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The Unconventional Suitors #1
Her Unconventional Suitor
Benedict St. Claire, the newly minted Earl of Danford, has just returned to England after traveling abroad for the last two years. He fully expects the responsibilities of being an Earl to be heaped upon him when he returns, but what he doesn't expect is that his three childhood friends, Griffin, Marcus, and Warren, will make his re-entrance back into polite society anything but comfortable.
Forced by blackmail into accepting a bet from his friends, Benedict is required to dress as an unfashionable half-wit. And while his foolish appearance may certainly amuse them, they are not the ones he is required to impress. Part of the wager entails that he get the lady of their choosing to fall in love with him and become engaged before the season's end, no easy feat to do when the lady of their choosing happens to be a diamond of the first water and the daughter of a duke.
Lady Gillian is entranced with her first season in London and flattered by all of the attention she is receiving, but when the unfashionable Lord Danford begins showing interest, she must decide if what is in a man's heart is ultimately more important to her than his outward appearance and reputation. Can she learn to look past society's high standards and judge her unconventional suitor for what he really is on the a man who fascinates her while igniting her with a passion she never knew existed?
Forced by blackmail into accepting a bet from his friends, Benedict is required to dress as an unfashionable half-wit. And while his foolish appearance may certainly amuse them, they are not the ones he is required to impress. Part of the wager entails that he get the lady of their choosing to fall in love with him and become engaged before the season's end, no easy feat to do when the lady of their choosing happens to be a diamond of the first water and the daughter of a duke.
Lady Gillian is entranced with her first season in London and flattered by all of the attention she is receiving, but when the unfashionable Lord Danford begins showing interest, she must decide if what is in a man's heart is ultimately more important to her than his outward appearance and reputation. Can she learn to look past society's high standards and judge her unconventional suitor for what he really is on the a man who fascinates her while igniting her with a passion she never knew existed?
242 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2014
16 people are currently reading
90 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 31, 2016
2.5* rounded up. It could have been a 5* book!
To get the nitty-gritty out of the way:
This was atrociously edited. I might say, it probably never saw an editor, most likely not even a second or third edit by the author herself. The amount of homonyms, homophones, heterographs and quite simply completely mispelled words is stunning, mere typos aside. There was grammar so faulty it gave me goosebumps. I have the distinct suspicion this was dictated, rather than typed, and then published without another read-through. Had I had to buy this, instead of loan it, I would have returned it for the sheer amount of errors despite liking the story.
There were lots of anachronisms. Despite the off-hand mention of chaperones, these women and girls sure managed to get away with a lot of "alone-time" with their preferred beaus. A bit more knowledge about the actual mores of the era would have made this sprightly little book shine.
The above accounts for the loss of 2 stars in my rating.
However, the book itself was fun, fresh, had a nice idea going for it, was written with quiet humour I much appreciated and I adored the characters. Mrs. Hartman plays well with a couple of hard relationship facts of the times, and her men are mostly actual blokes rather than cardboard cut-outs as seen so often. The heroine was a strong woman without the usual wink at modern concepts thereof, and even the side characters were fun to read about (I loved the valet, the father and the butler).
If you can manage to overlook the awful amount of errors, then this is recommended. It is probably nothing for someone with SPaG-OCD.
To get the nitty-gritty out of the way:
This was atrociously edited. I might say, it probably never saw an editor, most likely not even a second or third edit by the author herself. The amount of homonyms, homophones, heterographs and quite simply completely mispelled words is stunning, mere typos aside. There was grammar so faulty it gave me goosebumps. I have the distinct suspicion this was dictated, rather than typed, and then published without another read-through. Had I had to buy this, instead of loan it, I would have returned it for the sheer amount of errors despite liking the story.
There were lots of anachronisms. Despite the off-hand mention of chaperones, these women and girls sure managed to get away with a lot of "alone-time" with their preferred beaus. A bit more knowledge about the actual mores of the era would have made this sprightly little book shine.
The above accounts for the loss of 2 stars in my rating.
However, the book itself was fun, fresh, had a nice idea going for it, was written with quiet humour I much appreciated and I adored the characters. Mrs. Hartman plays well with a couple of hard relationship facts of the times, and her men are mostly actual blokes rather than cardboard cut-outs as seen so often. The heroine was a strong woman without the usual wink at modern concepts thereof, and even the side characters were fun to read about (I loved the valet, the father and the butler).
If you can manage to overlook the awful amount of errors, then this is recommended. It is probably nothing for someone with SPaG-OCD.
January 12, 2017
Fun, entertaining story. Very good narration by Tristan Hunt. (Audible Review)
This was a really fun listen. I enjoyed Benedict and Lady Gillian together. They made a great couple. The chemistry felt real and forced. She had spunk and wit. He was handsome and sexy. There was no sex in this book but the attraction and kisses made up for it. He gets the girl even dressed as a fop. LOL
The story line and plot was very good. The story flowed very well and there was a lot of dialogue throughout the entire book, not full of filler nonsense.
As for the narration, Tristan Hunt did a really good job on the female voices and gave the men different distinct voices. Benedict had a very sexy voice. He read with emotion and has very nice reading voice.
This was a really fun listen. I enjoyed Benedict and Lady Gillian together. They made a great couple. The chemistry felt real and forced. She had spunk and wit. He was handsome and sexy. There was no sex in this book but the attraction and kisses made up for it. He gets the girl even dressed as a fop. LOL
The story line and plot was very good. The story flowed very well and there was a lot of dialogue throughout the entire book, not full of filler nonsense.
As for the narration, Tristan Hunt did a really good job on the female voices and gave the men different distinct voices. Benedict had a very sexy voice. He read with emotion and has very nice reading voice.
March 25, 2016
This was something of an annoying book. Three friends gang up on a fourth friend and blackmail him into agreeing to the terms of a terrible bet. Most of the book I spent being annoyed at this horrible sham of friendship and waiting for the worst possible scenario to be played out. The lesson of looking on the heart or the appearance is what makes this at all worth reading.
October 18, 2020
Not friends!! Drove me crazy every single time these evil wastes of "oxygen" were mentioned. Hated that the hero didn't just tell them to dry up! Blackmailing a person's mother is not a "just kidding! I really wouldn't tell her. Can't you see I care about her feelings?? Even though I am ruining her life over this wager?" I just couldn't care for the hero enough to make me overlook his motivation.
The love story is cute and this could have been a solid 3 without the friends being completely unacceptable!
The love story is cute and this could have been a solid 3 without the friends being completely unacceptable!
January 31, 2017
A 3 1/2 star read..
Benedict calls Warren, Griffin and Marcus his BFF’s when they blackmail him into taking on a bet OR they will tell Benedict’s mother about the illegitimate son his dead father had? Really? I was turned off by those 3 from the very beginning. That is not what I call friends. So, I was tempted to quit reading almost immediately but my daughter gave it five stars and told me what a fun book it was so I soldiered on.
By 75% I knew would have a hard time liking Griffin. I mean, all three of his friends were pieces of shit but Griffin was the worst. This is a book you either love or hate, and mostly I hated it. The only thing it had going for it was Benedict. Even Gillian started bothering him to get a new wardrobe made for himself. It was like she was saying “I love the way you make me feel all tingly and overcome with desire BUT get new clothes.” I don’t see how Benedict could put up with any of them. Gillian’s attitude didn’t change but at least she stopped harping at him. And the book did get better by 80% but that’s a long time to dislike the main characters before you manage to start sort-of liking them. And since Griffin was the worst one of them all I might have to read the next book since it’s about him.
There was no sex in this book but there was some really sweet desire all through the story which made it good. And there was no swearing.
As to the narrator: Tristan Hunt did a great job with all the voices and he read with wonderful emotions. I would definitely listen to him again.
Benedict calls Warren, Griffin and Marcus his BFF’s when they blackmail him into taking on a bet OR they will tell Benedict’s mother about the illegitimate son his dead father had? Really? I was turned off by those 3 from the very beginning. That is not what I call friends. So, I was tempted to quit reading almost immediately but my daughter gave it five stars and told me what a fun book it was so I soldiered on.
By 75% I knew would have a hard time liking Griffin. I mean, all three of his friends were pieces of shit but Griffin was the worst. This is a book you either love or hate, and mostly I hated it. The only thing it had going for it was Benedict. Even Gillian started bothering him to get a new wardrobe made for himself. It was like she was saying “I love the way you make me feel all tingly and overcome with desire BUT get new clothes.” I don’t see how Benedict could put up with any of them. Gillian’s attitude didn’t change but at least she stopped harping at him. And the book did get better by 80% but that’s a long time to dislike the main characters before you manage to start sort-of liking them. And since Griffin was the worst one of them all I might have to read the next book since it’s about him.
There was no sex in this book but there was some really sweet desire all through the story which made it good. And there was no swearing.
As to the narrator: Tristan Hunt did a great job with all the voices and he read with wonderful emotions. I would definitely listen to him again.
December 5, 2014
I read this novel in one sitting...It was that good. The writing is so smooth, one sentence flowing into the next until before I knew it I had read the entire novel in one night. The dialogue and conversation is so well written that I never knew what one character was going to say to the other beforehand and I love that in a novel. Several times I laughed out loud at a witty reply or observation and my family looked at me like I was nutty. The romance in this book is the best part. I love that even though this is Regency, the characters don't feel stiff and formal. They fit the historical setting but still feel human, flawed, outrageously likeable, and funny. I love the hero and heroine, Benedict and Gillian, but the supporting characters are just as great. I am so excited to read the next books in this series and find out how Benedict's pack of unruly friends get their comeuppance. Great book. My very favorite by this author so far. A completely enjoyable novel with a story line I haven't read before, unique indeed for Regency! Loved it.
November 26, 2015
First in Series
The new Earl of Danbury returns to London and meets with his 3 childhood friends. Unfortunately they take the reunion as a prank and blackmail him into a ridiculous wager. He'll dress in outdated, ill fitting clothes while wooing a Lady that they pick out. To win she must fall in love with him and agree to marry him. The problems this causes are unexpected and surprising. If he wins, he can pick the wives of his three friends. A great idea for a different plot. I will be reading the entire series.
The new Earl of Danbury returns to London and meets with his 3 childhood friends. Unfortunately they take the reunion as a prank and blackmail him into a ridiculous wager. He'll dress in outdated, ill fitting clothes while wooing a Lady that they pick out. To win she must fall in love with him and agree to marry him. The problems this causes are unexpected and surprising. If he wins, he can pick the wives of his three friends. A great idea for a different plot. I will be reading the entire series.
December 1, 2015
Regency
This was a free book. The main characters are well developed. You get to know them. It was kind of silly. I didn't like the blackmailing part. These were his best friends so I wondered if they were 'really' friends. It all works out in the end. It was entertaining. I only ' buy' free books and not many are worth reading. This was one of the better ones.
This was a free book. The main characters are well developed. You get to know them. It was kind of silly. I didn't like the blackmailing part. These were his best friends so I wondered if they were 'really' friends. It all works out in the end. It was entertaining. I only ' buy' free books and not many are worth reading. This was one of the better ones.
December 4, 2014
A light and entertaining regency novel. It is a quick read but that might be due to the fact I didn't want to put it down. So far this is my favorite of Hartman's books. Looking forward to find out what happens next in this series.
December 21, 2014
It wasn't a terrible book. I just couldn't care for any of the characters. Maybe it wasn't my cup of tea...
June 5, 2016
Really good read now on to book two
January 2, 2015
I found the whole premise of this book annoying.
March 4, 2016
Really enjoyed it, though I didn't like the dastardly bet.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews