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Wicked Widows #3
Why Lords Lose Their Hearts
The Truth Could Ruin Her
Perdita, the widowed Duchess of Ormonde, keeps a dangerous secret—the truth of how her brutish husband died. But a mysterious avenger seems to know it, too, and when anonymous threats turn into public attacks, there’s only one friend she can turn to for help—her husband’s former secretary, Lord Archer Lisle. The man who witnessed her every heartache. The kind of man whose love she can only dream of…
Will His Love Save Her?
The youngest of the Duke of Pemberton’s five sons, Lord Archer Lisle is used to waiting his turn. For years, he could only stand by, seething, as Perdita suffered at the hands of her husband, but now she’s under threat from another source—one who will stop at nothing to make her pay for the late duke’s death. But the good-natured Archer can be dangerous when crossed—and he’ll do anything to keep the woman he’s adored for so long safe in his arms…
Perdita, the widowed Duchess of Ormonde, keeps a dangerous secret—the truth of how her brutish husband died. But a mysterious avenger seems to know it, too, and when anonymous threats turn into public attacks, there’s only one friend she can turn to for help—her husband’s former secretary, Lord Archer Lisle. The man who witnessed her every heartache. The kind of man whose love she can only dream of…
Will His Love Save Her?
The youngest of the Duke of Pemberton’s five sons, Lord Archer Lisle is used to waiting his turn. For years, he could only stand by, seething, as Perdita suffered at the hands of her husband, but now she’s under threat from another source—one who will stop at nothing to make her pay for the late duke’s death. But the good-natured Archer can be dangerous when crossed—and he’ll do anything to keep the woman he’s adored for so long safe in his arms…
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 29, 2014
28 people are currently reading
1167 people want to read
About the author
Manda Collins
37 books1,573 followersManda Collins grew up on a combination of Nancy Drew books and Jane Austen novels, and her own brand of Regency romantic suspense is the result. A former academic librarian, she holds advanced degrees in English Lit and Librarianship. Her books have been favorably reviewed in Entertainment Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, Publisher's Weekly, Bookpage, and USA Today. A native of Alabama, she lives on the Gulf Coast with a very stubborn cat and more books than are strictly necessary.
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July 29, 2014
~Reviewed by Evelyn for Buried Under Romance book blog which coincides with my personal opinion 3.5 stars
Why Lords Lose their Hearts, a new romantic mystery by Manda Collins to be released on July 29, 2014, begins with a plot that promises excitement and intrigue, and main characters that are likeable and sympathetic. The heroine, the young and beautiful Perdita, the Duchess of Ormond, has endured years of abuse at the hands of her husband, Gevase. When he is accidentally killed by falling on the same knife that he was holding at her throat seconds earlier, she feels genuine relief. This quickly turns into fear, however, as there is someone out there who blames her for the Duke's death and wants her to pay for it with her own.
After Perdita's sisters are threatened and an attempt is made on her own life, Lord Archer Lisle, private secretary to her late husband, vows that he will do anything it takes to protect her and to find out who is putting her life in danger. He is also secretly in love with Perdita, and is determined to prove to her that it is safe to love again even though she no longer trusts her own judgment when it comes to men.
This is where the promises ended for me. I had high hopes for this book, but I found the first half very slow and, at times, bogged down by endless dialogue that seemed to over-power the action. The pace of the book improved in the second half, however, and the events that happened became more compelling, but when I finally reached the finale, with its expected twists and turns, it just didn't ring true for me.
I'm giving this book three stars. I did like the characters in very much. I felt they were well developed and their reactions to events in the story rang true. I could recommend this book to someone who would enjoy reading it for the love story between Perdita and Archer and would ignore the short-comings of the style and the plot.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
_________________________
I really liked the second book in Manda Collins' Wicked Widows trilogy, but this one had a lot of continual wavering amongst Perdita and Archer, which slowed the story's initial momentum to nearly a complete stop, coupled with a few odd twists near the end. Not her finest work, but as I do enjoy her writing, I'll continue to look forward to her other works.
Why Lords Lose their Hearts, a new romantic mystery by Manda Collins to be released on July 29, 2014, begins with a plot that promises excitement and intrigue, and main characters that are likeable and sympathetic. The heroine, the young and beautiful Perdita, the Duchess of Ormond, has endured years of abuse at the hands of her husband, Gevase. When he is accidentally killed by falling on the same knife that he was holding at her throat seconds earlier, she feels genuine relief. This quickly turns into fear, however, as there is someone out there who blames her for the Duke's death and wants her to pay for it with her own.
After Perdita's sisters are threatened and an attempt is made on her own life, Lord Archer Lisle, private secretary to her late husband, vows that he will do anything it takes to protect her and to find out who is putting her life in danger. He is also secretly in love with Perdita, and is determined to prove to her that it is safe to love again even though she no longer trusts her own judgment when it comes to men.
This is where the promises ended for me. I had high hopes for this book, but I found the first half very slow and, at times, bogged down by endless dialogue that seemed to over-power the action. The pace of the book improved in the second half, however, and the events that happened became more compelling, but when I finally reached the finale, with its expected twists and turns, it just didn't ring true for me.
I'm giving this book three stars. I did like the characters in very much. I felt they were well developed and their reactions to events in the story rang true. I could recommend this book to someone who would enjoy reading it for the love story between Perdita and Archer and would ignore the short-comings of the style and the plot.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
_________________________
I really liked the second book in Manda Collins' Wicked Widows trilogy, but this one had a lot of continual wavering amongst Perdita and Archer, which slowed the story's initial momentum to nearly a complete stop, coupled with a few odd twists near the end. Not her finest work, but as I do enjoy her writing, I'll continue to look forward to her other works.
December 1, 2014
This is the final book in Manda Collins’s Wicked Widows series, although there is a Christmas novella,
Once Upon a Christmas Kiss
, which features Sir Lucien Blakemore, a secondary character in the series, as the hero.
The series centres on sisters, Isabella and Perdita, and their friend, Georgina… all widows of abusive husbands. They share a terrible secret concerning the death of Perdita’s husband, the Duke of Ormonde, but find themselves threatened by someone who obviously knows that secret and is out for revenge.
I adore Archer. He is the epitome of everything a hero should be…gentle, caring, patient and funny. I also like the idea of the unrequited love being on the hero’s side rather than the more usual scenario of the heroine pining away for the hero.
From that moment on he had been a goner. And in spite of himself he’d fallen in love with his employer’s wife.
His strong protective instincts come to the fore when he shows his determination to keep Perdita safe even if his methods are a little unusual.
I had somewhat conflicting views about Perdita. Having been under the control of her abusive husband for so long, I could understand why she values her independence and her need to make her own decisions. However, I was really frustrated by her stubborn refusal to take Archer’s concerns for her safety seriously.
Thus far, the threats against her had not persuaded the headstrong Perdita to curb any of her normal activities, a resistance for which she was inordinately proud.
On the other hand, she is kind and compassionate towards her servants, always setting them at ease and also refuses to do anything that might place her sister Isabella or her friend Georgie in any danger. I love how she castigates Lord Dunford when he treats Archer as if he were a mere servant.
The romance is both tender and passionate and Archer is so tenacious in his resolve to persuade Perdita to marry him despite her fears.
“You may do what you wish to convince Dunthorp to propose, but I will do whatever it takes to convince you that the only man you should marry is me.”
Knowing what she suffered at Gervase’s hands, he is such a considerate and generous lover putting her pleasure before his own and taking care not to do anything she is uncomfortable with. I enjoyed the bolder Perdita …
“I’d like to watch you lose control.”
Of course, her words had the expected effect and she gave an evil laugh. “You did that on purpose,” he said, flipping her neatly onto her back. “I think I’m going to have to get used to this naughty side of you, Perdita. I had no idea you had it in you.
“I can think of something I’d rather have in me.”
I adore Archer’s family. His parents, the duke and duchess are genuinely fond of their sons and, in spite of the usual sibling disagreements, it is plain to see the strong bond between the brothers. There is plenty of banter between them and the story about the Kimball twins is so funny. I love Archer’s mother because she is instrumental in convincing Perdita to trust what her heart tells her.
Isabella, Trevor, Georgie and Con are on hand to push and prod Archer and Perdita into each other’s arms and to provide practical help against the threat to Perdita.
Ms Collins maintains the suspense well and I didn’t guess the identity of the mastermind behind all the threats. However, there was one scene where you needed a strong stomach and the villain’s back story definitely stretched my credulity.
In spite of my quibbles, I did enjoy this book but not as much as the first two in the series. It appears that Archer’s brothers are getting their own stories as Lord Frederick Lisle is the hero of A Good Rake is Hard to Find , the first book in Ms Collins’s new Lords of Anarchy series, which is due to be published on 31st March 2015.
REVIEW RATING: 4/5 STARS
Wicked Widows series (click on cover for more details):
This review is also posted on my Rakes and Rascals Blog:
http://rakesandrascals.wordpress.com/...
The series centres on sisters, Isabella and Perdita, and their friend, Georgina… all widows of abusive husbands. They share a terrible secret concerning the death of Perdita’s husband, the Duke of Ormonde, but find themselves threatened by someone who obviously knows that secret and is out for revenge.
I adore Archer. He is the epitome of everything a hero should be…gentle, caring, patient and funny. I also like the idea of the unrequited love being on the hero’s side rather than the more usual scenario of the heroine pining away for the hero.
From that moment on he had been a goner. And in spite of himself he’d fallen in love with his employer’s wife.
His strong protective instincts come to the fore when he shows his determination to keep Perdita safe even if his methods are a little unusual.
I had somewhat conflicting views about Perdita. Having been under the control of her abusive husband for so long, I could understand why she values her independence and her need to make her own decisions. However, I was really frustrated by her stubborn refusal to take Archer’s concerns for her safety seriously.
Thus far, the threats against her had not persuaded the headstrong Perdita to curb any of her normal activities, a resistance for which she was inordinately proud.
On the other hand, she is kind and compassionate towards her servants, always setting them at ease and also refuses to do anything that might place her sister Isabella or her friend Georgie in any danger. I love how she castigates Lord Dunford when he treats Archer as if he were a mere servant.
The romance is both tender and passionate and Archer is so tenacious in his resolve to persuade Perdita to marry him despite her fears.
“You may do what you wish to convince Dunthorp to propose, but I will do whatever it takes to convince you that the only man you should marry is me.”
Knowing what she suffered at Gervase’s hands, he is such a considerate and generous lover putting her pleasure before his own and taking care not to do anything she is uncomfortable with. I enjoyed the bolder Perdita …
“I’d like to watch you lose control.”
Of course, her words had the expected effect and she gave an evil laugh. “You did that on purpose,” he said, flipping her neatly onto her back. “I think I’m going to have to get used to this naughty side of you, Perdita. I had no idea you had it in you.
“I can think of something I’d rather have in me.”
I adore Archer’s family. His parents, the duke and duchess are genuinely fond of their sons and, in spite of the usual sibling disagreements, it is plain to see the strong bond between the brothers. There is plenty of banter between them and the story about the Kimball twins is so funny. I love Archer’s mother because she is instrumental in convincing Perdita to trust what her heart tells her.
Isabella, Trevor, Georgie and Con are on hand to push and prod Archer and Perdita into each other’s arms and to provide practical help against the threat to Perdita.
Ms Collins maintains the suspense well and I didn’t guess the identity of the mastermind behind all the threats. However, there was one scene where you needed a strong stomach and the villain’s back story definitely stretched my credulity.
In spite of my quibbles, I did enjoy this book but not as much as the first two in the series. It appears that Archer’s brothers are getting their own stories as Lord Frederick Lisle is the hero of A Good Rake is Hard to Find , the first book in Ms Collins’s new Lords of Anarchy series, which is due to be published on 31st March 2015.
REVIEW RATING: 4/5 STARS
Wicked Widows series (click on cover for more details):
This review is also posted on my Rakes and Rascals Blog:
http://rakesandrascals.wordpress.com/...
July 19, 2014
In her exciting conclusion of her Wicked Widows Trilogy, Manda Collins finally answers the question.. Just who is after the three ladies? And boy is it a windinger..
Three women, betrayed by family into horrid marriages where abuse abounded were together the night the Duke of Ormonde attacked his wife and finally died. Ever since then someone had been trying to punish them. Only no one was sure who or why? Each woman must face near certain death before being rid of their mutual enemy. Fortunately for them, they meet men of worth along the way. Men who will stand beside you or in front of you as needed..
First Isabella, then Georgianna and finally Perdita finds their way through the maze of guilt and obsession to find true love.
OncePerdit a, the widowed Duchess of Ormonde believed in love. She was forced to marry but believed that they had overcome that and it was a true love match. That is until he started beating her. For five long years she dealt in her own special hell.. until one night, the night she planned to leave, her husband took a knife to her.. with her sister and best friend present.. Gervase, Duke of Ormonde died.. No one was quote sure how and honestly, no one cared. Or so they thought. The mourning period has passed and Perdita is back in society but someone wants to destroy her. Unsure who she can believe in, who she can trust she leans on her closest family and the man who was there for her during her marriage.. The Duke's secretary, the youngest son of a Duke himself.
Lord Archer Lisle may work for a living but he remains a Duke's son. Never one to accept his "place" in society because when push comes to shove it's towards the top of the social ladder. Long disillusioned by his work with the Duke he remained because he truly loved the lady of the house. And when she became a widow he dared to dream. Only Archer never knew what was going on behind closed doors and the more he discovered the guiltier and angrier he got. Now Archer is watching someone dare to punish Perdita and this time, he is going to protect her. No matter the cost.
Twists and turns, questions all around. Ms. Collins manages to keep the reader guessing.
Originally Reviewed For: Bodice Rippers, Femme Fatales and Fantasy
What makes this book so exceptional is the fact that Perdita (and yes I too can't stop thinking 101 Dalmations) was an abuse victim and Ms Collins handled it perfectly. She was a survivor and survivors have issues. They are embarrassed, ashamed and determined to never make the same mistake twice. Sometimes to their detriment. Perdita was all those things. She knew he could love Archer but she didn't trust her instincts. She was afraid to trust her instincts.
Archer had to be a strong, gentle man. An Alpha in Beta's clothing. Someone who was more than a shoulder to cry on but still not intimidating. A hard concept and yet Ms. Collins pulled it off!.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Shauni
This review is based on the ARC of Why Lords Lose Their Hearts, provided by netgalley and is scheduled to be released on July 29, 2014
Three women, betrayed by family into horrid marriages where abuse abounded were together the night the Duke of Ormonde attacked his wife and finally died. Ever since then someone had been trying to punish them. Only no one was sure who or why? Each woman must face near certain death before being rid of their mutual enemy. Fortunately for them, they meet men of worth along the way. Men who will stand beside you or in front of you as needed..
First Isabella, then Georgianna and finally Perdita finds their way through the maze of guilt and obsession to find true love.
OncePerdit a, the widowed Duchess of Ormonde believed in love. She was forced to marry but believed that they had overcome that and it was a true love match. That is until he started beating her. For five long years she dealt in her own special hell.. until one night, the night she planned to leave, her husband took a knife to her.. with her sister and best friend present.. Gervase, Duke of Ormonde died.. No one was quote sure how and honestly, no one cared. Or so they thought. The mourning period has passed and Perdita is back in society but someone wants to destroy her. Unsure who she can believe in, who she can trust she leans on her closest family and the man who was there for her during her marriage.. The Duke's secretary, the youngest son of a Duke himself.
Lord Archer Lisle may work for a living but he remains a Duke's son. Never one to accept his "place" in society because when push comes to shove it's towards the top of the social ladder. Long disillusioned by his work with the Duke he remained because he truly loved the lady of the house. And when she became a widow he dared to dream. Only Archer never knew what was going on behind closed doors and the more he discovered the guiltier and angrier he got. Now Archer is watching someone dare to punish Perdita and this time, he is going to protect her. No matter the cost.
Twists and turns, questions all around. Ms. Collins manages to keep the reader guessing.
Originally Reviewed For: Bodice Rippers, Femme Fatales and Fantasy
What makes this book so exceptional is the fact that Perdita (and yes I too can't stop thinking 101 Dalmations) was an abuse victim and Ms Collins handled it perfectly. She was a survivor and survivors have issues. They are embarrassed, ashamed and determined to never make the same mistake twice. Sometimes to their detriment. Perdita was all those things. She knew he could love Archer but she didn't trust her instincts. She was afraid to trust her instincts.
Archer had to be a strong, gentle man. An Alpha in Beta's clothing. Someone who was more than a shoulder to cry on but still not intimidating. A hard concept and yet Ms. Collins pulled it off!.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Shauni
This review is based on the ARC of Why Lords Lose Their Hearts, provided by netgalley and is scheduled to be released on July 29, 2014
July 7, 2014
I requested the ARC of Why Lords Lose Their Hearts by Manda Collins from NetGalley in exchange to a honest review, so I have to be honest an say that this book, actually this whole series has been insult to the readers intelligence.
The story, through all three books has been inconsistency, timeline has been all out of place and the "surprises" have either been no surprises at all or over the top absurd.
In this last book the readers can follow the story of the third widow - Perdita, who's husband all three of them helped to neutralize.
As in previous books, she has her champion, who is in love with her and she has some absurd idea, that she can not marry for love, since the person she loves will for sure become a monster, but marrying without love, her husband will be nice and kind. And just like in previous books, the perpetrator starts at first with just reminding her what she has done, then escalates to physically hurting her, then to humiliating her in front of the society, and follows the "happy couple" once again via Twitter or though the chips that are inserted under their skin. I see no other way how one could know and even anticipate others secret fleeing from the city or knows how to set up such and elaborate and time consuming and raw physical power needing prank in just a few days.
This story has so many contradictions and especially if you read the books one right after another, as I did, then you notice the little things that are out of sync. The idea of the story is good in itself just the end result ... infuriating!
The story, through all three books has been inconsistency, timeline has been all out of place and the "surprises" have either been no surprises at all or over the top absurd.
In this last book the readers can follow the story of the third widow - Perdita, who's husband all three of them helped to neutralize.
As in previous books, she has her champion, who is in love with her and she has some absurd idea, that she can not marry for love, since the person she loves will for sure become a monster, but marrying without love, her husband will be nice and kind. And just like in previous books, the perpetrator starts at first with just reminding her what she has done, then escalates to physically hurting her, then to humiliating her in front of the society, and follows the "happy couple" once again via Twitter or though the chips that are inserted under their skin. I see no other way how one could know and even anticipate others secret fleeing from the city or knows how to set up such and elaborate and time consuming and raw physical power needing prank in just a few days.
This story has so many contradictions and especially if you read the books one right after another, as I did, then you notice the little things that are out of sync. The idea of the story is good in itself just the end result ... infuriating!
December 13, 2015
this is the third book in this series and while I really liked the first book, loved and adored the second book, I knew when I started that I would have some troubles with this one.
the reason for this is that the foreplay for their story was great, it is always difficult to reach the expactations.
Perdita was the most difficult heroine for me in this series (especially after Georgina, whom I adored) but that I did not expect that I would be so disappointed with her behaviour. The way, she treats Archer was neither loving nor friendly and for a long time, I could not understand what Archer sees in her.
I also missed the development in this relationship. till the end I kept hoping for an improvement but it did not really. Except for the ending which was exactly what I hoped for for the other books as well and did not get with the other stories.
all in all unfortunately no more than 3 stars
the reason for this is that the foreplay for their story was great, it is always difficult to reach the expactations.
Perdita was the most difficult heroine for me in this series (especially after Georgina, whom I adored) but that I did not expect that I would be so disappointed with her behaviour. The way, she treats Archer was neither loving nor friendly and for a long time, I could not understand what Archer sees in her.
I also missed the development in this relationship. till the end I kept hoping for an improvement but it did not really. Except for the ending which was exactly what I hoped for for the other books as well and did not get with the other stories.
all in all unfortunately no more than 3 stars
April 3, 2016
Good conclusion to the Wicked Widows trilogy. It all started with the death of Perdita's abusive husband, as he held a knife to her throat. Only Perdita, her sister Isabella, and their friend Georgina know exactly what occurred - or so they thought. In the first book, someone starts tormenting and threatening the three women, claiming to know what happened and threatening to expose them. Isabella and Georgina are saved from their stalkers with the help of the men they love, but the person behind it is still unknown.
The stalker has moved on to attacks on Perdita, and the only person she can go to for help is Lord Archer, her late husband's private secretary. Unknown to her, Archer has been in love with her for years, but had been unable to help her before. Now he is determined to keep her safe.
I really liked Archer. As the youngest in the family he learned how to read people, keep calm in chaos, and wait patiently for his chance at what he wants. I loved the way that he has been watching out for her since the trouble began. Knowing some of what she's been through, I really liked the way that Archer was sensitive to the way that he made suggestions. I also thought that he was incredibly patient with her stubbornness in dealing with the threats against her, but when it was time to take action, he did it.
I liked Perdita, too, but there were times I wanted to shake her. Because she had been in love with her husband before they married and he showed his abusive side, she now has no confidence in her ability to trust her judgement of whether someone is a good man. She is taking the time of being unmarried again to try to develop some confidence in herself again. She is considering the idea of marrying again, but refuses to allow herself to fall in love with any man, sure that it would impair her judgement once again.
I enjoyed the development of their relationship. Archer finally made his interest in Perdita clear to her. Perdita finally admitted her attraction to him, but refuses to consider being anything other than lovers. Of course, Archer wants more, but has the sense and patience to try to bring her to his way of thinking. Their physical relationship was great, with plenty of heat, but also some fun. I did get frustrated with the way she would frequently push him away. Fortunately, she does start to believe that she can have it all, thanks to an unexpected conversation with Archer's mother.
The suspense of the story, as it continued from the previous two books was really good. I could definitely feel the creep factor several incidents portraying her as a murderer occurred. When the attacks turned physical, the intensity increased, especially as Perdita resisted all suggestions for her safety. Even when Archer took her to the safest place he could think of, trouble still found them. As this book went on I had a couple of suspicions of who the bad guy was, but it wasn't obvious who it would really be. My initial suspicion turned out to be right, but the reason behind it was completely unexpected and definitely high up in the ick factor. There was an interesting twist at the end regarding Gervase's death.
I liked seeing the couples from the first two books and how their involvement continued in this one. As all three women had previously been victims of abusive husbands, it was lovely to see them with men who loved them. I really liked the way that Isabella and Georgina didn't hesitate to tell Perdita when they thought she was wrong, and I loved their part in getting her to safety.
I also loved seeing Archer's family. His parents were great. I really liked how they obviously cared about their boys. I loved the part where his mom asked Perdita her intentions toward Archer. His brothers were also terrific. There was plenty of sibling rivalry and teasing, but when the chips were down, their support was instant and complete. As they are all unmarried, I hope to see them getting books of their own.
The stalker has moved on to attacks on Perdita, and the only person she can go to for help is Lord Archer, her late husband's private secretary. Unknown to her, Archer has been in love with her for years, but had been unable to help her before. Now he is determined to keep her safe.
I really liked Archer. As the youngest in the family he learned how to read people, keep calm in chaos, and wait patiently for his chance at what he wants. I loved the way that he has been watching out for her since the trouble began. Knowing some of what she's been through, I really liked the way that Archer was sensitive to the way that he made suggestions. I also thought that he was incredibly patient with her stubbornness in dealing with the threats against her, but when it was time to take action, he did it.
I liked Perdita, too, but there were times I wanted to shake her. Because she had been in love with her husband before they married and he showed his abusive side, she now has no confidence in her ability to trust her judgement of whether someone is a good man. She is taking the time of being unmarried again to try to develop some confidence in herself again. She is considering the idea of marrying again, but refuses to allow herself to fall in love with any man, sure that it would impair her judgement once again.
I enjoyed the development of their relationship. Archer finally made his interest in Perdita clear to her. Perdita finally admitted her attraction to him, but refuses to consider being anything other than lovers. Of course, Archer wants more, but has the sense and patience to try to bring her to his way of thinking. Their physical relationship was great, with plenty of heat, but also some fun. I did get frustrated with the way she would frequently push him away. Fortunately, she does start to believe that she can have it all, thanks to an unexpected conversation with Archer's mother.
The suspense of the story, as it continued from the previous two books was really good. I could definitely feel the creep factor several incidents portraying her as a murderer occurred. When the attacks turned physical, the intensity increased, especially as Perdita resisted all suggestions for her safety. Even when Archer took her to the safest place he could think of, trouble still found them. As this book went on I had a couple of suspicions of who the bad guy was, but it wasn't obvious who it would really be. My initial suspicion turned out to be right, but the reason behind it was completely unexpected and definitely high up in the ick factor. There was an interesting twist at the end regarding Gervase's death.
I liked seeing the couples from the first two books and how their involvement continued in this one. As all three women had previously been victims of abusive husbands, it was lovely to see them with men who loved them. I really liked the way that Isabella and Georgina didn't hesitate to tell Perdita when they thought she was wrong, and I loved their part in getting her to safety.
I also loved seeing Archer's family. His parents were great. I really liked how they obviously cared about their boys. I loved the part where his mom asked Perdita her intentions toward Archer. His brothers were also terrific. There was plenty of sibling rivalry and teasing, but when the chips were down, their support was instant and complete. As they are all unmarried, I hope to see them getting books of their own.
January 6, 2016
The Hero wins...
Why Lords Lose Their Hearts was a wonderful tale about Perdita and Archer. We met both characters in the two previous stories in this series. The main plot of the series is based around the death of Perdita's husband Gervase. He had been a horrible husband who regularly beat Perdita. Archer had been Gervase's secretary and had regular contact with the couple. In this time Archer's feelings for Perdita grew, but he knew that because he didn't hold a title (even though his father is a Duke) no match could be made.
There is someone out to make Perdita, her sister Isabella and friend Georgina's life a misery because they blamed the three women for killing Gervase. This third installment brings the mystery to a conclusion...and I didn't guess until the murderer was smack bang in front of me with a sign hanging above their heads saying I did it! Sometimes I can work out the mystery and sometimes I can't, this one surprised me.
I dropped a star because Perdita drove me crazy. She was an absolute ninny throughout most of this story and if I was Archer, I would not have put up with her. Her logic behind her decisions was silly. There was no way Archer was capable of acting the way her previous husband did. He proved regularly how much he loved her, not just in his protection of her, but also in the way he approached her knowing what she had been through. I wanted better for Archer.
Overall I really enjoyed this story. Manda Collins writes very well and her heroes are the best specimens of male virility. Great to see some of the old characters and some new ones as well. Definitely looking forward to seeing Archer's brothers get their own stories.
This review and more can be found at http://edgyreviews.com/
Why Lords Lose Their Hearts was a wonderful tale about Perdita and Archer. We met both characters in the two previous stories in this series. The main plot of the series is based around the death of Perdita's husband Gervase. He had been a horrible husband who regularly beat Perdita. Archer had been Gervase's secretary and had regular contact with the couple. In this time Archer's feelings for Perdita grew, but he knew that because he didn't hold a title (even though his father is a Duke) no match could be made.
There is someone out to make Perdita, her sister Isabella and friend Georgina's life a misery because they blamed the three women for killing Gervase. This third installment brings the mystery to a conclusion...and I didn't guess until the murderer was smack bang in front of me with a sign hanging above their heads saying I did it! Sometimes I can work out the mystery and sometimes I can't, this one surprised me.
I dropped a star because Perdita drove me crazy. She was an absolute ninny throughout most of this story and if I was Archer, I would not have put up with her. Her logic behind her decisions was silly. There was no way Archer was capable of acting the way her previous husband did. He proved regularly how much he loved her, not just in his protection of her, but also in the way he approached her knowing what she had been through. I wanted better for Archer.
Overall I really enjoyed this story. Manda Collins writes very well and her heroes are the best specimens of male virility. Great to see some of the old characters and some new ones as well. Definitely looking forward to seeing Archer's brothers get their own stories.
This review and more can be found at http://edgyreviews.com/
March 8, 2015
I came in at the end of this series. Perdita, her sister, and her friend were all there when her husband died and they know the truth. Someone else knows what happened last season as well and is trying to make the trio pay. Perdita is the last and she seems to be getting the worst of it. Lord Archer was her husband's secretary. He is also in love with her. Perdita doesn't want to make the mistake of marrying someone that will treat her like her first husband and doesn't trust her judgement so she is seeking a husband she couldn't possibly fall in love with. She makes me a little crazy with her reasoning, but I guess I can see where she is coming from. Archer is a sweet guy and he just wants to win her over. I loved getting to meet Archer's family. This is an enjoyable and steamy historical romance.
August 4, 2014
3.5/5
I enjoyed this final installment in the trilogy - I'm happy to finally know who was behind it all. It was sweet and romantic. Full review on my blog soon...
Updated, July 23, 2014:
I have to admit that I'm a bit picky with my historical romances and generally I will not pick one up if it features a widow. I'm not really sure why, but as soon as I read that in a description, I just feel put off. That said, I made an exception for Manda Collins' Wicked Widow trilogy because I adored her Ugly Ducklings series, especially How to Romance a Rake . So with some trepidation I read the first two books in Wicked Widows. The first one was great, I was less enthralled with book two, but Why Lords Lose Their Hearts was the best of the bunch.
Perdita is the widowed Duchess of Ormond, and as readers learned in book one, Perdita, her sister Isabella, and their friend, Georgina, were all present the night that the Duke of Ormond died. In fact, they appear to have a had a hand in ushering the duke off into the afterlife. Not that they didn't have good reason. Ormond was abusing Perdita, and had been since the honeymoon period of their marriage faded. On this particular evening, Ormond threatened Perdita's life and the ladies had to do something to stop him. Now that Perdita is free from her husband she has been considering marrying again; however, she no longer trusts her own judgement and is unwilling to marry for love. If she didn't suspect that Ormond would hurt her, how can she trust that she can make a better decision the second time around? Unfortunately, Perdita's husband hunt is complicated by threatening letters, indicating that someone knows what truly happened to the duke and means to make Perdita pay.
Coming to Perdita's aid is the former and current Duke of Ormond's man of affairs, Lord Archer. Archer has pretty much been in love with Perdita since he's met her, and now that she is free to remarry he's starting to press his suit. Perdita certainly feels an attraction to Archer, but she'd rather have an affair and marry someone that she doesn't actually care about. To an extent, I think Perdita's opinion is reasonable, but I couldn't help but view as a little demeaning towards Archer, and you can't help but hope that Perdita will come to this realization on her own. Nothing like a death threat to bring two people together.
Archer is extremely patient with Perdita. Now that he's aware of the abuse that she suffered at the hands of her first husband, he does feel guilty but he thankfully never goes into overbearing territory, allowing Perdita to come into her own independence once again. If you're looking for a beta hero, Archer is your man. These types of heroes are why I like Collins' historicals. She doesn't write super overbearing alpha males, which is a nice change in a genre filled with the domineering rakes. So if you're looking for a more balanced romance, Why Lords Lose Their Hearts is the romance for you.
I should also mention the intrigue plot that cropped up in the final installment of the series. Readers of the first two will know that all three women that witnessed the death of Ormond received threatening notes. In Why Lords Lose Their Hearts we finally learn who the mastermind is behind the "I know what you did last season" notes. There are several suspects offered up, and it's not till the end that suspicions are confirmed. I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of the intrigue element, I'm perfectly happy for my romances to be about the hero and heroine falling in love and not investigating a mystery. So I personally wasn't that invested in the intrigue plot and I could have done without it. I'd really like to see the author write something with less intrigue, since I think she conveys a great emotional relationship in her romances, sometimes I feel like the mystery gets in the way.
Ultimately, Why Lords Lose Their Hearts was a nice conclusion to the trilogy. All the loose ends were tied and everyone got their happy ending. You couldn't go wrong with this one if you're looking for a romantic read with a side of mystery.
*Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
I enjoyed this final installment in the trilogy - I'm happy to finally know who was behind it all. It was sweet and romantic. Full review on my blog soon...
Updated, July 23, 2014:
I have to admit that I'm a bit picky with my historical romances and generally I will not pick one up if it features a widow. I'm not really sure why, but as soon as I read that in a description, I just feel put off. That said, I made an exception for Manda Collins' Wicked Widow trilogy because I adored her Ugly Ducklings series, especially How to Romance a Rake . So with some trepidation I read the first two books in Wicked Widows. The first one was great, I was less enthralled with book two, but Why Lords Lose Their Hearts was the best of the bunch.
Perdita is the widowed Duchess of Ormond, and as readers learned in book one, Perdita, her sister Isabella, and their friend, Georgina, were all present the night that the Duke of Ormond died. In fact, they appear to have a had a hand in ushering the duke off into the afterlife. Not that they didn't have good reason. Ormond was abusing Perdita, and had been since the honeymoon period of their marriage faded. On this particular evening, Ormond threatened Perdita's life and the ladies had to do something to stop him. Now that Perdita is free from her husband she has been considering marrying again; however, she no longer trusts her own judgement and is unwilling to marry for love. If she didn't suspect that Ormond would hurt her, how can she trust that she can make a better decision the second time around? Unfortunately, Perdita's husband hunt is complicated by threatening letters, indicating that someone knows what truly happened to the duke and means to make Perdita pay.
Coming to Perdita's aid is the former and current Duke of Ormond's man of affairs, Lord Archer. Archer has pretty much been in love with Perdita since he's met her, and now that she is free to remarry he's starting to press his suit. Perdita certainly feels an attraction to Archer, but she'd rather have an affair and marry someone that she doesn't actually care about. To an extent, I think Perdita's opinion is reasonable, but I couldn't help but view as a little demeaning towards Archer, and you can't help but hope that Perdita will come to this realization on her own. Nothing like a death threat to bring two people together.
Archer is extremely patient with Perdita. Now that he's aware of the abuse that she suffered at the hands of her first husband, he does feel guilty but he thankfully never goes into overbearing territory, allowing Perdita to come into her own independence once again. If you're looking for a beta hero, Archer is your man. These types of heroes are why I like Collins' historicals. She doesn't write super overbearing alpha males, which is a nice change in a genre filled with the domineering rakes. So if you're looking for a more balanced romance, Why Lords Lose Their Hearts is the romance for you.
I should also mention the intrigue plot that cropped up in the final installment of the series. Readers of the first two will know that all three women that witnessed the death of Ormond received threatening notes. In Why Lords Lose Their Hearts we finally learn who the mastermind is behind the "I know what you did last season" notes. There are several suspects offered up, and it's not till the end that suspicions are confirmed. I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of the intrigue element, I'm perfectly happy for my romances to be about the hero and heroine falling in love and not investigating a mystery. So I personally wasn't that invested in the intrigue plot and I could have done without it. I'd really like to see the author write something with less intrigue, since I think she conveys a great emotional relationship in her romances, sometimes I feel like the mystery gets in the way.
Ultimately, Why Lords Lose Their Hearts was a nice conclusion to the trilogy. All the loose ends were tied and everyone got their happy ending. You couldn't go wrong with this one if you're looking for a romantic read with a side of mystery.
*Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
January 26, 2015
Lord Archer Lisle, is the youngest of five sons, and has to work for a living. But there is one reason he has stayed at the same position, even though it was a fun job to begin with, Perdita. Perdita is the widowed Duchess of Ormand, has suffered from an abusive marriage, but when it defending her life, her husband is killed, she knew that this secret must never get out, for there is only a few that know; her family and Archer. She has always felt a kinship toward Archer, and now that she is free from her husband, the last thing she needs is entering a marriage with her heart involved. She doesn’t believe that she can trust her own judgment, and when Archer starts to be a bit more progressive in relaying his true feelings for her, Perdita has no idea how to handle these feelings inside of her, but when a danger threatens her, and she is constantly having her life put at risk, Archer decides to take action and protect the woman he loves at all costs, even risking the anger and wrath of the Duchess herself. But will they be able to resolve matters of the heart before the danger closes around them and threatens to destroy everything…
Why Lords Lose Their Hearts is the third and last installment of the series. And oh my have I had such a fun time with this author. Don’t you just love it when you discover an author and every book you read is better than the last? Well that is how I feel about Manda Collins, I just can’t get enough of her. Now this is the last installment of the Wicked Widows trilogy, but don’t look so sad guys….because I have great news; she has an upcoming series, the Lords of Anarchy which are closely related to this book. Which I am super excited for, since in this book, we see four other unattached brothers….oooh I just can’t wait. This family was a jolly good fun, and I just wanted to jump in the pages and join in the circus. Despite the fact that they are all grown men, they still act like five year old. The teasing and gestures, and oh boy, the parents sure had their hands full with these boys.
The story is enchanting and oh I just love the writing style of Manda Collins. It’s the type of writing style that has you hooked from the beginning, and I am amazed that I just discovered this author last year…I should get grounded or something….LOL…but I have repented of my grave sins, and Collins is at the top of my reading list from now on. The story itself is at first seems to be predictable, but that is far from the case. This plot went different ways and led me on a merry chase, with a couple of adventures, sensual engagements, and a suspenseful element that added even more depth to the story. The character development were done pretty well, and I love the strength and passion of these two, they complimented each other so well, and you see what a spark they have from the beginning of the story.
Overall a story that had me enthralled from the first page, a story to enchant, mystify and captivate!! A story with flair and beautifully drawn characters….a book you don’t want to miss! A SPARKLING GEM!!
Why Lords Lose Their Hearts is the third and last installment of the series. And oh my have I had such a fun time with this author. Don’t you just love it when you discover an author and every book you read is better than the last? Well that is how I feel about Manda Collins, I just can’t get enough of her. Now this is the last installment of the Wicked Widows trilogy, but don’t look so sad guys….because I have great news; she has an upcoming series, the Lords of Anarchy which are closely related to this book. Which I am super excited for, since in this book, we see four other unattached brothers….oooh I just can’t wait. This family was a jolly good fun, and I just wanted to jump in the pages and join in the circus. Despite the fact that they are all grown men, they still act like five year old. The teasing and gestures, and oh boy, the parents sure had their hands full with these boys.
The story is enchanting and oh I just love the writing style of Manda Collins. It’s the type of writing style that has you hooked from the beginning, and I am amazed that I just discovered this author last year…I should get grounded or something….LOL…but I have repented of my grave sins, and Collins is at the top of my reading list from now on. The story itself is at first seems to be predictable, but that is far from the case. This plot went different ways and led me on a merry chase, with a couple of adventures, sensual engagements, and a suspenseful element that added even more depth to the story. The character development were done pretty well, and I love the strength and passion of these two, they complimented each other so well, and you see what a spark they have from the beginning of the story.
Overall a story that had me enthralled from the first page, a story to enchant, mystify and captivate!! A story with flair and beautifully drawn characters….a book you don’t want to miss! A SPARKLING GEM!!
July 30, 2014
The exciting, sexy conclusion to author Manda Collins' delightful Wicked Widows series! Taken from my review at RomanceJunkies.com:
Perdita, the widowed Duchess of Ormonde, has a secret, one she shares with her sister, Isabella, and their friend, Georgianna. They know the truth about how Perdita’s abusive husband died and so does someone else. There have already been attempts on Isabella and Georgianna’s lives and now Perdita is receiving anonymous notes, letting her know that her secret is known. Still, Perdita will not let the threats stop her from living her life as she sees fit. Now that her mourning period is past, she is determined to go where she wants and do what she wants to do. But when the private threat evolves into public attacks, she seeks help from the only man she can trust – Lord Archer.
Lord Archer Lisle, the youngest of the Duke of Pemberton’s five sons, has been in love with Perdita for years, but his position as private secretary to her husband, the Duke of Ormonde, leaves him in no doubt that she is out of his league. In the past, Archer suffered through watching the way that the duke treated his wife, but now the duke is dead. Having been present when the other two women in Perdita’s life endured attempts on their lives, Archer is not happy that the woman he loves is not being more circumspect, so he takes steps to keep her safe. However, her stalker is more devious than they thought. Will Archer be able to protect her, or will he lose the woman who holds his heart?
A suspense-filled tale, WHY LORDS LOSE THEIR HEARTS, the third book in author Manda Collins’ WICKED WIDOWS trilogy, is a witty, sensual historical romance that will captivate readers from the very beginning. Finally, in this last book of the series, readers will discover the surprising identity of the villain. Having suffered abuse at the hands of her husband, a man who had tenderly wooed her, Perdita no longer trusts her own instincts since she had loved her husband. So she is determined to marry a man she does not care for. Unfortunately, she has already lost her heart to Archer, making him a man she cannot wed. But Archer is patient and he is determined to change her mind. Although Archer often comes across as a beta, he quickly morphs into an alpha when it comes to protecting Perdita. I enjoyed watching their relationship develop and kept rooting for them throughout the story.
Filled with warmth, clever dialogue, engaging characters, sizzling chemistry, mystery, danger, surprising plot twists, tender romance and true love, this story is a delight. All the books in this series will keep readers glued to the pages and I suggest reading all three, although each one can be read as a standalone. Readers will be kept guessing throughout the series and are sure to be surprised at the outcome with this third book. I recommend it to readers who enjoy a historical romance with plenty of heat and loads of suspense.
Dottie, RomanceJunkies.com
Perdita, the widowed Duchess of Ormonde, has a secret, one she shares with her sister, Isabella, and their friend, Georgianna. They know the truth about how Perdita’s abusive husband died and so does someone else. There have already been attempts on Isabella and Georgianna’s lives and now Perdita is receiving anonymous notes, letting her know that her secret is known. Still, Perdita will not let the threats stop her from living her life as she sees fit. Now that her mourning period is past, she is determined to go where she wants and do what she wants to do. But when the private threat evolves into public attacks, she seeks help from the only man she can trust – Lord Archer.
Lord Archer Lisle, the youngest of the Duke of Pemberton’s five sons, has been in love with Perdita for years, but his position as private secretary to her husband, the Duke of Ormonde, leaves him in no doubt that she is out of his league. In the past, Archer suffered through watching the way that the duke treated his wife, but now the duke is dead. Having been present when the other two women in Perdita’s life endured attempts on their lives, Archer is not happy that the woman he loves is not being more circumspect, so he takes steps to keep her safe. However, her stalker is more devious than they thought. Will Archer be able to protect her, or will he lose the woman who holds his heart?
A suspense-filled tale, WHY LORDS LOSE THEIR HEARTS, the third book in author Manda Collins’ WICKED WIDOWS trilogy, is a witty, sensual historical romance that will captivate readers from the very beginning. Finally, in this last book of the series, readers will discover the surprising identity of the villain. Having suffered abuse at the hands of her husband, a man who had tenderly wooed her, Perdita no longer trusts her own instincts since she had loved her husband. So she is determined to marry a man she does not care for. Unfortunately, she has already lost her heart to Archer, making him a man she cannot wed. But Archer is patient and he is determined to change her mind. Although Archer often comes across as a beta, he quickly morphs into an alpha when it comes to protecting Perdita. I enjoyed watching their relationship develop and kept rooting for them throughout the story.
Filled with warmth, clever dialogue, engaging characters, sizzling chemistry, mystery, danger, surprising plot twists, tender romance and true love, this story is a delight. All the books in this series will keep readers glued to the pages and I suggest reading all three, although each one can be read as a standalone. Readers will be kept guessing throughout the series and are sure to be surprised at the outcome with this third book. I recommend it to readers who enjoy a historical romance with plenty of heat and loads of suspense.
Dottie, RomanceJunkies.com
July 14, 2014
I'm not sure why I liked this book so much better than the first two. Perhaps it is because we got to meet Perdita and Archer in previous books. Or maybe it's because I'm such a sucker for the friends-to-lovers trope. Either way, I quite enjoyed this book and was glad it went out with a bang. At least for me. There is at least one part of this story that I think other readers will take issue with and I'm looking forward to reading other reviews.
Perdita, the widowed Duchess of Ormand (never called the dowager, perhaps because her husband's grandmother is still alive?), became the duchess one night when her husband was trying to kill her and he was killed instead.
Her husband's secretary, Lord Archer Lisle (fifth son of a duke), wasn't in the room when death occurred but he learned of the circumstances soon after. He is ashamed that he didn't realize sooner what the duke was doing to Perdita, especially because he loves her. But, as the fifth son of a duke, he has hopes that he can marry Perdita but is realistic about how society will view the marriage. Plus, there's the inconvenient fact that Perdita will not marry for love (look where that got her the first time!)
Of course, the two are forced together, working to discover who blames Perdita for the duke's death and why they're trying to thoroughly discredit her before they kill her.
Perdita, the widowed Duchess of Ormand (never called the dowager, perhaps because her husband's grandmother is still alive?), became the duchess one night when her husband was trying to kill her and he was killed instead.
Her husband's secretary, Lord Archer Lisle (fifth son of a duke), wasn't in the room when death occurred but he learned of the circumstances soon after. He is ashamed that he didn't realize sooner what the duke was doing to Perdita, especially because he loves her. But, as the fifth son of a duke, he has hopes that he can marry Perdita but is realistic about how society will view the marriage. Plus, there's the inconvenient fact that Perdita will not marry for love (look where that got her the first time!)
Of course, the two are forced together, working to discover who blames Perdita for the duke's death and why they're trying to thoroughly discredit her before they kill her.
July 3, 2014
A delightfully sweet, absolutely fantastic historical romance, Why Lords Lose Their Hearts was simply amazing. From the lovely romance, to the thrills of danger, and the unexpected twist, this book was wonderful.
Perdita was a lovely heroine. After being stuck in a horrible marriage for years, she was determined to live her life on her own terms and make her own decisions. Unfortunately, that sometimes translated into being stubborn about really stupid things. But, beyond that, she was stronger than she gave herself credit for and an overall likable character. I thought she was great.
Archer was absolutely adorable. This man was so sweet and wonderful and just amazing. He had loved Perdita for years and was determined to do everything he could to keep her safe. I loved how devoted he was to her and how, even while he was trying to convince her to marry him, he always honored her wishes. He was perfect and I adored him.
The romance was lovely. I thought they were so sweet together, with how Archer had loved Perdita for so long and how Perdita, even though she was wary of men, knew she could trust Archer. And, they had some chemistry between them that turned the heat up. I thought they were a perfect couple.
The plot was fast paced and I was hooked the entire way through. The constant danger of Perdita's stalker kept me on the edge of my seat and I never suspected who it turned out to be. It was quite a shocker, especially considering the full extent of this person's insanity. I really enjoyed the story and the ending was perfect.
Why Lords Lose Their Hearts was a fantastic historical romance. I absolutely loved this brilliant book. It was simply wonderful, from start to finish. Romance lovers, this is a book worth reading.
*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Perdita was a lovely heroine. After being stuck in a horrible marriage for years, she was determined to live her life on her own terms and make her own decisions. Unfortunately, that sometimes translated into being stubborn about really stupid things. But, beyond that, she was stronger than she gave herself credit for and an overall likable character. I thought she was great.
Archer was absolutely adorable. This man was so sweet and wonderful and just amazing. He had loved Perdita for years and was determined to do everything he could to keep her safe. I loved how devoted he was to her and how, even while he was trying to convince her to marry him, he always honored her wishes. He was perfect and I adored him.
The romance was lovely. I thought they were so sweet together, with how Archer had loved Perdita for so long and how Perdita, even though she was wary of men, knew she could trust Archer. And, they had some chemistry between them that turned the heat up. I thought they were a perfect couple.
The plot was fast paced and I was hooked the entire way through. The constant danger of Perdita's stalker kept me on the edge of my seat and I never suspected who it turned out to be. It was quite a shocker, especially considering the full extent of this person's insanity. I really enjoyed the story and the ending was perfect.
Why Lords Lose Their Hearts was a fantastic historical romance. I absolutely loved this brilliant book. It was simply wonderful, from start to finish. Romance lovers, this is a book worth reading.
*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
July 29, 2014
This is book 3 in the Wicked Widows series.
Someone is out to do harm to Perdita, the widowed Duchess of Ormond. The person blames her for the Duke's death. Having already been through threatening situations with her sister and best friend, Perdita is not surprised when the villain sets his eyes on her. But when the threats start happening in public, she realizes that she must turn to someone for help.
The logical choice is Lord Archer Lisle. Archer was the personal secretary of the former Duke and has been in love with her for years. When Perdita refuses to leave London for her safety, Archer resorts to kidnapping her.
Archer just wants to keep Perdita safe, but can she overlook his high handness to find an everlasting love?
I would definitely read the other two books in the series before reading this one. Not that you have to. You will still enjoy this one but the story will be much more meaningful if you do.
Throughout the other two books, we know that Archer and Perdita have feelings for each other but neither of them have ever said anything to the other. Part of what I liked about his book was all the needling that the secondary characters (H/H from other books) gave the two of them. Everyone knew how the two of them felt about each other, but they would just not tell each other. I was happy to see the villain finally caught and was very surprised to find out who it was.
I'll definitely miss these three couples. There is a novella coming out to finish off the series, so I hope we get to see them again.
Thanks go to St. Martin via NetGalley for a copy of the book in exchange of an honest review.
Someone is out to do harm to Perdita, the widowed Duchess of Ormond. The person blames her for the Duke's death. Having already been through threatening situations with her sister and best friend, Perdita is not surprised when the villain sets his eyes on her. But when the threats start happening in public, she realizes that she must turn to someone for help.
The logical choice is Lord Archer Lisle. Archer was the personal secretary of the former Duke and has been in love with her for years. When Perdita refuses to leave London for her safety, Archer resorts to kidnapping her.
Archer just wants to keep Perdita safe, but can she overlook his high handness to find an everlasting love?
I would definitely read the other two books in the series before reading this one. Not that you have to. You will still enjoy this one but the story will be much more meaningful if you do.
Throughout the other two books, we know that Archer and Perdita have feelings for each other but neither of them have ever said anything to the other. Part of what I liked about his book was all the needling that the secondary characters (H/H from other books) gave the two of them. Everyone knew how the two of them felt about each other, but they would just not tell each other. I was happy to see the villain finally caught and was very surprised to find out who it was.
I'll definitely miss these three couples. There is a novella coming out to finish off the series, so I hope we get to see them again.
Thanks go to St. Martin via NetGalley for a copy of the book in exchange of an honest review.
September 1, 2015
This is the third book in the Wicked WIdow series. This is a very good suspense historical romance. There is lots of excitement and plot twists. The interaction between the two main protagonists was really well done. Perdita, the Dowager Duchess of Ormond is a widow who was abused by her husband and does not trust her judgement anymore when it comes to men, Archer was her husband's personal secretary and he now works for the present Duke of Ormond. If you read the first two books in this series you know that all three books open with the same scene. Perdita is being held at knife point by her husband and her sister Isabella and her best friend Georgina are trying to stop him from killing Perdita. Instead the Duke dies that night. The three of them cover it up as an accident. I won't give away how he dies, you have to read it for yourself. Archer has been in love with Perdita for a long time and feels guilty that he did not know that her husband was abusing her. When someone starts sending her messages saying that he knows what she did last season and then elevates it to physical threats on her life, Archer will do anything to keep her safe. He also has to convince her to trust him and eliminate the threat to her life. He wants to spend the rest of his life loving her and keeping her safe. Perdita isn't sure that she can give Archer what he wants. There is a great climax when the villian is revealed and Perdita realizes that she has to marry Archer because she loves him very much.. I would recommend this book. Received an ARC for this review.
July 31, 2014
Finally, the story of Perdita, Duchess of Ormand gets its turn. Throughout this trilogy, the death of her husband by falling on a knife while he was threatening her in front of her two best friends, has been an ugly little secret winding like a snake through all three women's lives. someone know the truth of that day and had made it their mission to punish the women. In the first two books, Isabelle and Georgina were threatened but were able to make happy marriages with their true ;loves. Perdita is pretty sure her fate will not be the same.
Lord Archer Lisle has been secretary to Perdita's abusive husband and in love with her from afar. Now that she is being threatened, he is determined to protect her. He is willing to do anything to win her heart and get her to see him as a possible marriage prospect. As the youngest son of a duke, his prospects require some concerted efforts and finagling on his part to get his heart's desire.
It was great to see the unrequited love aspect explored in this book. Perdita and Archer are a perfect couple. He isn't threatened by her need for independence and she doesn't feel smothered by his care and concern. His skills in the bedroom are pretty nice as well. Her friends and their husbands make another almost family that is there to keep her safe. The villain is surprising and has a creepy motive for their revenge. The resolution makes sense and doesn't feel forced.
I have enjoyed all of the books in this trilogy and look forward to seeing what Ms. Collins writes next.
Lord Archer Lisle has been secretary to Perdita's abusive husband and in love with her from afar. Now that she is being threatened, he is determined to protect her. He is willing to do anything to win her heart and get her to see him as a possible marriage prospect. As the youngest son of a duke, his prospects require some concerted efforts and finagling on his part to get his heart's desire.
It was great to see the unrequited love aspect explored in this book. Perdita and Archer are a perfect couple. He isn't threatened by her need for independence and she doesn't feel smothered by his care and concern. His skills in the bedroom are pretty nice as well. Her friends and their husbands make another almost family that is there to keep her safe. The villain is surprising and has a creepy motive for their revenge. The resolution makes sense and doesn't feel forced.
I have enjoyed all of the books in this trilogy and look forward to seeing what Ms. Collins writes next.
July 27, 2014
I have found a new author. Manda has a nice book here. She came up with a very plausible story line. She has created some very special people in this series. I haven't read the first stories but it didn't upset this book. Perdita was in danger from her husband. Her sister and a friend tried to get her husband,a Duke, to take the knife from her throat. It ends up with him dead. 2 years later she is being scared with attacks and news stories. Archer, 3rd son of a Duke, has loved her forever and becomes her protector. You have to read how Searcher protects her and how they flush the villain out. Amanda develops very strong characters. Please read and enjoy this book. I have this book for an honest review for NetGalley.
August 4, 2014
I'm totally devastated that another scrumptious series has come to an end but I'm a tad comforted that there will be a novella soon and I hope Manda Collins will let us know whether Georgie and Perdita will have babies of their own.
June 4, 2014
Good conclusion to a satisfying Regency romance series. The mystery was sustained very well, and the culprit was a surprise to me. Archer is a delectable hero, just right for tortured Perdita.
Reviewed for Affaire De Coeur Magazine in the August 2014. http://affairedecoeur.com.
Reviewed for Affaire De Coeur Magazine in the August 2014. http://affairedecoeur.com.
July 7, 2014
Manda CollinsIsabella, Perdita and Georgina were all in the room when Perdita's hubby, the cruel and evil Duke of Ormond, was shot and stabbed to death and, now over a year later, a evil unknown nemesis wants REVENGE for the Duke's untimely death! This the last book in the series and this GREAT MYSTERIOUS FOE will be UNMASKED!
Perdita (she will always be Perdy to me) was in a marriage of violence from her husband, the Duke of Ormond, who thought love was about fists, totally control of every aspect of his wife's life and ever ending pain. Now, that he is dead all Perdy feels is relief overjoyed, at all the choices and experiences she can have with her newly found freedom. The one person who has always been the calm in the storm of her marriage was Lord Archer, her abuser's secretary. All she wants to do is take her time to find a hubby that will except her offer of a marriage of convenience only and avoid any man who will pose a risk to her battered and untrustworthy heart. But first, she must discover the unknown nemesis that unfairly blames her for husband's death.
Lord Archer Lisle is only the 5th son of the Duke of Lisle and choose to become the secretary for the Duke of Ormond because the church and soldiering were not for him. He has always worshipped Perdy from afar, as she was marriage to the duke. She is, of course, beautiful with her strawberry golden hair and amazing body, but it was her overly kind, giving and humble heart, that sunk the permanent love arrow into his own heart. He didn't know of the abuse, until after the Duke's death and to late to kill the man himself, but he will never forgive himself for not seeing it sooner. Now, all can do is protect her from the unseen terrorist, who has judged Perdy guilty of the Duke's death and means for her to suffer and then die for it. Also having his heart crumble, while watching her surrounded by buffoonish and unworthy suitors.
Now that her sister, Isabella, and good friend, Georgie, are safe from they own personal enemies, hired by the mastermind of her torment, all the evil and unsettling threats are directed at Perdy. She refuses to hide in Ormond House or not go about her life of hubby hunting, so she is watchful and totally trusts Archer to protect her. Archer is sick of all the soirée, picnics and balls that Perdy attends, while he protecting her, but the endless teas of courting lord, like ever present Lord Dunthrope, are the worst torture for him. He just want to jump up, grab her by the hand, flees, lock them in a room with or without a bed and never leave, until Perdy knows the he is the only man for her. The threats notes take a backseat as a play, that is scripted from the night of her husband death, is performed and printed in papers. Perdy accepts that Archer with be everywhere with her, like a companion, but he will NOT interrupted her hubby hunting.
When a masked attacked in the park happens, she gets into a shouting match with him, Archer grabs her and gives her the most gently, treasured and perfect kiss of her life. The kiss leads to wandering hands and lips, but sadly they are interrupted. Before she leaves the room, Archer asks her what does she really want. Perdy shocks him, by saying she wants him as a LOVER, but she will still be on the outlook for her marriage of convenience, which will not be him. Archer doesn't like the hubby hunting, but he will take her anyway he can have her. They have only one night together, but it rocked both their worlds. More mysterious happenings are afoot and Archer kidnaps her, with sisterly help, for her own safety to his family's home. Now his is back in the FRIEND ZONE, it totally sucks and to make matters worse his 4 single and handsome brothers are home. Will Perdy ever trust her heart again? How will Archer show her that HIS love is gentle, forgiving and everlasting? Can the tormentor be unmasked before Perdy is dead? Will Archer need to kill a brother? Who is this evil nemesis that has run amuck all 3 books?
This is sadly the end of the Wicked Widows series and I am tearing up because I love this world Ms. Collins created, that is full of gentle giants for heroes who love and also heal their ladies with the kisses, caresses and with ever beat of their hearts! She deals with the touchy subject of abuse, but has females, like Lady Russell and the Duchess of Lisle, to show her struggling heroines that there is a glowing light of love at the end of the tunnel of abuse. Perdy may be a Duchess, but she didn't have a Duchess "attitude" and treated everyone, even a lowliest maid, with respect and humbleness. She was a rare treat in this title snobby world of the the Haute Ton. Archer was loved as a boy, by another rare Duchess and he fell in love with a woman so like his mom. This couple story was so special to me because it was in the background of the first 2 books and I just wanted Archer to kidnap, which he did, and make love to her until she actually SAW him! Ms. Collins made this book the hottest of the series with aplenty "PULL THE FIRE ALARM" scenes. If any of the characters that needed some intense and sizzling love, it was Perdy and Archer! Ms. Collins didn't disappoint with the many surprise discoveries in the last book. She answers a lot questions, but reveals more surprises left and right. I don't know about y'all, but I love that author that makes your mouth hang up and say, "NO WAY!" Let's just say I swallowed a lot of flies, while I read this book. I recommend this book to readers who like a steamy mystery with unique cast of characters and surprises galore! Ms. Collins get my top score of 5 fingers up and 10 toes and a lot of swallowed flies!
NetGalley ARC given for my honest review.
April 8, 2018
Murder, incest, and plots oh my! When I picked this book up I did not know it was the third book in a series. But I don't think you really need to read the first two books in the trilogy to understand what's going on. I found the two couples from the first couple of books to be sort of boring and I have no desire to read their stories. Also you think you know how the Duke was killed but at the end you find out that that was wrong. And his killer is someone you wouldn't have expected. The villain in this whole trilogy was very mentally disturbed if she decided incest was an acceptable thing to do.
I really did enjoy this book and I did not see that ending coming. Now I need to pick up more of Manda Collins books in the future.
I really did enjoy this book and I did not see that ending coming. Now I need to pick up more of Manda Collins books in the future.
December 24, 2017
3.5 stars
The story is good, but for me it was all ''shadowed'' by the fact that I didn't like Perdita, the heroine, that much. I understand her reasons, but... She wanted to marry a ''biddable'' man so she could have children and still keep the hero as her lover, knowing he was an honorable man who was in love with her. Her attitude towards her prospective husband I could attribute to the bad experience with her first marriage, but the hero, who was always there for her and possibly the only man she truly trusted, didn't deserve this lack of respect, as I see it.
The story is good, but for me it was all ''shadowed'' by the fact that I didn't like Perdita, the heroine, that much. I understand her reasons, but... She wanted to marry a ''biddable'' man so she could have children and still keep the hero as her lover, knowing he was an honorable man who was in love with her. Her attitude towards her prospective husband I could attribute to the bad experience with her first marriage, but the hero, who was always there for her and possibly the only man she truly trusted, didn't deserve this lack of respect, as I see it.
February 14, 2024
Great 3 part series of regency romance.
September 9, 2014
God this was so boring. The heroine was unlikeable and flat, the hero unjustifiably fixated on the heroine, every woman apparently beaten by their husband, a stagnant villain whose actions ebb and flow in their intensity, etc etc. I actually can't remember something worth noting in this novel. I think its boring nature stems from unsympathetic characters, which translated into the story.
I think the only notable moment in this novel involves a secondary character, Georgie jokingly threatened to use her gun. This was one sentence in a book of bore. I think this will be my last Manda Collins book. It was such a shame because her first trilogy actually had something in it. I think this trilogy can't decide whether it wants to be a romance or mystery and it fails in both.
I think the demise of this book is the heroine who can't support a good story. Her characterization is just not done well. She is nothing much outside of her victimized personality. She constantly harps on being bad judge of characters and transfers that to the hero, who was undeserving of it. I don't see why he should be fixated on her and I think this was a poor execution on the writer's part. As a reader, I was just meant to accept it as fact but the writer didn't really convince me. I thought it was a cop out to be told rather than it show in the story. The Perdita I read in the book is not worthy of his love. All she did was punish the hero for other people's crimes. She constantly harps on the fact that she is a bad judge of character so she won't trust him, despite proving himself far beyond what is expected. I just want to chuck something at her because she is so illogical. She wants to marry seemingly tame men and not even considering that they have a bigger chance of turning out to be duds as opposed to Archer, who hasn't given her a reason to doubt him. If you want to stay single fine, but she was so eager to carry on with a marriage after supposedly being marriage shy. I don't get it. Also, I thought she wanted to find love in a marriage from the past book, which was why she broke off her engagement with Con. This book is so frustrating. Another bad side of Perdita involves her jealousy over the possessive widow. She was ready to excuse herself for having a man and Archer on the side but she doesn't want Archer having somebody beside her. Alright there buddy. I just don't see what Archer sees.
The story revolves around Perdita, the abused, and Archer, the lovelorn swain. Perdita is reminded of the night her husband died. She is harassed in number of ways. I don't get why the villain's intensity ebbs and flows. If this was to be a continuous attack on the women, you'd think she would have improved her methods by now. Instead, their story follows a formula, the scooby doo formula, their villain is right under their nose. This time, it is the dowager duchess' maid. She is the aunt and lover of Perdita's dead husband. She was killed by Archer's brother just as she was about to shoot Perdita at close range. She somehow followed them after Archer took care to leave secretly. Archer took her to his parents' home, which was supposed to be secured. There, she met his brothers, which I'm sure will have a series of their own. She gets a talk from Archer's mom, who surprise surprise was also abused. After the maid dies, the dowager duchess confessed that she was the one who killed Perdita's husband. She poisoned him after she witnessed his treatment of Perdita. It reminded her of her experience...when she was also abused.
I don't want to minimalize the effects of an abusive relationship but this book just overuses it. I think it is meant to mask what is essentially, a shallow and flat book.
And no, this book didn't really answer why lords lose their hearts.
I think the only notable moment in this novel involves a secondary character, Georgie jokingly threatened to use her gun. This was one sentence in a book of bore. I think this will be my last Manda Collins book. It was such a shame because her first trilogy actually had something in it. I think this trilogy can't decide whether it wants to be a romance or mystery and it fails in both.
I think the demise of this book is the heroine who can't support a good story. Her characterization is just not done well. She is nothing much outside of her victimized personality. She constantly harps on being bad judge of characters and transfers that to the hero, who was undeserving of it. I don't see why he should be fixated on her and I think this was a poor execution on the writer's part. As a reader, I was just meant to accept it as fact but the writer didn't really convince me. I thought it was a cop out to be told rather than it show in the story. The Perdita I read in the book is not worthy of his love. All she did was punish the hero for other people's crimes. She constantly harps on the fact that she is a bad judge of character so she won't trust him, despite proving himself far beyond what is expected. I just want to chuck something at her because she is so illogical. She wants to marry seemingly tame men and not even considering that they have a bigger chance of turning out to be duds as opposed to Archer, who hasn't given her a reason to doubt him. If you want to stay single fine, but she was so eager to carry on with a marriage after supposedly being marriage shy. I don't get it. Also, I thought she wanted to find love in a marriage from the past book, which was why she broke off her engagement with Con. This book is so frustrating. Another bad side of Perdita involves her jealousy over the possessive widow. She was ready to excuse herself for having a man and Archer on the side but she doesn't want Archer having somebody beside her. Alright there buddy. I just don't see what Archer sees.
The story revolves around Perdita, the abused, and Archer, the lovelorn swain. Perdita is reminded of the night her husband died. She is harassed in number of ways. I don't get why the villain's intensity ebbs and flows. If this was to be a continuous attack on the women, you'd think she would have improved her methods by now. Instead, their story follows a formula, the scooby doo formula, their villain is right under their nose. This time, it is the dowager duchess' maid. She is the aunt and lover of Perdita's dead husband. She was killed by Archer's brother just as she was about to shoot Perdita at close range. She somehow followed them after Archer took care to leave secretly. Archer took her to his parents' home, which was supposed to be secured. There, she met his brothers, which I'm sure will have a series of their own. She gets a talk from Archer's mom, who surprise surprise was also abused. After the maid dies, the dowager duchess confessed that she was the one who killed Perdita's husband. She poisoned him after she witnessed his treatment of Perdita. It reminded her of her experience...when she was also abused.
I don't want to minimalize the effects of an abusive relationship but this book just overuses it. I think it is meant to mask what is essentially, a shallow and flat book.
And no, this book didn't really answer why lords lose their hearts.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 4, 2014
Woe is me...
This has been a frustrating week; beginning one book, not finishing it, beginning another book, putting it down. I went through four books and none of them grabbed me, and most were by authors I’ve never read before but I was willing to give a try. Huge disappointments. So, when I opened up Manda Collins’ latest, Why Lords Lose Their Hearts, I started to be a little concerned when the book began to drag. I persevered though, because this is the last in her series of Wicked Widows and I wanted to see who the villain has been in this series!
Our romantic pair on this occasion is Perdita, the Duchess of Ormond, and Archer, the fifth son of a duke. Notice I said fifth son. Yes, bubba’s, there are four other brothers and they all have hero-like names and they all have different problems and they all make their appearance in this book. So, I see a new series with four new books in our future.
Archer, Archer, he’s our man – he’s our mighty beta man. You know just once, I’d like for a beta man to have a heroine who deserves him. One that realizes right at the beginning that this guy is really really nice and would do anything in his power to protect her. A heroine who can see that this guy is crazy for her. But, no, Perdita is a whiney woman who can never trust another man because her stinker of a husband abused her. She loved her stinker man you see, so she can never ever trust another man, especially one she might have feelings for. And, she can never, ever marry another man she might love, because then she might get hurt. I guess one's feeling don’t get hurt if one never marries the person one loves - at least that’s what I got out of Perdita’s constant moaning and groaning. I became quite irritated with her continued harping on trust and love and trust, especially since it’s so obvious Archer was such an honorable guy.
And, while we are on the subject of petulant Perdita, can you say stubborn? Someone is trying to kill her and she is ridiculously stubborn in doing what is best for her and for the people who are within 50 miles of her. Archer and all of the people from the previous two books in the series have to resort to kidnapping to get her away from the danger. Of course, that doesn’t really work, because the villain seems to be psychic, the villain seems to know every place she’s going and is always there before she is, with the help of minions. In the end when the big villain reveal is made, it was never made clear to me just how this particular person could have been so omnipresent. They are almost like Q from Star Trek. The ability of our villain to know everything and be everywhere stretched the bounds of believability for me and made the story less credible.
If not for Archer, whom I loved, I would not have found anyone in this story to like. I wish Perdita had been a better heroine and I wish she had deserved Archer. I don’t understand what he saw in her; just because she was abused in her previous marriage doesn’t give her an automatic right to be an inconsiderate, grumpy, insensitive, stubborn ogress. Perdita didn’t work for me as a heroine and that made it hard to read Why Lords Lose Their Hearts.
KaysBlog
This has been a frustrating week; beginning one book, not finishing it, beginning another book, putting it down. I went through four books and none of them grabbed me, and most were by authors I’ve never read before but I was willing to give a try. Huge disappointments. So, when I opened up Manda Collins’ latest, Why Lords Lose Their Hearts, I started to be a little concerned when the book began to drag. I persevered though, because this is the last in her series of Wicked Widows and I wanted to see who the villain has been in this series!
Our romantic pair on this occasion is Perdita, the Duchess of Ormond, and Archer, the fifth son of a duke. Notice I said fifth son. Yes, bubba’s, there are four other brothers and they all have hero-like names and they all have different problems and they all make their appearance in this book. So, I see a new series with four new books in our future.
Archer, Archer, he’s our man – he’s our mighty beta man. You know just once, I’d like for a beta man to have a heroine who deserves him. One that realizes right at the beginning that this guy is really really nice and would do anything in his power to protect her. A heroine who can see that this guy is crazy for her. But, no, Perdita is a whiney woman who can never trust another man because her stinker of a husband abused her. She loved her stinker man you see, so she can never ever trust another man, especially one she might have feelings for. And, she can never, ever marry another man she might love, because then she might get hurt. I guess one's feeling don’t get hurt if one never marries the person one loves - at least that’s what I got out of Perdita’s constant moaning and groaning. I became quite irritated with her continued harping on trust and love and trust, especially since it’s so obvious Archer was such an honorable guy.
And, while we are on the subject of petulant Perdita, can you say stubborn? Someone is trying to kill her and she is ridiculously stubborn in doing what is best for her and for the people who are within 50 miles of her. Archer and all of the people from the previous two books in the series have to resort to kidnapping to get her away from the danger. Of course, that doesn’t really work, because the villain seems to be psychic, the villain seems to know every place she’s going and is always there before she is, with the help of minions. In the end when the big villain reveal is made, it was never made clear to me just how this particular person could have been so omnipresent. They are almost like Q from Star Trek. The ability of our villain to know everything and be everywhere stretched the bounds of believability for me and made the story less credible.
If not for Archer, whom I loved, I would not have found anyone in this story to like. I wish Perdita had been a better heroine and I wish she had deserved Archer. I don’t understand what he saw in her; just because she was abused in her previous marriage doesn’t give her an automatic right to be an inconsiderate, grumpy, insensitive, stubborn ogress. Perdita didn’t work for me as a heroine and that made it hard to read Why Lords Lose Their Hearts.
KaysBlog
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 24, 2014
So I’ve been waiting for Perdita and Archer since book one. Since the time I found out that Archer had a crush of the widowed duchess, I was intrigued. And so, I badly wanted to love this book. And I did, but I also didn’t.
Perdita is the the widowed Duchess of Ormond. The Duke of Ormond died a suspicious death, and someone is trying to exact revenge on Predita (and in the previous two books, Isabella and Georgina) who the mysterious avengers believes are the murderers. The attacks have been become more public and dangerous. Archer knows he’ll do anything to protect the love of his life (even if he’s not quite willing to admit it to her).
I really liked Archer. He’s a pretty interesting guy and I loved that he tried so hard to give Perdita happiness. He’s what ever hero should be (really, I though it should have been Predita that should have been wooing Archer). Being the fifth son of a duke, he had a really interesting family that we got to met. I loved the family dynamic. I’m impressed with his tenacity through the struggle to win over Perdita because personally I was a bit stressed with her.
Perdita. Oh Perdita. How I wanted to like you. I get that she didn’t want to run away for the problem, but there’s a time and place for everything. And when her stubbornness to not let people help her results in endangering herself and other people (like people you love), it’s hella frustrating to side with her. Really, she had no self preservation. Also, she was determine to only re-marry to someone who won’t love her/break her heart. What is this?! Like I said, I get her pain and why she doesn’t want to risk her heart again (especially after the terrible duke). But I was also definitely annoyed that she wouldn’t trust that Archer would love her, despite on many occasions Archer has proven to be worth the risk. At this point all her angst are her own fault.
The overall arc story finally gets its big finale in this. The threats and attacks have escalated to extreme, and danger is all around, where the “killer” is determine to get his prize (Perdita dead, in case your wondering). I was happy with the ending, though it was a bit melodramatic. All and all, Why Lords Lose Their Hearts was an enjoyable read, and nice conclusion to the Wicked Widows series.
{*Thank to St. Martin’s & Netgally for the ARC in exchange for the an honest review. Original review at Bookmunchies
Perdita is the the widowed Duchess of Ormond. The Duke of Ormond died a suspicious death, and someone is trying to exact revenge on Predita (and in the previous two books, Isabella and Georgina) who the mysterious avengers believes are the murderers. The attacks have been become more public and dangerous. Archer knows he’ll do anything to protect the love of his life (even if he’s not quite willing to admit it to her).
I really liked Archer. He’s a pretty interesting guy and I loved that he tried so hard to give Perdita happiness. He’s what ever hero should be (really, I though it should have been Predita that should have been wooing Archer). Being the fifth son of a duke, he had a really interesting family that we got to met. I loved the family dynamic. I’m impressed with his tenacity through the struggle to win over Perdita because personally I was a bit stressed with her.
Perdita. Oh Perdita. How I wanted to like you. I get that she didn’t want to run away for the problem, but there’s a time and place for everything. And when her stubbornness to not let people help her results in endangering herself and other people (like people you love), it’s hella frustrating to side with her. Really, she had no self preservation. Also, she was determine to only re-marry to someone who won’t love her/break her heart. What is this?! Like I said, I get her pain and why she doesn’t want to risk her heart again (especially after the terrible duke). But I was also definitely annoyed that she wouldn’t trust that Archer would love her, despite on many occasions Archer has proven to be worth the risk. At this point all her angst are her own fault.
The overall arc story finally gets its big finale in this. The threats and attacks have escalated to extreme, and danger is all around, where the “killer” is determine to get his prize (Perdita dead, in case your wondering). I was happy with the ending, though it was a bit melodramatic. All and all, Why Lords Lose Their Hearts was an enjoyable read, and nice conclusion to the Wicked Widows series.
{*Thank to St. Martin’s & Netgally for the ARC in exchange for the an honest review. Original review at Bookmunchies
February 5, 2017
The plot was (is) so very interesting; so much so that, as soon as I've received the novel, I started reading it, very late in the night and with a certain eagerness...what a pity that the development didn't exactly satisfy my expectation. Let's be clear, it is not a bad novel, not at all, but I've encountered some uncertainties, some dead parts and some exaggerations as well.
The preamble and the immediately following chapters are amazing; then, I don't know what happens, but the rhythm is not as incisively protracted.
The strong point in this romance are the characters, no doubt. They are very well portrayed and the connection with them comes easily.
The evil characters are great as well...to be honest I mainly prefer the kind of antagonist with whom you really can't sympathise; I mean, there are bad people in this world, who are bad just because of their characters, there's not always a justification, then why should we always look for some good in everyone?! Well, in Why Lords Lose Their Hearts, the author doesn't try or want to give us that idea, and I've appreciated this decision.
Our hero and heroine are lovely and very sweet together, they are both deep characters. I've liked a lot also Archer's family, his brothers especially.
Unfortunately there are other parts which lack of incisiveness.
The conclusion, where all sins are discovered, is a bit too much in my opinion; trying not to spoiler crucial points, let say that I've liked the idea of the antagonist's motivations and background, but, I know that abuses were de rigueur and even not that badly seen at those times and before, but at the end of the romance, when I was reading AGAIN about another (and I don't mean the second...) abuse, I found it a bit pushed over the edge...same for the old dowager Duchess of Ormond's confession.
Apart from my last consideration, I think this is a nice romance to read, good plot and good characters.
Take a look at IL PROFUMO DELLE PERGAMENE if you'd like to read the whole review
Buona lettura!
** I received an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book courtesy of NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review, thank you for the opportunity.
August 10, 2014
The widowed Duchess of Ormond, Perdita has a secret reagrding her late husbands death. A secret that has threatened her friends life and now the danger to her own life is escalating, someone knows that her brutish husbands death was more complex than just an accident and they won't their revenge on Perdita. However, Lord Archer Lisle is determined to keep Perdita safe and discover who the mastermind behind all the threats and plots against Perdita and her friends is.Archer has been in love with Perdita for years and will do anything to keep her safe and convince her he is the right husband for her, despite her disastrous and tragic first marriage.
This is the last book in the Wicked Widows series where we can finally see who is behind the nefarious plots to kill Perdita and her friends and see Archer and Perdita, at last, admit their love for one another and have wild monkey sex, or at least a bit of a snog.
I got all of my above wishes granted in Why Lords Lose Their Hearts, and one of my favourite things about the book, and the series, was that I didn't guess who was behind everything, which meant I was intrigued right to the very moment of revelation. The romance, between Archer and Perdita was sweet, especially as you could see it grow through the previous books and I am pleased that they finally got the HEA they deserved, which although may not have involved wild monkey sex, it was still pretty steamy.
I have enjoyed this series, although it will never be my favourite and I doubt I would ever reread it, I have enjoyed each one of them and each one has been a pleasant experience; however, Manda Collins is yet to really rock my world. But if you want something well written, enjoyable, but untaxing then I would give this series a go.
November 23, 2014
Reviewed by JoAnne
Book provided by NetGalley for review
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book
This was a fast paced historical romance with a longer than usual prologue setting the stage and the epilogue giving nice closure to the story. Not having read the first two books in the series I will definitely be reading them to fill in some of the blanks and there’s also a Christmas novella coming out which I also look forward to reading.
Perdita, her sister and her close friend were stronger than most women in Regency England especially given what they lived through with their husbands. It was nice to see Perdita allow others to care for her especially Archer and the warring between them was fun to watch. Perdita definitely had trouble picking the right man to love especially when he was always there for her, protecting her and being her friend. Lord Dunthorp had his own agenda concerning his relationship with Perdita but she and everyone else except the dowager Duchess of Ormond, her grandmamma through marriage, could see what a disaster it would be. The descriptions of the meeting places, the homes, the sea and the manor made me feel like I was there. There was a lot of camaraderie, adventures and misadventures, family, servants, fear, nightmares, odd and painful encounters, reminisces, romance and love. It was nice to see the relationship that Archer and his brothers had with each other and their parents and how much their parents love each other. There was the happily ever after that I was rooting for which gave me the ahhhhhhh moment.
I have not read books by this author before but will definitely be adding her to my TBR pile. I like her writing style and look forward to reading more of her books.
Favorite Quote: Oh, she liked this possessive Archer. Despite her fear of marrying again, she could not deny that some part of her enjoyed the idea of being possessed by him. Perhaps because she knew that he would let her go if she wished.
Book provided by NetGalley for review
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book
This was a fast paced historical romance with a longer than usual prologue setting the stage and the epilogue giving nice closure to the story. Not having read the first two books in the series I will definitely be reading them to fill in some of the blanks and there’s also a Christmas novella coming out which I also look forward to reading.
Perdita, her sister and her close friend were stronger than most women in Regency England especially given what they lived through with their husbands. It was nice to see Perdita allow others to care for her especially Archer and the warring between them was fun to watch. Perdita definitely had trouble picking the right man to love especially when he was always there for her, protecting her and being her friend. Lord Dunthorp had his own agenda concerning his relationship with Perdita but she and everyone else except the dowager Duchess of Ormond, her grandmamma through marriage, could see what a disaster it would be. The descriptions of the meeting places, the homes, the sea and the manor made me feel like I was there. There was a lot of camaraderie, adventures and misadventures, family, servants, fear, nightmares, odd and painful encounters, reminisces, romance and love. It was nice to see the relationship that Archer and his brothers had with each other and their parents and how much their parents love each other. There was the happily ever after that I was rooting for which gave me the ahhhhhhh moment.
I have not read books by this author before but will definitely be adding her to my TBR pile. I like her writing style and look forward to reading more of her books.
Favorite Quote: Oh, she liked this possessive Archer. Despite her fear of marrying again, she could not deny that some part of her enjoyed the idea of being possessed by him. Perhaps because she knew that he would let her go if she wished.
August 30, 2015
Why Lords Lose their Hearts, a new romantic mystery by Manda Collins to be released on July 29, 2014, begins with a plot that promises excitement and intrigue, and main characters that are likeable and sympathetic. The heroine, the young and beautiful Perdita, the Duchess of Ormond, has endured years of abuse at the hands of her husband, Gevase. When he is accidentally killed by falling on the same knife that he was holding at her throat seconds earlier, she feels genuine relief. This quickly turns into fear, however, as there is someone out there who blames her for the Duke’s death and wants her to pay for it with her own.
After Perdita’s sisters are threatened and an attempt is made on her own life, Lord Archer Lisle, private secretary to her late husband, vows that he will do anything it takes to protect her and to find out who is putting her life in danger. He is also secretly in love with Perdita, and is determined to prove to her that it is safe to love again even though she no longer trusts her own judgment when it comes to men.
This is where the promises ended for me. I had high hopes for this book, but I found the first half very slow and, at times, bogged down by endless dialog that seemed to over-power the action. The pace of the book improved in the second half, however, and the events that happened became more compelling, but when I finally reached the finale, with its expected twists and turns, it just didn’t ring true for me.
I’m giving this book three stars. I did like the characters very much. I felt they were well developed and their reactions to events in the story rang true. I could recommend this book to someone who would enjoy reading it for the love story between Perdita and Archer and would ignore the short-comings of the style and the plot.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. www.buriedunderromance.com
After Perdita’s sisters are threatened and an attempt is made on her own life, Lord Archer Lisle, private secretary to her late husband, vows that he will do anything it takes to protect her and to find out who is putting her life in danger. He is also secretly in love with Perdita, and is determined to prove to her that it is safe to love again even though she no longer trusts her own judgment when it comes to men.
This is where the promises ended for me. I had high hopes for this book, but I found the first half very slow and, at times, bogged down by endless dialog that seemed to over-power the action. The pace of the book improved in the second half, however, and the events that happened became more compelling, but when I finally reached the finale, with its expected twists and turns, it just didn’t ring true for me.
I’m giving this book three stars. I did like the characters very much. I felt they were well developed and their reactions to events in the story rang true. I could recommend this book to someone who would enjoy reading it for the love story between Perdita and Archer and would ignore the short-comings of the style and the plot.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. www.buriedunderromance.com
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