Runaway Countess

Those Wild Whitbys #2

by Gemma Blackwood

There are some young women who do as they’re told, and there are other young women who run away with devilishly handsome naval officers.

Miss Jennifer Cartwright is as surprised as anyone to discover that she is the second type of woman.

But since her only other option is marrying the terrifying Lord Beeston, she’ll fling herself on the mercy of anyone who can smuggle her off to the safety of her sister’s country cottage.

It’s just her luck that the man she flings herself upon is Captain Sebastian Whitby, who – quite apart from his rough manners and pistol-toting reputation – happens to owe Beeston his life.

Sebastian takes paying his debts very seriously. He’ll do anything to persuade her to give Beeston a chance. Anything except stop kissing her, that is, because that keeps happening with alarming regularity.

And, though Jennifer is certain she’s never met a ruder, more reckless, more impossible man in her life, she doesn’t want to stop kissing Sebastian, either…

291 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 16, 2024

Reviews

[🐝 Shaz 🐝 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars 🌟
This book was as enjoyable as the first book of the series.
Lovely characters and a fun clean read. With lots of banter and a close knit loving family. Looking forward to the next book. And hopefully meeting up with everyone again.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miss Jennifer Cartwright is as surprised when her uncle betroths her to the terrifying Lord Beeston, she’ll fling herself on the mercy of anyone who can smuggle her off to the safety of her sister’s country cottage.
It’s just her luck that the man she flings herself upon is Captain Sebastian Whitby, who happens to owe Beeston his life & so owes him a debt. Sebastian takes paying his debts very seriously.
The second book in the series & a fun, entertaining romance. I loved both Sebastian & Jennifer & thoroughly enjoyed their story. I found the pages flew by & read it straight through, so finished it at silly o’clock. Well written with strong believable characters & a fast paced story & also sizzling chemistry. It also made me smile
I voluntarily read and reviewed a special copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Booksprout and the author for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

A fun engaging histrom. I’m glad that the disabled character wasn’t purely bad and the disability seen as a reason for him not to be loveable. Can’t wait for the rest of the series.

[Fanosse23 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miss Jenny Cartwright flees rather than marry the man her uncle has chosen for her—Lord Beeston. Terrified at the prospect, she convinces Captain Sebastian Whitney to help her escape when he stumbles upon her hiding from her uncle.

This decision launches a delightful, engaging adventure. Sebastian owes Lord Beeston his life, as well as a substantial debt from his father, so helping Jenny complicates matters. Posing as a nurse, Jenny accompanies Lord Beeston to Sebastian’s family home, but their time together only deepens her feelings for Sebastian. Though he tries to keep his distance, their stolen kisses become irresistible, and Jenny wants more.

Initially meant to observe Lord Beeston, Jenny instead finds herself falling for Sebastian, who, despite his inner turmoil over betraying the man he owes so much, can't resist her. The chemistry between them, especially those sweet, stolen moments, is absolutely delicious. I chuckled when Jenny found it “delicious” that he wanted her.

Both characters evolve significantly throughout the story. Jenny transforms from a frightened young woman into a fierce and determined lioness. Watching her finally stand up to her uncaring uncle and protect her cousin is immensely satisfying.

Such a fun book, the antics, misunderstandings, family dynamics, friendships, drama, laugh out loud moments, and so many unexpected surprises with secondary characters made this an outstanding read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun fast paced story that starts right off from page one. There is overlap from the first story with characters and parts of the story.

Miss Jennifer Cartwright has had a difficult life after the death of her parents. Her uncle and aunt have not been kind to her and when her uncle wants to improve his life by having her marry a titled Lord Beeston, she wants to run away. The letter she read that he wrote to her uncle gave her a good idea of what kind of man Lord Beeston was. She's always been pliable to her uncle's demands but she decides she cannot marry that man.

Lord Beeston was wounded in battle on the ship he was commanding. He took the bullet meant for Captain Sebastian Whitby so he owes him his life. So Sebastian had decided to help take care of him as he recovers from losing his leg. Lord Beeston can be very moody and demanding. When his betrothed goes missing Sebastian will have to find her to bring her back to marry Lord Beeston.

When Sebastian discovers Jennifer's hiding place, he tries to get her to go along with him back to get married. But Sebastian is taken with her beauty and actually starts having feelings for her. He has to come up with a plan to get her to choose Beeston when he really wants her for himself.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jessica Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

[4.5 stars]
This is a fun regency rom-com. It focuses more on the events of the story and less on true relationship development, so the romance may have felt a little underdeveloped… but the last stretch especially was a whirl of activity and really entertaining.

The FMC is being forced into an arranged marriage by her evil uncle, and is to be delivered to her ill tempered betrothed by the MMC. She is determined to escape but is found out by the MMC, who grudgingly helps her while attempting to change her mind. It’s a light and humorous story with a wide cast of supporting characters (clearly set up for future books of their own).

Content:
There is no sex or violence. The words “hell” and “damn” are used a few times, in addition to expressions like “good God” and “good Lord” in exclamation. The romance is clean, not going past mildly descriptive heated kisses and embracing, but there are some innuendos and insinuations. There is no real mention of faith or God.

[Nicole Normand · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC from Booksprout and I'm willingly leaving a review. 3.5 stars
There were (too) many twists and turns, great news then something to just bring it down, people all over the place. Nice cameos from other books. Many fun moments but I was sometimes wishing the end near. I loved how Jenny and the Captain met, how he mocked her way of escape, how he knew exactly what had happened. It was never said from what "stock" Jenny came from. The whole scene where Sebastian and Jenny meet Kendrick at Beeston's got me really confused. How did K's face appear from the carriage if S & J were already in it? I think it was love-at-first-sight for Arthur when he met Georgiana so I wasn't surprised with the outcome; it was actually lovely. Mr. Gage gives a lot of funny pictures. I felt no pity for Plum and I hope he left without references; Karma was waiting.

[Martha B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Hide and Seek Runaway Love

The beginning of Runaway Countess drew me in with its hectic humor. I loved Jenny and Sebastian from the beginning of their crazy and passionate hide-and-seek romance.

I only wish the author, Gemma Blackwood could have kept of the pace and momentum. Sadly, the over use of introspection slowed the pace and disrupted the balance between dialogue, action and thoughts.

Although the ending is happy, it comes to an all to abrupt end.

Content 411: This book contains some secular and religious swearing, as well as some passionate kissing.

Disclosure: I received this book from Booksprout. I voluntarily read this book, and this is my honest review.

[R Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read with a multi strand plot that kept you guessing about the outcome. The two leads helped each other grow as people, always a good thin*to see in a long term relationship. I thought the ending left a few loose ends. I would have liked to see more detail on how Georgiana got together with her beau. I wanted to know the outcome of the parents of the male lead. It gave the impression of leaving th8nk up in the air to be sorted in a sequel.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captain Sebastian Whitby is determined to bring Jenny Cartwright to Lord Beeston to marry. Jenny, on the other hand, is determined to run away and hide. Her uncle has betrothed her for money. She wants to marry for love. This is a fun story from start to finish. Jenny is a whirlwind. Sebastian has his hands full trying to keep up with her. There are disagreements, misunderstandings, a trick or two, and romance(s). There is also a lovely conservatory. Delightful story!
I received an ARC of this book via BookSprout and voluntarily reviewed it.

[Sahar's Honest Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining Victorian Romance

She did not want to marry the stranger to whom her uncle promised her. Marrying him would make her a countess, but she wanted nothing to do with it. She planned her escape, but the man who found her owed her betrothed his life. Would he help her, or would he take her to fulfill her betrothal? Things were about to get complicated, for love would get in the way of duty. How would it all end? For the answer, you might want to pick up this entertaining book. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to those who like historical romance.

[Charmaine Fernando · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read that I enjoyed. Miss Jennifer Cartwright is betrothed to the terrifying Lord Beeston by her uncle to pay his gambling debt. Captain Sebastian Whitby must escort her to her terrifying fate. What is a chap to do but to assist the lady with her plans to escape!

A fun loving, easy read that keeps you flipping pages. I received an ARC from Booksprout and submit my honest review voluntarily.

[Marie Bourgery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jenny concocts a crazy escape plan when she realizes how cold and controlling her husband to be is. Captain Sebastian Whitby is tasked with bringing her to her betrothed and he keeps calling her by her not yet married name. As a poor relation, Jenny doesn’t have any say in her future until she turns 21, despite that Sebastian keeps arguing she agreed to the marriage, her grumpy disagreeable groom doesn’t care that she’s unwilling, and her sister she thinks will save her may not want to.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story starts with Jenny deciding to runaway from an arranged marriage contract and in the process it leads to a chain of events that end up involving multiple other characters with their own quirks and issues. All these characters and confusion add a delightful mix of humor and more dimension to the story line and ultimately ends with multiple couples finding their hea.
This story was a sweet, clean and most delightful read

[NelleRenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two fairly impetuous people meet as she is trying to run away from an arranged marriage her greedy uncle agreed to. The two main characters seem to get into scrapes without thinking through all the ramifications. They fall in love while he is trying to convince her to marry her betrothed, who is his senior officer. The storyline ends up with three engagements. It has some cute moments. I received an ARC for an honest review.

[CATHERINE BURHANS · Rating 5 out of 5]

This delightful story has orphaned, Jennifer, being forced into an arranged marriage by her Uncle. She decides to run away but is tracked down by Captain Sebastian Whitby, who offers to bring her back to her intended. Seems he owes her would be groom for saving his life in the war. What the Captain never anticipated was falling in love with Jennifer on the way back. A charming love story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Zena · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a Treat!
I loved the opening scene and it just got better and better as Jennifer and Sebastian became quite adept at giving others the runaround.
The characters, all of them, were quite believable and the story something to delight in.
I am leaving my voluntary review having just finished reading an early copy of this book.

[Kasia Burlakoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book from the beginning to the end. Very well developed characters, great adventure and a heroine in disguise. I love disguise stories. It kept me guessing until the end. Great romance with plenty of adventure.
I highly recommend this book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tami Willard · Rating 5 out of 5]

She's betrothed by her uncle for money. He's supposed to deliver her to her groom. What happens when she tries to run? Will he help her or his friend? Multiple people pair up but who will end up together?.

I received a copy of this book from the author. Review voluntarily given.

[Sandra Driver · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Runaway Falls in Love

A delightful story that was a departure from most regency stories. A truly funny cast of characters that tied the story together. The story ending abruptly leaves me waiting for the next one.

[Loreli Jessee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wonderful book will keep you riveted throughout. The well rounded characters won’t let you forget about them. The tension, surprises, twists, delightful, intelligent banter will not let you go.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Phylis Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was Just the right length. Entertaining, intelligent heroine. Decent dialogue. I recommend if you want a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.