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CHERYL HOLT delivers another sassy, sexy romp in the second book of her “Reluctant Brides” trilogy…
Amelia Hubbard has always lived at Miss Peabody’s School for Girls, first as a student, then as a teacher. She enjoyed her position and the independence it brought. But Miss Peabody has died, the school is closing, and Amelia has no money and nowhere to go. When Fate intervenes and hands her a dowry and a handsome husband already purchased with the money, Amelia is nervous but resigned. She reluctantly agrees to wed a man she’s never met.
Lucas Drake has never been anything but a wastrel and scapegrace. As the second son of an earl, and with an older brother who’s perfect in every way, stellar behavior seems impossible. He’s always been happy to live down to his stern father’s low expectations. But when Amelia arrives and Lucas discovers that his father has engaged him to her, his bachelor tendencies surge to the fore. He’s vehemently certain that no wedding will ever occur.
When Amelia agreed to the match, she never imagined that Lucas might not want to get married. Her prior situation has ended, and without marriage, the future is bleak. What’s a spinster to do?
Wanton seduction seems the only path, but first, she’ll need a few lessons in how to use her feminine wiles. Once she figures out what Lucas really needs, the poor man doesn’t stand a chance.
RELUCTANT BRIDES… When love is the key and dowry the bait, who can predict what a woman might do?
Amelia Hubbard has always lived at Miss Peabody’s School for Girls, first as a student, then as a teacher. She enjoyed her position and the independence it brought. But Miss Peabody has died, the school is closing, and Amelia has no money and nowhere to go. When Fate intervenes and hands her a dowry and a handsome husband already purchased with the money, Amelia is nervous but resigned. She reluctantly agrees to wed a man she’s never met.
Lucas Drake has never been anything but a wastrel and scapegrace. As the second son of an earl, and with an older brother who’s perfect in every way, stellar behavior seems impossible. He’s always been happy to live down to his stern father’s low expectations. But when Amelia arrives and Lucas discovers that his father has engaged him to her, his bachelor tendencies surge to the fore. He’s vehemently certain that no wedding will ever occur.
When Amelia agreed to the match, she never imagined that Lucas might not want to get married. Her prior situation has ended, and without marriage, the future is bleak. What’s a spinster to do?
Wanton seduction seems the only path, but first, she’ll need a few lessons in how to use her feminine wiles. Once she figures out what Lucas really needs, the poor man doesn’t stand a chance.
RELUCTANT BRIDES… When love is the key and dowry the bait, who can predict what a woman might do?
231 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 27, 2014
71 people are currently reading
200 people want to read
About the author
Cheryl Holt
92 books396 followersCHERYL HOLT is a New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon “Top 100” bestselling author who has published seventy novels.
She’s also a lawyer and mom, and at age forty, with two babies at home, she started a new career as a commercial fiction writer. She’d hoped to be a suspense novelist, but couldn’t sell any of her manuscripts, so she ended up taking a detour into romance where she was stunned to discover that she has a knack for writing some of the world’s greatest love stories.
Her books have been released to wide acclaim, and she has won or been nominated for many national awards. She is considered to be one of the masters of the romance genre. For many years, she was hailed as “The Queen of Erotic Romance”, and she’s also revered as “The International Queen of Villains.” She is particularly proud to have been named “Best Storyteller of the Year” by the trade magazine Romantic Times BOOK Reviews.
She lives and writes in Hollywood, California, and she loves to hear from fans. Visit her website at www.cherylholt.com.
She’s also a lawyer and mom, and at age forty, with two babies at home, she started a new career as a commercial fiction writer. She’d hoped to be a suspense novelist, but couldn’t sell any of her manuscripts, so she ended up taking a detour into romance where she was stunned to discover that she has a knack for writing some of the world’s greatest love stories.
Her books have been released to wide acclaim, and she has won or been nominated for many national awards. She is considered to be one of the masters of the romance genre. For many years, she was hailed as “The Queen of Erotic Romance”, and she’s also revered as “The International Queen of Villains.” She is particularly proud to have been named “Best Storyteller of the Year” by the trade magazine Romantic Times BOOK Reviews.
She lives and writes in Hollywood, California, and she loves to hear from fans. Visit her website at www.cherylholt.com.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 2, 2020
The male characters in these books are extremely well described in terms of personality. Lucas is so annoying and arrogant and you feel really frustrated listening to him. Amelia undergoes a complete transformation from dowdy spinster to glamorous wanton. An enjoyable tale.
June 15, 2014
Would have given it 5 stars if it had epilogue. I didn't like the quick ending.
October 16, 2021
I love Cheryl Holt so the book started as a 5 stars lol
But then I had to remove some along the way *sigh*
Amelia was a teacher at Miss Peabody's school for girls and when Miss P died, she left 3 of her teachers dowry so they can purchase husbands (literaly)
Amelia is supposed to wed Lucas who is a rake, a true manwhore! When the book starts he was having a theesome with the maids in his dad's house, upstairs, and Amelia saw them!!
Of course he doesn't want to marry yet another bride his dad brought and he told Amelia and she too doesn't want him (understandable)
But then she stroked a deal with his dad and agreed to give it a try for 1 month! At a party she meets a disgraced matron who takes her under her wig and vows to teach her everything to seduce Lucas.
And this is where it got weird! First the disgraced matron wasn't fit to introduce anyone to proper society. And then, after only 5 days, Amelia is already acting the courtesan lol! That was highly unbelievable: we are not talking about an ordinary miss but a previous SCHOOLTEACHER hello!?
But hey, she is a good learner so Lucas is smitten and they start ''misbehaving'' (I hated that word!)
It is a Cheryl Holt, so there is a lot of sweetness and sexy moments. The sex scenes were funny/annoying because Lucas and Amelia would talk too much and it turned boring!
There is another woman, there are people plotting against the couple and at the end it is all resolved of course.
Personnally, I didn't think Lucas would remain faithful to Amelia. Sure he seems to like having her, needing her for his happiness but I couldn't trust him. Even his little final speech was meh.
He is going to cheat Amelia, just so you know lool
3.5 stars!
But then I had to remove some along the way *sigh*
Amelia was a teacher at Miss Peabody's school for girls and when Miss P died, she left 3 of her teachers dowry so they can purchase husbands (literaly)
Amelia is supposed to wed Lucas who is a rake, a true manwhore! When the book starts he was having a theesome with the maids in his dad's house, upstairs, and Amelia saw them!!
Of course he doesn't want to marry yet another bride his dad brought and he told Amelia and she too doesn't want him (understandable)
But then she stroked a deal with his dad and agreed to give it a try for 1 month! At a party she meets a disgraced matron who takes her under her wig and vows to teach her everything to seduce Lucas.
And this is where it got weird! First the disgraced matron wasn't fit to introduce anyone to proper society. And then, after only 5 days, Amelia is already acting the courtesan lol! That was highly unbelievable: we are not talking about an ordinary miss but a previous SCHOOLTEACHER hello!?
But hey, she is a good learner so Lucas is smitten and they start ''misbehaving'' (I hated that word!)
It is a Cheryl Holt, so there is a lot of sweetness and sexy moments. The sex scenes were funny/annoying because Lucas and Amelia would talk too much and it turned boring!
There is another woman, there are people plotting against the couple and at the end it is all resolved of course.
Personnally, I didn't think Lucas would remain faithful to Amelia. Sure he seems to like having her, needing her for his happiness but I couldn't trust him. Even his little final speech was meh.
He is going to cheat Amelia, just so you know lool
3.5 stars!
December 30, 2017
A wild turn of events
School teacher becomes seductive to win the heart of a rogue. Very sexy. Can't wait to read the next book in this trilogy.
School teacher becomes seductive to win the heart of a rogue. Very sexy. Can't wait to read the next book in this trilogy.
November 4, 2016
Second book in the reluctant brides series, after Wicked so we get Amelia and Lucas's love story.
There was a very similar scene in the beginning of his story as in Wicked as both boys are childhood best friends so they have similar traits like walking into other people's private spaces even though with the innocent maiden's case it could case them to be forced into a marriage with said maiden. Miss Amelia Hubbard is beautiful and smart so what is with the Miss Peabody's school for girls... Do they only hire smoking hot orphans to be teachers? This bothered me more then a little that all the spinster teachers are super sexy hot under their plain jane grey dresses with white collars.
Really?! Can't we have actually plain ladies that can catch the man with smarts and personality because this is starting to depress me a little because I'm considered a lady with 'lots of personality'. So more plain ladies in our favorite authors' romance novels. Please!
Mr. Lucas Drake is our hero, or rather anti-hero because he is the second son of the Earl, but a total selfish wretch that is useless although very good looking. I almost wanted no HEA for this guy because he totally let me down with Rose in Wicked. So why does he get a happy ever after, because he really doesn't deserve one. That said, Amelia does deserve a happy marriage filled with comfort and joy because she is only kind and generous to everyone in her life.
Second negative point, SPOILER so stop here if you haven't read the story yet. Why do both ladies get pregnant the first time they make love?! They even repeat in the story that it never happens the first time, but then twice with two orphaned spinster teachers... This threw me out of the story because did the guys marry them for love or because they were fulfilling their duty after getting these girls with child?!
252 pages and bought for 0.99$ on Amazon kindle
2 stars
There was a very similar scene in the beginning of his story as in Wicked as both boys are childhood best friends so they have similar traits like walking into other people's private spaces even though with the innocent maiden's case it could case them to be forced into a marriage with said maiden. Miss Amelia Hubbard is beautiful and smart so what is with the Miss Peabody's school for girls... Do they only hire smoking hot orphans to be teachers? This bothered me more then a little that all the spinster teachers are super sexy hot under their plain jane grey dresses with white collars.
Really?! Can't we have actually plain ladies that can catch the man with smarts and personality because this is starting to depress me a little because I'm considered a lady with 'lots of personality'. So more plain ladies in our favorite authors' romance novels. Please!
Mr. Lucas Drake is our hero, or rather anti-hero because he is the second son of the Earl, but a total selfish wretch that is useless although very good looking. I almost wanted no HEA for this guy because he totally let me down with Rose in Wicked. So why does he get a happy ever after, because he really doesn't deserve one. That said, Amelia does deserve a happy marriage filled with comfort and joy because she is only kind and generous to everyone in her life.
Second negative point, SPOILER so stop here if you haven't read the story yet. Why do both ladies get pregnant the first time they make love?! They even repeat in the story that it never happens the first time, but then twice with two orphaned spinster teachers... This threw me out of the story because did the guys marry them for love or because they were fulfilling their duty after getting these girls with child?!
252 pages and bought for 0.99$ on Amazon kindle
2 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2014
excellent....on to book three!!
March 31, 2015
Badly written, stilted dialogue, boring - after forcing myself to slog through the first 40 pages I gave up - one of my very few Did Not Finish books.
May 2, 2015
Loved it! Romantic and awesome. Everything you could want in a historical romance.
August 10, 2024
Aug 2024
Pretty interesting story if life was really like portrayed in this book women were really downtrodden and disrespected and men awful!
Pretty interesting story if life was really like portrayed in this book women were really downtrodden and disrespected and men awful!
July 7, 2014
I can't wait until Wonderful cones out in July!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews