The Accidental Countess

Once Upon An Accident #1

by Melissa Schroeder

This is reissue.

Being a spinster was much easier than becoming the accidental countess and it definitely didn’t prepare her for falling in love.

Colleen MacGregor doesn’t like rich men, especially rich titled men. Still, her guilt won’t allow her to leave Sebastian passed out in the snow. Before he can leave, they are caught in a compromising situation. Under an agreement he will leave and never bother her again, Colleen marries a man she barely knows to save her reputation. Before she can really stop anything, she is whisked to London, where she is transformed into an Original and captures the attention of the ton—not to mention her husband.

Sebastian Ware thinks he’ll never see the sharp-tongued spinster again. He never planned on becoming the next Earl of Penwyth…or on falling in love. But before he can declare his feelings, he must protect her from an enemy who wants them both dead. Racing against the clock, Sebastian strives to save them both so he can turn their accidental love into a love for eternity.

Once Upon an Accident Series
The Accidental Countess
Lessons in Seduction - coming in April
The Spy Who Loved Her

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Harmless
A Little Harmless Sex
A Little Harmless Pleasure
A Little Harmless Obsession
A Little Harmless Lie
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A Little Harmless Fascination
A Little Harmless Fantasy
A Little Harmless Ride
A Little Harmless Secret
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Genres: Historical Romance, Historical, Romance, Regency, Erotica, Historical Fiction, Ebooks

254 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2007

About the author

USA Today bestselling author Melissa Schroeder has had almost 90 short stories, novellas, and novels published in the last 15 years.

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Reviews

[Julie (jjmachshev) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this Samhain release by Melissa Schroeder.
Colleen doesn't want a man. She especially doesn't want a titled man. She really, really doesn't want a rich duke!! But just her luck that the man she saved from death in the snow and she thought was a wastrel drunk turns out to be a rich, titled man. If only they hadn't been caught in that compromising position. Oh well, he's promised to marry her to save her reputation, and then return to London so she can conveniently 'kill him off' since he's been going by his name and not his title in her village. It could be worse.

Well hell. He married her to save her reputation and let her keep her house. It's not like it's his fault his two relatives just died and made him duke. He can't very well marry someone else as he's already married and he refuses to allow the title to go to his wastrel of a cousin. She'll just have to deal with being married to a rich, titled Duke. Surely that's what every woman wants?

This comedy of errors was a delight from beginning to end. He can't figure out why he is attracted to such an unfashionable, obstinate, red-headed witch. And she just wants to prevent having her heart broken. Watching these two work their way to each other is an entertaining read.

[Dinjolina · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all-this is NOT erotic fiction.
There are some 'cock'-s thrown in there but the sex is pretty much minimal and that makes this just regular HR.
And it got only t stars because this 'just HR' book was 'just' as a whole. In other words, it had potential, it could have been really fun but in the end it JUST felt flat.wo

[Coco.V]

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[JigsawGirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not really big on historical romances about the "ton", but I found myself enjoying this one. Sebastian seemed to have met his match in Colleen. She was intelligent and not interested in his lifestyle or money.

Besides their chemistry and romance, theirs was a good mystery. Even after a couple of people being knocked off, and others in the killer's crosshairs, I still wasn't 100% sure if I was right about whodunit.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book received from the author as part of a bundle.

[The Book Dragon's Hoard by A.V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story about a spinster who accidentally traps a man into marriage only to find out he's an Earl. The sharp, acerbic dialogue between the two was well written and made for a lot of fun as their relationship developed. I also liked how the characters' preconceived judgements of each other played against them, and forced them to reassess towards the middle of the book.

There's also a murder mystery, which made for some fun guessing games about who the culprit was. I did find that element a little too obvious, but it did add a fun dimension to the story. The ending was great, and I liked the cast of side characters enough that I'm interested in continuing the series.

I think this historical romance will definitely appeal to readers who enjoyed Bridgerton or Jane Austen's novels. It has similar vibes, and definitely echoes the wry tone of Austen's works.

[monique - persephone · Rating 1 out of 5]

she physically and tw, sexually assaults him. nothing is believable. he goes from rake to omg love her. it's a bit like Stockholm syndrome.

the plot could have def been better.

it was just not great.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now I like a good murder plot within my romance as much as the next person but really did there have to be so much use of the word breeding? No animals were involved

[Galia · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

[Lyndi W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

At least with a historical romance, there is a legitimate excuse for the heroine to think herself so lowly. But it's still damn annoying. Where is the character that's like "You'd be so fuckin' lucky to get with me, dude."... but it actually has to be true, she can't be some horribly delusional nightmare of a woman. She has to be awesome and know she's awesome. This Colleen character was awesome, but she didn't know she was awesome. Which would normally be just fine and dandy, except we spend a lot of page time on Colleen disparaging herself. So really she's awesome, but thinks she's the opposite of awesome. And that's not awesome.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Accidental Countess is a fun historical romance. Bluestocking spinster saves entitled rake. She has no plans to marry but when found alone with him it is either marry or have her reputation ruined. Things would have been fine but right after they marry he finds out his cousin has passed away and he is now an Earl. Ooops, no annulment now. As with any good historical there is romance, mystery, dancing and of course some snappy dialogue. I truly enjoyed this book. If you are looking for smoking hot read Ms. Schroeder’s contemporary novels. This book has some intimacy but nothing like Melissa Schroeder’s other books.

[Catlou · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a tale filled with lots of charm with touches of humor, an underlying storyline of intrigue laced with danger, and just enough steamy passion to raise your pulse. Colleen and Sebastian’s growing love for each other will bring warmth to your heart while the prospect of someone plotting them harm will chill you to the marrow. You will be pulled in at the beginning and kept captivated until the very end with well-drawn characters and a story that’s not only engaging but entertaining as well. The chemistry is hot and the drama intense enough to keep you glued to its pages. This is one you definitely will enjoy re-reading often.

[Erika · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first historical romance I read with this author, based on her other books I thought there would be a lot more spice than there was. Colleen McGregor is a spinster who does not believe in love after how it fooled her mother with her step father, nor does she like the aristocracy. Colleen is perfectly happy being on her own, she has to do it form a young age after all. One night she finds a drunk passed out near her yard in the ditch, knowing she can’t leave him to die in the snow she takes him in his home and cares for him. Sebastian Ware does not know what to make of the usually timid woman who took him in when he was half dead. Sebastian and Colleen end up having to get married in order not to ruin her reputation, and their plan of saying he died a few weeks later went up in flames when he unexpectedly became the next Earl of Penwyth. Colleen gets thrown into the world of gowns, society, and titled people but she does a great job adjusting to her new life. She is written as a very timid FMC, who does have some fire when it comes to her husband. There is the miscommunication trope in this book, they both feel in love with each other, Sebastian didn’t know what it was until later and both of them did a terrible job of communicating their feeling. There was also drama in the plot due to the Ware men who are next in line for Earldom dying, the plot was entertaining and the romance was what you would expect from a historical romance book. This book did have some spicy parts but was not full of them.

Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️/5

[Holly Bargo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice story, needs proofreading

Modern phrasing, ambiguity about the era in which the story takes place, contrived misunderstandings and jumps to incorrect conclusions, and typos sprinkled through the content downgrade what would have been a 4-star review. Overall, the writing engages and the story moves as an even pace. The villain quickly becomes obvious, but resolution of the villainy comes as a refreshing and unexpected surprise.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book!

Ok, this is the first book I've read by this author and i am pleased to say i was delighted! The story line was very well thought out and the characters were great.

There were a few things it took me a bit to figure out but otherwise i truly liked this book. You not only have a romance in this book,but you have intrigue and a mystery to solve.

Recommend for anyone that likes historical romances!!

[Jerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could have been a good story

Colleen saves Sebastian when he is assaulted and left for dead. The vicar finds them alone in her home and insists on them getting married to save her reputation. But someone is trying to kill Sebastian. They marry and go back to London where the attempts continue and Colleen falls in love . It could have been just as good without all the explicit love scenes.

[PAMpublish · Rating 5 out of 5]

This intriguing historical old English royal romance surrounded by mystery maintained my attention from beginning-to-end. The author made the characters come to life as love evolves throughout the book. With twists and turns, the romance becomes a murder mystery with a surprising ending. Highly recommended for those who enjoyed this multi-faceted genre.

[Von · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. I was interested enough to finish but it wasn’t the greatest story. I liked the mystery element but the miscommunication even up to the epilogue was annoying. Descriptions got very repetitive as well. He says how unnerving it was to be attracted to his wife at least 30 times in the same exact way

[Rachel Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, how I love historical romances! The Accidental Countess is one of the best from beginning to end! I fell in love with Sebastian and Colleen’s story with all the mystery intertwined. A must read for sure!

[Dar · Rating 5 out of 5]

These two were delightful! Most definitely opposites, and the sparks that flew between them, those just lit them up. Their banter kept them on their toes, and their attraction to each other would not be denied <3

[Nesa · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Le Sigh*

[Barbara A. Faw · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting & enjoyable Regency romance.

[Mel]

Terrific book, now part of a collection of Melissa Schroeder books

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scribd

[Chloé · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Logan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cover design is unfortunate—this was better than it looks!

[Anita Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent a great story of romance and who done it a good read

[Sherrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Very sweet read. I loved how Sebastian fell first!☺️

[read with.Lama · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ew turns out they’re cousins. Other than that the book is good, kinda cute actually, but the incest somewhat ruins that lol.

4/5 one star deducted for incestuous relationship.

[Ashton Wiens · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good but the jumping around never know which character you were following was a struggle. I did listen to it so maybe the actual book is different.

[Madison Sickler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook

Great read, probably wouldn’t read again but I really enjoyed it