she next sees our main man, SHE APOLOGIZES FOR NOT TRUSTING HIM.
The fuck?????
Another lovely detail to complete the picture of this douchebag extraordinaire: it turns out that, while he was in the military (i.e. before inheriting the dukedom, I gather) he witnessed an incident whereby a young woman was raped by a fellow soldier. He notes how it didn't occur to him back then that just because the woman had agreed to have sex with another man on a previous occasion (i.e. because she loved him), it didn't mean that she agreed to sleep with her lover's entire unit (i.e. she was raped by another soldier after the man she loved had tired of her and passed her on to the other soldier). Yet in the case of our main male character/'hero' (note that I use this term VERY loosely), he did not realize that this was rape and that it was wrong until his own penis was involved (i.e. it is only once he has been made to realize that the woman he loves/sees as his has had to deal with unwanted advances all her life and that she was almost raped in one particular instance, that he realizes that the young woman in this past instance didn't want to be 'passed on' to these other soldiers).
So, to say I hated this asshole is putting it mildly, to be honest. Honestly, I should have cut my losses early and DNFed this sucker: I figure that when a book makes me want to castrate a character, it's probably time to move on to something else.
I also really disliked the fact that A was convinced to/wound up giving up her independence and her business, in the end. This is fiction, after all: was there no way that she could have retained her business? Also, if you've had to essentially have your main female character be brainwashed and browbeaten into changing to fit into a particular mould, then you're doing romance WRONG.
I can't believe I finished this story, honestly, it was that bad.
Here is what I wanted to do while reading this... Good times!!
November 13, 2014
I will confess that I only read 28% of the story — at one point, I found myself hoping I'd see that I was 50 or 60-some percent through… I was so down when I realized I was just over a quarter through it, and I couldn't make myself swallow anymore of it. It was simply too hard to believe Winchester is this ignorant of the time period and its manners and mores, when she understands what a courtesy title is but not how to apply titles, and it's this ignorance which completely destroys the story for me. Winchester would have done better to create her own country. Heck, she's created everything else, all she had to do was change the names of England, London, and the county, and it would have been more believable.
The duchess knows about Annabelle and confides in her; she bakes with her. She's the sister of one king and the daughter of a mad king as well as the only one who got married. Which doesn't jive with any English king I know of. I certainly can't see a king marrying only one daughter off — and to an English duke — when it was much more common to use them to cement alliances.
I can say one positive thing…I did like the twist Winchester put on this damsel-in-distress trope, and I do like a strong female character.
For a house party to which Lavinia has invited so many people, there isn't much party interaction, especially with Lavinia and Richard spending an awful lot of time with Annabelle at the dower house or in its kitchen.
I do wish Winchester would decide if Frank was the name of Annabelle's barman or Frederick.
No, I know how it'll end, and I usually enjoy reading how the author intends to get us there, but I simply cannot bear such a lack of attention to the truths of a period or the leaping from one scene to the next with no development to that scene — Richard grabs Annabelle and kisses her (4% into the story) — hey, it's insta-love time. And made me see him as either an idiot or a predator. It's almost all tell with very little show… All this bad, and it's compounded by her need for a proofreader! No, no, it's so bad, that it's not worth the reading.
The duchess knows about Annabelle and confides in her; she bakes with her. She's the sister of one king and the daughter of a mad king as well as the only one who got married. Which doesn't jive with any English king I know of. I certainly can't see a king marrying only one daughter off — and to an English duke — when it was much more common to use them to cement alliances.
I can say one positive thing…I did like the twist Winchester put on this damsel-in-distress trope, and I do like a strong female character.
For a house party to which Lavinia has invited so many people, there isn't much party interaction, especially with Lavinia and Richard spending an awful lot of time with Annabelle at the dower house or in its kitchen.
I do wish Winchester would decide if Frank was the name of Annabelle's barman or Frederick.
No, I know how it'll end, and I usually enjoy reading how the author intends to get us there, but I simply cannot bear such a lack of attention to the truths of a period or the leaping from one scene to the next with no development to that scene — Richard grabs Annabelle and kisses her (4% into the story) — hey, it's insta-love time. And made me see him as either an idiot or a predator. It's almost all tell with very little show… All this bad, and it's compounded by her need for a proofreader! No, no, it's so bad, that it's not worth the reading.
September 27, 2013
Better Than I Thought It Was Going To Be...3 1/2 Stars
For the most part I enjoyed this story. The heroine Annabelle was defiantly someone to be admired. She was tough, determined, and made the very best of her circumstances. The hero Richard was likable enough but kind of bland. He is a good man but I found his 'sexual urges' ridiculous. I do think the author meant to do that because it created the set up for Annabelle to give him a set down he richly deserved. It was so great I wanted to cheer out loud for Annabelle! The plot was good and the story was well paced.
I did find at least one aspect of the story odd for lack of a better word. I don't want to give too much away, but I didn't get why the author used a certain shall we say 'technique' to prevent pregnancy. It seemed so weird and out of place...I have read hundreds and hundreds of romance novels and never has that been used in a story. I actually had to go back and reread that part I was so surprised by it. It's not that big of a deal, it just was an odd choice for the author to use.
I also would have liked better character descriptions. Annabelle's was pretty good, but I found Richard's lacking a bit. Was he broad of shoulder, muscular, or did he have a more slim build? I never got a sense of how they contrasted with each other. How tall were they? Did she come up to his shoulder, nose, chin...? Maybe, Im being picky here but for ME these things paint a better picture in my mind of the characters. There was also a few editing errors, but nothing major and it didn't hinder the story for me at all.
***I should also mention that I read some reviews (on Amazon) talking about the lack of historical accuracy in this story. Those reviews ACTUALLY MADE me want to read the story. lol How historically accurate a story is, has never really been something that concerned me. I would defiantly think its weird to hear the hero and heroine tell each other how 'cool' and 'awesome' {which were not used in this story BTW} they were; but I would still rather read an intriguing love story than a stuffy romance filled with historical facts any day. Some people like that and that IS fine. If you do, don't read this story because you probably wont like it. For anyone else reading this review where that kind of stuff doesn't bother you...check it out. The love story is sweet and for a free read it was a great way to pass the time!
Happy Reading!!!
For the most part I enjoyed this story. The heroine Annabelle was defiantly someone to be admired. She was tough, determined, and made the very best of her circumstances. The hero Richard was likable enough but kind of bland. He is a good man but I found his 'sexual urges' ridiculous. I do think the author meant to do that because it created the set up for Annabelle to give him a set down he richly deserved. It was so great I wanted to cheer out loud for Annabelle! The plot was good and the story was well paced.
I did find at least one aspect of the story odd for lack of a better word. I don't want to give too much away, but I didn't get why the author used a certain shall we say 'technique' to prevent pregnancy. It seemed so weird and out of place...I have read hundreds and hundreds of romance novels and never has that been used in a story. I actually had to go back and reread that part I was so surprised by it. It's not that big of a deal, it just was an odd choice for the author to use.
I also would have liked better character descriptions. Annabelle's was pretty good, but I found Richard's lacking a bit. Was he broad of shoulder, muscular, or did he have a more slim build? I never got a sense of how they contrasted with each other. How tall were they? Did she come up to his shoulder, nose, chin...? Maybe, Im being picky here but for ME these things paint a better picture in my mind of the characters. There was also a few editing errors, but nothing major and it didn't hinder the story for me at all.
***I should also mention that I read some reviews (on Amazon) talking about the lack of historical accuracy in this story. Those reviews ACTUALLY MADE me want to read the story. lol How historically accurate a story is, has never really been something that concerned me. I would defiantly think its weird to hear the hero and heroine tell each other how 'cool' and 'awesome' {which were not used in this story BTW} they were; but I would still rather read an intriguing love story than a stuffy romance filled with historical facts any day. Some people like that and that IS fine. If you do, don't read this story because you probably wont like it. For anyone else reading this review where that kind of stuff doesn't bother you...check it out. The love story is sweet and for a free read it was a great way to pass the time!
Happy Reading!!!
March 20, 2013
*** The author, Catherine Winchester , sent this book to me. I just want everyone to know before they read my review. This is an honest review. ***
The plot of this book is very well developed. It's set in the Victorian era. I enjoyed the way Catherine pulled you into the story. She made me feel as if I was living with the characters while I was reading the book. The characters are fully developed. There was a few characters I had to wait until much later in the book to see how they developed. I liked that, it gave a little bit of mystery to the book.
This is a romance novel with a little mystery, suspense, and drama. I'm not a big fan of romance novels, but this novel wasn't a normal romance novel.
Annabelle is one of main characters in the story. She is my favorite. She has some really bad luck at the young age of 16. She is an aristocrat with the title of "Lady" which she stops using once tragedy strikes. Six years later she meets Richard. That's when the romance starts. Not much later, her half-brother Frederick is brought into the plot. The tragic past between Annabelle and Frederick is revealed. A strong friendship develops between Annabelle and Richard's mother, Lavinia. As the story continues, Richard keeps trying to get Annabelle to begin a romance with him. Annabelle fights her feelings for him and refuses his advances. All kinds of strange things keep happening, causing suspense. Then, the unthinkable happens which brings in more suspense, drama, and mystery. I definitely didn't see that coming!
This is a very good romance novel. I did feel a little cheated at the end. I felt the story should have continued a bit more. That is just my personal opinion, as I'm more into mystery, suspense, and thriller books. I did enjoy this book. I also really enjoyed Degrees of Hope a little more. Great job to Catherine Winchester, she continues to amaze me with each book I read of hers.
The plot of this book is very well developed. It's set in the Victorian era. I enjoyed the way Catherine pulled you into the story. She made me feel as if I was living with the characters while I was reading the book. The characters are fully developed. There was a few characters I had to wait until much later in the book to see how they developed. I liked that, it gave a little bit of mystery to the book.
This is a romance novel with a little mystery, suspense, and drama. I'm not a big fan of romance novels, but this novel wasn't a normal romance novel.
Annabelle is one of main characters in the story. She is my favorite. She has some really bad luck at the young age of 16. She is an aristocrat with the title of "Lady" which she stops using once tragedy strikes. Six years later she meets Richard. That's when the romance starts. Not much later, her half-brother Frederick is brought into the plot. The tragic past between Annabelle and Frederick is revealed. A strong friendship develops between Annabelle and Richard's mother, Lavinia. As the story continues, Richard keeps trying to get Annabelle to begin a romance with him. Annabelle fights her feelings for him and refuses his advances. All kinds of strange things keep happening, causing suspense. Then, the unthinkable happens which brings in more suspense, drama, and mystery. I definitely didn't see that coming!
This is a very good romance novel. I did feel a little cheated at the end. I felt the story should have continued a bit more. That is just my personal opinion, as I'm more into mystery, suspense, and thriller books. I did enjoy this book. I also really enjoyed Degrees of Hope a little more. Great job to Catherine Winchester, she continues to amaze me with each book I read of hers.
June 26, 2016
Rating: 3.5 Stars
My Musing
I had the opportunity to purchase the audio version for $1.99, so I took advantage of it. I had downloaded the book quite some time ago but had never read it. There are many things I truly loved about this book, and I was definitely entertained, not always in a good way. Ms. Winchester writes with a great deal of emotion. From reading the other reviews, I gather the book has quite a few grammatical error, but since I listened instead of reading, I can't discuss that.
I truly enjoyed Annabelle and Richard quite a lot, even though, Ms. Winchester did have them acting in ways that were not the behavior of a couple during this period of history. I did some research and the parliament fire happened on 16 October in 1834 during William IV's reign. That part does fit. if Ms. Winchester had stated at the opening of her book that it was set in 1834, possibly some of the reviewers would have been more appeased. I know I would have. This is a difficult period to use since it is a bit past the Regency period, yet not in the Victorian period.
My bigger problem was the actions the characters took. Also, Annabelle would have been addressed as Lady Annabelle, not Lady Wyatt. There are several excellent websites that help with determining terms of address for the aristocracy. Annabelle would never have confronted her brother in the manner she did at a party during this historical setting. That totally pulled me out of the book. The behavior of the hero and heroine would have fit better in a contemporary setting in my estimation.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed listening to this book and the narrator did an excellent job. I would definitely listen to her again. If you can dismiss the historical inaccuracies and grammatical problems, and can appreciate the romance, you will enjoy this book. Happy reading!
My Musing
I had the opportunity to purchase the audio version for $1.99, so I took advantage of it. I had downloaded the book quite some time ago but had never read it. There are many things I truly loved about this book, and I was definitely entertained, not always in a good way. Ms. Winchester writes with a great deal of emotion. From reading the other reviews, I gather the book has quite a few grammatical error, but since I listened instead of reading, I can't discuss that.
I truly enjoyed Annabelle and Richard quite a lot, even though, Ms. Winchester did have them acting in ways that were not the behavior of a couple during this period of history. I did some research and the parliament fire happened on 16 October in 1834 during William IV's reign. That part does fit. if Ms. Winchester had stated at the opening of her book that it was set in 1834, possibly some of the reviewers would have been more appeased. I know I would have. This is a difficult period to use since it is a bit past the Regency period, yet not in the Victorian period.
My bigger problem was the actions the characters took. Also, Annabelle would have been addressed as Lady Annabelle, not Lady Wyatt. There are several excellent websites that help with determining terms of address for the aristocracy. Annabelle would never have confronted her brother in the manner she did at a party during this historical setting. That totally pulled me out of the book. The behavior of the hero and heroine would have fit better in a contemporary setting in my estimation.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed listening to this book and the narrator did an excellent job. I would definitely listen to her again. If you can dismiss the historical inaccuracies and grammatical problems, and can appreciate the romance, you will enjoy this book. Happy reading!
February 10, 2016
Oh dear. Where to start?
Not far into this book, Annabelle was referred to as Lady Wyatt. That's her mother's title; she is simply Lady Annabelle. A little research (or reading other regencies) would have given the author this information. As would an editor. This book is badly in need of one. Why the Duke had to find a career was questionable as was why he had to "apply" to join Parliament. He's a Duke for heaven's sake!
There were many other problems with the book - and I haven't even gotten to the plot! Way too many inclusions of modern words and phrases that would never have been known in the book's time period. There was one case where the wrong word was used. The Duchess, talking about her children, referred to her "prodigy" and it should have been "progeny."
The story itself was a bit odd. The relationship was strange and it seems odd that the Duchess would put up with it. I don't want to give too much away but they don't sleep alone. Just strange.
I read a lot of regencies. This one was not good.
Not far into this book, Annabelle was referred to as Lady Wyatt. That's her mother's title; she is simply Lady Annabelle. A little research (or reading other regencies) would have given the author this information. As would an editor. This book is badly in need of one. Why the Duke had to find a career was questionable as was why he had to "apply" to join Parliament. He's a Duke for heaven's sake!
There were many other problems with the book - and I haven't even gotten to the plot! Way too many inclusions of modern words and phrases that would never have been known in the book's time period. There was one case where the wrong word was used. The Duchess, talking about her children, referred to her "prodigy" and it should have been "progeny."
The story itself was a bit odd. The relationship was strange and it seems odd that the Duchess would put up with it. I don't want to give too much away but they don't sleep alone. Just strange.
I read a lot of regencies. This one was not good.
March 20, 2015
I'm not sure why I downloaded this and why I didn't heed the words of all the other reviewers, but now I can only agree with them that this is a poorly written historical romance. I am admittedly not well-versed in historical or regency romance novels, but even I could tell the facts of this story were off. The characters were very flat and I didn't feel I could sympathize with any of them. The love-at-first-sight bit is unbelievable. And this book is in need of a good proofreading! I had a hard time getting past the fact that she wrote out numbers under 100 (i.e. 8, 15) instead of spelling them out- I mean, that's a basic rule of English!
The only reason I gave it two stars instead of one is that I felt like the author had talent underneath it all, and with maybe some education and/or a good support team she could put out something relatively decent in the future.
The only reason I gave it two stars instead of one is that I felt like the author had talent underneath it all, and with maybe some education and/or a good support team she could put out something relatively decent in the future.
April 18, 2015
I made it to 29% and couldn't keep going. Read the one star reviews at Amazon; they list the book's deficiencies better than I can. I was listening to this as an audio book so I can't give an opinion about the typos that apparently litter the printed/e-book versions.
As to the audio version, I couldn't stand the narrator's voice -- especially her version of the H's mother. It was like listening to fingernails on a blackboard.
As to the audio version, I couldn't stand the narrator's voice -- especially her version of the H's mother. It was like listening to fingernails on a blackboard.
June 6, 2016
DNF at 7% right after the first chapter's ending.
I don't think I've been this thoroughly disappointed in a historical romance freebie for quite some time. I bet the only reason this book is an Amazon bestseller, is due to the fact that it's free because the writing is simply abhorrent and I couldn't even force myself to start chapter 2.
I don't think I've been this thoroughly disappointed in a historical romance freebie for quite some time. I bet the only reason this book is an Amazon bestseller, is due to the fact that it's free because the writing is simply abhorrent and I couldn't even force myself to start chapter 2.
September 14, 2017
Horrible and beyond 👎
Another book about as well written as the Eye of Argon. Equally hard to tell if this was purposefully bad or written by a teenage for a bad grade. Grammatical errors abound as though there was no editor. There was no consideration for how people of that time period spoke or behaved. The English aristocracy in this book are completely unbelievable. The constant harping of the main character about her independence was ridiculous. The mention of douching gross. Just bad. I wish there was a way to award no stars.
Another book about as well written as the Eye of Argon. Equally hard to tell if this was purposefully bad or written by a teenage for a bad grade. Grammatical errors abound as though there was no editor. There was no consideration for how people of that time period spoke or behaved. The English aristocracy in this book are completely unbelievable. The constant harping of the main character about her independence was ridiculous. The mention of douching gross. Just bad. I wish there was a way to award no stars.
March 19, 2023
KU DNF’d at 10%, I couldn’t get past Richard’s assholeness. What business did he have asking Annabelle, someone he just met, all those personal questions? How dare he intrude on her in her place of business & invade her personal space? The way he acted. The way he spoke! His behavior should have gotten him 2 slaps! Like, WTF? And then he yells… at her??? Ewww. What I read of Annabelle I really liked, (independent, smart, strong…) but she was not enough for me to want to finish this book.
August 22, 2018
Very enjoyable
A very good and well written historical romance. Well developed characters and a strong plot. Annabelle and Richard make life an adventure.
A very good and well written historical romance. Well developed characters and a strong plot. Annabelle and Richard make life an adventure.
October 12, 2013
Historical English high society romance with a high born lady who went into trade by opening a coffee house with wonderful bakery goods to keep her family and servants because she was abandoned by her half brother when their father died and her mother seems to have gone insane, but ti sounds like Alzheimer's dementia. So Lady Annabelle Wyatt is a tough spunky well born woman who makes delicious cakes and cookies for English well born society, but has been completely abandoned socially, but everyone will order and eat her goodies but not invite her to parties or balls and she has had no marriage proposals so she has accepted her life.
This story starts out with the random day that Duke Richard Armstrong meets an old friend at a new coffee house in London to talk a little politics but it doesn't turn out the way he assumes because he meets 'miss' Lady Annabelle who is the owner and baker who he thinks should be back into his world of noble pursuits and ends up insulting her and getting a big slap on the face. The new Duke of Hampshire is not used to fiery ladies so he is immediately interested in this hot lady and gets a kiss that shakes him up.
I classified this as a 'second chances' romance because there is some back and forth with the H/h as well as Annabelle finally clearing up the crazy family drama that follows her and her business problems, but lets get real for a moment and we all know that she would have never been so brave with out the king's sister and the Duke on her side.
I'm not sure that there had to be a kidnapping and so much murder, because I would have liked something else to have brought the H/h back together. So I could only give a 2 stars because of using the kidnapping trope and there were lots of editing errors probably which should have been caught by the editors.
326 pages and kindle freebie
2 stars
This story starts out with the random day that Duke Richard Armstrong meets an old friend at a new coffee house in London to talk a little politics but it doesn't turn out the way he assumes because he meets 'miss' Lady Annabelle who is the owner and baker who he thinks should be back into his world of noble pursuits and ends up insulting her and getting a big slap on the face. The new Duke of Hampshire is not used to fiery ladies so he is immediately interested in this hot lady and gets a kiss that shakes him up.
I classified this as a 'second chances' romance because there is some back and forth with the H/h as well as Annabelle finally clearing up the crazy family drama that follows her and her business problems, but lets get real for a moment and we all know that she would have never been so brave with out the king's sister and the Duke on her side.
I'm not sure that there had to be a kidnapping and so much murder, because I would have liked something else to have brought the H/h back together. So I could only give a 2 stars because of using the kidnapping trope and there were lots of editing errors probably which should have been caught by the editors.
326 pages and kindle freebie
2 stars
January 3, 2016
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, everything about it actually. One of the reviewers was critical of the author's portrayal of how people conducted themselves in the time frame of the story....sorry, but I for one was not alive back then, so can't say whether or not it was accurate. History books tell generally how things were, but I'm sure that even back then, there were people who lived outside the framework of society, just as they do today. It doesn't really matter, because I read purely for enjoyment, and, as I said, I truly enjoyed this story, the characters, and felt the story line was well developed, it held my interest the whole way through. I would recommend to anyone who likes historical romance with a bit of spice...this one is definitely a keeper, will read it again!
September 26, 2014
A marriage made eventually
This book is just mildly sultry. It is also told as more or less a narrative, with plenty of characters, of all types. The heroine is the proprietor of a bakeshop. However, she started out quite a bit higher than that, but was forced to find a way for both she and her mother to survive.
The hero is a duke, his mother actually a sister to the King.
The villain is her half brother (and indirectly, their mutual father). He tossed her and her mother out when the father died. Now, he has decided to use her to take care of debts. Overall, this is a nice little book. It tends to move slowly, but has nice little bits of humor built in.
This book is just mildly sultry. It is also told as more or less a narrative, with plenty of characters, of all types. The heroine is the proprietor of a bakeshop. However, she started out quite a bit higher than that, but was forced to find a way for both she and her mother to survive.
The hero is a duke, his mother actually a sister to the King.
The villain is her half brother (and indirectly, their mutual father). He tossed her and her mother out when the father died. Now, he has decided to use her to take care of debts. Overall, this is a nice little book. It tends to move slowly, but has nice little bits of humor built in.
October 14, 2013
Historical romance. The premise was promising- However,think historical accuracy was lacking. I was able to overlook it at first because I was enjoying the story. However, it hit my dnf point because I personally do not like when the "hero" still sleeps with his mistress when he is pursuing the heroine. He had to relieve his desires that the heroine stirred up. Give me a break. It made him instantly undesirable to me. If you can overlook that and like historical with unconventional heroines you might like this one-
June 6, 2014
The relationship between Annabelle and the Richard was very well done. The supplementary story line regarding Annabelle's angry brother and the "outburst" that they have during the hunting trip doesn't make sense- there may have been a few paragraphs that didn't make it into the story to really spell out that "tension." However, it had a nice HEA and was overall a good read. I think had it not switched between Contemporary American English and Olde English, and would have just stuck with contemporary english, it would have made it more enjoyable.
March 2, 2016
Great book! Can't believe I finished this in a day... The heroine however made me want to physically attack her and her ideals of independence. And I'm a feminist! I just felt that her reasonings were inadequate. All in all a satisfying read, however - no epilogue? I'm ALL about epilogue and this one richly deserved one.
Thus my 1 star deduction.
Thus my 1 star deduction.
January 16, 2016
Just fair.
In dire need of a copy editor's attention, the rampant errors were distracting. The story was fair to middling. The villain, a silly caricature. Had the author done a few more re-writes, it could have been good.
In dire need of a copy editor's attention, the rampant errors were distracting. The story was fair to middling. The villain, a silly caricature. Had the author done a few more re-writes, it could have been good.
June 13, 2014
Is a great book to read
June 2, 2014
Winchester should stick with modern English- her attempts at writing in Olde English made the progression of the story clunky and at times tedious.
June 8, 2014
Loved this book....loved that Annabelle wasn't a walk over, and that Richard was her hero...a real feel good book.
September 1, 2015
I enjoyed this book. There were errors in the spelling and wording but if you want a light read and decent story then it is a good book.
July 24, 2016
Good book
Was a very exciting book ,could n,t wait to turn the pages ,told very well ,I like this author and will! Read more of her books
Was a very exciting book ,could n,t wait to turn the pages ,told very well ,I like this author and will! Read more of her books
April 23, 2017
I would have liked to have given the book a extra half a star although it was not quite a 4.
This book was a enjoyable Sunday afternoon read for me, nothing to taxing just a pleasant lazy day read.
This book was a enjoyable Sunday afternoon read for me, nothing to taxing just a pleasant lazy day read.
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