The Accidental Countess

Accidental #1

by Michelle Willingham

When Stephen Chesterfield, the Earl of Whitmore, awakens to find a beautiful woman berating him, he knows he is in trouble! He cannot recall the past three months of his life, never mind having a wife! What's more, someone is trying to silence him before his memory returns Emily Chesterfield is trapped in a marriage of convenience with a man who doesn't remember her. Stephen clearly thinks she is the most unsuitable countess, but she is falling for her enigmatic husband. Can they find trust and love before it is too late?

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Regency, Marriage Of Convenience, Regency Romance

257 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Rita® Award Finalist Michelle Willingham has published over fifty books and novellas. Currently, she lives in Virginia with her family and is working on more historical romance novels. When she's not writing, Michelle enjoys baking, playing the piano, and avoiding exercise at all costs. Visit her website at: www.michellewillingham.com or interact with her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/michellewillinghamfans.

Reviews

[Olivia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was thoroughly bored with this book about half way through, and that was after skimming pages and pages just to get to the middle. The "OMG, I am not good enough" angst was WAY over the top. And did I mention boring?

If Emily and Stephen would just talk to each other instead of pushing each other away, their conflict would be solved. I guess the author could not think of another conflict than the old, tired, "I'm not good enough for him," tripe.

The angst was so heavy handed, that every time Emily had a thought, it was the same. And it got old and boring very quickly.

Then there's the ending. The author introduced all kinds of people that would be good villians, also to confuse the reader, but that's not uncommon. Good stories have lots of possibilities. But this villian ended up being ALL of them, multiple villians. Good grief. I had to force myself to read the ending. Oh, oh, and of ~course~ Emily had to throw herself at one of the villians to SAVE her husband! And ended up getting in trouble, aka being held at gunpoint. My eyes were rolling so much I got dizzy.

[Luana ☆ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know if it was the narrator or if this book is downright melancholic. It was bad. Not to the extreme but gosh, I was starting to feel down myself. And she accepted so much injustice thrown at her. I felt disgusted about all the bullyng.

I don't recommend this book at all. Unless you are craving some melancholy in your life hehehe

PS: I didn't connect to anyone at all. The only nice parts were when the hero was with the kids.

[Regency Reader2 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This accidental countess would be better described as the irrationally angry, defiant, reckless bride. So many aspects of this plot and the characters nudged, niggled and finally irritated me, I paused to reread the first several chapters: what had I missed? Compare Emily's anger and threats when her husband of four months returns, seriously injured and suffering a three-month gap in his memory, to "Loving a Lost Lord" by Mary Jo Putney or "Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman" by Lorraine Heath. This book lacks character depth, plot development, and Victorian accuracy. No thank you.

[Kristy Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well crap! I finish it, to find out there is a prequel! What the heck?! I felt so lost throughout a lot of this book, and now I know why. I should have read the freakin' prequel! I don't even know if its worth it to read it now, because I know what's going to happen. I know how it all ends. I think with the prequel this would have been a really great story. It was a pretty good book by itself, I just think a lot more would have made sense to me if I read this one second.

The one thing I wasn't so sure about, was Stephen's feelings. I never felt like he really loved Emily the way she loved him. He bought her gifts, and was definitely attracted to her, but I it felt like there was something missing. The very end when she was in danger for about a millisecond, and he got scared he might lose her, just didn't seem like enough for me to believe he fell in love with her. Maybe it was the whole secretive thing. Him keeping her a secret. I wish there could have been a bigger moment when he claimed her as his. Showed everyone of the Ton just how much he loved and was proud of his wife. Snapping at his father and storming out of a party wasn't large enough for me.

It definitely had a lot of mystery to it. It was kind of frustrating at times. I wanted him to get more of his memory back quicker. It seemed painfully slow being in the dark for so long about what had happened to him the 3 months prior.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad...but not great, either. I would have given it another star or two, except for two things. One, the whole conflict between the two main characters, Emily and Stephen, just seemed a bit silly and drawn out. They could have resolved their differences much sooner if they'd just have actually sat down and talked things over instead of Stephen getting angry and giving orders and Emily getting her feelings hurt and dwelling endlessly on how hurt and betrayed she felt. The author kept telling us she was getting stronger and more confident--she had to tell us, because otherwise it was pretty hard to tell. The other bothersome element is that the whole nefarious plot just seemed a bit convoluted. Certain elements of the story also didn't seem to mesh with what had happened the prequel, An Accidental Seduction. All in all, it was an okay read, but nothing special.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have given this book 4 stars but the heroine was "TSTL". Some would say she was naive, insecure, and grieving, but no, she made stupid decisions even when the gravity of the situation was explained to her. I don't understand how a writer thinks this is okay. It makes women look idiotic. Please, authors, stop writing embarrassing and stupid decisions. Why can't we have a woman that thinks before acting and is cautious? Yes, a protagonist should act and get themselves out of danger, but let the actions be well thought out and make sense. Female characters deserve more respect. Okay, my rant is done.
Otherwise, the characters were generally likable and I liked the plot. The author was talented and I will definitely read more from her. I want to see if this flaw was a fluke or not.

[Tammy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I haven't read a historical romance in a while, but the description of this one caught my eye. The hero has amnesia and can't remember his wife. Sounded different than the usual amnesia plot. But I have to say, I was incredibly bored by the romance. Most of the conflict between the protagonists could have been resolved by sitting down and simply having a conversation like adults, rather than the spoiled 12 years olds they acted like. There was a decent mystery going on, which is the only thing that kept me reading and why I gave the book two stars.

[Evamaria · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I hadn't gotten to like the two main characters in the short prequel, An Accidental Seduction, I probably wouldn't have finished this. Somehow both of them managed to continually rub me the wrong way - and the angst caused by the amnesia (not really a spoiler, the book starts with it) did not seem like a good enough reason for this. Pity, I had hoped for more!

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5 stars)

Perfectly acceptable in every way. With a decent mystery, and sex scenes that are neither too flowery nor too glossed over. But it was missing that sparkle of humour and witty conversation that could have elevated it beyond run-of-the-mill.

[Harlequin Historical]

The Earl of Whitmore, Stephen, is in serious trouble when he awakens and discovers he can't remember the past three months of his life and apparently he got married! Emily is hurt when he can't remember their wedding and the short amount of time they spent together before he left only to return injured. She married him to protect her family and he has failed her. Now it is likely he will try to end their union. First, Stephen has to find who is trying to kill him and unravel all the secrets of the past few months then maybe he can concentrate on Emily and the strange feelings of protection she invokes. As the back cover says, can they find trust and love before it it to late?

I loved all the little twists and turns this story took. I wanted to scream at them to just share your secrets and all will be fine but as in real life, they probably wouldn't have listened to me. They had to discover it on their own and once they did Michelle definitely had a love match that would survive anything thrown at them. Good read and I'm glad the wait wasn't long for the next Accidental title. I have it just haven't had a chance to read yet.

[Vicki · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I seriously disliked this book when I first started it and stopped after about 30 percent. A few days later, I was on an airplane and had nothing else to read, so I decided to return to it and found it much more enjoyable. There were still things I didn't like, but it wasn't totally without merit.

Probably my biggest complaint is that the author uses way too many questions to show her characters' uncertainty (especially in the beginning)--to the point that it felt less like a story and more like never-ending series of questions. Why did I marry her? Where did this tattoo come from? Who stabbed me? Where have I been for three months? Does he want me? To me, it seemed like lazy writing.

I also found myself extremely irritated by the author's attempts to create suspense. She was way too vague and it felt intentional.

The characters' actions did not feel genuine, and both of the main characters contradicted themselves often, both in words and thoughts, as well as behavior. Emily annoyed me frequently throughout the book, always jumping to conclusions and thinking the worst of Stephen.

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, if I had read this book before I read the novella prequel it might have been a completely different story. However, I did read the prequel first and I therefore spent most of this book furious. Stephen was a completely different person and a JERK!! Half the time I wanted to throw the book out the window and the other half I wanted to smack Emily for falling right back into his arms after how he treated her. GRR!!!!!

[Iris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars for the lack of actual romance .

[Pam Bereznak · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is only my 11th book by Michelle Willingham. I read 4 of her books in 2016, 2 in 2017 and 1 in 2019 but don't remember them and wasn't taking personal notes or leaving reviews then so I have no idea what I thought of them. I can say, I must of liked her because if I don't like a book, I certainly wouldn't have gotten more. I picked up The School for Spinsters series in 2023 and really liked it a lot. So with this book, as I was doing my normal processes when reading a new book and prepping all my files and such, I noticed in Goodreads that this book originally came out in 2009 and was book 2 in the same series with the same name. I did a little research and saw on her website it says that it's a reprint. So after reading this book the prequel she wrote in 2009 was included in this story. Smart idea.

I loved this book. I loved Stephen and Emily and their story. I loved the twists and turns. It had a little bit of everything. I love it had a bit of suspense and bad guys aplenty. Just a really good overall read.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

I was very intrigued by the fact that this second book in a series featured the same couple as the book one novella, but unfortunately I liked that one a lot better.

I felt the characters responded to each other so differently in this one (amnesia effect explains it, but still!), and they didn't seem fond of each other at all. He was very dismissive and also demanded she did or didn't do certain things. He also didn't listen to her a lot, which was very frustrating. She came up with some creative solutions to things which was great, and certainly didn't let him boss her around which was great. But I loved the whimsical and light tone of the first book, and this was quite harsh on several levels and had a mystery subplot which was unexpected.

Not my favourite by far, but I am curious to see where the next book in the series goes. I am working through reading all of Michelle Willingham's work and hope to finish this series this year.

[Jennifer Saint-preux · Rating 4 out of 5]

Angry Heroine

Some of this story didn't make sense....like why the heroine would be so upset with the Hero about not remembering her when he was clearly suffering from amnesia. Or why she would conceal things from him if he had amnesia. Or why she would get so angry so quickly when he couldn't remember anything. They apparently had known each other for some time so it was unclear to me why she harbored such a high level of distrust when he's never before hurt. Rather than approach the situation in a helpful way, she was instantly distristful. I wish the author had done a better job of blending in the heroines love of baking. Just seemed to act as plot fillers. All in all not too bad once I got halfway through the book only bc you wanted to find out who the killer was and bc the heroine started to be less angry.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephan wakes up one morning with no memory of the past three months, including his new wife and the young neice and nephew he's obtained. Soon Stephen and Emily are refinding their marriage as well as on the hunt of the man who made attempts on Stephen's life and killed her brother.

Honestly, this book, as expected, is built on cliches. But, it's one of those times when the reader doesn't notice the cliches as cliches. The characters were quite well rounded with an excellent balance of vulnerability and strength. I was also quite impressed by the writing style, which seemed more believable than the sterotypical Harlequin. Also, it felt as though the author had done her research and had a good idea of the time period she was writing about.

[Bookworm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Michelle Willingham is a good author, so I was surprised at my disappointment in this book. I found the heroine to be immature and a terrible decision maker. The hero was domineering and incommunicative. There was a lot going on in this book - their quick marriage, the amnesia, the kids, the hero's parents, the heroine's insecurities, the mystery, etc. It was too much and I found the book to be very jarring.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent find in the regency romance selection. This is the first book by Michelle Willingham I have read but it certainly won't be the last.

Amnesia, opium smuggling, orphaned children, and passion. How can you go wrong? The suspense part of the story was well done, the plotline nicely crafted, and the romance moving.

Yes, I'll definitely read another one of these.

[Andrea Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually read her Highlander romances, but this was a treat as well. I must say I love that sexy Stephen, the Earl of Whitmore. I got a bit confused in places by the plot but it was still a very good read.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was in the middle for angst and this had a bucket load of it. Unfortunately, the pay off was not there in that the heroine seemed like a bit of a doormat and the romance didn’t feel authentic.

2.5 ⭐️’s

[Cherish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved

[Nicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty good in a typical historical romance kind of way. There was even a little action thrown in. I enjoyed it and was really rooting for the couple.

[Oneofthefoxes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pünktlich zum Valentinstag mein alljährliches Nackenbeißerlesewochenende *gg* an sich nicht ganz mein Genres, aber so einmal im Jahr finde ich das recht amüsant.
Willinghams Geschichte ist natürlich insgesamt schon sehr an den Haaren herbei gezogen, aber für das Genres recht typisch. Passt also *g*
Angenehm ist vor allem das es keine peinlichen Namen für irgendwelche Geschlechtsteile gibt, die Liebesszenen sich in Grenzen halten (mal ehrlich, die wirken meist eh wie aus einem Baukastensystem zusammengeschustert) und Stephen kein unangenehmer Bad Guy ist, der seine Ehefrau im Grunde vergewaltigt. Tatsächlich kann man ein bisschen sehen, das sich beide schon als Kinder mochten und die Ehe also nicht ganz an den Haaren herbeigezogen ist. Auch wenn Stephen die Umstände dafür erstmal vergessen hat. Die Annäherung von ihm und Emily fand ich glaubwürdig. Es gibt immer wieder durchaus amüsante Situationen und Emilies Leidenschaft für das Kochen und Backen sind durch Einträge aus ihrem Kochbuch witzig in die Handlung integriert. Ihre jeweiligen Kommentare sind jedem Kapitel voran gestellt und passen sogar immer ein bisschen zu dessen Inhalt.
Natürlich ist alles sehr dramatisch, herrlich unrealistisch und die Autorin wiederholt sich grade bei den Beschreibungen der Figuren sehr häufig. Aber so alles in allem, war es keine all zu schlechte Lektüre.

[Celia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was suggested by a book club so I purchased a copy and struggled through the entire book. The author's repetitive phrases and tropes mired the story almost to a complete stop.
One evening Emily's husband, the Earl of Whitmore, returns home to their country estate with no memory of having married her. They married Three months earlier and then he left for London and has been unheard from since. Every other page he denounces her and refuses to believe they are married even though she wears the family heirloom wedding ring. They advance a bit then he starts again with the 'why would I marry you?' business. Emily is crushed by his attitude and lack of memory. He promised to find her brother in London and send him home. Soon after he left her some thugs brought her dead brother to her and told her the Earl was with his mistress and not to bother him.
This seems to be the entire theme of the book until the last twenty or so pages where the reader is finally given a clue as to what is going on.

[Chantelle Hale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not surprise at the ratings. Both characters have their FLAWSSS. The hero and the heroine both behaved abominably. The author wanted to show that the heroine was not wilting lily but her stubborn self instead was shown. She kind of a coward too and in hindsight it was funny when you think who encouraged her to take her place as a countess. Like all the harsh words were all bitter truths. Got a bit of backbone after that. As for the hero, a bit of jerk bcs he lost his memories goodness and then I'm still incensed that he snubbed his wife in front of the ton sure he had his reasons. Thankfully he was smart enough to not do that twice. I also appreciate how protective he was of her although she didn't really follow his instructions and then she admitted to herself oh he was right.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book itself was fine. Typical historical romance, traditional HEA ending. The dropped stars are because I really did not like the hero, Stephen Chesterfield, Earl of Whitmore. I hated how he purposefully snubbed his wife repeatedly and openly encouraged a flirtation with another woman. I know, I know. He had his reasons and they were honorable. But I just didn't like those traits in the hero of the novel.

[Fae · Rating 2 out of 5]

As much as I wanted to find out how they would work out their relationship, I couldn’t finish this book. Dropping it in chapter 9. I was so annoyed by the heroine who kept on thinking she was not good enough and didn’t think of communicating her fears to the hero. I was just annoyed by the lack of communication between the hero and heroine & the constant suspicions. I also wasn’t impressed by book 0.5 which was a prequel to this book.

[Lindsey Ruppe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm usually good at catching a reprint, but this one alluded me. Thankfully I had not read it previously but was also taken off quard starting the novel only to get about 15% in and I see EPILOGUE... whaaaat? My best guess, since there's zero notes, is that for this reissue, Willingham wrote a prequel novella. Which is cool but just was quite odd. It was a great read, a lot of steamy scenes. Being a Harlequin Historical originally that's a little shocking

[Sandcastles · Rating 2 out of 5]

It could have been a good book if it wasn't for the bad writing and editing. Firstly the author seems confused in a beginning about something's like whether she has lost her virginity to the hero or not... more than a few boo boo were made where previously mentioned things were negated later on .